Infertility - Female

"Our journey to become parents began 8 years ago when my husband and I got married. Because of both our age and my history of irregular periods we did not wait to try to conceive. After a year of trying naturally, my ob/gyn had us try clomid for about 6 cycles with no success. We were then referred to fertility doctors where we spent the next 6 years undergoing various treatments such as IUI’s and Invitro Fetilization (IVF). Fortunately within that time we were successful with an Invitro attempt and conceived and gave birth to our son. In an attempt to give our son a sibling we continued the invasive treatments, which resulted in 2 miscarriages and the loss of a son who had a genetic disorder. Devastated, sad, angry, stressed, and desperate, I began to research alternative options and found Joanna Fortune at her clinic Fortune Fertility. Growing up in a family full of medical doctors, I was reluctant that acupuncture and supplements could really help but felt that if nothing else I could try to detoxify myself from the past years worth of fertility drugs I had taken and possibly find some relaxation to help with all the stress of the past several years. During our first consultation with Joanna I immediately felt a sense of calm that I had not felt in years. Joanna explained certain things about the deficiencies I had and that we were going to try to put my body back in balance and then ultimately try to conceive. I spent the next 4 months working with Joanna by having weekly acupuncture sessions, charting my cycles, taking supplements and drinking Chinese tea. To my complete surprise into the fourth month of going to Joanna I discovered I was pregnant. I am currently 24 weeks pregnant.  I have had several tests and ultrasounds that show everything is going well with a healthy baby. After several years, thousands of dollars, disappointments, tragedy and tears, Joanna’s method of acupuncture and supplements helped me to conceive. There are no words to express my gratitude to Joanna.  I am a firm believer that God brings people into your life when you need them most.  Joanna is one of those people. She has the compassion and skill to help people achieve their goals of becoming parents. Although acupuncture and supplements became a last resort for us, in my opinion and experience it should be the first resource for any couple struggling to conceive and have a healthy baby. We will forever be grateful to Joanna for who she is and what she does.” - Amy C., Gibsonia, PA

Infertility - Female

“I am a 35-yr-old mother blessed with a beautiful 4 ½-yr-old daughter. I suffered with the disappointment, stress, anxiety, and sadness from Secondary Infertility for over 3 yrs while trying to conceive a second child.  After trying for a year on my own and numerous visits to my ob/gyn, I was prescribed Clomid. After 3 months on Clomid I conceived. At 10 wks my pregnancy ended in miscarriage. The baby had Turner Syndrome, a chromosomal disorder. Soon after my miscarriage I went to see a popular infertility doctor in the Pgh area. Again after numerous visits I was finally diagnosed as having some form of PCOS. I ovulated irregularly and always have had long cycles lasting 33+ days. I did not have many of the common PCOS symptoms. The changes in my blood work were so slight that it was easy for doctors to misdiagnose my condition. The infertility doctor could only offer me IUI or IVF as options for treatment. I had concerns about taking the powerful fertility drugs associated with these forms of treatment and like many others my insurance did not cover these costly infertility procedures. Every month I battled with the disappointment and anxiety of unsuccessfully conceiving and wondering whether or not I should give in and try IVF. I felt like there had to be some other solution that conventional medicine wasn’t offering me. I began to research acupuncture on-line and after reading the success rate for infertility was 70% with acupuncture, as opposed to the 40% with IVF, I began my search for an acupuncturist in the Pgh area. On my own I found Joanna and the Fortune Fertility & Acupuncture Center. I have to admit that when I initially met with Joanna I was still a bit skeptical about Chinese medicine and whether it could really help my condition, but Joanna quickly eased my fears. Joanna herself has dealt with infertility and was compassionate towards me. She understood what I was feeling, is extremely knowledgeable regarding infertility, and was truly interested in helping me. I figured at the very least acupuncture would help me to relieve much of the stress I was going through. I spent the next 4 months working with Joanna by having weekly acupuncture sessions, charting my cycles, and drinking Chinese tea. By the second month I was ovulating regularly, this continued into the third month. To my complete surprise into the fourth month of going to Joanna I discovered I was pregnant. I am currently 19 weeks pregnant. I have had several tests and ultrasounds that show everything is going well with my pregnancy. I can’t thank Joanna enough for helping me to conceive. She is truly amazing. I wish I would have found Joanna years ago. I tell everyone I know who struggles with infertility to try acupuncture first and to stick with it for several months. I also recommend the book “Making Babies”, which explains how eastern medicine can help resolve many causes of infertility. I know western infertility treatments have worked for many families, but in my heart I feel like this has also become a big business for western infertility doctors. My husband, daughter and I are so excited to welcome our new baby in February. I thank god for leading me to Joanna.” 

- Traci B., Mars, PA  

Infertility - Female

"I am a 41-year-old female with a 1 ½ year old toddler. For 10 months I tried to get pregnant again with a second child. On the 4th month of attempting to conceive, I had an early miscarriage. I continued trying on my own for another 6 months without conception success until I met Joanna. From what Joanna diagnosed, I was estrogen deficient. My estrogen deficiency was causing deficient heat (hot flashes), shortened periods (two days in length) with very little blood, and early - immature ovulation. Through acupuncture and Chinese herbs I was able to increase my estrogen levels enough to conceive on the third month of treatment with Joanna. I am now 15 weeks into a successful pregnancy and looking forward to my second child. I can’t explain how thrilled I am with the success of Joanna’s treatments. I am thankful to her for this new addition to our family.” - Ann H., Gibsonia, PA

Infertility - Male

“My wife and I had been trying to have a baby for 2 years until we found that I have a severe sperm problem. I had my sperm tested four times and each time the number was decreasing and the last test revealed the count is less than 5 mil. Also, the motility and morphology (shape) were below normal range. My urologist told me there’s not much he could do about it and infertility doctor recommended IVF, which is not covered by my insurance. Fortunately, we had a friend who became pregnant successfully after having treatments from Fortune Fertility Center and we decided to try it. Joanna asked us to give her three months to improve my condition and said her success rate with male infertility is over 95%. I had a weekly acupuncture treatment and took herbal formulas (in pills) for three months and went back to my urologist for another sperm test. This time, my doctor was surprised and asked me what I had been doing. My sperm test was normal in all aspects – count, motility and morphology! My doctor, who initially did not believe in Chinese medicine for sperm issues, told me to keep doing whatever I was doing. We are very grateful for what Joanna did for me. Many thanks to Joanna!” - Jay L., Pittsburgh, PA