Kacie and Cory’s Story

Patient Spotlight: Kacie & Cory

Our journey started back in 2019 just after we got married. We had been together for 8 years prior to marriage, and we knew that we wanted to grow our family right away- or at least that was our plan. After a year of trying and only negative tests, we turned to Kacie’s OBGYN for help as we noticed that her cycles were quite irregular. The doctor immediately diagnosed her with PCOS and thought that putting her on a medication to help with regular ovulation would be a quick fix in our situation. We were so hopeful after hearing this, but 3 more months had passed with no pregnancy. It was at this point, after a year and 3 months, that the doctor ordered a basic infertility workup. One of the tests revealed that Kacie had a mild uterine abnormality, along with a potentially blocked fallopian tube. Everything else on our initial screening checked out, so we were referred to a fertility clinic to do some further investigating. A week before our first appointment at the fertility clinic, we had the greatest surprise of our life and found out we were pregnant for the first time ever.

The pregnancy progressed as normal for many weeks. During her second trimester, Kacie began having some placenta related issues and very heavy bleeding for weeks on end. She became anemic from the blood loss, and our baby was losing amniotic fluid. She was hospitalized by the time she was 5 months pregnant to monitor the baby a bit more closely. Unfortunately, even after such close monitoring and under the most attentive care, nothing could be done to save our baby in the end. She underwent induction of labor and delivered our baby girl in November of 2020. It felt like the most devastating ending to an already difficult journey. We gave ourselves a few months to grieve this insurmountable loss, and we leaned on one another deeply during this difficult time.

When we were ready to start trying again, we picked up right where we left off with the fertility clinic. We did some more testing and found Kacie had some further uterine problems that would require surgery before proceeding with any attempt at pregnancy. This felt like another bump in the road, but we were determined to push through. After all, we reminded ourselves that this journey would lead us to a baby in our arms someday- which kept us motivated to keep pushing forward. After surgery and a few months of rest, we began our first IUI cycle, which failed immediately. Again, devastated, but kept pushing forward. We were not giving up this easy. We went directly into another round of IUI, and to our surprise – we were pregnant! We felt true joy for the first time in a long time. That was, until the doctor called and said that based on Kacie’s blood work, the pregnancy was not going to progress as it should and would ultimately end in a miscarriage. I had never seen my wife so defeated emotionally and physically. She longed to be a mother more than anything in this world.

It was after our second loss that we turned to Dr. Collins at CRE for a second opinion. On the day of our initial consultation, we had a clear plan moving forward. After some more testing and a few months of preparation, We began our IVF journey at CRE. As difficult as IVF can be emotionally, physically, and financially, we were excited to turn the page and enter a new chapter with Dr Collins (and the rest of our CRE family) by our side. Thankfully, our first round of IVF was successful, and we were finally pregnant again with our miracle baby. Our daughter, Elliott was born October 28, 2022. We are incredible thankful for Dr Collins and the rest of our CRE family for their expertise, support, and encouragement throughout our fertility journey.

While our story has a happy ending, I feel it’s important to highlight that any infertility journey weighs heavy on the couple as a unit. We struggled together. This was our journey. At times, I know my wife felt that she was alone and isolated. She was indeed bearing a heavy weight, but she was never carrying it alone. It is important to rely on one another in the face of infertility. Be each other’s support and mutual encouragement as this road is not an easy one to travel alone. We hope that our story inspires someone to stay in the fight for one another. It will all be worth it in the end when you are holding your baby in your arms and your family is finally complete.