A Gift of Siblings

Lisa didn't come directly to the MGH Fertility Center when she knew she needed help in getting pregnant. In a way, this is highly surprising, considering she had been an MGH employee for almost eight years at the time. She admits that through a colleague she had heard about the program, its high success rate and its compassionate staff. But, precisely because she was an employee, she wondered if she would really have the anonymity she and her husband Jason desired. So instead, she went someplace else. As she was about to be prepped for her tests, she asked herself 'why am I doing this here?' and decided right then to come to MGH. Two successful, separate births later, she has never regretted her decision... nor lost the anonymity she wanted.

"Jason and I tried for about 11 months to get pregnant. My husband has a problem with the morphology and motility of his sperm. My doctor ran some tests on both of us and then devised a treatment strategy. After three unsuccessful tries of intrauterine insemination, we moved right to IVF.

"In June, '96, we went through all of the shots and medications and I had eight eggs retrieved. Then, in the laboratory, my eggs were mixed with Jason's sperm. The results were devastating. No fertilization had taken place - none at all. All the shots and our efforts were for naught. The meeting with my doctor was very emotional. You could just tell the staff was as shaken as we were; that this was a rare event. We were told not to lose hope - that the next time we would try ICSI - intracytoplasmic sperm injection - where a single sperm is injected into a single egg. We would try that next attempt in September.

"That was an extremely long and lonely summer for Jason and me. We really kept to ourselves and avoided our friends who were all having children. Something like this can make some couples grow apart. In our case, Jason and I grew closer together. Our social worker at the MGH Fertility Center really helped us through this devastating time and gave us lots of support. I met with her both on my own and with Jason.

"Come September, my husband and I were anxious - wanting to proceed, but at the same time finding it scary. I guess it's like falling off a horse - you just have to get back up and try again. We proceeded through the same routine as before, and after my eggs had been retrieved, ICSI was done. This time, we had an answer to our prayers - our beautiful daughter Britany.

"After Britany, we tried once again, unsuccessfully, on our own to have another child. So, we went back to the MGH Fertility Center where they ran some more tests and right away we started IVF. Somehow, it seemed easier this time and we got pregnant on the first attempt and now Britany has a healthy little brother, Jacob."

Lisa and Jason, like many other couples, read lots of books about infertility in addition to attending classes at MGH. After Lisa got pregnant, she volunteered one night a week for RESOLVE, a support group for infertile couples.

"It's important to grab ahold of your infertility and acknowledge that it's going to be a challenge and an extremely emotional experience. There will be times of sadness and isolation. When something gets in the way of your natural instinct to reproduce, it is devastating.

"At MGH, Jason and I didn't feel like a number. I think this is because of the size of the program. It's small, so we got to know all the staff and they got to know us. We never even had to look at an insurance form. Someone on staff takes care of all that. The nurses were efficient, dedicated and incredibly warm and personal. The whole process is so tight and timed, that you really can't miss one phone call or visit. You could just feel the whole staff wanting us to succeed.

"Walking into the center the few times can be daunting, but because of the caliber, warmth and caring of the staff, you get to feel quite comfortable. When we went for our IVF procedure after Britany, it was like coming back and being around friends. I just can't imagine anyone being disappointed by this group of people."