Journey Makalapua Rose: Our August Baby of the Month

“Our fertility struggle was a physical and emotional rollercoaster difficult to overcome, but we held onto hope and the faith of having a child of our own one day.”

Mom Jenn and husband Matt wanted to start having children, soon after they married in 2015. They tried to conceive naturally with no success. A few years later, the couple tried three IUI’s, but they were unsuccessful as well. Dealing with unexplained infertility and multiple hysteroscopy procedures to remove polyps for quite some time, it was finally the right opportunity to pursue IVF treatment with Dr. Frattarelli and the team.

Fast forward to egg retrieval, and the couple was able to produce eight viable embryos. The first transfer of two untested embryos resulted in a vanishing twin loss early in the pregnancy, and the loss of the other embryo at 18 weeks gestation, due to chromosomal abnormalities. This loss was devastating and the couple vowed that their remaining embryos would now be PGS tested for any anomalies. Only one embryo was normal and a candidate for another transfer. Sadly, another miscarriage happened at six weeks.

A third IVF attempt with two additional untested embryos, was a complete failure. Ready to pursue all remaining options, an ERA (Endometrial Receptivity Array) biopsy was done on the couples remaining embryos. This biopsy revealed that the medications and timing of the transfer needed to be adjusted. With this new knowledge, a fourth and final transfer was the end of a very long “Journey,” literally.

Rainbow baby Journey Makalapua Rose was born healthy and happy in June of 2021. “We want to thank the Fertility Institute of Hawaii who will always have a special place in our hearts for helping us to grow our family!”