We often hear “roller coaster ride” to describe the fertility journey. The McCarthy family certainly experienced this and more! Here’s Nikole’s story:
“My IVF journey started like most people – my husband and I knew we wanted to try for children right after our wedding. But getting pregnant didn’t happen as easily as I assumed it would, and after a year of “trying,” we made an appointment with Dr. Engmann.
After three failed IUI’s, Dr. Engmann decided our next best option was IVF. I was hesitant and became more anxious after watching the mandatory video on the process (I was terrified of needles!!). We took the summer to step back from the process and tried to relax and avoid thinking about IVF. Then in the fall of 2017, I underwent my first IVF cycle.
Surprisingly, it was a smooth process—even the injections weren’t bad! We retrieved many eggs, and I felt great and confident we had found our solution. It wasn’t until my scheduled transfer day that I received the call that made me realize that this process wasn’t a “sure thing.”
None of my embryos reached the blastocyst stage, leaving nothing to transfer. It was devastating, but I knew we wouldn’t give up that easily. I started my second full cycle in January 2018, only to be disappointed once again. As you can imagine, these failures began to take a physical and emotional toll, and once again, we decided to take a break to recover and recharge.
We enjoyed our time together that summer and then picked back up in August with our third full cycle. This time around, it was different, both physically and mentally. Believe it or not, I was excited for this cycle! We worked with Dr. Engmann on a modified protocol this time around, which meant different medications and more of them. I felt empowered, and this time I did the injections myself (I didn’t need my husband anymore for the subcutaneous injections!).
Once again, we retrieved many eggs, and I felt confident that this time would be successful. We waited patiently for the reports on how the embryos were doing. I was relieved when the day came to transfer, and we had one beautiful, perfect, viable embryo to transfer. That one miracle embryo was our daughter, who we welcomed in May of 2019. It’s like they always say, it only takes one, and she was literally our ONE.
We had no embryos that made it to freeze, so in 2021, when we decided that we wanted to try again, I knew we would have to start from scratch. I was excited to see all the nurses, staff, and doctors, especially Dr. Engmann, again. In September of that year, we started our fourth full cycle, and while we didn’t conceive that cycle, we did have two embryos that made it to the blastocyst stage and were able to be frozen…so it wasn’t a complete defeat! On November 17, 2021, I transferred both embryos. One became our son.
My time at the center was long (3+ years), but in that time, I became part of the most incredible community. There are very few places in the world where everyone is rooting for each other – whether it’s the nurses helping with the tests, the phlebotomists drawing blood, or the other women who are going through the exact same thing as you – everyone is helping each other and wishing for the best. It’s a community that I will forever be thankful to be a part of.
Through it all, I learned that I am stronger than ever imagined. I had such incredible support from my husband, family, and everyone I worked with at CARS. It’s hard when you’re at the starting line and going through it, but it is all worth it.
