Bermuda to Boston Shuttle

For Mary and her husband David, no distance was too great to go in their quest to have a child. Literally.

Residents of Bermuda, they started trying to have a family in 1995. After two unsuccessful years, Mary went to her gynecologist to see what the problem was.

"He performed a laparoscopy and told me that my tubes were blocked beyond repair. Since medical resources on the island are somewhat limited, we decided to seek a second opinion in the States. A friend of mine recommended a clinic in Connecticut. We went there and the doctor confirmed my gynecologist's diagnosis. He gave us two choices: go straight to IVF or have an operation to try to open my tubes. David and I felt we had wasted enough time, so we opted for IVF."

Commuting back and forth to their home in Bermuda, Mary and David went through the IVF procedure four times in Connecticut and each time it failed.

"After the fourth time, my doctor there just raised his hands in the air and said he didn't know what else to do for us. He told us that he really didn't have any other options and we could just keep trying the same procedure.

"About that time, a friend of mine in Bermuda, who was on the board at MGH, told me about the MGH Fertility Center and gave me some literature to read about the center. David and I went to Boston to see him. At the same time, we also looked at clinics in Florida and New York.

"We immediately liked our doctor. He was realistic, but gave us lots of hope, feeling that the odds increased with each try. Plus, since we knew the reason I was unable to get pregnant, we could concentrate on the quality of the eggs. Actually, production of eggs had never been a problem for me and in two of the four tries in Connecticut we had used frozen embryos. "I had some hesitancy, at first, in selecting MGH. What I really liked about the clinic in Connecticut was that it was small, and I received personalized care. I thought that maybe since the MGH Fertility Center was in a big hospital setting, I would be treated like a number. However, after one trip to the MGH Fertility Center, that thought was quickly gone. The center is really tucked out of the way and the care is wonderful. My doctor was sensitive and warm. The nurses are terrific, friendly and positive.

"We also liked the idea that MGH is much into research and didn't seem to be looking to make money by having large numbers of patients. David and I also compared their statistics, and found them slightly higher."

The logistics of travel were tricky. Since everything is so carefully timed, Mary and David would have to make travel arrangements at the last minute and wound up paying the highest fares. Plus, based on their prior experiences, they knew that living in a hotel and eating all their meals out had been hard. When they decided on MGH, they opted to stay in a friend's apartment. Mary actually stayed there alone for 3 1/2 weeks, even giving herself her shots, with David returning to his job in Bermuda between the times his participation was needed.

"There were several little differences in comparing the IVF procedures I had gone through in Connecticut with those at MGH. For example, the amounts of the drugs I was taking, as well as their timing weren't the same and the amount of time from the day my eggs were retrieved to the time they were implanted differed.

"David and I also decided to take advantage of the counseling that MGH offered. We had been pretty open about talking with our family and friends about our problem, but it was nice to have someone on staff listen to us and let us voice our concerns and discuss how our problem had affected our marriage. It was helpful.

"We also had the assisted hatching procedure, which helps in embryo implantation. I couldn't recall that having been done previously."

At the very first try, the IVF attempt at MGH was successful. Mary and David are the very happy parents of healthy twin girls, Emily and Sarah. In looking back on it all, Mary and David never considered quitting to try an option.

"I know it sounds strange, but each failure became a little easier to take. The first one was the hardest - David and I were devastated. But about a month after each attempt, we were ready to go at it again. I think we became more realistic in our expectations. It's really hard to explain the feelings of love that we have for our children. I wish everyone could feel this way, so for other couples who are going through IVF, I'd tell them to just keep trying."