In-Vitro Success Story: A New Mom and Her Twin Daughters
Megan Cindric and her husband wed in 2009 and knew they wanted to try for a family. After 10 months, they hadn’t been able to conceive. Some of the questions that crossed their minds were, ‘Is something wrong?’ ‘What’s going on?’ After being unsuccessful and asking themselves these questions, Megan and her husband decided to seek help; or, “bring in the big guns!’ she tells us.
That led to a meeting with Dr Havelock at PCRM, where Megan found out she had “unexplained infertility.” After encountering a few unexpected hurdles along the way, Megan and her husband finally had two beautiful twin girls – that’s right, twins!
A few years have passed since Megan’s IVF treatment and her beautiful, healthy, and the family could not be happier. Here are some of the highlights from our conversation.
Walk me through how it felt to get that news.
I wanted to hear that my hormone levels were low or I had a blocked fallopian tube (and how we could fix it). Something like ‘unexplained infertility’ doesn’t have an easy fix. I’m the type of person who likes to know the problem so I can figure out the solution, so this was hard to hear.We decided to do our first round of in-vitro fertilization in the spring of 2011. I knew there are no guarantees. Though, I couldn’t help but hope that it would work.
How does it feel when something so meaningful is out of your control?
It’s intense. It takes over your life. We actually achieved pregnancy on our first round, and it was beyond our wildest dreams! But when we went in at the six-week mark, we had lost the heartbeat. I’ll never forget the moment. The ultrasound was going over my stomach, and there was nothing there. It was awful.
What happened next?
On our next round, we actually had embryos to freeze. About eight months later, we decided to do a frozen transfer of the embryos. We were all ready to go, but got a call the morning that the embryos didn’t unfreeze. That was another kick in the gut for us.
So, a couple of back-to-back blows?
Exactly. We decided we were going to take some time off because it was too much, and it was weighing on me emotionally and mentally.
In the spring of 2013, my husband and I had a big talk and decided: “this is it.” And if a final round of IVF doesn’t work, we will accept our lives the way it is. We went on a nice vacation to Europe, and when we got back, I took a month off work during the cycle because I wanted to be fully relaxed and stress-free.
And it worked?
We found out at the end of August that we were having twins! That was totally insane. I’ll never forget the moment. I had been to PCRM so many times for ultrasounds, and I was worried that it was taking longer than usual for Dr. Havelock to give me an answer. After a long pause, he said: “… it’s twins, is that okay?”
The room spun. I just couldn’t believe it. It was a dream. It was terrifying, but a dream.
And at this point, you also know it’s still not a guarantee?
Well, we got to 16 weeks and the babies were still there! We went in for the first trimester screening and we were crossing everything we could saying, “please, please, please.” But everything was fine. The measurements were good. We had blood tests done and our risks of chromosomal abnormalities were very low. When I came out of the ultrasound room and it all looked good, four of the nurses who’d been there for all of our rounds were waiting for hugs. They were so happy for us!
I had some of the worst moments and best moments of my life there, and I really got to know the staff at PCRM. When you achieve a pregnancy, it’s a success for them too. That made the experience even better because they were so happy for us. When I think of PCRM, I always have warm feelings. Not only did their work result in twin daughters, but they were with us in the trenches – through thick and thin.
Is there any advice you have for women in a similar position as you?
I would say that if you decide to wait until you’re a bit older to have children, don’t get discouraged. Don’t think, ‘I’m 38, it’s too late.’ It’s never too late. If having a baby is really important to you, at least look into the options, especially if you’re having difficulties. The technology is improving all the time.
How are your twin daughters today?
Lily and Fiona are funny and feisty! They are just the silliest things. They love reading and playing crazy imaginary games. I always send pictures to Dr. Havelock at Christmas and their birthday; I want to remind him that they aren’t just creating pregnancies at PCRM – they gave us our family.
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Welcome to the Pacific Fertility Centre for Reproductive Medicine Blog! Nationally and internationally recognized for providing exceptional reproductive care, our team believes in empowering people with the knowledge they need to navigate their unique fertility journeys.
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