Alexandra & Joseph
Treatment(s)
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- Genetic Testing
- In vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Location(s)
- Syracuse
Physician(s)
- David Corley, MD
- Michael Grossman, MD
Alexandra & Joseph's Story:
Early on in our relationship, we knew we wanted to start our family. This was a second-chance relationship after some bumps in the road for us both. We were hopeful, but we knew going into trying to conceive that I had a PCOS diagnosis.
Month after month, we saw negative test after negative test. But I remained hopeful and excited about what could be. After almost a year, I contacted my doctor (not at CNY), and we started medicated cycles.
My doctor wanted us to try Femara for three cycles before referring us elsewhere. As I feared, my body didn’t respond to Femara at all and I just wasn’t ovulating. In January of 2022, I was referred to CNY, and I immediately scheduled my consult, jumping on the cancellation list for April.
Our phone consult day came, and it was quick and painless. We made a plan for various testing and would go from there. After all the testing was completed, we found out that one of my tubes was blocked and that we were also dealing with some slight MFI.
All of these diagnoses together didn’t mean we couldn’t get pregnant on our own but that there were no guarantees, and IVF was recommended. We jumped on board, excited for the next step that would get us closer to starting our family.
In July, we had our egg retrieval with 13 eggs retrieved, and 8 mature. We decided to give a fresh transfer a shot and it worked but ended as a chemical miscarriage.
We chugged forward, hoping that a frozen transfer would work. And we thought that maybe giving my body time to heal after the retrieval would be better. Our second transfer came, and it failed. This is when I first began to get discouraged. I felt physically and emotionally spent. After a lot of discussion and some really hard moments, we decided to try one more time. One more transfer and then we were stepping back to regroup.
That one more try was all we needed. For this round, we decided to transfer two embryos. In October, we found out we were expecting twins! We finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Weeks passed, and toward the end of my first trimester, we were discharged from CNY with two healthy baby girls. Unfortunately, around 21 weeks, we lost Baby A, but we went on to deliver our perfect sunshine girl, Charlotte Josephine, on June 6th, 2023.
The journey wasn’t perfect. There were many hard moments, bumps in the road, and too many tears to count, but it was all worth it.
CNY gave us our beautiful daughter, our sweet Angel baby, and I cannot put into words how thankful I am for every single human being that we worked with. They gave us the world.
Favorite Team Member at CNY:
Dr. Banerjee, our transfer nurse Ashley, and the nurse that did our ultrasound and announced very excitedly that “There’s two!”
Helpful resources Alexandra & Joseph found:
The CNY Facebook group provided so much support and camaraderie! Having so many women who were in the same raw and vulnerable space helped my heart so much.
The Moment:
When they placed Charlotte on my chest, it felt like breathing for the very first time. I had been barely treading water but when she made it earth side, healthy and absolutely perfect, it was like I was suddenly standing on firm ground.
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
My advice is to stay grounded and hopeful, and to take care of yourself in the hard times. Find some time to sit and let things quiet down.
Infertility can feel like an impossible challenge. All the appointments can feel suffocating. Be honest with yourself and those around you. Ask for support when you feel like you are having trouble pushing forward. You’re never alone.
