“Momma’s Little Miracles…”
The Garcia family and their little miracles, Evan and Jade; Saddle Brook, New Jersey

Today as I look and stare at my healthy 8-month old twins, I again feel very blessed and I again think about the journey my partner and I took to get to this point. It definitely could not have been done without the expert advice and assistance of Dr. Mark Ransom and his staff at North Jersey Fertility Associates, LLC.

As a lesbian couple, the technology of science through IUI and IVF, along with the right regiment of fertility drugs, were the options that we chose to help us conceive our family. The process as a whole took just over a year—from the initial consult to the day we found out we were pregnant. In that time we ran through a gamut of feelings—from crying before my first insemination, enduring numerous amounts of needle pricks, the disappointment of failed attempts, to the shock when they told us we were having twins. I still remember my partner saying, “We need a house!”

Our treatment plan and medication were discussed and decided upon with Dr. Ransom. IUI was the preferred procedure and Clomid with an hCG injection was the medication used for my first cycle. For all the emotions that I felt, they came to full force tight before I was to receive my first IUI—the tears fell so readily that Dr. Ransom even asked if I was having second thoughts—my response was “No,” my body was just telling me it was ready for this emotional journey. My first cycle, as well as my second and third, were all unsuccessful. From the start, Dr. Ransom highly suggested that we make 3 to 4 attempts with each fertility drug regiment before moving to another method. Dr. Ransom prescribed REPRONEX^®, with the statement that this would give me a better success rate as it would stimulate the production of more eggs. For 7 days my partner injected me with REPRONEX^®. When the time was right she then gave me an injection of hCG, after which I then went through my fourth IUI. Disappointment set in when I began bleeding earlier than expected and when an ultrasound indicated that I had too many eggs and that now my ovaries were overstimulated. To compensate for this in future cycles, I was advised to use a combination of REPRONEX^® and Lupron. As soon as I was able, I began my fifth cycle with my partner injecting me with Lupron for 14 days. On the fifteenth day I began a 7-day regiment of REPRONEX^® and Lupron. After the seventh day, I was given an injection of hCG and then had my fifth IUI. I was so certain this cycle was successful, I started to feel different physically; but again, disappointment set in as this too was another unsuccessful cycle. Since it was so close to the holidays, my partner and I decided to take a cycle off—we both wanted an emotional break.

Whether it was the emotional break or the change in process, our sixth cycle was successful. After some lengthy discussions, instead of doing another cycle of REPRONEX^® and Lupron and IUI, we opted to go for the gusto—IVF. With this process, Dr. Ransom again prescribed REPRONEX^® and Lupron, with the hopes that I would have ample eggs to retrieve. I did, and they preformed well enough that on my transfer date, 2 embryos were implanted. These 2 embryos became momma’s little miracles! Anxiousness and nervousness were constants throughout each of my cycles, but it was more pronounced now; not just by me, but even my partner since this was the first IVF attempt and because we didn’t want anything to go wrong. Since my progesterone levels were being monitored every other day, and since the counts were exponentially multiplying, I had an inkling that I was pregnant; but it was not confirmed that I was carrying twins until an ultrasound was done in which 2 yolk sacs were visibly seen. This was when my partner explained, “We need a house!”

Our little miracles are now 8 months old and are happy and healthy. They were born healthy at 38 weeks—our son, Evan, weighed in at 7 lbs, 1.8 ounces and our daughter, Jade, weighed in at 5 lbs, 0.2 ounces. Momma’s little miracles…