"My Little Identical Miracles"
The Masangcay family and their little miracles, Trevor and Joshua; Redlands, California

My journey to become a mother looks like a résumé with its beginning about 10 years ago.

My husband Clark and I were married in 1994 and we were a very “responsible couple.” Like many of our “Generation X” peers, we were taught that you must first get an education, start a career, get married, buy a house, and then wait about a year before trying to start a family.… So that’s exactly what we did…. Optimistically, we waited 3 years before seeking help from the medical profession. Up until that time, we never considered the prospect of infertility, but we ended up being one of those couples who had to deal with that “secret medical problem.”

I began my evaluation with some basic blood tests to determine whether there were any obvious hormonal or biological causes for our infertility. In addition to blood tests, I also underwent several tests to see if my female organs were in good condition. (Some of these procedures were very uncomfortable, but I was willing to endure almost anything to find some answers.) When my doctor told me that a woman is born with all of the ova or “eggs” that she will ever have, I remained optimistic. I figured that there should be a “few good ova” available for me to become a mother. I wasn’t asking for a baseball team, just a child to complete our family.

I found that men, by comparison, have it pretty easy; they are generally only subjected to a laboratory evaluation of their sperm, but might also undergo blood tests to look for any obvious genetic factors. However, even though the evaluations are easy, there is nothing easy about a man having to cope with the inability to make his dreams of starting a family come true. Many men, my husband included, feel an almost indescribable sense of failure when their wives cannot easily become pregnant.

We learned that evaluation for infertility treatments works on a process of elimination, with each subsequent treatment becoming progressively more complicated and expensive. While at the beginning, I thought, “Great, my fallopian tubes appear to be open,” after all was said and done, it would have been easier if my tubes had been the only issue.

Once my husband and I migrated into the realm of “unexplained infertility,” we began to rely on what I consider “hormonal trials” and in vitro fertilization. It’s all a very expensive roll of the dice and takes a heavy toll financially as well as emotionally. We found that there are 2 routes that a couple undergoing infertility treatment can take in order to cope emotionally: secrecy and openness.

Many couples choose to secretly undergo treatment to avoid having to deal with others’ disappointment or insensitive comments regarding their situation. Doing so can lead some people to assume that you don’t have children because you are selfish or unwilling to start a family.

Being open in regard to our infertility treatment presented its own challenges. Some people did not understand the process and assumed that we were engaged in some sort of cloning activities. I had one friend who felt we were “messing with God.” Despite some of the negative consequences, my husband and I chose to be open about our infertility treatment. We figured that someone else might benefit from our knowledge about infertility.

Over a course of 5 years, we endured 10 rounds of infertility treatment before finding success. Seven rounds of intrauterine insemination had failed, and it was determined that my endocrine system needed the more precise guidance that can be achieved through in vitro fertilization. With each of 3 in vitro cycles, my medications were slightly modified to achieve the best possible ovum development. On my third and final in vitro cycle, my physician decided to utilize Repronex to add some luteinizing hormone (LH) activity to the end of the cycle. Although I took the medication to prevent a premature LH surge, my body apparently needed a little luteinizing hormone to overcome the hormonal suppression and prepare my ova for retrieval. In this cycle, we utilized 3 pre-embryos, 1 of which “took” and, much to our surprise, split. We are now the proud parents of identical twin boys!

Our story began with disappointment and despair, but ultimately ended with success! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share our story with you. My husband and I hope that we can help others learn a little about infertility from a patient’s perspective and how drugs like Repronex play such an important role in resolving this medical issue.