Weight Loss Helps!
Below is an unsolicited e-mail from a patient that warms my heart. (It has been edited only slightly for clarity). This is why I do so much lifestyle counseling at New Patient Appointments:
August 16, 2024
Dear Dr. Ratcliffe,
I came to you back in September of 2023 for a consultation appointment. I will be honest; I was super nervous and expected you to give me even worse news than Kaiser (Santa Rosa) had given me back in June of 2023. They told me I had blocked Fallopian tubes and was unable to get pregnant naturally, when I asked what my other options were, they said IVF was my only option. And then proceeded to tell me I couldn’t’ talk to anyone else [in the Kaiser Fertility Center] until I gave them 40K for the procedure. I was devastated and heart broken, and I don’t think I fully recovered from that trauma until recently.
I took your advice [after the consultation] and I started working out religiously and started eating clean. No carbs or sugar like you suggested. I lost 60 pounds. I was so excited. I started to feel better about myself, less depressed than when I got the news and just overall happy again.
Anyways, the real reason I’m writing to you is because right before my husband and I left your office, you told us to let you know when we got pregnant naturally. [You were confident we could do it on our own]/ I would love to inform you that you were right, and we are in fact pregnant (21 weeks) with a little girl who should be here in December. We are forever grateful for your second opinion because without it we would not be expecting today.
