Community
18 December, 2024
Canberra couple make trek to North West for baby delight
After three years of trying, the couple reached out to North West obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Elena Kreimer.
The North West Hospital and Health Service is proving distance is no barrier with a Mount Isa specialist using her fertility expertise to assist deliver a happy and healthy baby to a young Canberra couple.
Jade and Kyle Reynolds were among countless others who have experienced the struggles of falling pregnant.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, up to 15 per cent of couples struggle to fall pregnant after a year of trying.
While living in Canberra, the young couple’s infertility concerns were dismissed by multiple doctors before they decided to seek opinions further afield.
After three years of trying and endless ovulation sticks, pregnancy tests, supplements, research and specialist appointments, Jade and Kyle reached out to North West Queensland obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Elena Kreimer.
With the couple still based in Canberra, Kyle said they began with telehealth meetings with Dr Kreimer.
“She (Dr Kreimer) organised multiple fertility tests, scans, and bloodwork for us which is where we discovered the cause of infertility – DNA fragmentation,” Kyle said.
“We were filled with mixed emotions; relieved that we finally had some answers, nervous that IVF might not work, hopeful that our dream of a family might still be possible.”
DNA fragmentation is where the sperm is damaged due to the separation or breaking of DNA strands into pieces which occurs in some men.
Discovering this, Dr Kreimer organised referrals to see a top specialist in Sydney where the couple could begin the best course of IVF treatment, called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). ICSI is performed as an additional part of an IVF treatment cycle, created four embryos.
After falling pregnant using the very first embryo, complications came again at the 37-week mark of the pregnancy, leading to the Canberra couple travelling to the North West to complete the pregnancy at Mount Isa Hospital under the supervision of Dr Kreimer.
Last month a little baby girl named Harper Anne Reynolds joined the world happy and healthy at Mount Isa Hospital.
With three more embryos frozen waiting for transfer, the couple are seriously considering making the return trip to Mount Isa for future births.
“The whole experience at Mount Isa Hospital was incredible, all teams (surgical, anaesthetics, obstetrics and gynaecology, midwifery) were positive and knowledgeable which kept us reassured,” Kyle said.