New Leaders In Fertility & Endocrinology

Natalie & NicholasI was 32 years old when I conceived my daughter. Even though it had taken me several years to conceive and I took Clomid for a number of months, I thought my fertility problems were behind me. When my daughter was 2, we decided to try to have a second child. After one yearon Clomid, my OB referred me to Dr. Ripps for evaluation. The exact cause of our fertility could not be diagnosed right away, but Dr. Ripps was hopeful that I could conceive a second time.

When a laproscopy revealed extensive endometriosis, I thought any hope of conceiving was lost. Dr. Ripps and his staff’s encouragement and extensive knowledge of my disease were reassuring to say the least. When two attempts at insemination were unsuccessful, we considered IVF, but decided against it due to the expense of treatment and our concern with conceiving multiples. Dr. Ripps was very understanding of our decision.

Mary & John's TwinsI want to give hope to other 40+ year old women who are trying to conceive!  My husband and I stopped using birth control when I was 34 years old.  I figured I'd get pregnant quickly and we'd be on our merry way!  Nothing happened!  We got busy..life..careers..etc.  We moved to Florida in 2004...I was 40 years old.  Once we got settled..my mission was to give in to science and actually SEEK medical help in getting pregnant.

After a month of intense testing everything looked good.  I had my tubes checked, John's sperm checked and many tests. When we met with Dr Ripps again, he told me that we were fine, with no health reasons for not getting pregnant!  Except “Diminished Ovarian Reserve,” that dreaded label that translates..I'm too old! Dr. Ripps wanted to be honest and said that I should consider egg donor or adoption as chances for conception were low and miscarriage were high.

In October my husband and I tried to conceive our second child. After several months of having no luck, I visited my OB/GYN in January. After several attempts with different rounds of clomid and being diagnosed with PCOS my doctor reffered me to New LIFE. I had my first appointment with Dr. Ripps in November.

"My husband and I tried for 10 years to conceive a child on our own.  I saw many doctors, each offering different diagnoses including a tilted uterus, blocked tube, and a low sperm count.  I then sought the advice of one who claimed to be a "specialist" who promptly diagnosed me with (PID) Pelvic Inflammatory Disease by ultrasound.  I was given oral antibiotics for 19 out of next 34 months, and intravenous antibiotics for 2 weeks at the end.  Despite all of this, I was told by the specialist I still had PID and the only way to cure it was to have a complete hysterectomy.

"I was 37 years of age when I made the decision to see a fertility specialist at New LIFE. I had been trying for 6 years and spent thousands of dollars on ineffective treatments with a physician who despite years of practice and claiming to be a specialist, was not.  Under the care of Dr. Ripps, a board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist, I was quickly evaluated and the diagnosis of endometriosis was made.  I conceived in the first cycle of IVF and now have the beautiful baby girl of whom I had always dreamed. The instructions from Dr. Ripps and the exceptional staff at New LIFE were clear and they were always ready and available to help if questions arose.