“If We Knew Then What We Know Now”
The Lewis family and their little miracle, Madigan; Broomfield, CO

If we knew then what we know now, we would have put our trust in Ferring Pharmaceuticals much sooner than we did.

My husband and I are both goal-oriented people who agreed to establish our careers and our finances before we started a family. We always dreamed of raising children but my diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) at age 29 threatened to take our dream away from us.

My doctor at the time said PCOS was, “no big deal.” He placed me on a track of Metformin and Clomid telling me I’d be pregnant in no time. But I was not pregnant after a long time and as a result, I was heartbroken.

Desperate, we moved to another doctor’s care, then another. All wanted to run the same track that had already been tried and had failed. All relegated IVF as a “last resort” because of its expense and invasiveness.

Desperate, I turned to the Internet, which only served to frighten me with misinformation. I was now 35 and felt my chances were slipping away. However, a friend recommended Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado. I looked up their Web site and saw their advertising for a Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ study for women like me afflicted by PCOS. This study used Bravelle and Menopur.

I felt like fate was finally on my side! My husband and I quickly contacted and began treatment with Dr. Mark Bush at Conceptions. After the initial treatment failed, Dr. Bush recommended that we enroll in the Ferring Pharmaceuticals’ IVF study because he was convinced that it was the right choice for us.

At the outset, the idea of IVF was scary considering the costs, the complicated protocols and daunting process. But Dr. Bush and his staff quelled our fears and reassured us that this was worth all of our time, energy and finances. Further, because they took the time to explain every single step and provided us with daily monitoring and support, the treatment process was seamless and in no time at all I was PREGNANT!!! After 41 quick weeks, our perfect baby girl Madigan Grace was born January 13, 2009! This was made more special by the fact that our baby was the first granddaughter and she was born on my father’s 70th birthday.

In recalling our journey it has been difficult to remember the sadness and desperation we experienced since we are now awash in the joy of our daughter and it’s hard to imagine life before her.

If we knew then what we know now, we would have seen IVF for its effectiveness, not let others scare us about its reputation for invasiveness and expense. IVF was not something to be avoided – it was where we should have been four doctors and six years sooner. I’m not embarrassed that we used IVF, I’m proud!

In fact, I tell any of my friends with fertility issues (who are asking me for advice when they see pictures of Madigan) to speak with their doctors right away and investigate with their doctors whether Ferring Pharmaceuticals is right for them.

We sure plan to use Ferring when we are ready for another little miracle.