#myIFstory: Kristen Lalla

Infertility is emotional and can leave you feeling hopeless and in despair but, with faith, optimism, and the right team of professionals around you, anything is possible. Thank you Kris for sharing your journey with us! Your words speak volumes.

Kristin Lalla and her children

"Our infertility journey began like so many others – 'I'll just take a few tests and if they don't come back perfect, then I'll just take a few pills, and I will be pregnant in no time.' Considering I had no trouble getting pregnant the first time, why should I even think there would be a problem the second? But after six failed IUIs (and many of those aforementioned pills), we knew we had a problem on our hands. It was time to change things up, and certainly time for a new doctor. We had been going to one who had a very good reputation for many, many years, but after our experience with him, it became clear that he was just riding on that reputation and probably getting ready for retirement.

The best thing to happen to us in our infertility journey was meeting Dr. Browne. She was a breath of fresh air from the very first meeting and we knew that if I didn't become pregnant under her guidance, then it was definitely God's will, and we should just give up. That is how much confidence we had in her knowledge, right from the start. And somehow we knew right away that being unsuccessful would not be the case with Dr. Browne in our corner.

Within approximately six months, I was pregnant with our second child, a boy who was born in August 2013. Just over two years later, we returned to Dr. Browne, and after only one transfer with a frozen embryo, I was pregnant with our third, who is due in a matter of weeks.

Everyone's journey is different, and I've learned that so many more people struggle with infertility than you would ever know. Slowly but surely, people came out of the woodwork to tell me about their infertility struggles, since I had been very open with my own. It helps.

IF only I had known that infertility doesn't always happen to 'other people.' Sometimes, just like that, you become other people. But with perseverance, confidence, and one very special doctor, there is always hope."

Hudson Valley Fertility Holds Open House For New Office in Somers, NY!

Hudson Valley Fertility has a new office in Somers, NY! Open house will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2016 from 11am-1pm at 380 US-202, Somers, NY 10589 on the 2nd floor. Come on by and meet Dr. Hyacinth Browne! Ask questions and listen to her discuss various fertility options! bit.ly/1qQYtO6
#IF #infertility #TalkOutLoud #StartAsking #AskDrBrowne

Learn more about Hudson Valley Fertility, www.HudsonValleyFertility.com.

Meet IF Founder & Expert - Dr. Browne

Hyacinth Nicole Browne, MD is a board certified reproductive endocrinologist. She majored in Chemistry at Dartmouth College and graduated cum laude. She graduated from Yale University School of Medicine in 2002 and she completed her reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowship at the prestigious National Institutes of Health. Dr. Browne specializes in compassionate and personalized infertility care and she is devoted to helping couples achieve their dreams of having a family. 

She has authored numerous publications and is the recipient of various awards in medicine, research, and academics.  Her areas of expertise include: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and infertility, diminished ovarian reserve, third party reproduction (egg donation and surrogacy), recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis, male infertility and fertility preservation.

Awards and Accomplishments

• Compassionate Doctor Award  2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,
• Patient Choice Award  2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• Super Doctor’s Rising Star (featured in New York Times Magazine)
• Top 10 Doctor- City, Metro Area, State
• On-Time Doctor Award
• Superior CREOG Achievement Award

Patients Say…

"Dr. Browne is unlike any doctor I’ve ever met before.  She truly “gets it” when it comes to infertility—not just the technical aspect, but also the emotional component.  I switched to her practice after a year spent with a well-known RE.  The difference between the two was astounding. With Dr. Browne, my husband and I felt like we truly had a partner by our side.  We had success twice under her guidance.  When she called the first time to tell me the positive beta results, she had all of her staff stand around the speakerphone to deliver the good news—we screamed in excitement together.  It was a wonderful experience both times.  I absolutely, 150% recommend Dr. Browne."

"I could not ask for a better doctor than Dr. Browne.  Going through treatments is an extremely arduous process.  Dr. Browne was there every step of the way.  She was always positive, compassionate, and highly responsive.  I would walk into every appointment with a list of questions and she patiently answered each one, never once rushing me, and always spending as much time with me as I needed." 

"Dr. Browne is a gifted clinician with terrific clinical instinct.  She goes the extra mile to understand the patient’s individual and complex case and takes the time to systematically correct the issues that may be leading to infertility.  She is thoughtful and concerned and most importantly, she cares. There is nothing more important than having a doctor who cares.  It is only because of Dr. Browne, who I call my baby angel, that my husband and I are expecting our first baby.  I always felt safe in her hands and she is the only doctor will see for baby #2!"

Special Interests and Expertise

• In Vitro Fertilization
• Minimal stimulation IVF
• Intrauterine Inseminations
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Diminished ovarian reserve
• Recurrent pregnancy loss
• Unexplained infertility
• Endometriosis
• Male infertility

Dr. Browne works at Hudson Valley Fertility located in Somers, NY and Fishkill, NY. For more information or to set-up a consultation, please contact Dr. Browne via email or phone 845-765-0125.

How Many Times Should I Do Intrauterine Inseminations?

Source: Androferti®

Intrauterine insemination (or IUI) is an in-office procedure that attempts to increase the likelihood of pregnancy by bringing the sperm closer to the egg in order for fertilization to occur. It has to be done at the right time in order to be effective, and as a result intrauterine inseminations should be timed to spontaneous (i.e. LH surge) or induced ovulation using human chorionic gonadotropin (i.e. HCG). An IUI should be performed the day after detection of the LH surge, because the oocyte (i.e. egg) has a limited window after its release to be successfully fertilized, and 34-40 hours after ovulation is triggered by HCG.

Intrauterine insemination is commonly used to treat mild male factor infertility, endometriosis, unexplained infertility, ovulatory dysfunction, and cervical factor infertility. It is also a viable treatment option for women under age thirty-eight and for couples who have failed multiple ovulation or superovulation induction cycles (usually 3-4 treatment cycles) before moving on to in vitro fertilization (IVF).  Although intrauterine insemination is often seen as a step before IVF, pregnancy rates achieved with IUIs have not significantly increased over time (as they have with IVF) and as a result the number of intrauterine inseminations being performed is starting to decline.

Some have even advocated doing two inseminations instead of one at 12 and 36 hours after a HCG- induced ovulation to increase pregnancy rates associated with IUIs.  However, studies have not shown a significant increase in pregnancy rates doing two inseminations.  As a result, I encourage my patients to only do a single insemination during their treatment cycle because a second insemination is more associated with increased costs than the expected outcome.   

When should one look into other treatment options when intrauterine inseminations have failed? This is more dependent on female age, other infertility diagnoses, duration of infertility, and quality of the insemination specimen. I generally recommend in vitro fertilization if the female partner is over age 38 or has a history of diminished ovarian reserve because success rates with IVF is significantly higher than those achieved with intrauterine inseminations. I also recommend IVF after three or four failed intrauterine insemination cycles, because pregnancy rates begin to decline after the fourth IUI attempt. Studies have shown that after 4-6 insemination cycles pregnancy rates decline by half to two-thirds.  

In all, intrauterine insemination is a viable treatment option for certain infertile couples. It can be an effective treatment for the right candidate, but it is starting to grow out-of-favor because of the shorter time to conception and increased pregnancy rates seen with in vitro fertilization.