Shelise and Jessica are having twins! “Our son is ready for his brother,” Jessica gushed. “He’s not excited for his sister, but he’s excited for his brother.”
The couple came all the way from El Paso, Tex., to work with Dr. Gelety and our team at Arizona Center for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility. We asked them to share their experience and their journey to grow their family with us.
When Shelise and Jessica decided they wanted to grow their family—Jessica has three children already, while the twins will be Shelise’s first (and second)—they began looking online for fertility doctors in their area. The couple talked to a few centers over the phone, but none gave them the confidence AZCREI did. Shelise said, “Dr. Gelety had great reviews, so we just went for it and went in for a consultation.”
At first, Shelise and Jessica were apprehensive about the whole process. “We hadn’t done any research before going into it,” Shelise said. “But he gave us the whole breakdown—like Bill Nye the Science Guy—at our first consultation, and it was amazing.”
Dr. Gelety’s knowledge and experience made the women feel comfortable. They said they could tell he knew what he was talking about, which made them eager to start the process. Jessica said, “Our first thought after the consultation was, ‘How soon can we start?’”
Early on, the couple decided Shelise would transfer eggs to Jessica, and Jessica would carry the baby, making Shelise the biological mother and Jessica the birth mother. At first, they weren’t sure if this would be possible, but at their consultation, Dr. Gelety told them it was a completely viable option—and very common among same-sex female couples. He explained the extra steps they’d need to take, such as the egg retrieval, transfer, and IVF procedures, and they began the process.
“We had to wait until our next cycle,” Shelise said. “They timed the first three cycles, and then from there we started with the Lupron [hormone therapy shot].”
The couple achieved a successful pregnancy with the first round and is due in August 2019.
Shelise and Jessica had both hoped for twins. Dr. Gelety told them that during the IVF procedure, he would place two embryos into Jessica’s womb to make having twins a real possibility. Placing two embryos also gave them a higher probability of success in general. So, when both took, it was a special surprise!
Since Shelise and Jessica are living in El Paso, their visits to AZCREI were limited. Once they were finished with the IVF procedure, the couple relied on their doctor back home for lab results and monitoring. As soon as Dr. Gelety would receive the results from the lab in Texas, he would review them and give them a call with notes and information the very next day.
The two also note that Dr. Gelety, as well as Heather and Emily, were all readily available to answer questions and calls. “Their communication was great,” Jessica said. “Because we’re so far away, I felt like, they were as hands-on as they could be.”
When Shelise and Jessica were out of town in San Antonio, Jessica realized she needed a refill on medication. Being from out of town, the pharmacy in San Antonio wasn’t willing to fill it for her. She called Dr. Gelety to ask for advice on what to do, and he ended up calling the pharmacy directly to confirm the prescription, so she could get what she needed without missing any dosages.
It was those moments of our team taking the extra initiative to go above and beyond for them that made the entire process stress free. “We’d tell everyone to go to Dr. Gelety,” Shelise said. “He’ll take care of you.”
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Just as we helped Shelise and Jessica grow their family and experience the love and joy that comes with being a parent, we can help you. To schedule your consultation at AZCREI and begin your journey, visit us online or call (520) 326-0001.