Going going, back back to Bethesda, Bethesda.....

Last week I not only met my favorite nurse from the facility center (Flo) for lunch to catch up on life & my pregnancy, but I also braved stopping in to see the entire staff the following day. I do a lot of work in the area, and at my discharge 6 months ago they all told me to "stop in to let them rub my big belly sometime". So, I figured I was finally ready to see all their smiling faces (as was my ever visible & growing belly). It seemed so surreal to be there... with a baby kicking inside me. 

Walking into the waiting room immediately filled me with feelings of guilt. It was like everything was in slow motion. I was holding my coat in front of my belly, very aware of all the eyes from the women undergoing treatments glued to it. I was hoping to omit as many vibes of hope and love from my body as possible to each and every one of them, remembering what it felt like when I sat in their same shoes. I was shouting in my head "I've been there, I know how it feels!! Don't lose hope!", all while wanting to give them all great big bear hugs. I remember Mother's who didn't have sitters for their kids who brought them along to the appointments, or were also stopping in for the ol' belly rub. It was SO HARD sitting there wondering if I'd ever get to be that person, and it's so surreal now that I am. There's really no way to explain it. How it feels to walk down the hallway each day you're there for treatments and see all the smiling baby pics from successful patients. Seeing flyers for the "reunion cookout" with the staff and everyone's children and families. You are so happy for those people who made it to the other side, but you have NO idea if you'll ever be one of them. NO idea if your time, efforts, money, etc will pay off in the end. I never really understood PTSD until now. Even when your life is very different, you can remember those moments & thoughts so vividly.

On one hand I felt like I was walking back into a familiar, homey space. Seeing all the faces of the clinicians who walked the walk right along with me (hell, 2 of which were literally in the room when my child was 'conceived'). And on the other hand, it felt like I didn't belong there at all. My ship had sailed, and I was past that point in my life. Then I remembered my remaining precious embryo the next door down. And the thought that hit me the hardest is that I will be back here again, for round 2 eventually. Lord help me! Ha!! The struggle is real folks!

Although I had my doubts along the way with Dr. H, I have a love towards him now that is unlike any love I have felt before. As far as Dr. Warikoo, the embryologist goes? Well, ya'll know how I feel about him. He is the absolute best in the US. I can't say enough about both of their talents that lead both myself AND my sister to have conceived under their care. If you care to take a gander at their specialties and talents, see below. Amazing how I once wanted to kick that sweet smiling face of Dr. H's after my overstimulated cycle, and now I just want to pinch his cheeks off! :)

If you are struggling to conceive and looking for a center to provide in your care, this one is it. I have referred many a now Mothers here and truly feel blessed to have had these docs on my side. They made what is the hardest journey so far in my life a bit more tolerable.

Glen E. Hofmann, MD, PhD, FACOG

Medical Director, Bethesda Fertility Center
Director, Bethesda Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

Respected by colleagues for his expertise in both clinical and academic settings, Dr. Hofmann also is recognized by patients for his individualized attention and compassion. He is passionate about offering patients the most advanced infertility technology available for the highest possibility of pregnancy and parenthood. Click here to view curriculum vitae.

Dr. Hofmann is an award-winning researcher whose work has appeared in numerous journals, contributing to improved industry practices in such areas as ovarian reserve screening, ovarian stimulation, growth factors, frozen embryos and embryo quality effects on pregnancy rates. Under his leadership, the Bethesda Fertility Center has accomplished numerous area firsts, including:

• First tristate center to achieve fertilization of a human egg with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection)
• First tristate center to achieve pregnancy with blastocyst transfer
• First tristate center to achieve pregnancy using sperm aspirated from the epididymis

Board certified in reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Hofmann has more than 50 peer-reviewed published articles and 2 book chapters to his credit, covering all aspects of reproductive medicine. His expertise has been recognized by media ranging from local papers to “NBC National News.” He has participated as an infertility topic expert for varied online media, and print and broadcast media regularly seek him to provide comment surrounding infertility issues.

Dr. Hofmann has trained and worked at two of the leading institutes in the world for assisted reproductive technologies. At Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, he practiced for more than three years, contributing to its reputation as one of the most successful egg donation programs in the United States. He did his subspecialty training at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Va., where the first IVF baby in the United States was conceived. Dr. Hofmann completed his internship and residency at the University of Cincinnati in obstetrics and gynecology and also holds a doctorate in biochemistry.

As a nationally recognized expert in infertility, Dr. Hofmann has served as an ad hoc editorial reviewer for such publications as American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Biology of Reproduction, Fertility and Sterility and the Journal of The Society for Gynecologic Investigations. He has been named a “Best Doctor in America” by a peer-to-peer professional-rating organization and consistently receives “Top Doctor” recognition by Cincinnati Magazine as well as “Best Doctor” honors from Cincy magazine.

Pradeep Warikoo, PhD, HCLD

Director, IVF/Reproductive Studies Lab

Dr. Warikoo keeps the Bethesda Fertility Center on par with leading centers in the country by offering the newest industry technologies in the .Reproductive Studies Lab As an example, through steady development and improvement of the blastocyst transfer method, which uses a more mature embryo, Dr. Warikoo made this breakthrough technology a standard for the center's IVF procedures. Click here to view curriculum vitae.

Dr. Warikoo continuously researches advanced technologies to offer patients the latest in treatment options. His accomplishments include:

• First center in Tristate to achieve pregnancy and live birth using frozen eggs, providing more options for cancer patients and women who wish to delay starting a family.
• First Tristate center to announce successful pregnancy using IVF and preimplantation genetic screening and the first to achieve live birth with preimplantation genetic diagnosis
• First Ohio live birth using hamster zona (egg shells) to freeze single sperm cells – a breakthrough treatment option for men with extremely low sperm counts
• First intracytoplasmic sperm injection pregnancy in Tennessee
• First testicular biopsy pregnancy in Tennessee

Board certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis to direct high complexity laboratories in andrology and embryology, Dr. Warikoo received his PhD from the University of Delhi, Delhi, India, and his master's from the University of Kanpur, Kanpur, India. His experience includes: director for the Reproductive Biology Lab at the Southern California Fertility Institute; senior embryologist at Saginaw General Hospital's IVF and Andrology Lab; and prior to Bethesda, associate professor of embryology and director of the IVF and Andrology Laboratory, which he initiated, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

With extensive published articles and 2 book chapters to his credit, Dr. Warikoo's research continues to impact the field of infertility in such areas as micromanipulation, oocyte maturation and freezing, blastocyst development and embryo freezing. A recognized expert in his field, Dr. Warikoo has secured more than $1 million in research grants from the National Institute of Health throughout his career and is an ad hoc reviewer for the Biology of Reproduction and the Journal of Andrology.

XOXO,

Andi