IVF and Adoption Success Story: Julie’s Unforgettable Journey to Motherhood

This is not intended to provide medical advice. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. Please consult your doctor for any health-related concerns.

Julie's path to motherhood was filled with unexpected twists, spanning several years of fertility treatments, adoption, and a breast cancer diagnosis. Her IVF and adoption success story showcases her unwavering determination to build the family she always dreamed of.

From enduring the physical and emotional challenges of multiple rounds of IVF and pregnancy to adopting her first child and then battling cancer while continuing her journey to have another, Julie's experiences offer a powerful perspective into the complexities of building a family.

“My name is Julie Waite. First and foremost, I am a wife and a mother of two wonderful, beautiful children, ages six and eight,” she shares. Julie, an associate director in marketing and strategic engagements for a pharmaceutical company, has spent years immersed in reproductive medicine. “I have a very deep understanding about [the field], but it also makes my work very fulfilling because I’m able to talk about fertility and reproductive medicine every day.”

Julie’s journey began in her late 30s. “I didn’t meet my husband until pretty late, in my 30s,” she recalls. By the time she was nearly 38, Julie and her husband decided to start trying to build their family. They knew time was of the essence. “We started working on our family pretty quickly, and when things didn’t happen naturally, I knew at my advanced maternal age that I probably needed to seek assistance from a healthcare professional.”

IVF: The Long Road

Julie and her husband began with intrauterine insemination (IUI), undergoing two rounds without success. After those failed attempts, they moved on to in vitro fertilization (IVF), filled with confidence but unaware of the journey that lay ahead. “I was pretty naive. I didn’t really understand the requirements, the commitment. I really kind of went in blind but really with a lot of optimism and hope,” she recalls.

“At that point, we had gone through four attempts, and it was getting a little more depressing. I was losing a little bit of that hope.”

Their first round of IVF resulted in a single embryo, but genetic testing revealed it was abnormal. “There was nothing we could do with that,” Julie shares. Disheartened but undeterred, they pushed forward with another IVF round.

The second cycle yielded three embryos, but again, the results were disappointing. “The three embryos didn’t look very good. They weren’t growing very well,” Julie says. They decided to transfer the embryos back in a fresh cycle, hoping one might result in a pregnancy, but again, the cycle failed. “At that point, we had gone through four attempts, and it was getting a little more depressing. I was losing a little bit of that hope.”

Julie and her husband knew they wanted to be parents, regardless of the pathway “We sat down and talked this through. We just wanted to be parents, and we really didn’t care how it was going to happen. So, we started the adoption process.”

Adoption: A New Path to Parenthood

While pursuing adoption, Julie continued with IVF treatments. “The adoption process is not as physical, but it’s

really complicated, and it really does take a toll,” Julie explains. Between the paperwork, the emotional strain, and navigating the various avenues for adoption, it was a lot to manage.

Six months after completing their paperwork and creating their family book — a storybook about the couple that potential birth mothers use to choose adoptive parents — Julie and her husband got a surprise. “We get a phone call that there was a baby born in California, and we needed to get on a plane and come meet him.” With little time to prepare, they flew from Texas to California to meet their son.

“He was born two nights before, and we were nervous, ecstatic — every possible emotion you can ever think of,” Julie recalls. They spent ten days in California navigating the adoption process, living in a hotel with their newborn. “We weren’t prepared to be parents. We didn’t have anything — no nursery, no baby shower. We ended up living in a hotel with a newborn, trying to figure it all out.”

Breast Cancer Diagnosis During IVF Treatments

In the middle of these fertility treatments, Julie faced an unexpected health scare: breast cancer. “I had early-stage breast cancer, and I only found that through my very first mammogram that my reproductive endocrinologist had me do as part of my workup,” Julie explains.

 “My focus was on becoming a mom and not on the cancer.”

Despite the diagnosis, her focus remained on becoming a mother. “I had a double mastectomy, but one month later I was getting an egg retrieval,” she says. “My focus was on becoming a mom and not on the cancer.” Julie’s resolve was unwavering as she juggled her health and her desire to have a family.

A Dream Come True: Her IVF and Adoption Success Story

Even after welcoming their son, Julie continued her IVF treatments. “I was taking care of a newborn, but I was also transferring an embryo,” she says. Their final two IVF cycles resulted in three genetically normal embryos. “It was the best situation we had been in so far.” Unfortunately, the first two transfers failed.

At this point, Julie and her husband had gone through six cycles of IUI and IVF. “I was ready to say, ‘I think this is our plan. We have our son, and he’s amazing. This is everything we wanted,’” Julie reflects.

However, after some time, they reconsidered. “There was that one embryo still there. Maybe we just go for it and see what happens,” she recalls. In a surprising turn of events, the last embryo resulted in a pregnancy. “I got pregnant, and I have a beautiful daughter,” Julie says. She gave birth at the age of 44, calling it her “easiest pregnancy.”

Lessons from a Long Journey

Looking back, Julie acknowledges the complexity of her experience. “I never really thought there would be so much heartache and distraught,” she reflects. Throughout it all, Julie credits her husband’s support for helping her stay grounded. “We had each other, and we were in it together,” she says.

Julie’s story underscores the importance of education and support during the fertility journey. “I didn’t know a lot about the process. I just took the medications and did what I was told, but I didn’t realize how grueling and tough it would be,” she admits. As her journey unfolded, Julie became more educated about the complexities of IVF and reproductive medicine, a shift that informed her later decisions.

“I wish I would have understood more about the commitment. It’s not just the medications. There’s so much involved — the appointments, the timing. It’s a huge emotional and physical investment,” she emphasizes.

As Julie reflects on her journey, she acknowledges how access to resources has improved significantly. “Two, I can honestly say today there are much better resources out there for aspiring parents to find good information. Ten years ago, it was probably a little more difficult, but today, great resources like Fertility Out Loud are available. It’s a fantastic website that offers a ton of different resources for wherever you are in your journey.

Reflecting on Parenthood

Today, Julie is the proud mother of two children — one through adoption and one through IVF. Her experiences have given her a unique perspective on what it means to build a family. “It can happen, and it doesn’t always happen the way that you dreamed up in your mind,” she shares. Her journey, though challenging, led to the family she always wanted. “I can’t even tell you how happy we are. We got to build this family in such a unique way.”

Through infertility, adoption, and health challenges, Julie clung to the hope of motherhood and her determination carried her through. “I’m so glad we stuck through it. I’m so glad we were open-minded to different paths to parenthood. It’s everything we wanted.”