HUFFINGTON
10.07.12
MIRACLE BABIES
blocked fallopian tube, not necessarily enough of a hindrance to
make pregnancy impossible, but
enough for Cortney to be put on
Clomid, a pill that induces ovulation. She tried two rounds of the
medication; neither worked.
By then Cortney was moving
along a treatment trajectory familiar to many of the 7.4 million
women in the U.S. who have used
some form of infertility services
in their lives. She was referred to
a reproductive endocrinologist
and tried three rounds of IUI, all
failures. In November 2005, Cortney began preparing for her first
round of IVF. Cortney found out
she was pregnant on December 21,
but seven days later her hormone
levels had dropped.
“At that point, in doctor’sspeak, it’s called a ‘chemical pregnancy,’” she said flatly. “But it’s a
miscarriage.”
Cortney’s next two rounds
of IVF were also unsuccessful.
One was canceled because there
weren’t enough ovarian follicles
to retrieve, the next because none
of her eggs had fertilized. Her fertility doctor said there was nothing more he could do and suggested she try a more pioneering
out-of-state clinic. At that point,
SHOULD
WOMEN FEEL
BETRAYED?
ELATED? CAN
THEY MUSTER
ANY SENSE
OF TRUST IN
THEIR OWN
REPRODUCTIVE
SYSTEMS?
she had spent more than $12,000
out of pocket on co-pays, medications and anything her insurance
didn’t cover.
In September 2006, Cortney
took a medical leave from her
job and flew to Las Vegas where
she spent three weeks shuttling
between various hotels and the
Sher Clinic, part of one of the
largest networks of infertility
clinics in the U.S. She left Las
Vegas hopped up on her highest dose of medication yet and
the maximum number of embryos Sher’s doctors were able to
transfer. She was certain she was