An Unexpected PCOS Diagnosis Led to Our Rainbow Baby | Kate's Story

After years of trying to conceive, pregnancy loss, and uncertainty, a fertility warrior shares the incredible story of how her rainbow baby came to be and what she learned along the way.

In this article:

• Meet Kate
• The Trauma of Pregnancy Loss
• Do I have PCOS?
• Accepting Her New Diagnosis
• Turning to Fertility Treatment for Help
• Step 1: Fertility Testing
• Step 2: Medicated Cycles
• Step 3: IUI Treatment
• The Hail Mary Cycle
• What helped you get through it?
• On Forgiving Yourself & Your Body
• Kate's Advice for Fellow Fertility Patients
• What's next for your family?

Meet Kate

In the Spring of 2016, Kate and her future husband met on Match.com.

They quickly discovered many shared interests, including baseball, travel, country music, and visiting new breweries. In the Fall of 2018, after dating for two years, they decided to get married. As they settled into life as a couple, they expanded their family by adopting their "fur child," a dog named Kloey, in the Summer of 2019.

They both longed to be parents and raise a family together, making the decision to start trying to conceive in August 2020. After stopping birth control, the couple was surprised to find themselves pregnant by mid-October. Sadly, that first pregnancy ended in a missed miscarriage at seven weeks.

They were devastated.

The Trauma of Pregnancy Loss 

"I was alone in the doctor's office (because of COVID) and I heard the words that no parent-to-be ever wants to hear: 'There is no heartbeat,'" Kate says. "I really couldn't believe it, because only one week prior, there had been a faint heartbeat and nobody seemed to be too concerned."

The loss hit Kate hard, and she was left reeling. "My whole world crumbled that day," she says. "I lost a giant piece of my heart and soul." Kate's doctor instructed her to take misoprostol, a medication used to manage a miscarriage and help the body pass a non-viable pregnancy.

Unfortunately, the first dose wasn't effective, and neither was the second, which meant that Kate would have to undergo a surgical procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C) to resolve the loss and help her body begin to recover.

After the procedure, Kate didn't get a period for months, so she scheduled an appointment with her OB/GYN to try and figure out why she wasn't ovulating regularly.

Do I have PCOS?

As the doctor scanned her uterus and ovaries via ultrasound, it became apparent that Kate's ovaries were polycystic (meaning each ovary was enlarged, with multiple fluid-filled sacs). Her OB/GYN thought that she might have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but felt she could rule the condition out after reviewing Kate's bloodwork.

Even so, Kate's ovaries remained polycystic, and she most likely wasn't ovulating. Her doctor eventually referred her to Illume Fertility for further testing and treatment. That was when her diagnosis of PCOS was officially confirmed.

Accepting Her New Diagnosis

"I'd never heard of PCOS or polycystic ovaries before, and it was really overwhelming," Kate recalls. "I had already become a 1 in 4 statistic after my miscarriage, and I couldn't believe I was now part of another new club - joining the ranks of the 1 in 5 U.S. women who experience infertility."

Worst club, best members: A common phrase used by those in the infertility community who have learned to navigate the pain of these challenges by connecting with others who "get it," providing endless support and encouragement to each other.

Take Control of Your Health

Written by Nurse Practitioner Monica Moore and Illume's in-house nutrition team, Jill Hickey and Jennifer Walsh, this is the ultimate guide to understanding and managing PCOS.

Turning to Fertility Treatment for Help

Kate and her husband embarked on their journey at Illume Fertility with Dr. Shaun Williams as their primary doctor. "He felt very confident that I wouldn't need IVF - that I just needed some medical intervention to help me ovulate," Kate says.

After meeting with Dr. Williams and discussing their concerns and goals, the couple moved on to their next step - blood work and diagnostic testing.

Step 1: Fertility Testing

As Kate moved through the standard set of diagnostic fertility tests, her saline ultrasound revealed some leftover scar tissue in her uterus from the prior D&C. This discovery led to a follow-up surgical procedure called a hysteroscopy.

This procedure removed the residual scar tissue, and thankfully, ended up being successful - Kate finally got her period back. However, she still wasn't ovulating due to her polycystic ovaries, which meant she'd need some additional medical intervention to ovulate.

Step 2: Medicated Cycles

After completing their diagnostic work-up, Kate and her husband were directed to begin a cycle of timed intercourse with fertility medication to help boost their odds of conceiving. Unfortunately, after a couple of medicated cycles, they'd had no luck, so Dr. Williams moved on to the next level of treatment: intrauterine insemination (IUI).

Step 3: IUI Treatment

The couple underwent three unsuccessful IUI cycles. They prepared for an IUI cycle that was canceled after Kate contracted COVID. Yet another IUI cycle was canceled due to her body producing too many eggs.

"Too many eggs is apparently a bad thing, who knew?" Kate says. "That IUI cycle being canceled really brought me down, because I felt like I would be missing my opportunity to become a parent. Ultimately, I trusted that Illume's doctors had my best interest at heart."

Paying for Fertility Treatment

Affording care can be a major stressor for patients who don't have insurance (or have insurance plans that don't cover needed treatments. Thankfully, Kate's insurance plan did offer some fertility coverage. "I was lucky that insurance covered the first three IUI cycles," she says. "But my fourth IUI was self pay."

Credit: Image by Jess Photography

The Hail Mary Cycle

In the two-week wait period during their fourth IUI cycle, Kate and her husband had an IVF consult, knowing that would be the next step should IUI fail again. But the couple always felt they had agency over what happened next.

"Dr. Williams never pressured me into IVF, he simply gave me the information," Kate recalls. "I really felt like my opinions mattered and were heard, particularly when he supported us doing a fourth IUI cycle, versus going straight to IVF."

Giving It One Last Try

Kate referred to this fourth and final IUI cycle as the "Hail Mary" round - her last shot at conceiving before entering the world of IVF treatment. What she didn't realize at the time was that the date of her last IUI (August 22, 2022) was also National Rainbow Baby Day. 

"I'd been looking for a sign that a cycle would be successful, and never found one," Kate says. "But this one was right in front of my face!"

Thankfully, that final IUI cycle was successful, and the couple was elated to find out that they were expecting. But with that immense joy came a lot of anxiety, Kate admits. As with most pregnancy after loss experiences, it was difficult for her to push aside all the worries and what ifs. 

"I didn't realize that my last IUI was on National Rainbow Baby Day until I was almost through my first trimester of pregnancy," Kate admits. "When I did, it gave me so much hope that I would soon be meeting my Rainbow Baby."

What helped you get through it?

After years of infertility and loss, Kate says she tried to be proactive during fertility treatment, finding creative ways to release stress, boost endorphins, and connect with others. Here are a few things she found helpful throughout her journey:

• Leaning on friends and family who listened without judgment
• Working out on her Peloton bike and treadmill
• Doing meditations for relaxation
• Regular acupuncture sessions

"Those Peloton instructors saved my sanity and helped me cope with life," Kate says. "Exercising is my version of therapy - both mentally and physically." 

On Forgiving Yourself & Your Body 

"The guilt and shame I carried for so long about my body failing me was one of the hardest parts of infertility," Kate shares. "It took me a long time to forgive myself for my miscarriage and for my fertility problems. But I know I didn't choose infertility, infertility chose me."

Feelings of inadequacy, shame, or guilt are quite common for many fertility patients, who are regularly bombarded with messages and unhelpful "advice" that places the burden on them - rather than acknowledging the total lack of control most have over their fertility issues. 

Being surrounded by others who are seemingly conceiving quickly and easily can be another heartbreaking aspect of this process, as Kate quickly discovered. "At one point, I had seven pregnant friends," she recalls. "I was genuinely happy for them, but the pain and sadness I had for myself was something that words cannot even begin to explain."

Living with all of the unknowns of the process was also exceptionally tough, she adds. 

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Kate's Advice for Fellow Fertility Patients

Through this difficult journey, Kate says she learned a few things that she hopes might help someone going through a similar experience:

1. Ask for Support

One of the most important ways to set yourself up for success is to establish a trusted circle of friends and family who can listen and support you when needed. "Don't navigate this journey by yourself, even if your spouse or partner is supportive," she says. "It's too heavy."

2. Find Your People

If you're feeling isolated, connect with other fertility warriors through support groups or on social media who are also going through infertility. "To this day, I still message with one friend that I connected with on Instagram during our fertility journeys," Kate says. 

3. Protect Your Peace

"It's okay to say no when invited to a friend's baby shower or a child's birthday party," she advises. "Protect your peace, because your emotional wellbeing is far more important than your attendance at an event that may trigger you."

Credit: Image by Jess Photography

What's next for the family?

The couple's long-awaited rainbow baby, a little girl named Autumn, was born on May 11, 2023. They are fully embracing first-time parenthood and enjoying every new milestone with their daughter, and aren't currently planning to add more children to their family.

"We feel so lucky to have one healthy child, and we thank Illume Fertility for helping us get her here," Kate says. "But we are one and done!"