Meagan first froze her eggs at age 36, years before she met her husband, Ed. After a difficult experience at another fertility clinic, she and her husband found Collab Fertility. While there are many IVF protocols, Dr. Thalia Segal took the time to understand Meagan’s health history and, supported by Collab’s exceptional lab and embryology team, designed a personalized protocol just for her. In this interview, Meagan shares what it was like to navigate egg retrieval, embryo testing, embryo transfer, and the emotional ups and downs of fertility treatment — and how one healthy embryo became her son, Teddy.

At Collab, I just felt like an individual… it feels like such a family there.

Q: Can you share a little about your fertility journey and what brought you to Collab Fertility?

Meagan:
At 36, I was living in San Francisco and single at the time. I knew I wanted kids, not having met my partner yet, so I decided to do my first egg retrieval and froze eggs at 36.

I met  my husband when I was 40, and we quickly knew we wanted to get married and have a family. I went back to the San Francisco clinic, shared our plan, and they recommended doing a second egg retrieval. I think I was 41.

Following a second egg retrieval, embryos were created, but none progressed to the blastocyst stage, so there were no embryos available for PGT-A (genetic) testing. It was disappointing, but the way it was messaged to me was even worse. I was teaching at the time, and I got a voicemail left on my phone saying, “We’ve discarded all of your embryos.”

At that point, I thought, okay, that was all the money we had for IVF. We decided we’d try naturally, and if it works, great. If not, I wasn’t sure what our route would be.

Then I relocated to the East Bay. I started seeing my OB-GYN, Dr. Yee, and after five or six months of trying naturally with no success, she said, “There’s this place… called Collab. Dr. Segal is amazing, you should check it out.”

Ed and I went for an introductory visit and got instant great vibes from Dr. Segal. She was very personal and encouraging. I left feeling really good, and she was hopeful we could be successful which was nice to hear, because at that point I thought having a baby of our own was not going to happen.

Q: What was your IVF process like at Collab Fertility?

Meagan:
Shortly after that, I did my third egg retrieval at Collab this time. I was 42 — it was actually the day before my 43rd birthday. I got six eggs. Out of the six, five matured, and out of the five, two went to blastocysts.

They genetically tested two embryos, and one of them was healthy. I remember having a very candid conversation with Dr. Segal, and she phrased it as, “You can be cautiously optimistic.”

I was crying out of relief and joy, but also like, ugh — one embryo… it’s literally our only shot. Because at that point, we would not be able to afford doing this again.

And here we are. Here’s Teddy, our one little miracle baby! 

Q: What stood out to you about your experience with the Collab Fertility team?

Meagan:
I’m so grateful to not just Dr. Segal, but the whole team at Collab. When they did the embryo transfer, it was the day before Halloween. A few days later, I was spotting, and I thought, that’s it, I just lost this.

Dr. Segal knew our story. I asked her, please, when you find out whether I’m pregnant or not, can you wait and call us at night? I didn’t want to be alone during the day; I wanted to be with Ed. 

She was so gracious and kind. She said, “Yes, I will call you from home at 7 o’clock.” And she did. She said, “Meagan, you’re pregnant.” I was so shocked and overjoyed, but still cautiously optimistic.

Then she had me come in two days later for bloodwork, and it happened to fall on a long weekend when the office was closed. The medical assistant came in on her day off. Her husband double-parked in front, and she came in in her street clothes, and it was just the two of us. She did my blood work, and I was just so grateful to her.

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Q: How did Collab compare to your previous fertility clinic experience?

Meagan:
At the San Francisco fertility clinic, I felt like such a number. It felt very much like a factory, like I was one of many. 

At Collab, I felt like an individual. The care team was so sweet. I brought Teddy in when he was a month old to meet everybody, and the medical assistant came up and started bawling, and I started bawling. We were crying and hugging each other.

I was in the back lounge changing him and feeding him, and it just feels like such a family at Collab. I’m incredibly grateful, not just for the quality of care, but for the personalized touch. I will sing their praises forever and tell anybody who is trying to start a family through IVF to go with Collab.

Q: Any details you remember about the egg retrieval or medications?

Meagan:
It all kind of feels like a blur right now. Having done three egg retrievals, I was used to the medication and injections, and I never really had an adverse reaction. Hormonally, I was still pretty stable.

I will say my retrieval with Dr. Segal was my least painful out of all three. I felt a little bloated the next day, but I did not really have any pain or discomfort. She was just so gentle.

Q: Can you tell us about your gender reveal?

Meagan:
At first, my husband and I decided we didn’t want to know the gender for a while because if, God forbid, anything happened, and I knew, I think it would have been harder. That was advice another friend who’d been through IVF gave me.

But at our seven-week appointment, when we heard the heartbeat for the first time, that’s when I was like, oh my gosh, this is real. We looked at each other and said, we want to know.

Dr. Segal told us we were having a boy. We have it on video. It was cute.

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Q: What advice would you give to others going through IVF or fertility treatment?

Meagan:
I don’t know that I have advice, only because everyone’s journey is so different.

We were so lucky to have had one embryo, and it successfully transferred — our only shot.

But I would say find a great care team, like Dr. Segal and her team, give yourself grace, and be kind to yourself. It sounds cheesy, but have faith that it will work out.

After so much disappointment, it’s really easy to give up hope. But we didn’t and I’m grateful for that.

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Successful IVF depends on the right lab, the right team, and the right protocol 

Behind every successful IVF outcome is a series of thoughtful clinical decisions, highly skilled professionals, and a top-tier embryology lab. Dr. Segal designed a protocol specifically for Meagan, informed by her prior experience and how her body responded to treatment. Paired with the precision of Collab Fertility’s lab, this individualized approach gave Meagan success after disappointment elsewhere.

At every step, her treatment was supported by an expert embryology team, advanced laboratory equipment, and rigorous quality standards that ensure embryos are handled with the utmost precision and care.

From cautious optimism to welcoming Teddy, Meagan’s experience reflects Collab Fertility’s commitment to personalized, evidence-based care that supports both the science and the whole person.

If you’re navigating fertility treatment or exploring your options, our team is here to listen, answer questions, and walk alongside you. Schedule a consultation to learn more about our groundbreaking integrative care model, The Collab Way, and meet our team. We cannot wait to get to know you.