Audrey & Jordan
Treatment(s)
- Embryo Freezing
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- Genetic Testing
- Hysteroscopy
- In vitro Fertilization (IVF)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Laparoscopy
- Natural Family Planning
- Timed intercourse
Location(s)
- Syracuse
- Travel Client
Physician(s)
- Robert Kiltz, MD
- David Corley, MD
- Eric Chang, DO
Audrey & Jordan's Story:
I never dreamed I would have fertility issues. My mother had me unplanned at age 42. My siblings all got pregnant easily. My grandmother had 15 children naturally, all of whom lived to adulthood. Because of all this, I thought I would get pregnant fairly quickly. But as the months went by, we decided we needed to see a specialist.
We first sought treatment locally in Austin, TX. My OBGYN ran all sorts of tests on myself and my husband. We tried 3 IUI's, but they all failed. Due to my advanced age, my doctor recommended we try IVF. We called all the clinics within driving distance, but not having IVF insurance meant we were easily looking at $20k a cycle.
I did some research and I stumbled upon CNY Fertility. We could afford it! I was able to get a consult and get a protocol.
Since this was in the Fall of 2020, when the world was shut down, we didn't want to risk flying back and forth. Luckily for us, I grew up outside of Utica, NY, which was only an hour away from CNY Syracuse. And my whole family was still there. Also, we were fortunate that our jobs had both turned remote. This allowed us the flexibility we needed to make it work. We packed up our cats and our lives and drove across the country to temporarily move in with my parents while we were seeking treatment.
I had a retrieval in November 2020. We had eight embryos that we were sending for PGT testing. I decided to write down each embryo grade and give them a nickname. These were my potential children. I wanted them to be unique and special, even at five day-old cell level.
Since I have 7+1, I named them after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Unfortunately, some embryos came back abnormal, and we had some failed transfers. Painfully, I would cross them one by one off my list until we got down to the last one, "Sleepy Dwarf."
I am happy to say that Sleepy Dwarf celebrated his 1st birthday this past May!
One of the key discoveries was that I had severe endometriosis- a condition I never knew I even had. Sure, I had really bad periods in high school, so bad that it would sometimes keep me out of classes. But as I went to college and got older, my periods seemed less debilitating, so I never thought twice about it. But after having two failed transfers, and a normal ERA Mock Cycle, Dr. Banerjee recommended having a laparoscopy, where my endometriosis was found and removed.
It took two more transfers after that, but I finally got my son. And I already knew what our family costumes were going to be his first year!
Favorite Team Member at CNY:
Jennifer Anderson was someone I am eternally grateful for. She helped explain things to me, when I felt confused. I trusted her opinion and perspective. She is real and authentic.
Helpful resources Audrey & Jordan found:
I did yoga, which I found was a good distraction from my consent focus on my fertility issues. I joined Facebook groups so I could connect with other women going through the process, and the lucky ones who made it through with their miracle baby.
The Moment:
When I took my pregnancy test, I was expecting it to be negative because it was always negative. But it was positive! I ran out to tell my husband, who didn't know I was taking the test and was already working remotely for the day. I then went to two different drug stores and bought a total of 4 different tests. I wanted to make really really sure. I had my bloodwork with CNY the next day, which confirmed it.
I will never ever forget the moment the doctor placed my son on my chest and said "here is your baby." It is the most perfect memory.
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
Perseverance is key. The journey is hard, and it sucks, and there are many times you will want to quit. It is a battle. You are a warrior. You might have to choose options that you didn't want to choose. But if a baby is what you desire, you will make it happen, one way or another.
I found, for me, it helped always having a game plan so if my transfer didn't work, I wasn't scrapping to figure out what I was going to do next. I would already have my doctor's consult scheduled. Plus, I would do something that I couldn't do if I was pregnant, like drink a glass of wine with some sushi or something. But I never ever ever gave up, and in my case, I was rewarded for it.
