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Family Starter

Fertility doctor gives gift of life to couples

For Chandler resident Tammy Bigelow, infertility specialist Dr. Vladimir Troche gave her and her husband much more than the lives of their three children.

Bigelow says she was an emotional wreck after unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant and the prospect of not being able to have children. But everything changed after coming under Dr. Troche’s care six years ago and she gave birth to her oldest, a son, now 4, and twin daughters, 19 months.

“The only way to compare it, is to him saving a life. I mean, how do you go on after the dreams of having a family are dashed? In my home, Dr. Troche is put on a big pedestal,” says Bigelow. “Words could never say enough, a gift could never be expensive enough for the gift he has given us, a family.”

Thousands of mothers can echo Bigelow’s sentiments ever since Troche, a native of Puerto Rico, opened his practice, the West Valley Fertility Center (17612 N. 59th Ave. Suite 100, Glendale), in 1992.

According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Troche ranks among the top reproductive endocrinologists in the state, with treatment resulting in a high rate of live births.

However, Troche, is humble when it comes to taking credit.

“We have a wonderful practice and a wonderful staff who does good work. We have a good laboratory and take a very individualized approach with out patients. We keep our hands on the pulse of recent developments but we don’t jump into new things just because they are new,” he says.

A military scholarship allowed Troche to attend medical school in his homeland of Puerto Rico. His 12 years of army service first brought him to Honolulu, where he completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Tripler Army Medical Center.

Troche’s military career took him all over the world, including Germany and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was Chief Reproductive Endocrinology, and the R. Edward Hebert School of Medicine in Maryland, where he was assistant professor of OB/GYN.

A reunion with a medical school classmate stationed at Luke Air Force base convinced him and his wife Laura, a stay-at-home mother who works part-time at the clinic, to move to Arizona 16 years ago.

“We visited in August to make sure we liked the summer. We fell in love with the state,” says Troche, who lives in Central Phoenix with Laura and his daughters, ages 15 and 9.

Troche says that the average age of his patients has slightly increased over the years as more women are opting for the career path before the family one. When he started, most patients were in their late-20s and early 30s. Now they are in their mid-30s. He also sees couples through their late 40s who want to have children.

Troche says about one-third of his patients are Latino, although they usually do not know he is Hispanic. Many of them are like Bigelow, who find Troche by researching success rates and reviews.

“My first name is Russian, my last name sounds French. Some of them bring an interpreter because they do not know I am bilingual,” he says.

While their obstacles and concerns are generally the same as those from other ethnicities or cultural backgrounds, Troche says that some of his Hispanic patients are from low-income brackets and may not be able to afford the procedures or have difficulty with insurance coverage.

However, Troche works with them and assistance agencies to give discounted rates and help families as much as possible.

About half of all infertility cases are male-related, Troche says. But in a machismo  culture, it is common for Hispanic men to be reluctant about getting their sperm tested.

“I found there are a lot of misconceptions. Sometimes there is a lack of education... there is talk about home remedies, herbs. Not all women are as fertile,” he says.

Troche says the most challenging part of his job is meeting with couples who were not successful after a cycle, and discussing possible reasons and alternatives.

“It really drains me when we have to go through that,” says Troche, who is emotionally lifted by each success story.

 “The most rewarding part is looking at the ultrasound, finding out what she has, if it’s one baby or two. ...When things go great and we are successful.”

For Chandler resident Tammy Bigelow, infertility specialist Dr. Vladimir Troche gave her and her husband much more than the lives of their three children.

Bigelow says she was an emotional wreck after unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant and the prospect of not being able to have children. But everything changed after coming under Dr. Troche’s care six years ago and she gave birth to her oldest, a son, now 4, and twin daughters, 19 months.

“The only way to compare it, is to him saving a life. I mean, how do you go on after the dreams of having a family are dashed? In my home, Dr. Troche is put on a big pedestal,” says Bigelow. “Words could never say enough, a gift could never be expensive enough for the gift he has given us, a family.”

Thousands of mothers can echo Bigelow’s sentiments ever since Troche, a native of Puerto Rico, opened his practice, the West Valley Fertility Center (17612 N. 59th Ave. Suite 100, Glendale), in 1992.

According to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Troche ranks among the top reproductive endocrinologists in the state, with treatment resulting in a high rate of live births.

However, Troche, is humble when it comes to taking credit.

“We have a wonderful practice and a wonderful staff who does good work. We have a good laboratory and take a very individualized approach with out patients. We keep our hands on the pulse of recent developments but we don’t jump into new things just because they are new,” he says.

A military scholarship allowed Troche to attend medical school in his homeland of Puerto Rico. His 12 years of army service first brought him to Honolulu, where he completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Tripler Army Medical Center.

Troche’s military career took him all over the world, including Germany and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he was Chief Reproductive Endocrinology, and the R. Edward Hebert School of Medicine in Maryland, where he was assistant professor of OB/GYN.

A reunion with a medical school classmate stationed at Luke Air Force base convinced him and his wife Laura, a stay-at-home mother who works part-time at the clinic, to move to Arizona 16 years ago.

“We visited in August to make sure we liked the summer. We fell in love with the state,” says Troche, who lives in Central Phoenix with Laura and his daughters, ages 15 and 9.

Troche says that the average age of his patients has slightly increased over the years as more women are opting for the career path before the family one. When he started, most patients were in their late-20s and early 30s. Now they are in their mid-30s. He also sees couples through their late 40s who want to have children.

Troche says about one-third of his patients are Latino, although they usually do not know he is Hispanic. Many of them are like Bigelow, who find Troche by researching success rates and reviews.

“My first name is Russian, my last name sounds French. Some of them bring an interpreter because they do not know I am bilingual,” he says.

While their obstacles and concerns are generally the same as those from other ethnicities or cultural backgrounds, Troche says that some of his Hispanic patients are from low-income brackets and may not be able to afford the procedures or have difficulty with insurance coverage.

However, Troche works with them and assistance agencies to give discounted rates and help families as much as possible.

About half of all infertility cases are male-related, Troche says. But in a machismo  culture, it is common for Hispanic men to be reluctant about getting their sperm tested.

“I found there are a lot of misconceptions. Sometimes there is a lack of education... there is talk about home remedies, herbs. Not all women are as fertile,” he says.

Troche says the most challenging part of his job is meeting with couples who were not successful after a cycle, and discussing possible reasons and alternatives.

“It really drains me when we have to go through that,” says Troche, who is emotionally lifted by each success story.

 “The most rewarding part is looking at the ultrasound, finding out what she has, if it’s one baby or two. ...When things go great and we are successful.”