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Gina's and John's Story

When my husband and I (both military members) were married in 1994, we dreamed of having 3 or 4 children after a year of "couple" time. After two years attempting to conceive, I contemplated seeing a specialist but the military timetable set us on the move to Tucson, AZ. There, two trips to the emergency room for excruciating pain led an Air Force OB/Gyn to refer me off-base to an infertility doctor who discovered endometriosis at laparoscopy. After surgery and a couple of rounds of Clomid without success, my husband was sent to Korea.

On his return we moved to Hurlburt Field near Pensacola, Florida. With my endometriosis pain getting worse, the Air Force OB/Gyn referred me to Dr. Ripps, who spent an hour in consultation where he explained in-depth how the endometriosis was affecting my body and what we could do to conceive. After a second laparoscopy surgery, we were given options of “IUI” or In Vitro and chose IUI even though the military wouldn’t pay for it. Dr. Ripps’s staff was wonderful at making us feel like we were their only patients and that they cared about us.

Our first cycle with IUI failed and because of the fear of costs, we sought care at a military-affiliated IVF center in Bethesda, Maryland near Washington, DC. Drugs would be free and the procedures at a reduced cost. There was a waiting list and 6 months later we headed to Washington, DC for a failed IVF cycle that the doctors could not explain. They offered us another cycle and after another 6 months delay, we were flying back to Washington, DC, again. We spent 3 weeks in DC, not working, and staying in a hotel. This second IVF cycle also failed and we turned down a third. I was depressed and began to think that I wasn’t meant to have a child.

After a year of depression, I finally “accepted” that I wasn’t going to have a child but was determined to find a life without pain every month. My research about endometriosis brought me back to Dr. Ripps’s website where I began reading testimonials that inspired us to try again.

Just like our first experience, my husband and I received an hour with Dr. Ripps to discuss our options. Dr. Ripps reviewed records from our two failed IVF cycles and found another clue…PCOS signs! Dr. Ripps adjusted the medication protocols adding Glucophage and starting Lupron a little earlier than I had previously.

There was something more astounding: I didn’t feel like a number. At every visit, I felt like the entire office, from the receptionist to the IVF coordinator, was pulling for us and genuinely cared. Being at home after every appointment helped me relax greatly. Our IVF transfer was on August 28th. We discovered 10 days later that I was pregnant. We couldn’t believe it!! Both of us were stunned, elated, happy, and excited. When the coordinator called us to give us the good news, we could tell she was just as happy to give us the news as we were to hear it! After 2 follow-up appointments at 6 weeks and 8 weeks, we confirmed it – one baby’s heart beating strong!

I cannot begin to describe the difference at NewLIFE and how with his attention to detail and the office’s caring attitude, Dr. Ripps and his staff made this an awesome experience for us. They are wonderful, caring people who really love what they do and I will always cherish the help they gave us! In hindsight, I wish we had started our IVF with Dr. Ripps. By the time we traveled to Washington, DC, and went through 2 failed IVF cycles, we could have completed a cycle (and then some) at home. I feel certain we would have become pregnant the first time around in Pensacola.