CHICAGO - June 1, 2026 - After Lisa Fasone had her first child in 2022, she knew she eventually wanted to have a second. But following the birth of her first daughter, Fasone started experiencing postpartum hormonal issues. She had persistent symptoms, including night sweats, continued lactation, no menstrual cycle and infertility while trying to conceive.

Bloodwork revealed her prolactin – the hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates lactation and influences fertility – levels were elevated. Medication to reduce her prolactin levels worked at first, and her hormone levels went back to normal. But over time, her symptoms returned and stopped responding to the medication. Bloodwork continued to show elevated prolactin levels, and by winter 2023, her symptoms had not normalized.

An initial MRI was inconclusive and Vijay Eranki, MD, an endocrinologist at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital, suspected the 32-year-old from McHenry, Ill., may have a pituitary tumor that was not being picked up by imaging.

“The medication isn’t well studied for pregnancy,” said Fasone, a urology physician assistant in the Chicagoland area. “I just didn’t feel comfortable trying to have a baby without good data to suggest it was safe. If you get pregnant, you must stop the medication right away because there’s no data to suggest it’s safe and if you stop taking the medication, there’s a chance the tumor could get worse. I was not comfortable accepting that risk."

After the medication stopped working, a repeat MRI found a visible tumor on her pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain, which is known as a prolactinoma. The tumor was causing her pituitary gland to make too much prolactin. While prolactinoma is not life-threatening and is the most common pituitary tumor, it can make it extremely difficult to become pregnant since it lowers the body’s levels of the sex hormones estrogen and testosterone. The condition is seen more commonly in women than men.

Medication is the first treatment for prolactinoma, but after exhausting all conservative treatments, Fasone’s only other option was surgery to remove the tumor.

“I had to make a decision,” Fasone said. “Do I continue increasing the dosage of this medication that’s not making me feel great and doesn’t seem to be working, or am I going to face the issue and have it surgically addressed?”

Doctor Eranki and Northwestern Medicine endocrinologist Wenyu Huang, MD, PhD, – who specializes in pituitary disorders - referred her to Northwestern Medicine neurosurgeon Stephen Magill, MD, PhD, to have the tumor surgically removed.  

“While removing a tumor on the pituitary gland is a common operation, removing one for a prolactinoma, like Lisa’s case, is less common,” Dr. Magill said. “We knew she really wanted to have another baby. We carefully counseled Lisa on the risks and benefits of the procedure, what the surgery would entail and what the expected outcome would be. We were hopeful her hormone levels would return to normal, and she would be able to have a child safely without having to be on medical therapy.”

On April 14, 2025, Fasone underwent brain surgery with Dr. Magill to remove the tumor and Northwestern Medicine otolaryngologist Kevin Welch, MD, who helped gain access to Fasone’s brain through her nose. A few weeks later, she got her menstrual cycle back and discovered she was pregnant. Her daughter, Natalie, was born on February 11 and is a happy, healthy baby. Fasone will continue to receive imaging every six to 12 months to make sure the tumor has not recurred.

“Dr. Magill really gave me my life back,” Fasone said. “I was able to get off the medication, my body returned to normal, and I was able to complete my family. I recently introduced Dr. Magill to my daughter, and that was such an emotional moment – one I certainly won’t forget.”

June is World Infertility Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public that infertility affects approximately 1 in 6 people worldwide. To learn more about fertility and reproductive medicine at Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.  

“There was no time for me to be scared,” said Cheveria. “I remember my husband saying, ‘you did it, I love you.’ Then I gave my daughter a kiss and it all went black.”

Blood pressure medication helped get Cheveria’s heart pumping again, but the life-threatening clots in her lungs, called a pulmonary embolism, were putting intense strain on her heart. Cardiologists at Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute had to work quickly to remove the clots and keep her heart from stopping a second time. 

Keith Benzuly, MD, an interventional cardiologist at Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, began an emergency thrombectomy to clear the clots. During the highly specialized procedure, a catheter was run from Cheveria’s leg up through a blood vessel, through her heart, and into her lungs.

“This was a life-threatening emergency,” said Dr. Benzuly. “It’s really difficult when you’re taking care of someone who is that sick and their life is in your hands. I tried to focus on the technical aspects of the procedure, because I knew that this was the best chance for Chelsea to survive and for her baby to have a mother.”

The procedure was a success, the blood clots were cleared, and Cheveria’s heart was finally stable. Shortly after, her baby girl was back in her arms, right where she belonged.

“Once I woke up and held her again, I was never letting go,” said Cheveria.

Pulmonary Embolism after C-section

A blood clot in the lungs is one of the most common causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, and a cesarean section doubles this risk. While clotting is a known complication, Robbye McNair, MD, the obstetrics and gynecology specialist at Northwestern Medicine who delivered Cheveria’s baby, says it’s still rare.

“Everything was routine, the baby was out and Chelsea was holding her,” said. Dr. McNair. “We were about to close the next to last layer of the procedure when she went unresponsive. Chelsea had no risk factors, and this was unfortunately random. I want to reassure patients that these are rare events, and most deliveries are uncomplicated.”

A team approach

Before Cheveria’s thrombectomy could be performed, doctors had to first address another issue – life-threatening bleeding from an artery in her uterus. Daniel Schimmel, MD, director of the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) at Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, swiftly coordinated a treatment plan between interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, pulmonologists, and interventional radiologists.

“When you think about the baby who might lose a mom, you are not just trying to save a patient, but you’re trying to protect a family,” said Dr. Schimmel. “This was all-hands-on-deck, everyone running to the bedside.”

Robert Lewandowski, MD, an interventional radiologist at Northwestern Medicine, first performed an emergency uterine artery embolization to stop the bleeding, allowing Cheveria to take the blood thinners needed for a thrombectomy.

“This was a unique situation that required significant multi-discipline collaboration,” said Dr. Lewandoski. “Chelsea urgently needed blood thinners to help fix the clots, but that would exacerbate her uterine bleeding. Expedited care in the right order was paramount.”

Because the PERT was already in place, Cheveria was able to get multi-disciplinary and life-saving care right when she needed it.

A family of four

Despite the harrowing hours she experienced after giving birth, Cheveria spent just five days in the hospital before discharge to her home in Chicago. She’s now adjusting to life with her new baby girl Zairah (zye-ruh), her 4-year-old daughter Annayiah (uh-nye-uh), and her husband, Scott. Cheveria is sharing her story to prove that happy endings are possible, even with some bumps along the way.

“I now have a hematologist, a cardiologist, and a therapist,” Cheveria said with a smile. “And I already want another baby, I'm not afraid to go again. I just love being a mom.”

For more information on heart care and women’s health, visit nm.org.

CHICAGO – March 31, 2026 – Black Maternal Health Week is recognized from April 11-17, a time to raise awareness that Black women in the United States are dying from pregnancy-related causes at a higher rate. For the third year, Northwestern Medicine's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is hosting an educational session and open house on Tuesday, April 14, at Prentice Women's Hospital to raise awareness for Black maternal health. 

What: Third annual Improving Black Maternal Health Open House. The event is free to attend and will feature discussion of women's health hot topics, demonstrations on subjects such as pushing positions, exhibitors from Northwestern and the greater Chicago community, along with tours of Labor and Delivery.

When: Tuesday, April 14, from 5-7:30 pm 

Where: Prentice Women's Hospital, third floor atrium, 250 East Superior Street, Chicago

Parking: With registration, attendees can park in Northwestern Medicine Parking Garages A (222 East Huron Street), C (321 East Ontario Street) and D (321 East Ontario Street) at no charge

Register for the event by clicking here. 

Event Highlights: 

- Labor and Delivery Floor tour

- Q&A panel with Obstetrics and Gynecology physicians

- Speakers will address hot topics such as: high risk pregnancies, infertility, mental health, anesthesia and birth preferences

- Exhibitors and demonstrations include: pelvic floor physical therapy, social work, smoking cessation program, midwives and pushing positions, contraception and family planning, genetics, etc. 

- Networking opportunities with physicians and nurses

- Food and beverages will be provided

The Importance of Black Maternal Health
The focus on Black maternal health is crucial due to the stark disparities in maternal mortality rates. In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 69 deaths per 100,000 live births, a rate 2.6 times higher than that for non-Hispanic white women. Furthermore, Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, with over 80% of these deaths being preventable. 

Jacqueline Hairston, MD, is a leading voice in the field and maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine. When asked about the disparities in maternal mortality rates, Dr. Hairston explains, “We don’t have a good way of quantifying systemic racism and what we’re using as a proxy is race. We have a long way to go in terms of research, but we know that there are things we can do to improve the health of Black birthing people.”

For more information on overcoming barriers to health, visit nm.org. 

To register for the event, click here.

Chicago, IL – September 17, 2025 – At the age of 14, during the height of the COVID pandemic, Liliana “Lili” Castaneda thought she had her first menstrual cycle. At first, she was actually excited about it, but then, the monthly bleeding turned into daily bleeding. Castaneda was bleeding so much that she would soak through menstrual pads in 15 minutes and would get dizzy when standing up.

Castaneda went to a local doctor, who told her it was just stress due to the pandemic. But Castaneda insisted that something was wrong, and one month before her 15^th birthday, she was diagnosed with a rare vaginal cancer called clear cell carcinoma. When viewed under a microscope, the cancer cells look clear. It’s typically found in the female reproductive system in postmenopausal women. 

“In my 15 years of practicing medicine, Liliana is the youngest patient I’ve treated for clear cell carcinoma – most of my patients are in their 60s,” said Dario Roque, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine.

Since clear cell carcinoma of the vagina isn’t a childhood cancer, pediatric hospitals in Chicago wouldn’t accept Castaneda as a patient. On top of that, her mom only speaks Spanish, so it was important to have a physician who could communicate with Castaneda’s mom during appointments. 

Northwestern Medicine was ready and willing to take on her case. Dr. Roque, who is from Cuba and speaks Spanish, was easily able to communicate with Castaneda’s mom during the course of treatment which included chemotherapy and radiation.

Jonathan Strauss, MD, was Castaneda’s radiation oncologist at the Lurie Cancer Center, and oversaw both external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy, a specific type of internal radiation therapy where a radioactive implant is put inside the body to deliver radiation directly to the tumor. 

“Liliana’s tumor was about the size of a golf ball,” said Dr. Strauss. “At the time of her diagnosis, the tumor was too large for us to surgically remove it, so we had to use external and internal radiation therapies to help shrink it. It took a lot of radiation to get rid of her tumor, along with chemotherapy.”

Certain cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, can negatively impact a patient’s ability to have children, which is why fertility preservation prior to the start of treatment is essential for many patients. But, since Castaneda was born with Turner Syndrome, a genetic condition that affects females and causes infertility, preserving her fertility was not an option or a choice the family had to make. Castaneda’s doctors also don’t believe her Turner Syndrome diagnosis had anything to do with her cancer diagnosis. 

 Thanks to the chemotherapy and radiation, Castaneda had tremendous results and was officially declared cancer-free in March 2021. Inspired by her Northwestern Medicine medical team, Castaneda, who is now 19 years old, is going to college and taking nursing classes.

“I can’t wait to become a nurse and help other kids navigate their medical journey,” she said.  

“We knew Liliana was going to do great things no matter what, but when she told us she wanted to go to nursing school, the entire Northwestern Medicine team that took care of her was very touched,” said Dr. Strauss.

Castaneda and her doctors also want women to know that they should contact their physician if they’re experiencing abnormal bleeding, bleeding between periods or after menopause, along with pain or urinary symptoms. Those are the first signs of clear cell carcinoma of the vagina.

“If you feel like something is wrong, don’t hesitate and get it checked out,” said Castaneda.

For more information on gynecologic cancer care at Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill – For millions of women, uterine fibroids are more than a medical issue – the condition can cause heavy bleeding, chronic pain and interfere with work, relationships, and quality of life. At Northwestern Medicine, a minimally invasive procedure called transcervical fibroid ablation (TFA) is helping patients find relief – without the need for major surgery.

 Cayce McConnell, 46, was exhausted from enduring heavy, painful periods each month.

“It got to the point where I needed iron infusions and was missing work at times, and it was disruptive,” McConnell said.

 The Frankfort nurse practitioner went to see her doctor, who recommended an ultrasound. McConnell was diagnosed with uterine fibroids, which wasn’t a big surprise.

 “I do have a strong family history. A lot of my aunts, almost all of them, have had uterine fibroids, and almost all of them have had a hysterectomy,” McConnell said.

 Understanding uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are the most common type of abnormal growth in a woman’s uterus.

The estrogen-dependent tumors impact as many as 80% of people with a uterus during their reproductive years, from teens all the way through menopause.

 “Uterine fibroids affect millions of women per year. They can cause abnormal bleeding, fertility problems and pelvic pain,” said Alexander Lin, MD, OB/GYN, medical director for women’s health at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital.

Heavy menstrual periods or prolonged menstrual periods are the two most common symptoms.

“In addition to heavy or prolonged bleeding, fibroids can cause other symptoms. As fibroids grow, they can cause pressure on the bladder because they'll make the uterus enlarge and push on the bladder. Fibroids can also push on the intestines. Fibroids can also cause bloating and pain,” said Dr. Lin.

Exploring treatment options

To find relief from their uterine fibroids, several of McConnell’s aunts chose to undergo a hysterectomy, a surgical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus.

A busy mom of two teenagers, McConnell was hoping to avoid major surgery, if possible.

 To better understand her treatment options, she made an appointment to see Dr. Lin at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital.

“It was when I met Dr. Lin that he told me about a new option that targets and gets right to the root of the problem, the fibroids,” McConnell said.

Transcervical fibroid ablation

The new treatment option is called transcervical fibroid ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to destroy the fibroids without incisions.

“Transcervical fibroid ablation (TFA) uses a type of energy called RF energy, or radio frequency energy. We can think of it as a form of electrical energy, which then heats the fibroid tumors, which are proteins, and helps break them down,” Dr. Lin said.

During the outpatient procedure, Dr. Lin uses new technology that combines intrauterine ultrasound with radiofrequency to target and shrink fibroids. There are no incisions, which means there is virtually no recovery time and patients can feel relief from the symptoms in as little as three months.

“Approximately 90% of patients who have symptoms with bleeding or pain will get very good relief following the fibroid ablation treatment. Recovery is very rapid. The patients usually don't have much pain at all. Typically, the following day, they're already back to work and functioning normally,” Dr. Lin said.

Finding relief from uterine fibroids

Cayce McConnell chose to have the TFA procedure performed at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, the first facility to offer the procedure in Chicago’s south suburbs. 

“I was in and out. I was in the room for maybe an hour or two, and then in recovery for an hour and went home the same day. I actually went to work two days later, so it was great,” McConnell said.

Within a month, McConnell noticed significant relief from the period symptoms she had experienced previously. Her periods are now lighter, less painful and not disrupting her life. She is sharing her experience with friends and family members, who were unaware there is a treatment for uterine fibroids that doesn’t involve major surgery.

“Almost everyone in my family was like, ‘How did you hear about that? How did you do that and not get an incision and not have to be cut or have a hysterectomy?’ McConnell said. “I’m happy to share it with anyone, because it was great for me.”

Treating uterine fibroids at Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern Medicine offers a range of treatment options for uterine fibroids. Our minimally invasive gynecologic experts offer telehealth visits after imaging, to review the results with patients and develop a treatment plan.  

In addition to Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, Northwestern Medicine offers TFA at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital in the northern suburbs.  For more information, please visit www.nm.org.

CHICAGO – July 9, 2025 – Weight gain isn’t just a result of what you eat and how you move your body. It’s also related to genetic, societal, and environmental factors. For many, obesity is a disease. But for those wanting to start a family, healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices are important to help achieve reproductive goals, which is why the Northwestern Medicine PEARL Program (Preconception and Early Assessment Care Rooted in Lifestyle Management) was launched to  support people with obesity who are planning a pregnancy.  

“Here at Northwestern Medicine, we receive a lot of referrals for patients with higher body mass index (BMI) that might not be cared for at other health systems, and with the PEARL Program, we’re eliminating that bias to help provide the obstetrics care they need,” said Christina Boots, MD, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at Northwestern Medicine who co-founded the PEARL Program. “We’re really proud to have established a multidisciplinary clinic to care for these women who are trying to get pregnant, want to reduce health risks during pregnancy, and manage their mental health and possible weight gain postpartum.”

The PEARL Program was designed for patients who have a BMI more than 27, are planning an immediate pregnancy or looking ahead to the future. Some women with higher BMI will have ovulatory dysfunction, a condition where the ovaries don’t release an egg during a menstrual cycle. A drop in weight can sometimes help women ovulate more consistently, thus increasing their rate of spontaneously getting pregnant. Weight loss can also help prevent the risk of health complications during pregnancy.  

“When we look at clinical obesity, we can’t just define the disease as having a BMI over 30, but we need to look at how the disease impacts one’s overall health,” said Veronica Johnson, MD, an obesity medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine who co-founded the PEARL Program. “Excess body fat can impact a woman’s health including infertility, irregular menstrual cycles and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but it can also cause other health-related conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and osteoarthritis of the knees or the hips. These are all things we really want to have the patient improve upon before getting pregnant.”

What to expect during a consultation with the PEARL Program

For each patient, a team of experts from reproductive endocrinology and infertility, obesity medicine, maternal-fetal medicine, psychology and more, design a personalized weight loss program to fit a patient’s needs and goals which may include nutrition, physical activity, mental health, lifestyle treatment options, and in some cases, using weight loss medications such as GLP-1 agonists.

During a patient’s first consult with the PEARL Program, a physician will typically ask questions such as:

-        How do you feel about your weight?

-        Do you think you’d benefit from extra nutrition counseling?

-        Do you need motivation to move your body more?

-        When do you think you might want to start a family?

-        What’s your ideal family size?   

Depending on answers to the questions, next steps will then be taken for planning a future pregnancy.

“Preconception counseling is so important because everyone’s prenatal care might be different, their delivery might be different and their postpartum care might be different,” said Michelle Kominiarek, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine who co-founded the PEARL Program. “It takes time to have meaningful weight loss, which can result in some tough conversations.”

Obesity’s impact on fertility and pregnancy 

When it comes to a patient’s fertility, physicians with the PEARL Program emphasize that age, much more so than BMI, influences how likely a woman is to get pregnant, which is why it’s important for women to talk to a physician sooner rather than later.

“For example, if a woman first comes to us in her late 20s or early 30s, she should still generally have good egg quality and quantity left, but if a woman is approaching 40, that’s when she really needs to be worried about the decline in her fertility. For some women, that means we’re freezing eggs or creating embryos ahead of time and then making the weight loss goal a priority before she tries to conceive,” said Dr. Boots. “That’s why thoughtful, individualized conversations are needed to come up with a strategy.”

For patients with higher BMI who need to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, excess body fat can make it more difficult to administer fertility treatments because the ultrasound imaging is more challenging. Higher BMI may also play a role in egg quality, implantation, embryo development and increased risk of miscarriage. With higher BMI, physicians also see higher rates of thyroid disfunction, insulin resistance, diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension.

“We see that having excess body fat and an energy imbalance can also influence how our hypothalamus talks to our pituitary, which talks to our ovary. It’s a really delicate system that can get interrupted,” said Dr. Boots. “The primary way a lot of weight affects getting pregnant is just not having regular menstrual cycles and not ovulating with consistency.”

Once pregnant, patients with higher BMI face several risks during pregnancy such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure) which can lead to organ damage, stroke, seizures or death; gestational diabetes; blood clots; premature delivery; longer labor; and possibly needing a cesarean section (C-section). The baby may also be at high risk for birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord.

Are weight loss medications safe to use during pregnancy?

GLP-1 agonists can be used to lower weight which may improve pregnancy outcomes, however, there can be rebound weight gain after stopping the medication. Physicians are monitoring how that rebound weight gain will impact the pregnancy; does it blend in with the expected weight gain of pregnancy or does it magnify it? Currently, physicians with the PEARL Program don’t recommend patients stay on GLP-1 agonists during pregnancy.

“GLP-1 agonists shouldn’t be used during pregnancy because there isn’t enough research to show what they’ll do to a growing baby,” said Jacqueline Hairston, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine who is part of the clinical team for the PEARL Program. “We also have to be really careful about recommending fast meaningful weight loss right before someone is trying to get pregnant because their metabolism is going to change so much. Diminishing a patient’s nutrition and energy imbalance isn’t the best time to be growing a baby, so we’ll tell patients they should wait a year or two from that massive weight loss before trying to get pregnant. Just telling patients, ‘Lose a bunch of weight and you’ll get pregnant,’ isn’t the right answer.”

Postpartum weight gain management

The PEARL Program is also working to help decrease weight bias in clinical settings; define clinical obesity and review the current treatment options; understand the data associating fertility outcomes with BMI; and improve preconception counseling in women with higher BMI. The program also monitors women postpartum to help them manage the weight gain from the pregnancy.

“Pregnancy is unique because it’s one of the few times people have a doctor say to them, ‘We expect you to gain weight.’ What that means for their mental health to see their body change after successful weight loss is certainly something that is a very individual experience,” said Dr. Kominiarek.

“The mental health piece is so important, so making sure we connect them with a mental health provider as they’re going through their weight loss journey, or weight gain that comes with pregnancy, is important. They need support from their physicians, psychologists, family and friends,” said Dr. Hairston.

For patients wanting to discuss how to optimize their health before pregnancy, a consultation can be scheduled with the PEARL Program by calling 312.695.7269. Additional information on obstetrics care at Northwestern Medicine can be found at nm.org.

March 24, 2025 - Chicago, IL – From the time she was 14 or 15 years old, Sage D’Amato’s periods have always been extremely painful. Each month, the 37-year-old from Roberts, Ill., could barely get out of bed, and would try relieving the menstrual pain with heating pads, Tylenol and Ibuprofen, but nothing helped.  

“It felt like I was giving birth every month,” said D’Amato. “In fact, when I gave birth to my two sons, I didn’t think the pain was that bad, because it just felt like another bad period.”

Born with a rare uterine anomaly called unicornuate uterus with a rudimentary horn, which only impacts about 0.03% of the population, D’Amato’s uterus primarily developed on the right side of her body, while the left side only partially developed. She also had a kidney anomaly called dysmorphic and rotated kidney in right lower abdomen with two collecting systems, meaning, two ureters (instead of one) were draining urine from one of her kidneys.    

“I like to think of myself as a unicorn,” said D’Amato.

Five years ago, she started having even more pain on her lower left abdomen and decided to get it checked out. Her doctor at the time diagnosed her with an ovarian cyst and stage 3 endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain and heavy periods. After having the ovary with the cyst removed, D’Amato then underwent endometriosis surgery, but the pain persisted and after going to a local emergency department, D’Amato asked for a referral to Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

She first met with Micah Garb, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, who immediately recognized D’Amato needed a complex surgery to relieve the pain. D’Amato was referred to Magdy Milad, MD, chief of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at Northwestern Medicine, who in collaboration with Ziho Lee, MD, a reconstructive urologist at Northwestern Medicine, performed the complicated surgery.

“Sage’s unicornuate uterus was a risk factor for severe endometriosis, and hers was so severe that it was blocking her ureter, with urine backing up into her kidney. She had not responded to medications and had an endometriosis surgery back in 2023 at another health system, but that also didn’t help relieve the pain,” said Dr. Milad. “In January, Dr. Lee and I were able to operate together on the same day. I removed Sage’s uterus, then Dr. Lee took out the endometriosis blocking the ureter and re-implanted the ureter into the bladder. The surgery was a success and Sage did great postoperatively.”

Two months later, D’Amato is back to enjoying life with her husband and kids. She’s also able to continue her work as a necropsy technician at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, not having to worry about taking time off work due to extreme abdominal pains.  

“For the first time in over 20 years, I’m now living my life pain free,” said D’Amato. “Going to Northwestern Medicine was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I encourage all women who may be experiencing the same type of pain to advocate for themselves and seek a second opinion.”

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the condition that affects approximately 6.5 million American women who are of reproductive age. Endometriosis can cause scar tissue, chronic pain and heavy periods, and is a main cause of infertility in women. Treatment options include medicine, surgery or both.

For more information about endometriosis and treatment options at Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.

CHICAGO – December 24, 2024 – In December 2023, while pregnant with her first child, MaKenna Lauterbach developed a cough that wouldn’t go away. The then 26-year-old, who lives on a farm with horses and goats in Washburn, Ill., mentioned the cough to her local doctors, but because she was pregnant, her doctors were reluctant to perform chest scans due to possible radiation exposure.

“I give hay to the horses every morning and noticed how winded I was becoming with a dry cough. My body felt like I just ran two miles, when in reality, I had only walked to the barn and back,” said Lauterbach. “I knew something was wrong.”

By the time Lauterbach was 36-weeks pregnant, the cough was so bad that she started throwing up while coughing. After she was hospitalized for shortness of breath, doctors obtained imaging and discovered a large, grapefruit-sized tumor in her middle chest cavity and right lung, completely blocking the artery to the right lung. 

Lauterbach was in respiratory distress, which meant both she and the baby weren’t getting adequate oxygen. Due to her critical condition, Lauterbach was flown to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and rushed to an intensive care unit where a large team of obstetricians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatricians, nurses and staff awaited her. There, the maternal-fetal medicine team also noticed Lauterbach’s blood pressure was rising, she was contracting, and the baby wasn’t tolerating the contractions well.

“MaKenna was in real trouble, and we had to act quickly – this wasn’t something that could wait for Monday morning,” said Lynn Yee, MD, maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Northwestern Medicine. “When you’re pregnant with a baby that’s nearly full-term, your lungs already aren’t functioning at full capacity, and when you add a huge tumor on top of it, you run the risk of having respiratory collapse and cardiac arrest.”

In the early hours of Easter Sunday on March 31, after preparing the patient to potentially need extracorporeal life support (ECMO) after delivery, Dr. Yee performed an emergency cesarean section and a healthy baby boy named Colter was born. He remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital for one week, where the family formed a connection with the nursing staff, especially clinical nurse Mary Schuessler.

“Because of the tumor, the delivery happened so quickly. I was grieving the birth plan I had spent months preparing for, while also dealing with the news of my unexpected diagnosis,” said Lauterbach. “My situation was serious, and while my clinical team was working on a plan to treat my cancer, it was comforting to know that Mary and the rest of the NICU nurses were taking such wonderful care of our son. My husband (Parker) and I can’t thank them enough.”

Making the Diagnosis and Developing a Treatment Plan

Following the delivery, doctors needed to figure out what type of tumor Lauterbach had. Kalvin Lung, MD, a thoracic surgeon with the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, was able to obtain a sample of the tumor with advanced bronchoscopy to diagnose Lauterbach with stage 3 melanoma. Knowing the benefit of a team approach to provide the most innovative treatments, Dr. Lung reached out to Sunandana Chandra, MD, medical oncologist with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, to see if there was anything to offer Lauterbach to help shrink the tumor before surgery.

“MaKenna’s diagnosis was difficult to make because we weren’t sure if the melanoma started in the chest or somewhere else, and there isn’t much literature or published cases on how to best treat tumors like these, so we had to rely on the expertise that we’ve developed here at Northwestern Medicine,” said Dr. Lung.

Based on a nationwide clinical trial that Northwestern Medicine was a part of, researchers discovered pre-surgical immunotherapy can ultimately improve surgical outcomes for advanced melanoma patients. Dr. Chandra recommended Lauterbach go through three cycles of immunotherapy before surgery, which helped shrink the tumor from 13 centimeters to nine centimeters, allowing Dr. Lung and Chris Mehta, MD, a cardiac surgeon with the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute who specializes in complex heart reconstruction, to remove Lauterbach’s entire right lung, parts of the main pulmonary artery and lymph nodes. 

“The tumor was sitting on top of MaKenna’s heart and extended into the right lung, impacting all three lobes and the entire main trunk of the pulmonary artery, which is why we had to remove the right lung,” said Dr. Lung.

“It's extremely rare to see this type of tumor invading into the major blood vessels of the heart,” added Dr. Mehta. “We may see something like this once every few years.”

“We think at some point, MaKenna had a melanoma on her skin and her own immune system took care of it, but not before a cell or two may have escaped and eventually started growing inside her body,” explained Dr. Chandra. “After three doses of immunotherapy, once she was taken to surgery, the surgical specimen showed no melanoma cells that were viable. MaKenna’s scans currently show no evidence of metastatic melanoma, and the hope is with continued surveillance, we’ll continue to show she has no evidence of disease. Medically, this is an amazing story with profound results. This type of outcome for our patients is what we always hope for.”

Celebrating the Milestones

Lauterbach will continue immunotherapy treatments for one year. Her cancer is currently a stable disease, meaning no new tumors have appeared. She celebrated her 27th birthday in October and is looking forward to her son’s first Christmas on the farm.

“Colter's the best baby. He's always happy and sleeps through the night,” said Lauterbach. “I’m so grateful to have Colter and Parker in my life, and I can’t say enough about the wonderful medical team that saved my life. Because of Northwestern Medicine, I’m here today.”

“It brings tears to my eyes to see MaKenna doing so well, and seeing Colter thriving is amazing. It just goes to show that when you get all the right medical teams in place, you can truly help families thrive,” said Dr. Yee.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.  

CHICAGO – April 10, 2024 – Black Maternal Health Week is recognized from April 11-17, a time to raise awareness that Black women in the United States are dying from pregnancy-related causes at a higher rate. Northwestern Medicine's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is hosting an educational session and open house on Wednesday, April 17, at Prentice Women's Hospital to raise awareness for Black maternal health. 

What: Black Maternal Health Week Open House

When: Wednesday, April 17, 5-7:30 pm

Where: Prentice Women's Hospital, third floor atrium, 250 East Superior Street, Chicago

- Labor and Delivery Floor and Postpartum Floor tours

- Physicians and midwives discussing common pregnancy myths

- A meet-and-greet with Obstetrics and Gynecology clinicians 

- Appetizers 

Register for the event here: https://forms.feinberg.northwestern.edu/view.php?id=2994120. 

Donations for Community Baby Shower

Parenthood can be overwhelming for anyone. As the cost of basic needs continues to rise, families across Chicago are struggling to provide vital basics. During Black Maternal Health Week, the Northwestern Medicine OB-GYN Department is also sponsoring EverThrive Illinois' 2nd Annual Community Baby Shower. 

This donation drive is collecting new baby wipes and thermometers. It also accepts monetary donations which will be used to buy gift cards and supplies. 

To make a monetary donation, please click here. 

Donations can be dropped off April 11-17 from 8 am-4 pm (Monday-Friday) to these Northwestern Medicine locations: 

- Obstetrics and Gynecology, 680 North Lake Shore Drive, 8th Floor, Suite 810, Chicago

- Faculty Obstetrics and Gynecology, Galter Pavilion, 675 North St. Clair Street, 14th Floor, Suite 200, Chicago

- Department of OB-GYN Administrative Suite, 250 East Superior Street, 3rd Floor, Suite 03-2303, Chicago

Chicago, IL – November 1, 2023 – Driven by the ongoing opioid epidemic and the sharing of needles, hepatitis C cases have been rising in the United States over the last decade, with the highest infection rates among young adults, including women of childbearing age. Without treatment, hepatitis C can lead to acute and chronic hepatitis, increasing the risk of liver cancer, liver failure and other conditions. During pregnancy, hepatitis C has been associated with low birthweight, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and preterm birth. The standard of care for treating hepatitis C in a pregnant person is to initiate treatment postpartum, which can start as soon as the person gives birth, but this approach has significant limitations.

Under the guidance of specialists at Northwestern Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, an innovative treatment plan is now being offered during pregnancy, allowing the pregnant person to be cured of hepatitis C during the course of prenatal care, which may also substantially mitigate or even eliminate the risk of transmitting hepatis C to the baby.   

“Our goal is pretty simple – we want to improve the lives of pregnant patients with hepatitis C and their infants,” said Lynn Yee, MD, a maternal fetal medicine specialist and director of the Northwestern Medicine Women’s Infectious Disease Program. “Although treatment during pregnancy is not yet common, our professional societies support a shared decision-making process, including discussing with patients what is known versus unknown. We believe that by including pregnant people in hepatitis C research and treatment programs, we will work towards the public health goal of eliminating hepatitis C as well as addressing historical issues of excluding pregnant people from life-changing therapies.”

“There is still an overall lack of awareness among providers about the impact of hepatitis C in pregnancy and its transmission to infants,” said Ravi Jhaveri, MD, pediatrician and division head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Lurie Children’s Hospital. “Because hepatitis C acquisition is often associated with injection drug use, there’s still a lot of stigma and judgement among providers towards patients that prevents them from having open conversations. We hope every pregnant patient is tested for hepatitis C and those who test positive are quickly offered treatment.”

Testing and Treating Pregnant Patients

The greatest risk of acquiring hepatitis C belongs to people who work with human blood, body fluids or needles; use IV or intravenous drugs; have unprotected sex; are living with HIV; and are born to mothers with hepatitis C. Most people with hepatitis C have no symptoms, which is why testing during pregnancy is so important.

In 2020, guidelines implemented by the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommend all pregnant people are tested for hepatitis C antibodies during routine prenatal care. Patients who have evidence of hepatitis C antibodies undergo further testing and are referred to the Northwestern Medicine Women’s Infectious Disease Program. At this specialized program, for patients with evidence of chronic hepatitis C, the first step of the treatment plan is in-depth counseling and shared decision-making about the risks, benefits and alternatives to treatment during versus after pregnancy. As the first in Chicago and one of a few programs in the country to offer a treatment plan for eligible patients, Northwestern Medicine is a referral center for pregnant people with hepatitis C.

“Although treatment during the postpartum period is a great plan for many patients, there are significant limitations of this approach,” said Dr. Yee. “Many people lose touch with health care after giving birth, due to a wide range of factors. For example, in many states, pregnant people who have Medicaid lose their Medicaid 60 days after giving birth, and so there may be limited time to initiate and complete treatment. For other people, the competing priorities and burdens of being a parent take precedent over care for one’s own health. Yet, we know from ample research that pregnancy is a period of enhanced engagement in health care and motivation for improving health, making it the ideal window of opportunity for treatment. And not only does treatment during pregnancy mean that a pregnant person can be cured of hepatitis C during the course of prenatal care, but it is also highly likely that achieving cure before giving birth can substantially mitigate or eliminate the risk of transmitting hepatitis C to the baby, which would represent an incredible public health advancement.”

When patients desire treatment, physicians and infectious diseases pharmacists work on obtaining insurance coverage for treatment. Medications are then initiated, which are once-daily pills taken for 8-12 weeks. Lab surveillance is done before, during, and after the treatment course, in order to ensure there are no side effects and to monitor for viral cure. The experts at the Northwestern Medicine Women’s Infectious Disease Program also collaborate closely on research involving the responsible inclusion of pregnant people in hepatitis C research and treatment programs, and are able to refer patients to research programs when desired.

To date, specialists at the Women’s Infectious Disease Program have treated approximately five pregnant patients with hepatitis C. In all cases, patients have completed their treatment course during pregnancy and have achieved sustained virologic response – also known as a cure.

One of those patients, Kareena Wasserman, was shocked to learn she tested positive for hepatitis C while pregnant with her second child. She underwent the treatment plan during her third trimester which cleared the virus, and Wasserman delivered a healthy baby girl at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital.

“I honestly have no idea how I contracted hepatitis C, especially since my husband and oldest child don’t have the virus,” said Wasserman. “But when Dr. Yee told me there was a path for a cure – not just for myself, but also the baby – I knew the reward outweighed any risk. I want other patients to know they’re not alone, and there is a safe treatment option available at Northwestern Medicine.”

New CDC Testing Recommendations for Infants

While infants can clear a hepatitis C virus at a higher rate than adults, if left untested and untreated for several years, it can cause scarring and fibrosis in the liver. Until now, testing in infants was often delayed until after 18 months of age due to interference for hepatitis C antibodies passed from mother to infant during late stages of the pregnancy, and the long delay meant most infants were never tested.

This November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to publish new guidelines for testing hepatitis C in infants. Dr. Jhaveri co-authored a commentary piece about the new CDC testing recommendations, scheduled to publish in PEDIATRICS on November 1.

“The CDC has simplified and clarified their testing guidance. Infants with hepatitis C exposure during pregnancy should have one single hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA PCR test between 2-6 months of age. If the result is negative and they don’t have hepatitis C, they don’t need further testing. If the result is positive, they should be connected with a provider who can follow them, retest at a later date and ultimately get them treated by age three,” said Dr. Jhaveri. “I think these new recommendations will significantly improve our ability to do the right testing. They will reduce confusion among providers about which test to send when, cut down on the time to ultimately test and capitalize on existing newborn visits to send the testing.”

Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Children’s Hospital will soon be part of a national study conducted by the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT), which will enroll eligible patients who are pregnant with confirmed hepatitis C and undergoing treatment.

The group also obtained CDC funding to design a video-based learning model for physicians to learn about the key aspects of hepatitis C in pregnancy and early infancy, how to improve decision-making conversations with patients, and how to start hepatitis C treatment.

“With our society's increased focus on social justice, we would argue that there has been a long-standing injustice here,” said Dr. Jhaveri. “Pregnant patients have been excluded from hepatitis C research and treatment for reasons that are rooted in historical practices. We hope that our work helps address this injustice and allows pregnant patients to receive hepatitis C treatment easily and openly without the barriers that currently exist.”

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org and to learn more about Lurie Children’s Hospital, visit luriechildrens.org.

In the United States, breast cancer incidence in Hispanic women is 28 percent lower than in non-Hispanic white women, who have the highest incidence rate. Despite these lower occurrence rates, Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer and have a 30 percent higher mortality rate highlighting the significant health disparities this population faces when it comes to accessing high-quality breast cancer care and screening.  

“What we see in the Hispanic community is that the women are being diagnosed at later stages, even though their diagnosis tends to be at a younger age,” says Claudia Tellez, MD, a medical oncologist at Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine. “And because they’re being diagnosed at a later stage, their cancers are generally more aggressive, and the prognosis is less favorable.” 

Dr. Tellez is working to change this by breaking down barriers and providing Chicago’s Hispanic women with better access to breast cancer screening, treatment and research with the recently launched Lurie Cancer Center Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  

“Many Hispanic women in Chicago struggle to access care or are not receiving the highest standard of care because of language barriers, financial limitations and other factors,” says Dr. Tellez, medical director of the new clinic. “Our team is dedicated to addressing these disparities and improving access by providing culturally sensitive care, bilingual support, and educational resources tailored to the needs of Hispanic patients.”  

Led by Dr. Tellez, who is a native of Colombia, the Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic offers personalized care from a multidisciplinary team of breast cancer experts, supportive care specialists and administrative staff who all speak Spanish. The core clinic team includes a physician, nurse, medical assistant, social worker and research assistant.  

“Getting a breast cancer diagnosis is scary and overwhelming – even more so when you can’t access care in your preferred language,” says Dr. Tellez. “Patients who come to us can expect a safe and welcoming environment where each person they encounter – starting from their first phone call through their treatment – will speak Spanish. We want every patient to be confident in her treatment plan and feel comfortable communicating with a care team that embraces her culture and speaks her preferred language.”  

One of Dr. Tellez’s goals with the new clinic is to increase the number of Hispanic patients participating in clinical trials for breast cancer, an area where they are consistently underrepresented.  

“Breast cancer patients that are Hispanic represent about a third in the city of Chicago. A third of the patients that we’re seeing for clinical trials should be Hispanic,” says Dr. Tellez “And yet, we see less than 10 percent Hispanic patients participating in clinical trials in the city of Chicago. And for pharmaceutical company trials, it’s even lower at around 2.5 percent.” 

In addition to often being diagnosed younger and with later stage cancers, Hispanic women are at higher-risk for triple-negative breast cancer and HER-2 positive breast cancer, aggressive subtypes of the disease that require a targeted, specific treatment plan.  

“There are distinctive features about Hispanic women with breast cancer. For instance, they have subtypes of breast cancer that are unique, and we need to be aware of that and treat them accordingly,” says Dr. Tellez. “Participation in clinical trials often means access to new drugs or treatments that aren’t available otherwise. More participation and representation also create an opportunity for clinical trials that are very specific to those subtypes, such as triple negative, and can help improve treatments for the disease.”       

Community outreach and partnerships with Hispanic health advocates will be an important element to the success of the new Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic.  

 “We’re working with community groups and health advocates who are known and trusted in the community. Together, we want to ensure that Hispanic women are knowledgeable about the importance of regular screenings and early detection,” says Dr. Tellez. “And if they need care, we’re here and ready to help. Our goal is to ensure that every patient who walks through our door has the information, education and resources needed for the best possible outcome in their breast cancer journey,”  

On Saturday, October 28, Dr. Tellez will participate in Lurie Cancer Center’s annual Breast Cancer Community Forum for Hispanic women. The event will feature educational presentations in Spanish about breast cancer, followed by an interactive discussion with a panel of experts who will answer questions about treatments, surgeries, as well as the emotions and challenges faced by cancer survivors. The event is free and open to the public. Register online: Foro Comunitario Sobre Cáncer de Seno.  

To schedule an appointment with the Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic, call our Spanish-speaking patient liaison at 312.472.0805 (TTY: 711) or visit the clinic's website in Spanish or English.

B-ROLL, SOUNDBITES & PHOTOS: Hispanic Breast Cancer Clinic - Dropbox 

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL DEL COMUNICADO DE PRENSA: El Centro Oncológico Lurie lanza una clínica hispana de cáncer de mama en el Northwestern Memorial Hospital
 
For more information about Northwestern Medicine, visit https://news.nm.org/.  

CHICAGO – August 10, 2023 – Certain cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can negatively impact a patient’s ability to have children. In the United States, nearly 6% of women will develop invasive cancer by the age of 50, and female cancer survivors are approximately 50% more likely to develop clinical infertility compared with noncancer survivors. Fertility preservation prior to the start of cancer treatment is an urgent and essential component of cancer care, but for many patients, geographic proximity to an oncofertility center is an obstacle.

New research published in JAMA Oncology shows that more than 3.6 million reproductive-age females lack geographic access to oncofertility services, and a geospatial analysis identified regions of the country with disproportionately low geographic access. States with fertility preservation insurance mandates, legislation making urgent egg and embryo freezing more affordable and accessible, are the same states where nearly 100% of reproductive-age women have geographic access to an oncofertility center. This study highlights stark disparities between states like Illinois, where at-risk individuals have nearly ubiquitous geographic access to care and extensive insurance mandates, and neighboring states like Missouri, Indiana, and Wisconsin, where at-risk patients struggle with limited geographic access, no insurance mandate, or both.

“Fertility preservation is a critical part of comprehensive cancer care, but procedures like egg and embryo freezing are time-intensive, expensive, and highly specialized. Given the urgent nature of fertility preservation in the face of cancer, it is critically important that patients have both geographic and financial access to this care,” said Kara Goldman, MD, corresponding author of the study, and medical director of fertility preservation at Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine.

STUDY OVERVIEW AND RESULTS

From 2021 to 2022, researchers analyzed locations of all fertility clinics identified through the 2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fertility Clinic Success Rates Report, along with data from the 2020 U.S. Census, identifying the primary at-risk population as reproductive-aged women 15 to 44-years-old. They looked at those who lived within a two-hour travel-time radius of clinics that offer fertility preservation services, and evaluated how this intersects with the state-based insurance mandates for fertility preservation coverage.

-        Among the 456 fertility clinics, 86 (19%) didn’t meet the criteria as an oncofertility center. Oncofertility centers were defined by meeting four criteria: offered oocyte and embryo cryopreservation; performed at least one fertility preservation cycle in 2018; served people without partners; and had an accredited embryology laboratory per CDC guidelines.

-        3.63 million (6%) of reproductive-age women lack geographic access to an oncofertility center.

-        99% of female patients who reside in a state with fertility preservation mandates live within two hours of an oncofertility center. Those eleven states include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Utah.

-        States without active or pending legislation for fertility preservation mandates have the lowest rates (80%) of eligible female patients with geographic access.

-        Researchers found entire regions of the country with little to no access to fertility preservation, including the Mountain West and West North Central regions, followed by the Southwest and West Virginia. States with the lowest percentages include Montana (24%), Wyoming (32%) and North Dakota (49%).

“By integrating geographic and legal considerations into our analysis, we were able to identify regions of the country that are currently underserved,” said Nivedita Potapragada, co-first author of the study and a medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Our analysis highlights the importance of addressing these geographic disparities, especially with the demand for oncofertility services continuing to grow."

PATIENT STORY

Illinois represents one of the states with the highest percentage of reproductive-aged patients (99%) who live within a two-hour travel-time radius of an oncofertility center. Because of Illinois’ insurance mandate, Illinois residents have both geographic access and a higher chance of insurance access than most other states.

For patients like Shelly Battista, being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34 was terrifying, but knowing she was near an oncofertility center in a state with an insurance mandate was reassuring.

“Following my diagnosis of breast cancer, accessibility for fertility treatment was seamless and stress free. I was lucky enough to live less than an hour from Northwestern Medicine and to not have the additional financial stress,” said Battista. “My fertility treatment (medications, egg retrieval, and transfers) were all covered by my insurance once my out-of-pocket was met. It would be unbearable to have to make a decision about my future family building based on financials due to a lack of insurance coverage. I consider myself very lucky.”

Battista’s care team was able to freeze eight embryos (fertilized eggs) before she started cancer treatment. On December 9, 2022, exactly two years to the day after she was declared cancer-free, Battista delivered identical twin girls at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital.

“Shelly only has her beautiful baby girls because she had access – both geographically and financially (due to the Illinois insurance mandate) – and now we've quantified exactly who lacks this access and how we can strategically identify locations that desperately need access,” said Dr. Goldman. “Infertility remains one of the most common complications resulting from cancer treatment, and all patients – regardless of where they live or their ability to pay – should have access to fertility preservation and the chance to build a family.”

To hear Dr. Goldman discuss the study, listen to the JAMA Oncology podcast. 

To learn more about oncofertility services at Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.  

Geneva, IL – Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital and Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes (Milk Bank WGL) have partnered to bring a new human milk drop-off depot to Geneva.

This joint effort increases access for approved donors and families in the area to donate lifesaving nutrition for pediatric patients in need. The Northwestern Medicine Delnor Milk Depot is the only operating human milk collection site in Kane County.

“We’re thrilled to bring such an important service to Delnor Hospital,” said Meg Pittard, program manager of perinatal services at Delnor Hospital. “Donated milk is a necessity for babies both in the hospital and at home when a parent’s milk is not available. This new depot will make it easier for community members to donate an important resource.”

Milk donations are from healthy, lactating women who are screened and approved as donors through Milk Bank WGL. Upon collection, donations are transported to the milk bank’s processing facility in Elk Grove Village, Ill., where the milk is pasteurized to eliminate viruses and bacteria. The pasteurized milk is tested by a third-party lab and distributed to hospitals and outpatients in Illinois and Wisconsin.

"As part of our mission to make safe pasteurized donor human milk more accessible to babies in Illinois and Wisconsin, we are delighted to be partnering with Delnor Hospital,” said Amber Barnes BSN, RNC-NIC, IBCLC, clinical manager, Mothers' Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. “The new milk depot program will provide approved donors with a local drop-off point. Their lactation program offers comprehensive, skilled, and supportive care to their patients, and this convenient drop-off location provides an additional resource to them."

Approved donors can typically access the Northwestern Medicine Delnor Milk Depot Monday through Thursday from 9 am – 3 pm. Before dropping off milk donations, please call 630-938-8878 to schedule a drop off time with a lactation consultant.

Individuals interested in donating through Milk Bank WGL can visit www.milkbankwgl.org.

Winfield, Ill. - Chris Garza and his wife, Caitlin, of Aurora were ecstatic at the prospect of welcoming their first daughter into the world.

Chris, a security operations manager at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, was born at Central DuPage. Caitlin had worked in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) there for three years. “Our family is Northwestern purple through and through, so we knew we wanted our daughter born at Central DuPage Hospital,” said Chris.

As a high-risk pregnancy, Caitlin was watched closely by her maternal-fetal medicine team at Northwestern Medicine. About four weeks before her due date, she wasn’t feeling well and went to see her obstetrician (OB) on her lunch break, who then sent her to labor and delivery to get checked out.

“About an hour later, my OB walked into labor and delivery and told us we were going to have our baby before we went home,” said Caitlin. Thirty-six hours later, Clare Florence Garza was born.

To make the moment even more special, Chris learned that the obstetrician who had delivered Clare, Kevin Hussey, MD, was the son of the obstetrician who had delivered Chris at Central DuPage Hospital more than 30 years prior. After finding an old photo of his mother with Michael Hussey Sr., MD, at his birth, Chris shared the photo with Clare’s doctor.

“He could not have been more excited to see the photo of his dad,” Chris said. After chatting with a nurse, the Garzas learned that the senior Hussey had passed away only a few months prior.

“My father had continued to perform deliveries at Central DuPage well into his 80s,” said Dr. Kevin Hussey. “He had a long career and had an impact on every family he worked with. Seeing the photo of Chris’ mother with him was a hugely special moment for me so soon after his passing.”

Dr. Hussey credits his father with inspiring him and his brother to pursue medicine. His brother, Michael Hussey Jr., MD, also works at Central DuPage Hospital in maternal-fetal medicine. He says, “It would be a dream to be able to make as much of an impact as he did during his career.”

Now, at three months old, Clare is doing better than ever. She was discharged from the NICU after six days. “Her middle name, Florence, is a family name, but also is in honor of Florence Nightingale. While Clare can do anything she chooses in her life, she will have a lot of purple support and encouragement behind her. I know a career here may be in her future,” says Chris.

See photos of the Garzas and the Husseys here. To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.

In February 2020, Shelly Battista of Arlington Heights, Ill., was breastfeeding her newborn daughter, Emilia, when she felt a lump. She thought it was a clogged milk duct, but when it didn’t get better, Shelly went to the doctor and received a shocking diagnosis.

At 34-years-old, with no family history of breast cancer, Shelly was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer and the BRCA1 mutation, which is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and other types of cancer. Knowing she wanted to have more children, Shelly immediately scheduled an appointment with Kara Goldman, MD, medical director of Fertility Preservation at Northwestern Medicine Center for Fertility and Reproductive Medicine. Shelly’s care team was able to freeze eight embryos (fertilized eggs) before she started cancer treatment.

Shelly went through chemotherapy, followed by a double mastectomy. On Dec. 9, 2020, Shelly’s pathology results came back clear – she was cancer-free. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy treatments resulted in ovarian insufficiency, a condition where the ovaries stop working before age 40. Shelly’s BRCA1 mutation increased her chance of ovarian cancer, so after careful counseling Shelly opted to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes surgically removed.   

In December 2021, one year after finishing treatment, Shelly was cleared for pregnancy from a cancer standpoint, and Dr. Goldman prepared Shelly’s uterus for transfer.

“Even without ovaries, we’re able to provide the supplemental hormones necessary for pregnancy. This alone is an important teaching point because many people are surprised to learn that you can use in vitro fertilization to become pregnant even if ovaries have been surgically removed or are no longer functioning,” said Dr. Goldman. “This requires the use of a patient’s previously frozen eggs or embryos, or eggs from an egg donor, so it’s critical that patients at risk of losing their ovaries or losing ovarian function have the opportunity to preserve their fertility.”

When it came time for embryo transfers, the first one didn’t work and neither did the second. 

In April 2022, with only six embryos remaining, and Shelly still hoping for two more children, Dr. Goldman transferred another embryo with cautious optimism, knowing that without her ovaries, Shelly had no more eggs to be fertilized.

Dr. Goldman’s positivity paid off. Shelly’s pregnancy test was positive, and at her first ultrasound appointment, Shelly learned she was having identical twin girls.  

Exactly two years to the day after she was declared cancer-free, Shelly was induced and delivered her identical twin girls, Nina and Margot, at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital on Dec. 9, 2022.

“Despite a breast cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy, and losing both ovaries, Shelly’s dream of having three children came true,” said Dr. Goldman. “One perfect embryo, frozen urgently before chemotherapy, became two beautiful baby girls. They are the reason why I care so deeply about my patients and my job. Caring for patients during the most vulnerable times of their lives, and helping them build the families they dreamed of, is an incredible privilege.”  

“I’m blessed to have a medical team who let me advocate for my medical needs and the future of my family,” said Shelly. “It’s a true miracle. We have two babies, exactly two-years cancer-free. My heart is very full.”