Lindsay & Sean

Sean and I met at work. We both work for a policing think tank in D.C. and began dating in early 2014. We got married in August 2015 and moved to Annapolis in October of that year.

One fun fact is that we had many chances to meet before we actually did! He was in grad school at George Washington University the same time I was in law school there (and his best friend was in my class), and later we both worked for criminal justice agencies within the government.

So, by the time we FINALLY did meet, we had a lot in common and a lot to talk about! We share several interests – baseball, hiking, kayaking, and enjoying life on the Chesapeake Bay!

Trying to start a family

I was in my late thirties and had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at a young age, so I wasn’t sure if I would be able to conceive. Sean and I wanted a family so we spoke to my OB/GYN. My doctor sent us directly to Shady Grove Fertility, where we did all the pre-screening fertility tests.

We were somewhat nervous about the tests, but we were both on the same page about what we wanted for our family. We were older when we began trying to conceive (I was 38 and Sean was 37), and we had both accepted the idea that having children might not be in the cards for us. We agreed that if it happened, it would be wonderful, but if not, we’d be okay too.

I think that took a lot of pressure off as we began the testing. I was very happy that the testing process was so comprehensive. The results gave us a lot of information about our overall health and allowed us to understand any challenges that we might face. The tests also gave us peace of mind.

Low-tech treatment

We met with Dr. McKeeby to go over our test results and definitely felt involved in the decisions related to our treatment plan. Dr. McKeeby presented several options based on my age and our test results, and we were able to choose the course that was best for our goals and needs. I didn’t know much about fertility treatment prior to starting this process, so I was a bit surprised that there were options such as timed intercourse and intrauterine insemination (IUI) that were less invasive than in vitro fertilization (IVF) (not to mention less expensive).

We decided to start with timed intercourse and lucky we did because it worked on the first try! We were so shocked and happy!

Life with our daughter, Ava, has been amazing! She is almost 6 months old now and it is so much fun watching her grow and change. She is so curious and engaged with the world! She loves playing in the water and sand, tummy time, puppets, her gym class, and going on long walks with us. We have enjoyed every moment.

We feel so thankful that SGF gave us our daughter and we love her more than we even thought possible. There is absolutely nothing better than when she looks up at us and smiles.

Advice to those thinking about starting a family

Schedule a consult and get those fertility tests done! The testing process can be long, exhausting, and frustrating at times, but it is so important to know what is going on and to understand any potential issues. Once you have your results, you can address them head-on. Also, be prepared to make some big decisions about treatment options, but know that there are a lot of different options available. There will be one that is right for you!

We were pleased with everything about Shady Grove Fertility, especially Dr. McKeeby and our nurse Jackie. They were fantastic and everyone we encountered during the many rounds of testing was so great to work with. I would recommend Shady Grove Fertility to anyone!