Sandra’s Story

Like many infertile couples, my husband and I ended up at a fertility specialist after the requisite “one year” of trying to get pregnant on our own. We were considered young for the infertility world, my husband 31 and me 29. Our first fertility doctor did not see any reason why we weren’t getting pregnant on our own, so I got the ever-popular diagnosis of “unexplained female factor infertility”. We went through the typical routine of 3 months of Clomid with IUI followed by 3 months of injectable IUI. Every month was a fail, and every month we were told the next month would likely work. At the end of our 6 rounds of IUI I was eligible for covered IVF with insurance. At this point we got a second opinion and ended up switching offices for our IVF treatment.

Our first IVF ended in a miscarriage of twins around 7-8 weeks following a subchorionic hemorrhage.  Our second IVF (2 implanted) took, but I developed another subchorionic hemorrhage. When we went to the doctor in tears, we found that not only had I not miscarried yet, there were 3 heartbeats. This was not an ideal situation for me or the babies, but I ended up miscarrying the two in a shared sac and carrying my son full-term. After the first trimester and a half with bleeding and nerves, the rest of the pregnancy was fairly textbook.

When my son turned a year we went back to fertility to try again. To our surprise, I was pregnant naturally. Once again, I developed a subchorionic hemorrhage. For several months we were on edge as I constantly was bleeding and concerned I was miscarrying. Around 20 weeks, I went to the hospital for major bleeding and was sent home when everything checked out. A couple of  weeks later I was admitted for bleeding and very low hemoglobin. The doctors were considering terminating the pregnancy because my life was at risk. I was devastated and fighting with them to give me more time. I ended up with a placental abruption and lost our son just before 23 weeks. I was crushed. I blamed myself. I wanted answers. After lots of testing, an autopsy and consultations with my OB and RE, it was decided that there was no reason for my loss and that I should try again in a few months. Between 2013 and 2016, I was pregnant a total of 4 times. None of them were successful.

My 5th loss happened right around the 13 week mark. I was at an MFN appointment when we learned that this baby’s heart had stopped beating. I was done. I couldn’t do it anymore. Luckily, Dr. Ron LiBrizzi changed our lives that day. It was our first time seeing him and he was the first doctor in all of those years to say to me, “Something is wrong. This isn’t just bad luck. There is a reason this is happening, we are just too dumb to figure it out.” The relief I felt at these words was immense. Dr. LiBrizzi looked at me like a puzzle to be solved. He started at the very beginning of my life and wanted to know my ENTIRE medical history. He ran more tests. In the end, he decided that I likely had an undiagnosed autoimmune disease and/or a blood clotting disorder. He put me on blood thinners (entire pregnancy) and a steroid (12 weeks) starting at ovulation. By the second month I was pregnant with my daughter and had a safe and full-term pregnancy. Thanks to Dr. LiBrizzi, my son has two lovely little sisters. 

What I learned from my experience is to not settle with your medical care. If you are not satisfied with what one doctor is telling you, find another doctor and get a second (or third) opinion. This doesn’t mean that my other doctors weren’t “good” doctors, but in my gut I knew something wasn’t right and I should have actively searched for someone who would help me solve that puzzle. We are so lucky that we happened upon a doctor who was willing to figure us out. 

-Sandra Lokuta