Complementary Medicine & Fertile Wellness

Couple grateful to Mike Berkley

My husband and I would like to encourage those on the long, hard road of infertility. We began our infertility journey in our mid 30's and tried many types of alternative treatment before moving on to western medical intervention. Our first IVF was successful and I was 39 when our daughter was born. We were working with a very respected, well-known reproductive endcrinologist in the midwest and wanted to do IVF a second time when I was 42. This physician told us WE WOULD NEVER CONCEIVE AGAIN and he would not do it. I did some research and found Dr. Berkley's clinic in NYC. We were planning the IVF attempt with another clinic that specializes in services for older women. We wanted to use Dr. Berkley during this process to increase our chances of a successful IVF outcome. We contacted him for the initial phone appointment and Dr. Berkley was wonderful!!!! He was warm, thorough, and took a lot of time. He was so knowledgeable. He encouraged us to call with questions/concerns and always replied quickly. This was quite a change from the other infertility specialists we had worked with -- we never would hear from the doctor unless we had a scheduled appointment. Dr. Berkley prescribed herbs that I took each day and we ordered them from a Chinese pharmacy in NYC. Dr. Berkley gave specific directions to a local acupuncturist for weekly treatments (she thought he was fabulous to work with). WE DID THIS FOR 3 MONTHS AND TO OUR GREAT SURPRISE AND DELIGHT I BECAME PREGNANT NATURALLY. We had a healthy baby boy in April of 2006. It is difficult to express the gratitude we feel toward Dr. Mike Berkley. We can't recommend him enough and words don't begin to express our appreciation. We tell many people about him so they can avoid more of the pitfalls of the infertility nightmare. Our only regret is that we haven't met Dr. Berkley in person -- we did this all over the phone and computer. It was not hard, complicated, invasive, or expensive compared to so many other treatments. Thanks Mike!!! We sincerely hope other people will use the Berkley services. Polly & Paul

Starla's Journey

My entire life I have wanted to have children so when I married later in life at age 39 I was ready to start trying to have a child. This "trying" was supposed to be the fun part and I thought I got lucky when I got pregnant the first month. Soon after I miscarried with what was a blighted ovum(a bad egg with no heart beat) I thought "No big deal it will happen next month"

My journey took me through at least 20 artificial inseminations and 2 failed IVF's. My struggle hasn't been as long as others but when you have a personality like mine, you want everything yesterday. This seemed like eternity. I have gone through close to 2 years of hell. It has effected my relationship with my husband-he feels I only wanted him for his sperm(and I guess he was right at the time) I have gained so much weight- And I was starting to feel defeated. Month after month, waiting, hoping, was making me crazy. Was I ever going to get pregnant?

I began speaking to anyone who would listen and took advise from anyone willing to give it...I went from Raspberry leaf teas to wheat grass juicing. I tried pineapple at the beginning of my cycle and yams added to my diet. I did acupuncture twice a week. I went macrobiotic. My father in law prescribed me every such herbal supplement he could think of. I cut out caffeine, my point is I did it all and each month- my periods were the same, and no double lines showed up on the numerous pregnancy tests I purchased.

I found Dr. Berkley by chance after reading a book about infertility and thought I had nothing to lose. We had a phone consultation and he reviewed my history and asked me numerous questions. I was eventually given a prognosis and prescribed an herbal formula. Dr. Berkley said he promised I would get pregnant. He said that most likely I had some sort of blockage or my system was not balanced and he would help. I was skeptical but thought, "I really had nothing to lose but some money and with all I had spent already it was worth a try." Dr. Berkley said it takes 60 to 90 days for the herbs to start working.

I started the herbs sometime in November 2004 and noticed severe cramping just prior to me getting my period. I continued through December and was unable to do my 3rd IVF cycle due to the fact that the office was closed through the holidays and it interfered with my cycle days. Instead I decided the last minute with alittle coaxing from the nurses at my fertility office to do an IUI. I wasn't even sure why I was spending any more money on IUI's since I had had about 20 and not one resulted in a pregnancy.

45 days after following Dr. Berkeley's protocol I was 2 weeks pregnant. I never would have believed it. After everything we tried month after month Dr. Berkley's approach worked.

Fast forward- On Sept 8th 2005 I delivered a magnificent healthy baby girl named Addison Layne Smith who amazes us everyday. I feel so lucky to have her and don't take a day for granted.

It has been the most difficult experience I have had to handle in my life and I hope this will help someone try alittle harder, seek alittle more advice, and not give up. There are no words to express my gratitude

Starla www.berkleycenter.com mikeberkley@berkleycenter.com