National Infertility Awareness Week
Katie’s Story
Director’s Note: During this National Infertility Awareness Week, I want to share a powerful story that underscores the life-changing power of our work at FACTS About Fertility. Our passion for authentic women’s health drives us to empower women and educate our colleagues to address the root causes of infertility, so I hope you will consider joining our mission.
“My husband and I were married in 2012. When we were stationed in Guam in 2014, we had great hopes of starting a family, but we soon learned it wouldn’t be easy.”
Katie spent nearly a year trying to get pregnant before she met with an FABM-trained physician and was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a common hormone imbalance for women of childbearing age.
“I had surgery, and fortunately got pregnant soon after. We had our daughter in 2016 and thought we were on our way!”
Unfortunately, the story does not end there! As for many women, Katie’s story was just beginning.
“Two years later, we tried again. Although I got pregnant right away, I had a miscarriage. The doctors told me everything would be ok, so we tried a few months later. I got pregnant again, but then had another miscarriage.”
“Don’t worry,” they said, “it happens.”
“‘I need more information,’ I shared. We kept trying. We became pregnant again a few months later and again lost the baby. We began to lose hope. Perhaps we should just take a breath, stop trying and perhaps adopt?”
“The doctors [didn’t] even begin to test for underlying conditions until my third miscarriage. They said kept saying, ‘these things happen.’”
Three heartbreaking miscarriages almost shattered the couple’s hopes of growing their family. At the recommendation of several friends, they learned about fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs), and Katie started charting her cycle. However, despite her efforts and continued doctor visits, the cause of her recurrent miscarriages remained undiagnosed. She was in a state of despair.
“A friend suggested that we meet with an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) specialist.” Katie had friends who did it. “Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.” She thought it wouldn’t hurt to have the meeting.
“The meeting didn’t go well.” It lasted a short 10 minutes. “Everything I shared didn’t seem to matter.”
“At this point, I wasn’t having trouble getting pregnant. It was keeping the baby that was the issue!
Katie’s Sympto-Thermal teacher finally introduced her to Dr. Marguerite Duane who began a deeper dive into Katie’s health.
Katie assumed, “I thought she’d ask us to get pregnant right away. But I was wrong.”
Dr. Duane explained that it takes time to diagnose and treat underlying causes of infertility and recurrent miscarriage. Infertility is often a symptom of underlying disorder(s), and although Katie’s IVF specialist wasn’t interested in digging deeper, Dr. Duane dove in.
Dr. Duane recommended Katie learn the Creighton Model to more accurately observe her cervical fluid signs, so Katie started tracking right away. Given her history of PCOS, Katie also modified her diet to eliminate gluten, dairy and sugar. She began to feel better overall, but she and her husband were still not able to get pregnant.
“It wasn’t until I was introduced to Dr. Duane that the tide began to turn.”
“I [Dr. Duane] tried a couple of rounds of ovulation induction. No success. Even though Katie continued eating healthy, she started to experience weight gain and tiredness. We checked her thyroid levels. And though her TSH levels were ‘technically’ normal, they needed to be lower to optimize her reproductive health, so we started her on a thyroid supplement. We also checked her antibodies, and prescribed medication to deal with some autoimmune issues, but she was still not able to get pregnant.”
Dr. Duane came to a conclusion. “Katie may have Endometriosis.”
Infertility is often multifactorial, and Katie’s case was no exception: PCOS, hypothyroidism, and now possible endometriosis.
After an in-depth discussion of her options, Dr. Duane referred Katie to one of the only Natural Procreative Technology (NaPRO) surgeons in the region: Dr. Christine Hemphill. Katie had to drive two and half hours to see her.
“I didn’t agree to the surgery solely in the hopes that I could have another child. My motivation was overall health, understanding that the disease could also lead to other conditions.”
Surgery was scheduled for September 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. During surgery, Dr. Hemphill uncovered a common cause of infertility that had eluded others for years: in addition to PCOS, Katie was also suffering from endometriosis. A disease characterized by abnormal growth of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growing outside the uterus, endometriosis can cause severe pain and makes it difficult to get pregnant. It is a condition that requires surgical intervention.
Just two months after surgery, Katie became pregnant again. “We were thrilled!” Katie exclaimed.
However, at 8 weeks, Katie started bleeding. It was Christmas Eve and she called Dr. Duane, terrified that she might lose the baby.
Dr. Duane was carefully monitoring Katie’s condition and increased her supplemental progesterone, preventing yet another miscarriage.
The rest of Katie’s pregnancy was healthy and her son was born in July, 2021.
“After a year and a half with Dr. Duane, we were able to have our second child, now two years old!”
In 2023, Katie and her husband decided to try once again to grow their family and easily got pregnant a few months later. They welcomed their third child and second son in December of 2023!
Just as the root cause of Katie’s infertility was multifactorial, so too was her healing process. It required modification of lifestyle, dietary changes, pharmacological intervention, and surgery. It required someone to finally ask, “Why?”
Dr. Duane’s due diligence and training in restorative reproductive medicine equipped her to make diagnoses and craft a treatment plan that addressed all of the underlying issues.
Dr. Duane’s approach and treatment restored Katie’s reproductive health. She and her husband were able to conceive in a natural, fruitful way because of this holistic care. This is the same kind of care that Dr. Duane and colleagues teach our students about through FACTS.
“[We] need to be empowered to know how our body works. You don’t have to be stuck with the ‘band-aid’ that was offered.”
“We tried for four years to have our son. It would have been so much nicer to have had the information we needed sooner.” — Katie
Director’s Note: Katie’s story is just one example of the countless women who turn to doctors for treatment of infertility and miscarriage. Yet, many doctors do not have training in FABMs, or the education to diagnose and treat the hormonal imbalances or the underlying conditions that may affect a women’s ability to return to fertility health.
This is why we started FACTS!
Our commitment is to educate medical professionals and students about the science and evidence-based information supporting restorative approaches to reproductive health care, so they can better serve their patients. We advocate for comprehensive fertility care and connecting individuals with knowledgeable professionals like Dr. Hemphill who can diagnose and treat the conditions that may prevent patients from growing their family or optimizing their health. At FACTS, we teach that collaboration is essential to ongoing care.
But we can’t do it alone!
We rely on the generosity of supporters like you to continue our vital work. Your donation to FACTS About Fertility will directly impact the lives of women like Katie, providing them with the care and support they need to navigate their fertility journey with confidence and hope.
“Together, we can make a difference – one woman, one family at a time.”
Please consider donating today. Your contribution will help us reach even more health professionals who can make a greater difference in women’s health and lives – particularly those that dream of children and may have lost hope. Thank you for your consideration!
