fertility center – Southeastern Fertility

These People Refreshed Us!

Frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle weeks are busy times at Southeastern Fertility & The National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC). We’re incredibly grateful to the generous folks at Christ Presbyterian Church Knoxville, one of the NEDC’s church partners, for taking a week each quarter to provide the team and some of our families with lunch every day. As St. Paul wrote to Philemon, they are bringing much joy & encouragement and refreshing our hearts by serving in this way.

In the video below, Southeastern Fertility’s Lynda McCollum and Mark Mellinger give you a quick look at one of the lunch spreads this church has provided. May it encourage you to think of something practical you could do to refresh the hearts of others!

To schedule your free 15-minute telemedicine consult with Co-Director Dr. John Gordon, call 865-777-0088 or click here. To learn more about Southeastern Fertility, including our mission, values and team, click here. To learn more about IVF with Southeastern Fertility, click here.

Don’t Let Dr. Google Freak You Out!

It’s easy to become unnecessarily alarmed when you read about fertility treatment online. But Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John Gordon and IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum urge you to not just let “Dr. Google” determine your course of treatment. They have more below in this short edition of our Internet show “Talk Fertility.”

Lost & Found

No one enjoys the feeling of being lost. Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John Gordon and IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum unpack why infertility can make you feel that way, and how we can help to move you to “found”, below in this edition of our Internet show “Talk Fertility.”

Endometrial Scratching: Why We Do It & When

When you’re struggling to have a baby, research suggests purposely disrupting the lining of the uterus could improve your chances of achieving pregnancy in some cases. Endometrial scratching, or endometrial biopsy, is a common fertility procedure used toward this end by Southeastern Fertility. The procedure is very safe and may be followed by mild, short-term cramping or bleeding.

There are three main circumstances in which our medical team performs endometrial biopsies:

To test for chronic endometritis. This is a condition in which inflammation in the lining of the uterus could be hindering a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant.
Before embryo transfers, prior to the start of a cycle. Though research on this has come to varying conclusions, there is evidence suggesting a biopsy can better prepare the lining for embryo implantation. Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John Gordon compares this to pruning rose bushes, asserting that there may be something in the reparative process that enhances chances of a successful implantation and pregnancy.
To test endometrial receptivity. Sometimes our medical team will advise endometrial biopsies for patients who we feel probably should be experiencing successful embryo transfers yet are not. In these cases, an endometrial scratch can help determine whether a woman’s lining may be more receptive to an embryo transfer on one particular day over another during a given cycle.

Dr. Gordon and IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum unpack this topic in more detail, with their trademark brand of humor and fun thrown in, below in this edition of our Internet show “Talk Fertility.”

Space for a New Face

Southeastern Fertility is expanding to serve you better! Embryologist Sarah Atkinson is joining Lab Director Carol Sommerfelt on the embryology team for Knoxville’s only IVF program accredited by The Joint Commission.

Dr. John Gordon introduces you to Sarah, and checks in with Carol, in the video below. You’ll see they’re in the midst of the moving process, which can always be, well, messy. Might they unearth the Ark of the Covenant amid all the clutter?

Everybody Loves Lynda: The Gift of Gratitude

A group of Southeastern Fertility/National Embryo Donation Center moms recently decided they wanted to surprise IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum with a shower of thank you notes, gifts and gift cards for all her hard work on their behalf. Co-Director Dr. John Gordon presented Lynda with these tokens of gratitude on Southeastern Fertility’s weekly Facebook Live broadcast.

Watch the video to see Lynda’s reaction for yourself. It’s a moment that really drives home the close, caring relationships we’re privileged to form with our families.

One Last Shot: Jon & Kristie’s Southeastern Story

Sometimes one last shot at a dream is all you have. And sometimes that’s enough. Jon and Kristie Weaver are living proof.

Jon and Kristie’s romance started years ago amid the sun and the sand. “Jon and I met at a sand volleyball game at a friend’s house in 2009. He played. I watched,” Kristie shares.

Their relationship blossomed from there. Eventually, it led to wedding bells. Both Jon and Kristie longed to expand their joy by adding children to their home. So they became concerned after a year of trying to get pregnant with no success. “Our diagnosis was unexplained infertility,” Kristie says. “ I was 37 at the time, which made me ‘advanced maternal age’, I soon found out.“

They weren’t sure exactly what to do next, but they knew where to go to look for answers. “We were referred to Dr. Jeffrey Keenan for a fibroid removal in 2016. It only made sense to return to Southeastern Fertility when we struggled to get pregnant,” Jon and Kristie say. “After several cycles of IVF with Southeastern Fertility, we ended up getting pregnant using our last frozen embryo. We found out at nine weeks that the embryo split and we were having twins!”

Indeed, that’s just what happened. A few months later, Kristie gave birth to Jones and Jackson. “They are the most amazing twins in the world. They love to eat, laugh, listen to music, and play,” Jon and Kristie say. “They light up every room they enter and have filled everyone’s heart to the top with love and laughter.”

It sure wasn’t an easy road to get to Jones and Jackson, but Jon and Kristie are glad they hung on during their sometimes white-knuckle ride. Having the Southeastern Fertility team by their side lightened their anxiety during the most intense stretches. “Dr. Keenan, the nurses and the rest of the staff mean the world to us! I truly feel like we are family,” Kristie says. “I always had a hand to hold if my husband had to work, a shoulder to cry on if things didn’t go as planned, and words of encouragement when I needed it the most. If they weren’t here I probably wouldn’t have my boys, and I would be missing out on all of the wonderful relationships I made during the whole experience.”

If this had been a baseball game, you could say the Weavers were down to their last strike with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. And then- a dramatic home run! It’s the kind of Cinderella story we at Southeastern Fertility can’t believe we get to be a part of. And yet, we’re mindful that we’re not ultimately the ones in charge of it all. Jon and Kristie agree, summing it up this way: “We cannot say enough nice things about our experience at Southeastern Fertility. The knowledge, skill, and expertise combined with the love, empathy, and encouragement of the staff made us feel like we were right where God wanted us.”

Oooh, That Smell…

Sometimes, when it comes to your pursuit of parenthood, things just stink! We’re here to listen, and help you potentially find an answer. More from Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John Gordon, IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum and a special guest star skunk in this edition of our Internet show “Talk Fertility” below.

What to do When the Lab Result, Phone Call or Email Hasn’t Come

Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John Gordon and IVF Coordinator Lynda McCollum are suggesting a new year’s resolution if you’re undergoing fertility treatment in the 12 months ahead: Trust the process.

So what, exactly, does that mean? Well, often those undergoing fertility treatment are understandably anxious. They’ve already been through the long, arduous struggle of infertility. Now the prospect of treatment finally offers some hope!

It’s no wonder, then, that when some patients run into uncertainty at any point in their treatment, a sense of panic can set in. After all, a lot of family-building dreams are riding on this. The stakes couldn’t be higher, right?

Common examples of such uncertainty would include not receiving a call with ultrasound or lab results precisely when expected, or waiting to hear back from the medical team after emailing a question concerning a treatment plan.

At Southeastern Fertility, we understand this anxiety. It’s always our goal to respond quickly to patient inquiries and concerns. Sometimes, though, there will be factors beyond anyone’s control that cause delays. In these moments, Dr. Gordon says to trust the process.

Rarely, if ever, will these tense moments affect the ultimate outcome of your treatment. That’s very important to keep in mind, and should provide some reassurance. Of course, if your treatment is with Southeastern Fertility and you have a nagging concern for which a response seems urgent, you are always welcome to contact Dr. Gordon directly at dr.gordon@southeasternfertility.org.

Dr. Gordon and Lynda unpack this topic a little more in the short video below.

Egg-Freezing Q and A

Egg-freezing is an increasingly popular fertility preservation option. So what are the possible pros and cons? Who might be a good candidate? Southeastern Fertility Co-Director Dr. John David Gordon and IVF Nurse Lynda McCollum tackle these questions about egg-freezing and more below in this edition of our Internet show “Talk Fertility.”

Egg freezing Q and A, and some awkward moments, in this week’s Talk Fertility.
Posted by Southeastern Center for Fertility and Reproductive Surgery, PLLC on Friday, September 25, 2020