Written by Terri Wilson, SIU HealthCare
Ann Gemberling and her husband, Jay, never really talked about becoming parents, but Ann always knew she wanted to be a mom. After trying for a year to get pregnant without success, however, the Springfield couple discussed their options with their primary care physician who recommended the SIU Fertility and IVF Center.
Dr. J. Ricardo Loret de Mola, director of the Center and the couple’s fertility specialist, recommended the couple start with in vitro fertilization (IVF). “On our first round of IVF, we produced four embryos,” explains Ann. “We were so excited and planned on implanting two of those embryos.”
Throughout the process, Dr. Loret de Mola stressed the importance of maintaining Ann’s health as well as the health of the embryos. “Dr. Loret de Mola always made me feel like my health in this journey was extremely important,” says Ann. “He was afraid if he implanted two embryos that I would have a more difficult pregnancy due to ovarian hyper-stimulation. Once I heard his concern, we were very comfortable with the decision to implant the very best embryo.”
After just one round of IVF, the couple discovered they were pregnant. “It worked!” Ann exclaims. “We had Maycee, who’s now our beautiful two-year old.”
When Maycee was about a year old, the couple decided to expand their family of three and opted to try IVF again using their frozen embryos. “The team was very honest that frozen transfer may not work,” Ann recalled. “The success rates for frozen transfer versus fresh transfer aren’t as high.”
Much to the couple’s disappointment, the IVF didn’t go as they had hope. “It failed and we were devastated, but we were grateful for the team’s honesty,” Ann explains.
Looking back at their journey, Ann says she initially felt inadequate after being unable to conceive naturally, which is why the mother of three wants to be a source of support for others who feel alone in the process. “Going through IVF, you have to give up control and trust them with your future.”
Ann and Jay felt like they had one more chance to try IVF. “Due to insurance and job changes, we had a short window to try one more time. The SIU staff worked very hard to meet our deadline and get us into clinic. We produced two embryos and both implanted with success!”
Today, the family of five is happy, healthy and busy.
“Going from one to three was crazy!” Ann comments. “It’s amazing how enriched our lives are now that we have these three beautiful children. Being a mom was always something I wanted, but I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until they got here. We love our children and our life.”
The couple feels they owe a lot to the SIU Fertility and IVF Center.
“We are very blessed and lucky to have the SIU Fertility and IVF Center here in Springfield, Illinois,” says Ann. “We didn’t have to travel to St. Louis or Chicago for treatment. The staff was so supportive that they became like a second family to us. It was nice to have them to lean on.”
Interested in learning more about SIU’s fertility services or meeting our specialists? Join us from 3 to 6 pm on Sept. 13 at Erin’s Pavilion as the Center celebrates its fifth birthday. Call 217-545-3101 to RSVP or to learn more about our services.