Need Help - Chicago,IL

Dr. Susan Davies at Northshore Fertility worked wonders for us. Everyone at their office is caring and compassionate. I went to another before them (FCI) and the difference was night and day. Good luck!

http://www.northshorefertility.com

Hi J.

My husband and I had fertility issues and needed help conceiving. Due to the amount of time you have been trying and your ages, i would seek fertility treatments in the near future.

Dr.Ann Borkowski at Northshore Fertility Clinic was great.They are located in Skokie. She is kind and makes you feel at ease throughout the process.
I do wish you both the best and success.

There is an excellent specialist located in both Hoffman Estates and Downers Grove. Her name is Dr Reena Jabamoni. The office number for Hoffman Estates is ###-###-####. Great bedside manner, terrific staff and grea locations.
R.

J.,

Hello! I saw all of the great advice on fertility options so I won't repeat all the things to try. My husband and I tried everything for about 12 years and even though several things were found and "corrected", we just were never able to get pregnant. Looking back, it was obvious that we were not meant to get pregnant. However, we are very blessed with 4 incredible children through adoption. Our 2 daughters we adopted through Catholic Charities at birth and our 2 sons we adopted internationally and brought them home at 10 months and 16 months. I know, from experience, when you are going through all of the infertility treatment, it is easy to only think of that as an option. Fortunately for us, a day came where we started to think of other options and we have never regretted stopping the infertility roller coaster. Good luck to you and your husband! I hope you find the right choice that helps you to finally have your family!! :)

J. - I too had infertility issues. See a fertility specialist asap! Going through the process of testing and then fertility treatments is time consuming, so you want to start now. They will want to run tests on your for your first 1 or 2 cycles depending on what they think the problem is. Then they will start treatments. So, it could be 2-4 months before you even get to start the treatments. FYI - it is the law in Illinois that fertility treatments be covered by insurance. Now, there are loopholes to this, so do your homework. For example, if your company is self insured, then they don't have to cover them. But, there is a good chance that you can get everything paid for. It took us 2.5 years to conceive our son, 1 year after we had our first appt with the fertility doctor. We had 6 rounds of IUI (artificial insemination) with clomid and then injectible meds, then finally conceived on our first try with IVF. It is a time consuming and emotionally draining process, but well worth it in the end. If you have a medical problem, no amount of yoga or "relaxing" is going to help you. We conceived with Charles Miller, MD in Naperville. He is affiliated with Edward Hospital. Good luck to you!

Hi J..

I'm sorry to hear you are going through such difficult times. I know of an amazing fertility specialist/surgeon who several of my friends and family used as well and were very successful in conceiving.
His name is Dr. Charles Miller. He has offices in Arlington Heights and Naperville I believe, right by St. Edwards hospital.
He is truly a gifted doctor and a wonderful human being that cares about his patients.
The advice he gave my sister that couldn't conceive when they found nothing wrong with either of them was to RELAX. Take a short trip perhaps. As soon as she gave up the idea that she was going to conceive, she ended up pregnant. Not saying that its always that simple, but stress is EVIL!
Try to relax as much as you can and give him a call. you won't be sorry.

Have u tried fertility? I, myself had 3 miscarriages, then went forward with fertility and became pregnant with clomed. There is one in Chicago, he was really good.
H. P.

Hi J.,
Yoga has been used to relax the body and open the hips and gain awareness of your body. Classes are available through your local park district and at www.universalspirityoga.com
I agree with the comments about consulting specialists. There are additional issues impacting fertility such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and the endocronologist can run tests for you.
I agree with the comments about adoption as I have a sister who adopted from Sout Vietnam and other friends who have adopted children. I know one women who has adopted from Chicago area twice.

Although I have 3 boys, I too suffer from infertility, and have gone through a lot just to have them. Current OB doesn't want me to do clomid as I'm 38, just wants me to go to an RE who wants to do IVF, insurance wont cover any of it. Our insurance will pay for clomid, and clomid got us our last 2 boys, so that's our first choice. So I am swithicng OB's to get a second opinion. Don't give up, I run a home daycare here in Algonquin, and one of my mom's had had 9 miscarriage's so adopted 2, and since has had 2 of her own surprises. Her youngest is 2 and she is in her mid-40's. And done!

Hi J.,
So sorry you have been going through this. Definitely see a Reproductive Endocrinologist (fertility specialist) ASAP. There could be something very minor that needs help - sometimes it's just a progesterone supplement or a blocked tube. At any rate, these doctors can help you and time is important once you're in your 40's. The books and recommendations made are good. I would add Inconceivable by Julia Indichova. Ask your OB for a recommendation for an RE if you don't have one from a friend or this post, and make an appointment today. Best of luck to you!

Just as another option, there is a book titled: Fully Fertile writen by the ladies that started Pulling Down the Moon. They actually all live in Chicago. - They talk about other more natural approaches (yoga, nutrition, accupuncture, ect.) Its a great book just in general to read, even if you decide to go a different route. It is inspirational. Check it out.

Good luck to you.

Any reason you haven't seen a fertility doctor? Seems you’ve been trying for a long time. I believe they recommend if you’re over 35 and have not gotten pregnant in 6 months that you should see a fertility specialist.

I’m 40 and hopefully pregnant with our second child. I just finished an IVF cycle.
Check out this site: http://www.fcionline.com/ … a great group of doctors. I go to Dr. Kaplan in Chicago, but they have locations all over the Chicago area.

One important thing - because of your age (as with me) you should look into is IVF + PGD.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a state of the art procedure used in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) to select embryos free of chromosomal abnormalities and specific genetic disorders for transfer to the uterus. These genetic conditions can interfere with embryo implantation, result in pregnancy loss, or in the birth of a child with physical problems, developmental delay or mental retardation.

Dr Karande in Hoffman Estates is excellent, he's a fertility specialist. ###-###-####

I"ve heard great things about Pulling Down the Moon. Here are some resources as well:

*The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies by Randine A. Lewis, Randine Lewis, Little, Brown & Company, 2005
The Way to a Fertile Soul by Randine Lewis, PhD

Enhancing Fertility by Chris Meletis ND and Liz Brown

Conquering Infertility by Dr. Alice Domar PhD,

*The Fertility Diet by Jorge Chavarro

Fertility Foods by Jeremy Groll, MD

I starred the ones I've heard good things about, especially the Fertility Diet. Many women do not realize that gluten can cause infertility. 1 out of 4 women are gluten intolerant (me being one of them). Gluten is in everything, it is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley..get a food sensitivity and food allergy test to rule it out. :)

I do some preconception counseling too if you are interested.

Best Wishes,
J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator

Have you tried acupuncture? My husband and I were trying for a year and three months (not nearly as long as you, I know), I went to an acupuncturist for 1 month and now I am pregnant. Acupuncture is supposed to be able to help with preventing miscarriage, too. I'm hopeful of that because my last two pregnancies were miscarriages. Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Have you seen a specialist on this? Have you had your hormone levels checked? If you are not balanced hormonally, it is difficult to get pregnant. You should also watch your diet. No pop, caffeine, fried or fast foods, get enough sleep and excercise. your body has to be healthy to work correctly but if there is something wrong with the plumbing on either of you, then you need to find that out as well. I can help you with a natural hormone balancing cream that has helped thousands of women get regulated for pregnancy and then become pregnant. Before you do all these expensive tests, first get your hormones checked and see if you are low in progesterone. Email me for more information. It must feel awful and I truly sympathize with you. But, be on your best behavior regarding your health at all times. You will definitely feel different and more energized. You still have time!

K.
Wellness Consultant

Have you been to a fertility specialist? If you've gone that route without success, consider adoption. My step-sister adopted embryos which she carried to term. She has healthy twin 22 month olds (a boy and a girl). The best part about it...she has two healthy children and she gets to experience the wonderful journey of parenthood. Best of luck to you.

J., We also had fertility issues and tried to get pregnant for a long time. Try making an appointment with Dr. Randy Morris in Naperville, he's with IVF1. They were great! www.ivf1.com Good luck!

I don't know where you live but we went to an awesome RE at OakBrook Fertility. We were very happy with them.

I am surprised that your ob/gyn has not sent you to see a reproductive endocrinologist. Most doctors will refer their patient to an infertility specialist after one year of unsuccessful TTC, or even sooner if they are over the age of 35.

There are many factors to consider. Have you ever charted your menstrual cycle (are they of consistent length)? Have you ever charted your daily basal body temperature and cervical mucus (to determine if you're ovulating regularly). Do your hormones rise and fall as they should during the menstrual cycle (estrogen in the follicular phase, progesterone in the luteal phase), and is your body producing enough LH and FSH to appropriately stimulate and trigger the release of the egg? These are all things that a reproductive endocrinologist can help you discover.

Not sure where you are located but I highly recommend Womens' Health Consultants www.whcchicago.com. Their phone number is 312-997-BABY (2229) and they are located in the Rush professional building on Harrison in the West Loop. Dr. Mary Wood-Molo is fantastic, patient, and caring. She looks at the total picture and is very honest about your chances.

Best of luck to you!