Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Sara Mucowski.
Dr. Mucowski, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born outside Philadelphia to two amazing, loving parents who encouraged every dream I ever held. Eventually, after leaving the idea of being an astronaut and basketball player behind, my love of biology and medicine was unwavering. I remember the first time I’d heard about “test tube babies” and how I knew in that moment that reproductive medicine was my calling in life. Since neither of my parents are physicians and the internet was hardly what is now, I had no idea how to pursue the field of reproductive medicine. I initially applied to colleges with strong genetics programs or who offered combined accelerated BS/MD programs. When I learned that genetics was less medicine and more engineering, I went the route of BS/MD through Villanova University and Drexel University College of Medicine.
While an undergraduate freshman I became and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and my time on the ambulance only strengthened my love of women’s medicine. As a result, it was no surprise that I pursued the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology in medical school. It was during an OB/Gyn Interest Group meeting that different sub-specialists of OB/Gyn were talking about their respective fields. This included a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) specialist, and I had a “eureka!” moment. I found my calling hiding in the wings of OB/Gyn, and with it, my first REI mentor. Fast forward to now… double-board certified in OB/Gyn and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) and helping couples grow their families in North Texas (and beyond). I consider myself incredibly blessed to get to be living out my dream.
Has it been a smooth road?
After medical school, things moved on a very predictable path – four years of OB/Gyn residency where an 80-hour week of clinic, surgery, and delivering babies was the norm followed by three years of fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) where I learned the intricacies of the reproductive system and how to manipulate them to achieve pregnancy where women needed assistance. All the while, I was performing research, writing papers, and finding time for fitness (and figure skating) in any “free time.” Knowing how important it was for me to focus on my career, I froze my eggs so they would be ready when I was to start a family of my own while maintaining their good, young, qualities. From there, I joined Dallas IVF, became double board-certified, and started growing my practice.
While everything seemed to be on a path of smooth sailing, I was diagnosed with a very rare skin cancer – dermatofibromasarcoma protuberens – that threatened not only my life but my ability to continue to practice medicine and help grow families. The cancer was a small spot in my left arm that had been present for what felt like forever and was regularly brushed off by medical professionals when I asked. Thankfully, it is a slow growing cancer that rarely metastasizes, but after growing for roughly 20 years, there was concern it could have invaded my muscles or my bone and that I might lose my arm, or worse. I was incredibly fortunate, and after five surgeries, I am cancer-free with only a small scar to show for it.
Being diagnosed with cancer is life-changing in so many ways. It sheds an unfiltered light on your priorities. I recognized how helping others grow their families is truly a calling and one I wanted to answer by serving those in my own community. Thankfully, Dallas IVF has been fully supportive in adding our Baylor University Medical Center office to better serve the people of Dallas on their paths to parenthood.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dallas IVF story. Tell us more about the business.
Dallas IVF is a fertility clinic established in 1997 and has grown to 5 different locations throughout North Texas. Dallas IVF is led by a group of highly specialized, double-board-certified fertility physicians who are passionate about helping others grow their families. I feel so lucky to be a part of an amazing team that prioritizes the individual. We recognize that every patient has unique circumstances and family goals. I am most proud that Dallas IVF has always been inclusive of people of all walks of life who have found the love in their hearts to share with a child. Dallas IVF has always been a leader in reproductive medicine in North Texas, and I am excited to be a part of their continued innovation, like our recent introduction of INVOcell as a lower cost, less invasive form of IVF. Also, many of the physicians and staff at Dallas IVF have utilized fertility treatments to grow their own families, so their empathy for those who need a little help to maximize their fertility is unparalleled. It really is an incredible place to work – there’s no better place to see miracles happen daily!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The field of reproductive medicine is on the forefront of technology, so there are a lot of changes I foresee happening in the next 5-10 years. I anticipate we will see more genetics research translate into patient care as technology becomes more cost-effective. It would be amazing to run a blood test that results in treatments really tailored to a patient’s genes. I also anticipate more advances in predicting the “best quality” embryos that does not require embryo biopsy and has faster turn-around. Furthermore, I expect cost to decrease both as technology becomes cheaper and as more insurance policies start offering coverage for both fertility treatments (like IUI and IVF) and fertility preservation (like egg freezing).
Contact Info:
- Address: Dallas IVF
3600 Gaston Avenue
Barnett Tower
Suite 1001
Dallas, TX 75246 - Website: www.dallasivf.com
- Phone: (214) 423-4032
- Instagram: @saramucowskimd
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