Former IVF baby is now helping other people build their families at California Fertility Partners

Ever since his earliest memories, Andrew Dinsmore was aware that families are built in many different ways.

Andrew’s oldest sister was adopted after his parents had unsuccessfully tried to conceive through IVF and surrogacy. A second child -- this time a son -- arrived not long after, and then his mother gave birth to Andrew and his sister about a year later, with the help of IVF.

Having four kids in about two years, "they had help with some babysitters,” Andrew said, “but they were true champs getting through the early years."

Adoption, surrogacy, IVF. That spans the spectrum of family-building. And Andrew’s parents never hid any of it from their kids, sharing with them around age 5, as soon as their parents felt they could understand it.

To Andrew, none of that is important. They’re a family. All that matters is he has a loving family and people who support him.

"It does not matter to me at all,” Andrew said. “I'm happy they did what they did. I'm happy to be here. I know they really wanted kids and to build a family. However they got that accomplished, that's what they had to do.”

Andrew has spent his whole life in Southern California, ​​attending Palos Verdes High School in the Los Angeles area where he played soccer and was varsity captain senior year. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Cell and Developmental Biology from UC-Santa Barbara, and is currently working towards his masters from WSU.

Now he’s working to help other people in need build the family of their dreams. At California Fertility Partners, Andrew’s family background gives him an even stronger sense of pride and purpose in what he does.

"Making people's dreams come true is the best part of my job,” he said. “It starts with looking back at my parents. They tried so hard to build a family. Now being in the lab and helping other intended parents build their family, for me there's nothing more rewarding than that: making people's life dreams come true."

Because he’s an embryologist, Andrew spends most of his time in the lab, away from the clinic’s patients. Still, he hears from the nurses who are interacting with intended parents on a daily basis, and he can feel the emotions that come through the stories the nurses and doctors share.

Not every cycle results in a pregnancy. While it’s much better than it used to be, that’s simply the reality of today’s fertility procedures and technology. It breaks Andrew’s heart every time it happens, and it steels his resolve to find success with the next attempt.

"We all feel for patients who aren’t successful on their first attempt,” Andrew said. “Everyone here at California Fertility Partners has a role to play, and we are all in this together. So when intended parents aren’t successful on their first (or more) attempts, it can be devastating for everyone involved. Although it may be circumstantial, we hope that they continue to try, because their next attempt may be the time when their dreams come true."