Before Her Own Fertility Journey, She Was Helping Others Navigate Theirs

Photo credit: Ivory Tree Portrait

For Gina Menarde, becoming a mother was never a question. But the path to get there wasn’t always clear.

When Gina was just 12 years old, she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune condition that would shape much of her life.

“I remember sitting in the office and the doctors telling me that starting a family would carry its challenges,” she remembers. “But it took me a long time to understand what that meant at such a young age.”

After years spent in and out of the hospital as a patient, she saw that level of compassion up close and realized she wanted to offer the same to others.

She went on to become a nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner, ultimately finding her place at Main Line Fertility in Bryn Mawr.

But even with that professional background, nothing could fully prepare her for what it would feel like to go through the process herself.

Like many patients she now cares for, she would come to learn just how much uncertainty can shape the journey.

When the Journey Becomes Personal

While some women with lupus go on to have healthy pregnancies, Gina’s case came with additional complications that made carrying a pregnancy especially high-risk.

As she and her husband began their fertility journey, they weren’t sure how long it would take or what the process would look like for them.
Like many patients, they started with IVF.

Over time, that meant multiple rounds of egg retrievals, careful monitoring, and long waits between each step. In total, Gina went through five retrievals, resulting in three embryos.

Much of that journey unfolded with support from Dr. Jenna Kahn, reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at Main Line Fertility, who Gina says played an important role in helping her navigate both the medical and emotional complexities of treatment. As both Gina’s physician and colleague, Dr. Kahn offered a level of continuity and trust that shaped the experience.

“I experienced the same waiting, the uncertainty, and the emotional weight that so many of our patients experience,” Gina says.

That overlap, being both a provider and a patient, gave her a new perspective.

“The highs and lows of waiting for results, cycle after cycle, it’s something you can’t fully understand until you’re in it,” she notes.

For many patients, that uncertainty is not just emotional. It can be practical, too. Nearly 70 percent of patients need more than one fertility treatment cycle, something that can come as a surprise early in the process.

At Main Line Fertility, that reality is part of the conversation from the start, helping patients plan for multiple cycles and better understand the financial considerations that may come with the journey.

Adjusting the Plan

Early on, Gina knew that carrying a pregnancy herself might not be possible.

As her journey progressed, that reality became clearer.

“Because of my complications, it was just too risky,” she says. “There were too many unknowns.”

With that realization, she and her husband considered another path to build their family: surrogacy.

Like many decisions in fertility care, surrogacy came with questions about timelines, legal considerations, and what the process would involve. That path became even more meaningful when a longtime friend, Tiara from their nursing days at Redeemer Health, offered to serve as her gestational carrier. Having completed her own family, Tiara wanted to help Gina build hers, a gesture Gina describes as deeply selfless and life-changing.

With that foundation of trust, Gina found steady guidance through Surrogacy Reimagined, a concierge service that guides women through surrogacy. This helped her navigate the complexities of an independent surrogacy journey, while Dr. Jenna Kahn helped guide many of the medical decisions along the way.

“I honestly don’t think our journey would have been the same without any of them,” Gina says, referring to her gestational carrier, Dr. Kahn and her entire village.

Whether a carrier is a trusted friend or someone patients are matched with through an agency, Main Line Fertility helps guide patients through the medical, legal, and logistical aspects of the journey.

The Power of Support

Throughout her journey, Gina says the one thing that made a meaningful difference was the support she felt from everyone around her.

Photo from left to right: Nurse practioner Katie Gavern, surrogate Tiara, recipient Gina, and Dr. Jenna Kahn.

From her husband, Ross, from her family & friends, and from the team around her at Main Line Fertility.

“All of our doctors, our advanced practice providers, our third-party team, ultrasonography team, nursing and clinical team, embryology, front desk, finance, everyone was so excited and would check in with me often,” she remembers.

That kind of environment is something she now sees differently in her role as a provider.

“It wasn’t always easy being vulnerable about what I was going through, but I was not shy about sharing our journey with the team,” she says. “It was so exciting to me.”

It also reinforced something she now shares with patients.

“Look beyond just success rates,” she says. “Fertility care is deeply personal, and you want a team that treats you like more than just a number–a place where you feel heard, supported, and informed, not just treated.”

For Gina, that support extended beyond the clinical side of care. At Main Line Fertility, it can include access to counseling, support groups, or help navigating travel and logistics, which can make the process feel more manageable.

Finding Your Way Forward

Today, Gina’s journey has come full circle.

Her daughter, Livi, was born on November 5, 2025, a moment that made every twist in the journey feel worth it.

Photo credit: Tiny Elephant Studios

For patients who may be in the middle of their own fertility journey and feeling overwhelmed, Gina’s advice is rooted in both her personal and professional experience.

“Let yourself lean on your support system and your care team, and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself,” she says. “Your experience matters just as much as the outcome.”

Because if there is one thing her story makes clear, it is this.
There is no single path to becoming a parent.

But with the right support, the right care team, and a willingness to adapt along the way, it is still possible to find your way forward.

Start building your family. To learn more about your options, visit mainlinefertility.com.