I am sitting in my office writing a congratulation’s card for a wonderful patient of mine who I am sending to her OB-GYN with her second ARMS miracle from one egg retrieval!  I want to write something unique each time and smile to myself because I don’t remember what I wrote the last time.

A family building families

This has been a frequent occurrence during this COVID-19 journey. It is a combination of two things. One, the efficiency of IVF has resulted in more quality embryos being frozen each cycle. This results in there being more embryos available for future attempts. This has changed the entire conversation I have with my patients.

The conversation used to be, “What do we need to do to help you have a baby?” Now the conversation is, “What do you want your FAMILY to look like? The ARMS motto is, “A family building families” and that is the conversation we are having, “What is the best way to build your family?”

Building families during uncertain times

The second thing is something even more amazing. You see, I have been doing this a long time. This is not my first rodeo. I have been through several national economic downturns. Every time, one of the first things to drop is the number of patients that seek infertility services. This is not hard to understand. When people are deciding between paying the rent and having a baby, the rent usually wins. This time it has been different.  Very different.

During COVID-19 I have been busier than I have ever been. I did not shut down a single day during this pandemic. I am booked out further than I have ever been. At first, I thought it was just because other clinics had closed and so people were looking for a place that was open. Then my ego thought it was because I am such a great doctor. Then I heard from other colleagues that this is a generalized phenomenon across the country. Infertility clinics have been busier than ever during this pandemic! Even in the face of all the COVID-19 shutdowns and uncertainty!

There is a lot of speculation on the web about why this is. I don’t know for sure, but I have an idea. During this time of worldwide crisis, people have had more time to think about what matters most. When they do, many conclude that it is family. And there is nothing more fundamental to a family than a baby.

Mothers-to-be: looking past the fear

Studies have clearly shown that when it comes to decisions to have a family, it is the woman that drives the decisions. It is the “mother-to-be”. Over the years I have come to know that there is something amazing, miraculous, courageous, and incredibly beautiful about the desire of a woman to be a mother. During this time of great sorrow, worry, anxiety, and fear caused by this pandemic I guess that I should not have been surprised that hidden behind it all is a silent movement of hope, faith, and personal sacrifice led by women who have been able to look past the fear to what really matters most: Family.

On this Mother’s Day, I pay tribute once again to the most amazing people I have ever met, our mothers-to-be. This time because it is their hope, love, and vision that will help us pull through.