In 2006, Trang and her husband set out to start a family to call their own. When they tried to conceive naturally for 6 months with no luck, they realized, something may be wrong.
Trang, 30, and her husband, 34, met with their OB and pursued several rounds of Clomid, an oral medication that’s commonly used as a fertility treatment for women who have irregular or absent ovulation.
Although they tried multiple times, the Clomid didn’t work. They then switched gears and turned to a fertility specialist. With this specialist, the couple underwent numerous cycles of IVF.
They began with a round of fresh cycle IVF, a cycle of IVF transferring a fresh embryo rather than a frozen embryo. To their dismay, they hit yet another roadblock when IVF was another unsuccessful attempt at growing their family.
With perseverance and determination, they tried again; both fresh and frozen cycle IVF.
And again…and again.
What was the reason?
Their doctor at the time was unable to determine the exact cause of their fertility challenges. As part of their next IVF cycle, PGT, or preimplantation genetic testing, was recommended to provide additional insights on why their attempts have been unsuccessful.
PGT is a technique used during IVF to screen embryos for genetic abnormalities before transfer, helping to select the embryos with the highest chances of successful implantation.
Given their circumstances, the couple chose to move forward without PGT. Since they had a limited number of embryos to transfer each time, they felt confident in transferring all of them regardless of the test results.
Unrelated to the PGT, it was discovered that Trang had a mild case of endometriosis, a condition that involves tissue growth outside of the uterus. The abnormal tissue can build up in areas like the ovaries, the back or front of the uterus, and the fallopian tubes.
Trang’s endometriosis, a mild case, was promptly taken care of by removing the uterine implants.
But, with the couple’s optimism dwindling, they faced the tough question: “Do we keep trying”?
“Do we keep trying”?
As one would imagine, with numerous unsuccessful attempts, it was a difficult time for the couple. Trang recalls,
I just remember always getting phone calls telling me that I wasn’t pregnant. It was so nerve-wracking each time. It felt like I was having a miscarriage every time because it was always a loss…I remember after our 3rd attempt at IVF, I made my husband answer the phone call because I was so defeated and disappointed at that point.
Overwhelmed, Trang and her husband decided to take a much-needed break from their fertility journey.
Their bodies both emotionally and physically exhausted, Trang and her husband sat down and discussed whether continuing down this path was right for them. They considered adoption; they considered spending the money they’d spend on fertility treatments on traveling instead. They even considered not having kids at all.
During their time of careful consideration, it was difficult for the couple to be around others, especially other children. Trang shared that due to the nature of her job as a teacher, she was surrounded by children all the time, reminding her of their circumstances. She couldn’t help but wonder, “why”?
While they shared the details of their journey with their close friends initially, after multiple unsuccessful attempts, they no longer felt comfortable sharing at all.
Navigating through their much-deserved break, Trang and her husband took the time to really rest and recover, as well as research.
Trang expressed, “My husband was 100% supportive throughout the whole thing. It was a struggle, but he was so reassuring that if it didn’t work out, we have other options”.
Upon researching, they discovered Dr. Lin and his success rates. After thoughtful consideration, they both decided they were not done trying. They wanted to keep going and try to have a child of their own.
After a necessary 6-month break, Trang and her husband set out to continue their fertility journey at Reproductive Fertility Center (RFC).
The couple’s journey with RFC
Dipping into their savings, they scheduled their very first consultation with Dr. James P. Lin. When the couple arrived, they were instantly fond of Dr. Lin and his straightforward honesty. Trang notes, “He was honest in telling us what our chances were, and that’s what we love, the fact that he’s just honest”.
Beginning their cycle, the couple quickly noticed the differences between RFC and their previous fertility clinic. Trang expressed, “One thing we love about RFC and Dr. Lin is that our previous fertility doctor did the same protocol every time, but Dr. Lin goes about it differently for every patient”.
And it is because of this personalized care that Trang finally became pregnant.
On their first cycle with RFC, Dr. Lin was able to retrieve 8 eggs and the embryologist was able to create 5 embryos. The couple decided to transfer 4 of those embryos, and it finally was a success.
Pregnant at last
The moment Trang and her husband discovered they were pregnant at last, they were filled with surprise and excitement. But the excitement didn’t end there. Trang describes the moment with Dr. Lin saying, “You may not be pregnant with one, but instead twins! Come in for blood work and we will confirm”.
Well, the couple went into the clinic as told, Trang got her bloodwork done, and Dr. Lin said, “I don’t know what to tell you, but your levels have tripled”! Unsure of what that meant, Trang asked and it turns out that the couple was pregnant with not one, not two, but three babies! They were having triplets.
Being pregnant with triplets didn’t scare Trang. In fact, she was elated by the news, going from 0 babies to now 3. She didn’t recall being nervous at all, only surprised because they didn’t believe this cycle would work out, which is why they purchased 2 cycles at a time.
Trang describes her pregnancy with triplets as “an amazing experience. Being able to feel them move in different areas of my belly and witnessing their personalities form while they were still inside my belly”.
Around 4 months of pregnancy, the beginning of the second trimester, the couple was informed that there might be a possibility of having to reduce. Pregnancy with multiples is considered a high risk for both the mother and the fetuses. The mother is at risk of developing gestational hypertension (high blood pressure), anemia, and postpartum bleeding among other risks. With multiples, there is also a risk that the fetuses will be born prematurely, being at risk for birth defects.
Trang and her husband were told that there was only a 10% chance of their babies being born at full term. The couple, not making the decision lightly, decided to take their odds and wait.
The couple waited and waited, and a few months later, the triplets were ready to meet their parents. At 36 weeks (full term for triplets), Trang gave birth to 3 completely healthy 5-pound babies. 2 boys and 1 girl.
The couple had beaten their odds. They were within that tiny 10%, with their babies being born at full term. All their babies were healthy, spending no time in the NICU at all.
Trang comments, “All the babies were in the room with me right after their births. It was very exhausting but very exciting”.
Fast forward 12 years later
Upon asking how Trang and her family are now, she shares that it’s been amazing! The children are 12 years old now. Her husband has since retired early to spend more time with the children, doing typical parent things like dropping them off and picking them up from school and activities.
The happy couple shares,
Our family is everything. We just feel since we struggled so much to have them, we just have to value the family we have so much more…We have 3 healthy and happy kids. It’s funny, even though they’re triplets, their personalities are all so different.
The kids are growing up fast! They’re really good kids, and really smart. They’re all bilingual, English and Vietnamese, and they’re in dual immersion classes at school. They each also play the piano after school.
Trang ends this testimonial by sharing that she and her husband feel incredibly blessed to have the family that they work so hard for, saying, “[We are] forever grateful for Dr. Lin and the RFC staff for blessing us with this family”.
