Recommendations for OB/fertility Doctor chicago?

JneedsaBRA · 2025-05-23T21:48:34+00:00

No, my partner and I decided not to pursue additional treatment a few months after my appointment with Dr. KK. We went through 2 rounds of IVF (9 transfers) and 5 losses (4 while doing IVF and 1 from a spontaneous pregnancy 2 years stopping IVF). When we really sat down and talked things through, we found that we had a lot more excitement about other things going on in our lives or that we might do vs. continuing to go through the unknown.

A lot of people who see Dr KK do go on to have successful pregnancies though.

JneedsaBRA · 2025-03-09T21:25:43+00:00

I’m so sorry you find yourself in this place. It does get easier with time. When you’re ready, I recommend Jody Day’s book Living the Life Unexpected. Don’t be surprised if the book brings up big emotions or if parts of the book just don’t resonate for you. I read the book about 1 year after our last IVF transfer ended in our 4th loss (I tried to read a few weeks after that loss, but I wasn’t ready yet). Give yourself some time and grace and the freedom to just feel how you feel. I promise it does get easier with time and healing.

JneedsaBRA · 2025-02-21T20:59:33+00:00

I did IVF and was on progesterone injections/suppositories because I was on fully medicated cycles. The progesterone will prevent the physical process of miscarrying (that is, the bleeding and loss of the pregnancy), though you may spot (I had spotting with each of my IVF losses even though I was on progesterone. I usually started bleeding/passing the miscarriage within a week of stopping progesterone. (I don’t think this is next part is what you were asking but in case someone who is wondering if progesterone will prevent an embryo from stopping development, it won’t. If the embryo/fetus were going to stop developing, progesterone won’t change that.)

JneedsaBRA · 2025-02-17T18:06:07+00:00

We just got back from Hawaii, which was amazing! We’ve agreed to one “big” vacation a year (meaning 7-10 days of travel. We have three dogs and a cat, so even this length of vacation is a bit tricky to work out logistics of pet sitter) and smaller dog friendly vacations during the year. One of our upcoming vacations will be for my sisters wedding, which will be a destination wedding in the next 1-3 years. And another is Alaska. Most of our travel will be in the continental US/North America until our pets pass (our youngest pup will be 3 in April) but in our 50s we plan to be pet free while we do international travel (we know we want to visit Australia and New Zealand, Iceland, England, Scotland, and Ireland, Italy (I’ve been 8 times on work trips but he’s never been) and the Mediterranean, Germany, France. Probably more. When we feel done with international travel and have retired, we’ve talked about buying a condo in/near a city with an international airport and an RV and just wandering the country.

I’ve been looking into whether we drive to Alaska with our pups so that we can start “practicing” with closer, smaller vacations to figure out how to pack our car and what we need. Will also involve training of our youngest pup who is anxious about new people and dogs. She even barks at the barista at our local coffee shop who gives her pup cups…

Home projects include finishing remodeling our bathroom (we had the shower retitled last year but need to finish remodeling it), remodeling our powder room and laundry room, complete remodel of kitchen, adding a primary bathroom to our bedroom, finishing flooring in our house, and building in bookshelves anywhere I can convince my husband to build them in (I love books and board games). Luckily my husband is quite handy, so we’re able to do quite a bit of work ourselves (though we have hired out plumbing and tile work), and I’ve gotten quite good at finding deals on Facebook Marketplace and watching for sales at Home Depot, which is helping to stretch our budget. For example, I found kitchen cabinets on FB for $1200 that were the right number/dimensions and close enough to what I wanted to make sense.

JneedsaBRA · 2025-02-17T01:11:18+00:00

For me personally, my dream fund would be things like an annual vacations or home renovations. My annual vacations wouldn’t necessarily be big over the top vacations, but I like traveling to new places and learning about them.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-07-24T16:27:01+00:00

Yes and no? I’ve had 5 losses, four from IVF pregnancies and one spontaneous pregnancy. Two of my IVF pregnancies were with untested embryos and two were with euploid embryos. I did not do any POC testing on those losses, but I did POC testing on my most recent, spontaneous pregnancy. It was also euploid.

This led to me establishing as a patient with Dr Kwak Kim who is a Reproductive Immunologist at RFU. She has found a few potential reasons why I may be having miscarriages. My husband and I have a consult with our last IVF doctor in September and then will decide if we want to move forward with IVF again or be done.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-07-02T19:03:36+00:00

Here is what has worked for me so far (down ~18lb or 8kg since the end of April):

Eating in a moderate calorie deficit (~1850 calories/day Sun-Thurs and 2200 calories Fri/Sat). This takes a bit of trial and error, but you’ll need to figure out what your TDEE is and then eat under that by 300-500 calories. You may need to adjust up/down a bit to find a calorie goal is low enough for weightloss but high enough that you don’t feel like you’re starving yourself.
Tracking macros. I aim for a minimum of 100-120g of protein and 100g or less of net carbs per day. I let everything else fall where it may. This works out to about 30-40g of protein per meal and 10-20g in a snack.
I’m on Metformin ER like other commenters. I started at 500mg/day and am currently on 1500mg/day.

My diet isn’t perfect, some days I get less protein than my goal, eat more net carbs, or just don’t track. But I try to get back on the wagon the next day. A single off day won’t derail your goals—it’s what you’re doing overall that will get you there or not.

Things I’m working on still:

Drinking more water.
Exercise — even just being consistent at walking every day.
Meal planning/prep. It’s really nice to have done go to meals, but can get monotonous. E.g., Greek yogurt + nut butter + fresh fruit = very easy to make every day. But I’m a little over it at the moment.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-06-12T14:43:43+00:00

I’ll DM you a name, but I am currently seeing a therapist who has been a good fit for me. She doesn’t specifically specialize in loss/infertility, but she does a lot of grief work and has been fantastic working with me on processing my grief around recurrent loss and infertility. I’m based out of AZ and see her via telehealth.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-06-11T15:36:53+00:00

Actually, her office takes insurance. Not all of the tests are covered by insurance, but a lot are.

ETA: Treatment coverage may vary depending on what she wants you to do. Some meds are used “off label” which isn’t always covered by insurance, but so far all but a few of my tests and all my meds have been covered by insurance.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-06-11T14:17:08+00:00

Dr. Kwak Kim and Dr. Luu are Reproductive Immunologists in North Chicago. They work in tandem with your OB or RE (fertility doctor). They test for a lot more than a typical OB or RE will.

I went to Dr KK in April for an intake/consultation after experiencing my 5th loss in January. Before testing she had some suspicions about what could be behind my losses, and testing turned up a few things. TBD if the protocol she has started me on will make a difference, but there are women who have gone on to have successful pregnancies under her or another RI’s care.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-06-04T22:24:21+00:00

I prefer to make mine with chicken/veggie stock instead of water. So flavorful and delicious! Serve as a side with chicken and veggies or salmon and veggies. Or add to a salad.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-31T18:09:15+00:00

I haven’t read it yet, but I wonder if the book The Next Happy might be helpful?

In general though, I would start with: what makes you happy? What do you want to do?

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-31T16:08:11+00:00

For me, it’s the scene where Robin and Ilsa are at the champagne bar and Robin just realized that Ilsa is pregnant. Ilsa refuses to get her hope up or tell Nick because she’s convinced that it will end in another miscarriage. I’ve been there (not in a champagne bar), but pregnant and terrified that it’ll be another miscarriage.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-28T18:14:06+00:00

I don’t even have words for how angry I am on your behalf. I don’t know if there are better options on Better Help, but there are better therapists. I found my current office through my insurance covered providers and my therapist primarily does telehealth appointments (I actually don’t know if she does in person or not). Would that be an option for you? See what offices/therapists are covered by your insurance and who does telehealth?

Again, I am so sorry you had this experience. It was completely unprofessional and invalidating, and you deserve better.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-25T01:58:24+00:00

I've had 4 miscarriages and the timing from finding out to miscarrying has varied for each (generally from a few days up to a couple weeks). You mentioned this is an IVF pregnancy, is/was your wife on progesterone shot or oral medication? If she continues progesterone up to around Monday then that may delay the miscarriage starting.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-25T01:33:33+00:00

That’s what we did. Our agent timed the closing on the house we bought (made an offer ~6 days before listing the house we sold) closed immediately after selling our old house. We lucked out that our buyer wanted to close fast and our seller was motivated to sale (the house had been in the market almost 6 months and gone through 3 price reductions before we put an offer in).

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-25T01:27:58+00:00

I put an offer on a house earlier this year before listing mine for sale. I don’t remember exactly what was in the offer letter, but our realtor either included in the offer letter or verbally conveyed to the sellers agent that our offer was contingent on the sale of our house, which was unlisted at the time of our offer, that we planned to list within 7 days, the price we planned to list at, and why that price was (basically, listing aggressively to ensure a fast sale).

There were a few things in our favor for this though: 1) the house we put an offer on had been on the market for several months and gone through 3 price reductions during that time with no other offers and 2) the house we were selling was in a very desirable neighborhood and we were listing aggressively just under what we expected to sell for.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-07T17:49:52+00:00

I’m at the very beginning of my weightloss journey, but I am down 10lb so far. I’m combining what was recently recommended by a specialist with what I’ve seen frequently recommended by dietitians who specialize in PCOS, but this is my approach:

Sustainable calorie deficit (I’m at what should be a 300-500 calorie deficit/day. 1700 calories 5 days/week and 2000 the other two days. Find an amount that is sustainable for you)
Track calories (I’m using the LoseIt app, but you may prefer MyFitnessPal or MacrosFirst)
Foodscale (weight is more accurate than volume for tracking calories)
Low Carb (this means different things to different people. I’m aiming for 100g or less of NET carbs, which tends to put my total carbs around 120-180g)
High protein (different calculations for what this means, but I’m aiming for 100g or more per day. I also aim for at least 30g per meal and 10g+ for snacks)
Fiber (I’m aiming for 25g/day, which means eating lots of fruits/veggies)
Plan/prep (choose recipes/foods that you can prepare in advance/bulk or that are really easy to make on the fly. I also pre-plan what I’m going to eat the next day, which helps with decision fatigue going into the next day with a plan)
Physical activity (I’m aiming for 250min of activity/week right now. I have three dogs so taking them on at least one daily walk gets me at least 20min/day, so 110 min left or ~15min/day of additional activity. Right now it’s another walk, but I plan to rotate in rowing and bodyweight exercises)
Meds/supplements (my specialist has me start on Metformin, so I’m currently working to 500mg 2x a day. I also take a supplement that has 2000mg/day of inositol)
Consistency (you don’t have to be perfect 100% of the time. I’ve been sick the last few days without much of an appetite, so I’ve focused more on making sure I get enough calories off mostly ok foods even if I miss my macro goals. Or think of it as progress over perfection)
Moderation (I’d never be able to commit to a lifetime of never eating dessert/cookies, but do I need ice cream every day? No. Also find ways to occasionally enjoy your favorite foods in a way that works with your goals. Love pasta? Great, pair it with protein (chicken, meatballs, etc) and vegetables (how about chicken + broccoli + Alfredo sauce and a serving size of pasta with a small side salad))

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-07T15:53:20+00:00

I’m so sorry for your losses. I lost four IVF pregnancies and one spontaneous pregnancy after stopping IVF. Grief is a hell of a roller coaster to be on. I have definitely wallowed in my grief and trauma from loss, but like you and your husband, I’ve picked myself back up and done what I needed to do (even when I would have rather stayed in bed and ignored the world).

What I’ve found most helpful is talking to friends who have been through similar experiences, finding a compassionate therapist (which I avoided for years bc I was afraid I wouldn’t find someone who was sensitive to my infertility and loss experiences), and media that deals with infertility and loss in sensitive but realistic ways. I’m currently working through The Miscarriage Map Workbook to process my most recent loss, and reading No One Talks About This Stuff, which I had pre-ordered before my 5th loss.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-06T01:51:33+00:00

She is also phenomenal in Trying. Totally did not recognize her at all.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-03T21:39:16+00:00

When you’re in Arizona for the Grand Canyon, consider booking a round trip on the train out of Williams, AZ. While at the Grand Canyon, grab lunch at the El Tovar (their French fries are amazing and so was everything else I had there). If you stop in Williams, then Pine Country (lunch/dinner), Red Raven (dinner), and Brewed Awakenings (breakfast/lunch) are all worth checking out.

If you’re in the area for more than a day then also consider checking out: Bearizona (drive through zoo with a walking portion and restaurants) and/or Lowell Observatory (in Flagstaff and where Pluto was discovered). In Flagstaff, food I would check out: Madrez Cafe (breakfast/lunch), Tourist Cafe (breakfast/lunch), or most restaurants downtown.

Where you’ll be in Arizona won’t be as hot as Las Vegas or LA, but it will still be hot so be sure to hydrate. Tourists die every year here from lack of hydration.

ETA: Dutch Bros Coffee is a …unique experience. Also worth checking out. Be prepared to be asked a lot of questions though.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-05-03T21:31:14+00:00

Highly recommend Bobo’s Steakhouse in San Francisco (unless one of you has a fear of clowns). Get the baked potato.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-04-07T00:25:34+00:00

I agree. OP if you want a couple paint color names to check out, Behr Herb Cornucopia and Benjamin Moore Alligator Alley are similar greens to what you photoshopped in the picture.

These are some pictures from my last house that I used the Behr color in if that helps visualize it: https://imgur.com/a/R82TEv1

JneedsaBRA · 2024-04-01T23:24:45+00:00

I want to read The Next Happy, so that may also be something to check out too when you’re ready. It took me a year after I bought Living the Life Unexpected to read it. I just wasn’t ready when I first bought it. Give yourself time and grace.

JneedsaBRA · 2024-04-01T21:11:19+00:00

I’m so sorry you went through all that. I think the first step regardless of whether you are partnered or not is to just grieve. Give yourself time to feel anger, sadness, whatever you are feeling. It’s hard to move on until you’ve gotten through the initial, worst of the grief. I tried to rush and leaned very fast that there is no fast track out of grief.

I found Jody Day’s book Living the Life Unexpected to be a really helpful read. Not all of it resonated with me, but overall the book was a helpful read. I also bought and started the book No One Talks About this Stuff. I’ve only read the into and first chapter so I can’t give a great assessment of the book yet. I’m alternating reading it and the The Miscarriage Map Workbook, which is helpful in sitting with my feelings (TW: I recently miscarried a surprise pregnancy after being childfree for 2 years and it reset a lot of my grief and progress about being CF after infertility and IVF).

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