Being a mother to two sons has made Christine Whitworth appreciate the emotional roller coaster of being a parentand understand how that can begin with in vitro fertilization. An infertility specialist and reproductive endocrinologist at Nashville Fertility Center, Dr. Whitworth is in a high-stress area of medicine.
'This is the first time in most people's lives that they are not in control,” says Dr. Whitworth. 'They really want somethinga childbut can't make it happen.”
At a time when pregnancy rates for couples with infertility have greatly improved, Dr. Whitworth is happy to be able to offer hope. 'Early on in my career, less than 30 percent of in vitros resulted in pregnancy,” she explains. 'Today there is a better than 45 percent chance of pregnancy, depending on age. We're also seeing dramatic improvements in the way embryos are tested for normality.”
Like her patients, Whitworth understands the fear of failure.
'It was eighth-grade biology class that sparked my interest in science and made me consider medicine,” she says. 'I majored in microbiology in college and took the MCAT and applied to med school without telling anyone. I was afraid of failing.”
Although her initial interest was in general surgery, Dr. Whitworth soon discovered she wanted to work with a population that was not chronically ill. Obstetrics and gynecology enabled her to see healthy patients while maintaining the surgical aspect. 'The real light bulb went off for me in residency when a mentor told me I would be good in the field of infertility,” Dr. Whitworth says. 'I had not been thinking past residency, but this mentor's comments were life-changing.”
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Memories of that mentor inspire her to carefully consider what she says to her own residents. In her work at the new residency program at St. Thomas-Midtown, Dr. Whitworth is leading programs on wellness for residents.
'I am trying to instill in these residents the importance of self-care and compassion,” she says. 'My belief in compassionate care extends beyond the residents, though. We make it a priority in our practice to help patients have a different medical experience.”
Dr. Whitworth has studied ways to offer compassion to patients and spearheaded a change of culture in her own office. 'When you bring compassion to the employees, your employees mirror that compassion to patients,” she says. Not surprisingly, Dr. Whitworth studies meditation and mindfulness and uses her free time to golf and read. These hobbies provide balance to workdays that include treating patients who are going through a highly vulnerable, emotional experience.
'The hardest part is accepting your limitations and those of your patients,” she explains. 'It's hard to articulate to patients when we're at the end of the road.”
