IVF program at UMMC celebrates 40 years of hope

IVF program at UMMC celebrates 40 years of hope

Published on Monday, December 2, 2024

By: Rachel Vanderford, [email protected]

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the University of Mississippi Medical Center's groundbreaking in-vitro fertilization program-a journey that began with cautious hope and determination and has grown into a lifeline for countless families. From the first tentative steps in a field that was still experimental to its success today, UMMC's IVF program has transformed the lives of families across Mississippi and beyond.

Among its earliest patients was Lynn Lawrence, whose journey reflects the resilience and hope that have defined the program since its beginning.

Lawrence had long known that starting a family wouldn't come easily. Even before marrying her husband, Richard, in 1979, she braced herself for the challenges ahead. Physical complications made natural conception unlikely, but Lynn's doctor offered a glimmer of hope: in-vitro fertilization, though not yet available in the United States, might one day make her dream of motherhood a reality. Until then, Lynn would navigate a daunting journey of infertility treatments, from medications to surgical procedures, with unwavering resolve.

In 1978, the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby, captured headlines and hearts, signaling a seismic shift in reproductive medicine. Lynn remembers the cautious optimism she felt watching similar breakthroughs unfold in the United States, including the birth of the first American IVF baby in 1981. "We watched as the train was slowly making its way down the tracks to Mississippi," she said.

By 1984, after five years of heartbreak and failed treatments, the Lawrences met the man who would change their lives: Dr. Bryan Cowan, then-director and founder of the Medical Center's IVF program.

"We were in an infertility support group," Lawrence said. "There were about a dozen couples that had been meeting for about two years, and Bryan came and spoke to us when he got hired at UMMC. He gave us a great talk and I felt very good about him."

A few couples from the group decided to pursue treatment under Cowan, but Lynn and Richard were among the first to join UMMC's newly established IVF program.

"I was excited, very excited," Lawrence said. "Something inside me said, 'This is what you have to do. This is what is right for you.' I'm not the type of person who likes to go to hospitals for any reason, but I thought, 'I can endure this.' More than anything, I wanted to be a mother. I wanted to have children and this was the logical way for it to happen for me. So, I embraced it."

The road ahead was still uncertain. Their first attempt failed when none of the fertilized eggs developed, an emotional setback for the couple. "We were so nervous and emotional that first time, and then it didn't work," Lynn said. To help process their grief, they planted three dogwood trees in their yard to honor the embryos that didn't survive. "That made us feel a little better," she said.

Cowan encouraged the couple to take a few months off before trying again.

"I was very nervous about that. I kept saying, 'I'm so old. I'm running out of time.'" At 28-years-old, Lawrence was the youngest patient in the program. "He was always so good at reassuring me," Lawrence said. "He'd tell me, 'You've got plenty of time. We can't rush this. New drugs are on the market, new techniques.' He was constantly learning new things. He always made me feel better."

After their second attempt also failed, Cowan took an even more methodical approach, recommending they take additional time off from treatment while he investigated the underlying issue. "He told us he was going to figure out what wasn't working and see if there was a solution. And he did. What he discovered was that Dick and I have an antibody problem. I'm negative and he is positive for an enzyme called PLA1."

With this key discovery, the third attempt proceeded with renewed hope.

Just ten days after the procedure, Lawrence felt an unshakable certainty-she was pregnant. "I just knew," she said. Though Cowan was initially skeptical, the lab results confirmed what she felt in her heart.

"He told me 'You're very, very pregnant,'" Lawrence said with a laugh. Cowan explained that her results most likely meant she was carrying multiples. "I couldn't believe it. In all those years, I had never been told those words."

The following week, during her sonogram, the exam room was brimming with excitement. Doctors and nurses gathered to catch a glimpse of the newest additions to the Lawrence family.

"Dr. Winfred Wiser, the OBGYN Department Chair, was the first to tell me congratulations," she said. "Followed by 'You realize you'll have two getting their driver's licenses on the same day?' Someone else chimed in, 'Two going to college on the same day.' And then they just started trying to outdo each other. Everyone was floating on air. It was just incredible. They told me later that they all went out and celebrated after that. It was a very festive time."

On September 5, 1986, shortly after Lawrence's 30th birthday, her twin daughters, Susan and Mary, made their long-awaited debut-a day that sometimes felt like it would never come. Richard and Lynn were overjoyed to finally welcome their daughters into the world.

Born seven and a half weeks early-Susan at five pounds, eight ounces, and Mary at just two pounds, ten ounces-the twins were healthy despite their early arrival. "They were just very tiny," Lawrence said.

Susan and Mary captured the hearts of everyone who met them. "The nurses would tell me every day how many visitors they had-staff, doctors, nurses-everyone wanted to see the 'test-tube babies,'" Lawrence said.

"It was very sweet, and it felt so special. And at the same time, it gave us a chance to just be parents welcoming twins into the world," she said. Holding their tiny daughters, feeding them, and marveling at their perfect little features were moments they had dreamed of for years.

After leaving the hospital, the Lawrences hosted the first IVF reunion at their home in Jackson to bring together the families who had benefited from the program. "At the time, there were just two sets of twins and two singletons," said Lawrence. "Once the Pavilion opened and they had room to hire more doctors, the program really bloomed. So, after that, the reunion moved to UMMC because every year there were more and more babies. It was just amazing to see."

When the twins were two and a half years old, to Lawrence's surprise, she was pregnant with her third daughter. "To put it delicately," she joked, "Ginny started life the old-fashioned way. But she wouldn't be here without IVF." (A 2023 study found that one in five mothers who conceived their first child using fertility treatments, such as IVF, later became pregnant naturally-typically within three years.)

Now, all three of Lawrence's daughters have blossoming families of their own.

"I have three daughters and three granddaughters, and we all share genes that go back generations," she said. "This is what IVF gave me-not just a link to my daughters, but to my grandchildren too. I always felt like UMMC was the right place for me. It was such a caring environment. I just cannot emphasize enough safe I felt with them. And I think that's what kept me going through it."

Lawrence's story is one of many that illustrate the far-reaching impact of UMMC's IVF program. Marchelle Banks, another grateful parent, shares a similar sense of gratitude. After traveling from Memphis for treatment, Banks said the three-hour drive to Jackson was "1000% worth it."

After their first round of treatment at UMMC, Banks and her husband welcomed their daughter, Journey, in April 2024. Now, they're back, hoping for a boy.

"Dr. Rushing has done every procedure," she said. "He always tells me step by step what to expect. I love that I'm always able to email him when I have a question. It's so nice to be, first of all, seen and heard, but also, to feel like I'm part of the family here."

Rushing

"Our program is growing at a tremendous rate," said Dr. John Rushing, director of the IVF program at UMMC. "We're in the process of hiring more staff to keep up with growth in our patient volume. We've introduced new ovarian stimulation protocol changes that are easier and more cost effective for patients while maintaining optimal success rates. We're also the first in the state to offer intravaginal culture of embryos, a more affordable alternative to traditional lab culture. We have also purchased new incubators for our IVF lab to make sure we have the latest and best equipment available. We will continue to evolve and progress with the changes that occur in our field as new research emerges."

Over the past 40 years, UMMC's IVF program has grown from its humble beginnings to a thriving division that brings joy to countless families. For Lawrence, Banks, and countless others, it is more than a medical service-it's a foundation for family, connection, and hope.

"They didn't create life," Lynn said. "But they cleared the damaged road and gave nature its best chance to start. For that, we will always be grateful."

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