Mackenzie Shenk of Denver and her husband had their baby girl after surgery for a blocked tube and scar tissue, three IUIs, and one cycle of IVF at CCRM Fertility of Colorado. Then, she conceived naturally with their son two years later.
What fertility treatments did you pursue?
Three intrauterine inseminations (IUIs) and then one round of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
What was your fertility diagnosis?
Unexplained infertility at first, though it was also found I had a blocked fallopian tube and initially scar tissue in my uterus that required surgery to remove.
When did you start your journey?
First consultation with CCRM was in early 2021.
How did you discover you had infertility?
We tried to get pregnant for over a year before seeking help and then realizing through the next year and a half that it was infertility.
What gave you hope throughout the process?
Seeing others with infertility on social media succeed in having children, the positivity and hope the staff and Dr. Kondapalli expressed for us along the journey, and just reminding myself I don’t know the future and these methods could work for me.
What was your treatment experience like? The highs? The lows?
The lows included: finding out I had a blocked fallopian tube, the three unsuccessful IUIs, finding out we only had one viable embryo (another was considered inconclusive after testing), and the stress with doing all of the medications successfully. It was also hard how long the process took and frequency of appointments, not knowing why IUIs were unsuccessful, thinking something is wrong with me and I’ll never have children, and seeing so many people I know getting pregnant naturally.
The highs included: successful surgery for the scar tissue, the initial number of eggs that were retrieved, and the first round of IVF being successful.
Was there anything that surprised you on your journey?
I was very surprised when I heard I was pregnant because I didn’t believe the transfer would be successful.
What helped you along the way?
Staying positive/hopeful, focusing on one thing at a time, therapy (individual and a support group through CCRM), social media accounts of others going through infertility, hearing success stories, and family/friend support and optimism.
What advice would you give to others on their journey?
Infertility is one of the hardest things I’ve been through in my life (and there have been quite a lot of hard things), and you are doing an incredible job. Be kind to yourself, do whatever you need to maintain your sanity and well-being, and take it one step at a time. You may have to adjust your expectations and adapt to new realities, so it’s important you be your biggest support and cheerleader through it and seek support from others in similar situations so you don’t feel alone.
Tell us about your little one!
Our daughter, Madelyn, is two and a half now and just the best. She is so smart, funny, and loving, and we are so incredibly grateful every day that we get to be her parents and have her in our lives. We feel sooo lucky that infertility treatments worked for us, as we know it doesn’t work for everyone.
Anything else you’d like to add?
A lot of people told us we’d likely get pregnant naturally after having our daughter, and I didn’t believe it. It actually made me angry because we went many months trying for our second child without success. Then, the week before we were scheduled for a consultation to start IVF again, we found out I was pregnant. I just had our son 2 weeks ago. Sometimes “hope” is just continuing to try and continuing to take steps towards your goal even when you don’t feel hopeful.
Ready to start your fertility journey? Schedule your appointment at CCRM to get started.
