Every patient who comes through our doors has their own story and has experienced a unique journey to build their family. But for those who are struggling with infertility, knowing that so many are walking a similar path can bring comfort and hope.
Katie Warner is one of those people. Today, she shares her story to offer connection and encouragement for people to seek out doctors like those here at the Center for Reproductive Medicine (CRM) who will accommodate and advocate for your family.
Katie Warner’s Story:
I wanted to share a bit of our journey so other warriors in a similar situation might find hope! I know connecting with women through the IVF community has truly helped me, and I hope sharing our story does the same for others.
Here are our basic stats: my husband and I have been trying to conceive for three years. We were both 33 at the time of our 3 egg retrievals, my anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) level was 7.6, and we have male factor infertility (MFI) with low count and low motility. IVF was recommended for us from the beginning (versus trying intrauterine insemination first) because of our MFI issues.
Our first egg retrieval yielded 24 eggs, 15 fertilized via ICSI with a regular sample collection, and 3 made it to biopsy/freeze. Unfortunately, PGT-A testing resulted in no genetically viable embryos. We decided to take the next three months to focus on our overall lifestyle and concentrate on better nutrition, vitamins, and starting acupuncture for stress reduction. We eliminated gluten, dairy, soy, alcohol, and caffeine, and switched to non-toxic/EWG-certified household products, soaps, and cleaners to help promote a healthier life.
Our second round yielded 30 eggs, 12 fertilized by sperm collected from TESE surgery (sperm removed from the testicle), and again, yielded no genetically viable embryos after PGT-A testing. We were devastated. After the results came back, we were told our only option was to use donor sperm, and they wanted us to begin a third round immediately. But we had other plans!
We refused to believe donor sperm was our only option. My husband had almost 2 million sperm to work with, and, deep down, we felt that we hadn’t exhausted all of our options. We had already seen the top urologists in the Midwest, had varicocele surgery and TESE surgery. So we sought another opinion from a clinic in San Francisco with access to new technology.
We used a sperm-sorting tool that puts the sperm through an “obstacle course” to determine the strongest swimmers and uncover the highest quality sperm which is then used for fertilization. We thought that just maybe, with this technology, we could have a chance.
Our third egg retrieval yielded 24 eggs, 16 fertilized using a new sperm sorting technology, resulting in one day 5 hatching blastocyst, which was used for a fresh transfer. Our one embryo was successfully implanted, and I carried a healthy pregnancy to 41 weeks and 1 day! We welcomed our miracle girl, Winnie Warner, on 1/21/23, who was 8 lb. 5 oz., 21 inches long. Advocacy showed us that when faith and science intersect, miracles happen.
Hoping to continue growing our family and knowing that it took over three years to conceive the first time, we wanted to get started as soon as possible after giving birth to Winnie. Fast-forward nine months, and we found out we had health insurance coverage for fertility treatment. It was like finding $30,000 on the sidewalk—absolutely unreal! After meeting with the amazing nurses and staff at CRM, we decided to use our insurance benefit and chose to work with CRM in Minnesota for our fourth round of IVF. Since we had years of experience with prior rounds of IVF and a protocol with a successful outcome, we continued to advocate for our specific situation and hoped to mirror our upcoming protocol to what was successful in the past. Dr. Kapfhamer not only listened to our story, but he heard us and was receptive to shaping our fourth round based on what worked for us in the past.
Dr. Kapfhamer and the team of nurses were nothing but professional, compassionate, empathic, and trustworthy. We truly felt that they were our partners on this journey with our very best interests at heart. Our IVF round with CRM produced the best results we’ve had to date: 41 eggs retrieved, 13 embryos, 1 successful fresh transfer, and multiple frozen euploid embryos after PGT-A testing! We were completely blown away by these results.
The CRM team was willing to go the extra mile to personally deliver updates and guide us through the waiting process, as they understand how hard the wait can be. We never doubted their investment in our success, and we plan to try to continue growing our family with CRM in the future.
If you are struggling with your own fertility journey, please know that we are walking alongside you, lifting you up in hope and encouragement. Never be afraid to advocate for yourself, and remember that hope is the only thing greater than fear. I am always available via DM at @ivf.infertility.club because IVF is truly the worst club with the best members—and once a member, always a member. My heart is with you, and I’m rooting for you!
