When a Plan Comes Together | In Vitro Fertilization

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Grace Fertility Centre

After enduring difficulties conceiving, a Vancouver couple is now living the dream as a result of successful In Vitro Fertilization treatment.

As Brent* lovingly stares at his precious 13-month-old son, Charlie*, asleep in his arms, his wife, Danielle*, looks on with pure joy. The Vancouver couple — both in their early 40s — never thought this moment would happen.

After unsuccessfully trying for one year to get pregnant, the couple decided to explore fertility treatments. “We found each other late in life. Both of us had previously been married, and we really wanted a child,” says Danielle.

Armed with information and statistics, the couple knew their chances of conceiving were slim given their age and their combined low egg and sperm counts. “Dr. Anthony Cheung (founder and medical director at Grace Fertility Centre) really cares about his patients,” says Danielle. “He gives you the straight goods and doesn’t give you false hope.” After weighing their odds and on the advice of Dr. Cheung, the couple decided to give In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) a chance.

The team at Grace provided Brent and Danielle a range of fertility treatments to consider. Once they decided which approach to take, all that was left was to begin the treatment process. “There’s a lot of pressure you feel while undergoing IVF — it’s incredibly stressful and emotional,” explains Brent. “Danielle had to change her diet and used three different hormone injection cocktails daily to help more eggs to mature.”

There’s no question the process was painful at times, but what kept the hopeful couple going was the possibility of making their dream of having a child a reality. Brent was also quick to note that Dr. Cheung and the staff were there with them every step of the way, which made a big difference as well. Despite things not going their way the first time around, Danielle and Brent found out in May 2013 that their second IVF attempt was a success. Nine months later, Charlie was born, weighing a healthy eight pounds, three ounces.

“Helping women in their early 40s to conceive is a challenge, requiring individualized IVF management. Although pregnancy success is higher using eggs from younger donors, many desire to have their own genetic child. So we work with them, mutually acknowledging the odds. And when there is a good outcome, it is all worth it,” says Dr. Cheung. “Grace improves the lives of those we touch through delivery of best quality care with compassion, knowledge transfer and research.”

*names changed