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IVF miracle arrives in time for Christmas
Jade and Kyle Reynolds are one of countless couples who have experienced the struggles of falling pregnant.
It can be devastating and confusing and feel alienating when young, fit, and healthy yet unable to conceive.
But the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development suggest up to 15 percent of couples struggle to fall pregnant after a year of trying which is a higher number than many would want to hear.
Now on the other side of the storm of infertility, these grateful parents have chosen to break the silence and share what their journey to parenthood really looked like.
While living in Canberra, the young couple’s concerns of infertility were dismissed by multiple doctors in the area before they decided to seek further opinions.
After three years of trying and endless ovulation sticks, pregnancy tests, supplements, research and specialist appointments, Jade and Kyle reached out to a new fertility expert based in North West Queensland.
Enter Dr Elena Kreimer from North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS), an experienced obstetrician and gynaecologist with over 30 years’ experience in obstetrics and a masters in reproductive endocrinology.
“When I arrived in Mount Isa 13 years ago, I was struck by the extent to which women living in small or isolated communities were disadvantaged, infertility is but one such example,” said Dr Kreimer.
“This issue, bearing in mind that the couples are usually young and healthy, tends to be overlooked which was the case for Kyle and Jade.
“The cost of addressing this problem invariably involves traveling to large cities and finding the right clinic and the cost can be debilitating. Moreover, often, such trips need to be made not once but several times as many, many variables come into play.”
“Asking Dr Kreimer for help was the best decision we ever made, if it weren’t for her, we’d still be trying to find an answer and would have blown through all our savings to make our dream of a family come true, Dr Kreimer is a massive part of us being parents today,” said Kyle.
“We started to meet with her via telehealth as we were based in Canberra while she was in Mount Isa.
“She organised multiple fertility tests, scans, and bloodwork for us which is where we discovered the cause of infertility, DNA fragmentation.
“We were filled with mixed emotions - relieved that we finally had some answers, nervous that IVF might not work, hopeful that our dream of a family might still be possible. It was very overwhelming and isolating time.”
DNA fragmentation is where the sperm is damaged due to the separation or breaking of DNA strands into pieces which occurs frequently in men at a very low proportion.
However, if the DNA fragmentation percentage is higher, pregnancy rates become lower as DNA fragmentation can compromise 'embryo viability,' resulting in greater than 80 percent miscarriage rate.
Discovering this, Dr Kreimer organised referrals to see a top specialist in Sydney where the couple could begin the best course of treatment, IVF - Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
ICSI is performed as an additional part of an IVF treatment cycle where a single sperm is selected by an Embryologist and injected into each egg to assist fertilisation using very fine micro-manipulation techniques.
The ICSI treatment created four embryos, luckily the first transfer was a success, so the remaining three are frozen ready to be transferred later if they choose to have any more children in the future.
“I was a high-risk pregnancy due to my preexisting Type one Diabetes but then we discovered around the 19-week mark due to bleeding, I had a complete Placenta Previa,” said Jade.
“Placenta Previa is a pregnancy complication that occurs when the placenta partially or completely covers the cervix (the opening to the birth canal) and it's a major risk factor for postpartum haemorrhage and can lead to serious complications for both the mother and baby.
“Dr Kreimer never made us feel different or abnormal, no question was a dumb question and having that support made a huge difference to the overall experience, knowing we could contact her if we felt we weren’t being heard by medical professionals in Canberra.
“This became our salvation at the 30-week mark when I started to bleed again and was rushed to hospital.
“The Consultant Obstetricians wanted to admit me post bleed to the hospital for steroids for early delivery which could have posed unnecessary risks for myself, and the baby given the effects steroids can have on patients with diabetes, with the addition of describing the delivery as a ‘smash and grab’ c-section.
“While I’m sure the Canberra team would’ve been well resourced for a preterm birth, we were determined to give our baby the best chance and I wanted to carry the baby to full term.
“We contacted Dr Kreimer, and she said if we wanted to fly to Mount Isa for monitoring, she will support us for as long as is required, so at 37+5 weeks with the support of family living in the north west and Mount Isa Hospital staff, we gave birth via c-section.
“I originally wanted a natural birth but given my Placenta Previa it was safest for both me and bub to deliver via c-section.
“The whole team at Mount Isa Hospital made it so special and I felt very comfortable and safe.
“This was a far different scenario to my pregnancy care previously in ACT and it’s a testament to the people here.”
On November 20, 2024, the little baby girl Harper Anne Reynolds joined the world happy and healthy.
“The team were prepared for anything, they had the Special Care Nursery team on standby which was lucky because Harper had a secondary apnea (the absence of respiratory effort in that does not respond to stimulation and requires positive pressure ventilation to resolve), they took her aside did their thing and kept me calm the whole time as I started to worry, but they were so quick and she was back in my arms in a matter of minutes,” said Jade.
“The whole experience at Mount Isa Hospital was incredible, all teams (Surgical, Anaesthetics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Midwifery) were positive and knowledgeable which kept us reassured,” said Kyle.
“Everyone is so passionate about a holistic care experience. I was able to hold Harper on my chest within minutes, I think they call it Kangaroo care, it was just incredible, you feel so much more connected.”
With three more embryos frozen waiting for transfer, the couple are seriously considering making the trip to return to Mount Isa for future births.
“We have three more waiting for us, why not give them all a chance? And if we can come back to Mount Isa to birth with Dr Kreimer and the midwifery team by our side again, why wouldn’t we?” said Jade.
Each person’s fertility experience is personal, and it takes courage to tell the story.
The North West HHS thanks Jade and Kyle for sharing their journey to becoming parents and celebrates each and every journey knowing how much hearing these stories can help encourage those on a similar path to parenthood.