Dr. K and her Patients in the News One Young Couple’s Struggle to Conceive Janet and Bryan Bird News 24 June 24, 2003 Video Fox 26 July 7, 2003 Video Janet's only wish was to give her husband a child. Bryan, who was adopted, had always longed for the biological connection Janet had with her extended family. He noticed the similar mannerisms, smiles, and personality traits within her family and longed for that kind of personal connection with someone he loved. They never dreamed that at their young age of late twenties that it would be so hard. After a year of trying to conceive, Janet saw her OB/GYN who advised her it could take three to four years. They decided after talking with family, they shouldn't wait and began their pursuit of infertility therapy. After a complete evaluation of Bryan, Janet sought the care of board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist Infertility (REI) specialist, Sonja Kristiansen, MD. "We were looking for very personalized care and help through the process. Dr. Kristiansen and her staff were very involved and gave us support and compassionate care", said Bryan. Through In-vitro Fertilization (IVF), Dr. Kristiansen was able to make their dreams come true. Janet and Bryan delivered twins, albeit early at 25 weeks. Now, just over one year old, they are beautiful, healthy and thriving, thanks to their parent's dedicated care. They had a huge support system of family, friends and emails from around the nation. Bryan chronicled their journey and hopes to publish it someday. "Having to seek out help to have a baby is difficult, but we were able to watch a miracle in the making and achieve success!" said Janet. "Even at a young age Janet and Bryan had severe difficulties conceiving. Waiting a few more years may have left them with no chance of conceiving," said Dr. Kristiansen. Their "biological clock" was ticking down much sooner than most and required the most advanced reproductive technology (ART). Approximately one in five couples experience problems with infertility which indiscriminately affects both genders, various age groups and all ethnic backgrounds. Only five percent of couples require advanced techniques such as IVF which involves retrieving a woman's eggs, fertilizing them with sperm, culturing them into embryos in the laboratory and then transferring them into the uterus.

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