Daneen & Olusola

Olusola and I met in December 2014 at a local restaurant. We dated for almost 3 years before we got married. Having a child of our own was something we discussed but I never thought would happen. I had previously been diagnosed with endometriosis and by this time, I was approaching 40. I was convinced I couldn’t get pregnant let alone have a child. Still, we decided to go to Shady Grove Fertility to discuss our options.

I did all the tests and it was advised that we start IVF. Olusola and I were prepped and ready to begin treatment until we found out we were naturally pregnant. Maybe we didn’t need fertility treatment after all. Unfortunately, I had a miscarriage 6 weeks later. Devastated by the news, we decided to take a break.

Fast forward 6 months, we were ready to try IVF, so I contacted Dr. O’Brien. By this time, I was 41 years old and worried about whether or not I would have any luck with the egg retrieval. Dr. O’Brien was so encouraging throughout the process. She said it only takes one.

June 2018, we had our first egg retrieval and one embryo reached the blastocyst stage, but it was not chromosomally normal. I cried when I received the news but wanted to give it another try. We immediately went for cycle #2. This time I had 4 embryos reach the blastocyst stage and 2 returned chromosomally normal! However, given my age and how precious these 2 embryos were to us, Dr. O’Brien recommended I do the endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA), which helps avoid implantation failure by establishing the best day for embryo transfer. And I’m glad I did!

Turned out I needed an extra day of progesterone to prepare my uterine lining. With this information in hand, on December 14^th, we had our frozen embryo transfer and shortly before the New Year, I learned that I was pregnant! I had some pregnancy complications (e.g. placenta previa, fibroids and CHTN) but on August 13^th, I delivered our son who is a true miracle, Ayodeji, at 37 weeks 2 days.

My advice to future patients is not to give up, trust the process and stay positive. I never gave up hope and did all I could to prepare my mind and body. My mantra was “why not me?”

I also took advantage of SGF’s Wellness Center and signed up for the yoga classes as well as weekly acupuncture sessions until my second trimester. Both helped manage my stress and anxiety and the sisterhood I found during the yoga classes made me feel like I wasn’t alone.