Catherine & David

Catherine & David's Story:

David & I met in our early thirties. When you wait so long to find the right person, you just know when you've found the one. Needless to say, we were engaged pretty quickly and got married right after our year anniversary. We knew we wanted children and so I had my IUD removed months before we got married. We started trying to get pregnant on our honeymoon. Months went by and month after month each pregnancy test came back negative. My family kept telling me how fertile everyone in the family is and that I would be pregnant before I knew it. Yet I was not getting pregnant. I bought ovulation strips, then the Ava fertility tracking bracelet. I diligently tracked my cycles.  As we neared the year mark, I decided to make an appointment with CNY Fertility. I was now 35 and it was time to get checked out. As I waited for my appointment I tried everything to increase my odds of getting pregnant. I gave up sweets. I gave up caffeine. I gave up really hot showers. I was grasping at straws, praying I’d find the magical answer.

We had our consultation in July 2018. My husband’s sperm analysis and my blood work came back normal. So, we did the HSG test. This test uses dye to see if your tubes are patent. The results showed I probably had one partially blocked tube. However, it was recommended to repeat the test to rule out a spasm. The next month we repeated the test under anesthesia. Again, it showed a partially blocked tube. During the procedure, Dr. Corley attempted to unblock the tube with a catheter but was not successful. Due to my age, David and I decided to go straight to IVF. But before we moved forward with this, we opted for a laparoscopy. We wanted to make sure there were no underlying issues such as silent endometriosis. So, in September we headed to the outpatient surgery center. Dr. Luthringer was excellent and fortunately, he did not find anything concerning. He performed another HSG while I was under, which once again confirmed a blocked tube.

In October we were finally ready to start IVF. We went through one retrieval and froze all twelve 5-day embryos. The next month we did a frozen transfer. I was so optimistic. I kept up regularly with Dr. Kiltz’s fertile fireside chat and understood the importance of a positive attitude. I decided this was going to be our month. Unfortunately, our first FET was not a success. Devastated, I decided to regroup before attempting another FET. In December I made a vision board. Taking the advice of a friend, I also bought a onesie for our little one, in an act of faith that we would have a child. By January I was ready, emotionally and physically.

This time around, my lining did not want to cooperate. It took a very long time to get it thick enough for transfer. I tried PRP to increase the lining further since it was much thicker for the first transfer. Although it did not increase, we decided to proceed anyhow. On February 15, 2019, we transferred two beautiful embryos.

The two-week wait included two weekends this time, which was particularly difficult. But on Monday, February 25th, we got news worth waiting for: we were pregnant! And then, on November 7, 2019, our precious daughter was born.

It was serendipitous that we moved to Syracuse right after getting married. David grew up in New York, but we met in Charlotte, NC. Had we still been in NC, we never would have been able to afford IVF. We still had to pay out of pocket, but CNY Fertility is a fraction of the cost of other clinics. Needless to say, we feel incredibly blessed we found CNYF. We are forever grateful to Dr. Kiltz and every staff member for helping us fulfill our dream of being parents.

Favorite Team Member at CNY:

Dr. Kiltz was amazing. From the fireside fertile chats to answering personal emails to reviewing my meds with me at a Maria Emmerich Keto talk, he always went above and beyond.

Helpful resources Catherine & David found:

Making a Vision board, Prayer, Eating healthy and getting enough sleep. Also I loved using Temporary tattoos - I bought a bunch from Conscious Ink with inspirational phrases like "Let Go, Be Free" and "Yes, I Can"

Unique Moments:

The hardest part of the treatment was not knowing if it would work. I did a bunch of research before starting treatment and decided not to do some of the extra meds such as prednisone, lipids, and Prograf. I didn't have any reason to believe I had any autoimmune issues and didn't want to pump my body full of unnecessary medications. When the first cycle failed, I got tested for autoimmune diseases (ANA test). It was negative, so I continued to have faith I could get pregnant without the extras. My second FET was successful.

Hope, Inspiration and Advice:

I would encourage others to join the Facebook support group, to watch the Fireside fertile chats, and to be active in their treatment - do your own research and ask a lot of questions. Be your own advocate! However, do not let these things consume you. Maintain some space in your life outside the fertility journey and don't let it define you. I also think it helps to talk about your struggles, even if only with a couple of close friends. Finally, during your two-week wait try to stay distracted - take a break from all things fertility-related that are stressful. And don't take a home pregnancy test!