Infertility

I was 40 years with a high risk of preeclampsia when I first met Dr Ryan Funk. But my story begins at age 38, when we decided to have our first child. I conceived in the first month of trying so I was surprised to have trouble falling pregnant again – even at a “mature” age. After five months of trying, I went online to do some research and I was mortified to learn about the massive decline of fertility after age 35. Perhaps I was in denial about my age but I just did not believe that it was impossible to have another baby – particularly after my first was so easy.

After two failed pregnancies resulting in miscarriages and no answers as to why, I could not help but to feel discouraged and alone. I blamed myself for what happened and would cry myself to sleep thinking that my dream of motherhood would never be fulfilled. I remember walking into Ryan's office feeling depressed and thinking: is this really going to work? But at that point I told myself that it won't hurt to try!

I came to see Dr. Ryan Funk to complement the IVF cycle I was doing through Genesis Fertility Clinic. I was 30 years old and had a diagnosis of poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) since my early twenties. My PCOS caused me to be anovulatory, have irregular periods, and be overweight. After I was married at the age of 26, we had tried to achieve pregnancy.

 At the start of November, I had my first appointment with Dr. Lorne at Acubalance Wellness Centre.

I'm truly grateful for all of Ryans help and support. My husband and I had been trying to have a child for with no success. After many years experiencing infertility, we decided to go to a fertility clinic for a full work-up. They diagnosed me with endometriosis and suggested we begin clomid. We began to use clomid in combination with IUI's but these were equally disappointing. We were told by the fertility clinic that in our situation, we would need to do an IVF to achieve a pregnancy.

My husband and I had been trying to start our family for seven years when we first contacted Acubalance. After unsuccessfully pursuing fertility treatment in Calgary, now both 35 years old, we decided to try Genesis Fertility in Vancouver and learned of Acubalance through them. Before coming to Vancouver, I arranged a series of appointments at Acubalance concurrent with my IVF cycle. I also saw an acupuncturist in Calgary who participates in professional development with Acubalance.

Dear Raeghan,

There aren't enough "thank yous" we can say to express the gratitude we feel for all you've done. The relief and comfort we felt after our first appointment was exactly what we needed. After my operation to remove a fibroid and two failed attempts at IUI while trying to conceive for two years, there were many tears and we really started to worry. Although we are both very healthy, we're both over 40 and were starting to wonder if our dream of having a family was possible.

After two and half years of trying to get pregnant, Melani Waterman and her husband Brett had twins — Lukas and Charlotte — on Oct. 6. The story is featured in Empowered Health, read more at http://www.vancouversun.com/health/empowered-health/Ladner+nurse+credits...