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Dr. Mark Denker Fertility Patient Celebrates First Mother's Day, Answers the Question: "Was it worth it?"

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  • Written By: Mark Denker, M.D.

Same-Sex Florida Couple Sought Fertility Treatment to Start a Family

Boca Raton, Fla. – May 7, 2013 – Mother’s Day has special meaning for Dr. Mark Denker, founder of Palm Beach Fertility Center. Every year, he celebrates victory over infertility with women that overcome physical, emotional and financial hurdles to become mothers.

For Maryann Maguire, Mother’s Day was a painful occasion for many years because she was childless and because she was approaching 40.

Although in a long-term, committed relationship as a same-sex couple, Maryann feared she would never have children. Then, she met Dr. Denker.

This May, Maryann will hold her baby boy especially close as she celebrates her first Mother’s Day, and reflects on the long road to making her dream come true.

“Honestly, I thought my journey was going to be so different from what it turned out to be,” she says. “I thought it would have been easier. I ran into road-blocks I really didn’t expect.”

Dr. Denker explains the series of infertility treatments that Maryann and her partner progressed through, from the first appointment to pregnancy.

Maryann’s fertility regimen included:

  • Multiple cycles of Clomid and intrauterine insemination (IUI) with donor sperm. (A typical fertility treatment option for same-sex couples and single women)
  • Minimally invasive fertility surgery to correct a blocked fallopian tube.
  • In-vitro fertilization (IVF), which ultimately resulted in a pregnancy.

The call that Maryann made to Dr. Denker’s Palm Beach fertility center was her last-ditch effort to conceive. She had already been turned away as a prospective adoptive parent by the Florida foster care system. Then, her longtime obgyn opted not to help her try to get pregnant.

Dr. Denker says that he adheres to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Ethics Committee edict that all persons, regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, should have access to fertility care.

ASRM Ethics Committe Alternative Parenting

Maryann says: “I always believed I would adopt a child having been raised in the foster care system myself. I started to think maybe I could carry my own child. I was getting closer to 40, and time felt like it was running out for me.”

She was correct. The odds of conceiving after a woman’s 40th birthday drop to 5 percent in a given month, so Dr. Denker quickly started the process to diagnose and treat Maryann’s infertility.

The resolution she sought began with an online search, where Maryann found Palm Beach Fertility Center and Dr. Denker. She called that day, explained her unique situation as part of a same-sex couple, and was welcomed to the fertility clinic.

It was IVF that led to a positive pregnancy test. “I could only afford one attempt, and then I was going to call it quits,” says Maryann. “I had given it my best effort. The roller coaster of emotions, all the daily injections and the 3 negative IUIs–time and time again–were all hard to handle.”

Fertility treatment: Was it worth it?

You have no idea,” says the new mom. “I would do everything–every shot, every tear, every procedure–all of it, a hundred times over. To come home every day, and see my son … it’s the most amazing feeling, being a mom.

The options for women in same-sex couples include IUI with donor sperm, IVF with donor sperm, or collaborative pregnancy, also called reciprocal in-vitro fertilization (IVF). With reciprocal IVF, one partner supplies the egg through ovulation induction, donor sperm creates the embryo, and then the other partner carries the pregnancy.

Dr. Denker was proud to play a part in helping Maryann fulfill her dream of becoming a mother. “Advances in reproductive medicine make it possible for more and more people to experience the joy of pregnancy and incredible, lifelong fulfillment as a parent. As a physician and a dad, I’m happy to offer fertility treatment turning points to all men and women that wish to get pregnant.”

About Palm Beach Fertility Center

For over 15 years, Dr. Mark Denker has provided Palm Beach and Boca Raton residents with top-quality infertility services. We offer state-of the art facilities, advanced fertility treatment and a supportive team to help patients as they pursue their goals of parenthood.