One couple shares the value of talking about infertility and the journey to conceive
Many people are excited to announce their pregnancy, but talking about the journey to conceive can be more difficult. This is especially true for couples facing fertility issues. Kristen and Joe understand this feeling firsthand. However, they have found strength and comfort by talking about infertility and the treatments that helped them welcome their beautiful baby boy Austin.
The couple’s journey to become parents was longer and had more twists and turns than they could have expected. Thankfully, stumbling across the Fertility Docs Uncensored podcast, connected the couple with our own Dr. Susan Hudson. From their first telemedicine appointment, Kristen and Joe felt confident they were finally working with the right fertility doctor.
Experiencing roadblocks on the journey to conceive
The couple first realized they would need extra help to conceive after Kristen’s annual appointment with her OB/GYN. According to Kristen, “I mentioned that we had been trying for some time. I was either 38 or 39 at the time, and she advised that I should at least get my reproductive health checked out.”
Kristen’s OBGYN referred her to a fertility clinic in the couple’s home state of West Virginia. However, the clinic just didn’t seem like a good fit. “I never had a good feeling for multiple reasons after visiting that practice,” Kristen says. “My prior doctor put me through six IUIs, a hysteroscopy with very little findings or reason to have it, and multiple sonohysterograms. There was never even any talk of a diagnosis.”
The last straw for the couple was an egg retrieval with the practice. “After the procedure, the doctor never called me back or discussed the results with me. It felt very impersonal. I was very anxious and the time to wait to find out anything was torture.”
Unexpectedly finding hope while listening to a podcast
At this time, Kristen was looking for ways to distract herself. Because the couple wasn’t talking about infertility with friends or family, Kristen looked for comfort in other places.
A Google search led her to the Fertility Docs Uncensored podcast. After listening to several episodes, she was hooked. “I learned so much information about what should have been happening with my journey that I started to feel empowered. I also felt very stupid to just trust the doctors I was seeing.”
Around this time, Kristen saw her OBGYN for another annual appointment. When she asked about Dr. Hudson from the podcast, her OBGYN gave her the name of another doctor in Maryland that was a bit closer to home. Kristen decided to make appointments with both of them to compare their approaches.
Although she found that the doctor in Maryland seemed no different from her fertility specialists in West Virginia, Dr. Hudson was a breath of fresh air. “She was bubbly and positive, even though she probably had trepidation about my age because I was 41 by this time,” Kristen explains. “We felt like we had finally found someone who was listening and knew what to do next.”
Taking the next steps with Dr. Hudson
Although Texas is a long way from West Virginia, the couple felt Texas Fertility Center (TFC) was where they needed to be. “Dr. Hudson was 100% the reason we chose TFC. I listened to every episode of Fertility Docs Uncensored. I kept hearing how Dr. Hudson treats her patients and how she feels about what she does. When her colleagues Dr. Hansard and Dr. Silverberg were on the podcast, I heard the same passion for what they do,” Kristen says. “I also liked that TFC works with Ovation because their labs seem to be on the cutting-edge of technology.”
Once Kristen and Joe started coming to our New Braunfels fertility center, they knew they wanted to do in vitro fertilization (IVF). Dr. Hudson agreed based on concerns about age-related infertility. Before beginning treatment, Dr. Hudson ordered different tests than the couple had undergone in West Virginia. This included a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), bloodwork, semen analysis and genetic testing.
Based on the test results, Dr. Hudson recommended moving forward with IVF. The couple knew they would have to plan several “secret” trips to Texas. “We still weren’t talking about infertility at this point, so we felt like we needed to come up with reasons to visit Texas,” Kristen explains. “For example, for one appointment, we told our family that we wanted to go to Austin for a vacation. Then, for one of my egg retrievals, we said we were going to see WVU play the Texas Longhorns.”
Finding success and finally talking about infertility
All the travel, treatments, shots and heartbreak finally paid off when the couple learned they were pregnant with their son Austin. It felt “almost unbelievable” for the couple and they were thrilled. However, they still weren’t quite ready to tell their family yet.
Their eight-year-old niece almost gave away the big surprise after seeing a picture of the positive pregnancy test on Halloween, but they managed to keep the secret until Christmas Eve. “We let my two nieces open up presents with T-shirts that said, ‘In My Big Cousin Era.’ Everyone was surprised but so happy for us.”
As Kristen went through her pregnancy, she experienced everything from intense morning sickness and vertigo to six weeks of bed rest. Still, she believes it was all worth it because it gave them Austin. “We’re loving every minute with Austin. He has a smile that lights up the entire room. He is the happiest baby, and sometimes, I still can’t believe he is here,” Kristen gushes.
As for keeping their fertility treatment journey a secret, Kristen admits that relief and healing came with talking about infertility. “We had to tell some whopping lies to our friends and family. As we have been telling more people about how we got Austin, it has helped us heal a little.”
Kristen also hopes talking about infertility will help other hopeful parents in her situation. “Now that I have started telling people, I simply cannot believe how many people have been through something similar. I am hoping that this someday becomes a normal thing to talk about and people who haven’t been through this will understand how to support someone going through it.”
Praising TFC and sharing advice for other hopeful parents
Kristen and her husband both praise Dr. Hudson and the entire team at our New Braunfels fertility center. “Traveling from West Virginia to be under Dr. Hudson’s care was the best decision my husband and I have ever made. She and her staff made everything so easy for us even with long-distance travel. I could not have asked for a better experience,” Kristen says. “Thanks to Dr. Hudson we now have Austin who is the center of our universe.”
The couple also enjoyed spending time in New Braunfels, calling it a “hidden gem in Texas.” Having so much to do in the area helped take the focus off the difficulty of fertility treatments. In fact, the couple plans to come back to visit in the future.
As for the advice she has for other hopeful parents in her situation, Kristen recommends that they ‘”keep going and push through.” She also stresses the importance of getting support while going through fertility issues. “The toll that infertility takes on a woman’s mental health is unbelievable.” Talking about infertility to create a support system and finding a great doctor like Dr. Hudson can help lighten the load.
If you’d like to learn more about how Dr. Hudson and the team at our New Braunfels fertility center can guide you on your path to parenthood, contact us. We look forward to helping you write your own fertility success story.