A woman of faith, Chay Piger leaned on her spiritual connection and trust in God's plan to stay positive throughout years of uncertainty, pain and fertility challenges.
For as long as she can remember, Chay knew having children might not come easily, or be possible all together.
Growing up with hypothyroidism and later experiencing symptoms related to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), multiple fibroids, endometriosis, significant pain and neuropathy, Chay often wondered whether motherhood would be possible for her. As she and her husband began thinking about starting a family, those concerns became more real.
“There was a point when I had almost written off having children,” Chay said. “I never imagined I’d have two. I trusted that if motherhood was part of my story, it would happen.”
Finding answers and preserving hope
Looking for answers and support, Chay connected with Providence gynecologic surgeon Dr. Derrick Havin, who listened to her concerns and helped her develop a treatment plan. After discussing her symptoms and fertility goals, he recommended a robotic assisted, minimally invasive surgery to remove multiple fibroids that were affecting the lining of her uterus and to treat endometriosis, both of which can contribute to pain and make it more difficult to become pregnant.
Dr. Havin said Chay was dealing with two conditions affecting both her quality of life and fertility: a fibroid impacting the lining of her uterus and endometriosis, which can cause pain, inflammation and difficulty becoming pregnant. Because Chay hoped to grow her family, the goal of surgery was to improve her symptoms while preserving her fertility.
“A lot of people think surgery means we’re going to start taking things out, but there are many ways to perform surgery in a minimally invasive way that can preserve fertility and, in some cases, improve it,” Dr. Havin said.
For Chay, the decision to have surgery was more than about having children.
“The pain had become a huge part of my life,” Chay said. “I got to a point where I had to ask myself if I wanted to keep living with that level of pain or try something that could help.”
A long-awaited pregnancy, followed by loss
A few months after surgery, Chay became pregnant for the first time, but the pregnancy ended in miscarriage.
“You get your hopes up so quickly,” Chay said. “Even though we knew a miscarriage was possible, waiting for bloodwork and ultrasounds while hoping for different news was incredibly hard.”
Welcoming her first son during an uncertain time
A few months later, Chay became pregnant again. This time, the journey led to the birth of her first son.
Looking back, Chay smiles at the meaningful coincidences that connected her family to the physician who helped make that moment possible. Her baby was due on Dr. Havin’s birthday and ultimately arrived on his wife’s birthday. Born in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he came into the world at a time when hospital access and visitors were extremely limited. Even so, Dr. Havin made a point to visit Chay and meet the baby he had helped her believe might someday be possible.
“He wasn’t the physician who delivered my son, but he knew everything it had taken for us to get there,” Chay said. “The fact that he came to see us and meet him during such a difficult time has always stayed with me. It felt personal. He understood what that baby represented to us.”
Coming full circle
In the fall of 2025, after additionalhealth challenges and uncertainty about whether another pregnancy would be possible, Chay and her husband welcomed their second son.
While her second son's arrival brought unexpected complications, Chay said it also reinforced the trust she had built in her Providence caregivers over the years.
From fertility treatment and pregnancy loss to childbirth and recovery, Chay said she felt supported by the caregivers around her throughout every stage of her journey.
After her second son’s birth, coincidentally, Chay was assigned to the same postpartum room where she had stayed after her first son was born. Years earlier, she had been in that room holding the child she once wondered whether she would ever have. Now she was there holding her second son.
“It felt like we had come full circle,” Chay shared. “There was a time when I had almost written off having children altogether. I never thought I would be blessed with two.”
Offering hope to others
For Dr. Havin, being part of a patient’s journey toward parenthood is one of the most meaningful parts of his work.
“It’s incredibly rewarding when you feel like you may have played a role in helping someone grow their family,” Dr. Havin said. “Those are the moments that stay with you.”
Today, when Chay looks at her two sons, she sees a journey she could never have planned herself.
Her faith did not take away the pain, uncertainty, loss or fear along the way. Instead, it gave her something to hold onto when she could not know what the outcome would be.
For anyone struggling to become pregnant, Dr. Havin wants them to know they are not alone, and that options and support are available. If you have been trying to get pregnant, have painful periods or have been diagnosed with conditions such as fibroids or endometriosis, make an appointment with your OB-GYN to talk about your symptoms and next steps.
“There is hope,” Dr. Havin said. “We have many tools available, including medical care, fertility specialists and surgical options, that can help treat these conditions and may help preserve fertility.”
Today, Chay hopes sharing her story will encourage others facing infertility, pregnancy loss or uncertainty about their future. “You’re not alone,” she said. “So many people go through this, but they don’t always talk about it. No matter what path your journey takes, don’t give up hope.”
For more information about Providence’s Surgical and Medical Gynecology Clinic, visit our website.
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