Britni

Britni's Story:

From 2019 to 2022, my long-term, off-again-on-again boyfriend and I tried to have children and grow our family!

This took a toll on me emotionally, with feelings of inadequacy on my part, and we ended things after 3 years of inconsistent cycles, struggling to track ovulation and endless pregnancy tests.

At that time, my mom and best friend encouraged me to visit my gynecologist to get a hormone panel and take the next steps to see if something was going on with my body. They thought that knowing and developing a plan was better than not knowing and things potentially getting “worse” if there was something wrong.

I reluctantly agreed and scheduled a doctor’s appointment. In November ‘22, I was diagnosed with low AMH of .4 at 31 years old and DOR (diminished ovarian reserve). My gynecologist referred me to a local fertility clinic in Atlanta and suggested that I work to either freeze my eggs within the year or, if I was sure of my research and the recent decision to go down the “Single Mom by Choice” route, then to “go out there and get my baby!”

I met with the local fertility clinic (not CNY) which was not only way out of my budget, quoting me about 25K for one round of IVF, but they also denied me at that time due to my BMI. They suggested a referral to a weight loss clinic, going through the process of losing 60 lbs through bariatric surgery, after which I would need to wait six months to a year for IVF.

I didn’t have time for that based on my doctor’s year timeline and my AMH numbers, which would continue to decline. That’s when I started searching for other clinics without BMI restrictions and with potentially lower costs.

I stumbled upon CNY and scheduled my consult for February 22, 2022. I got mostly all of my pre-conception testing done prior to that consultation appointment. Two months prior to the consult, in December, I had read the book “It Starts with the Egg” and began taking several supplements to hopefully help with egg quality.

I had my consultation on February 22nd, and the only other supplement suggested to me was Coq10. I added it to my daily regimen immediately.

I started my cycle on March 14th and went in for baselines on March 16th at the Atlanta clinic where I was doing my monitoring - an hour and 10 min drive from my home, each way. I stimmed and attended monitoring appointments for 14 days - it was so long, and those last few appointments were so frustrating. I was so ready to trigger and get this show on the road! However, the protocol was low stimming meds for a slow and steady approach to not diminish egg quality. Finally, it was time to trigger, and my mom and I headed to CNY Albany, NY! We drove for two days from Alpharetta, Ga. 

On Saturday, April 1st, I had my egg retrieval with Dr. Ditkoff at the Albany location. We retrieved 5 eggs - 4 were mature and 3 fertilized. I had two 2/5s and one 2/9 as far as grades. I went in on Monday, April 3rd for lipids and an HCG wash. On Tuesday, April 4th, I had my fresh embryo transfer of two day-3 embryos - one of my 2/5s and my 2/9 - with Dr. Grossman. We left the next day to return to Georgia and the TWW commenced.

Finally, one evening I got the faintest positive line on a pregnancy test. The next week, I had my first BETA that came back at 29. It was low so we did two more - the second came back at 59 and the third at 159 and the rest after that were great, along with confirming via ultrasound - I WAS PREGNANT!!

I gave birth at 36 weeks and five days to a beautiful baby girl, Beaux Grace, who was 4lbs, 15oz, and 17.5 inches long. She didn't need a NICU stay. Now she's 5 weeks old and thriving! She is the absolute light of my life, and I am so thankful to CNY for my miracle girl for making my dreams of motherhood come true!

Infant photo by Bellababyphotography.com

Favorite Team Member at CNY:

Katie, Kellie, Asia, and Candace at the Atlanta location - the BEST and so very patient with the crazy hormones and emotions we deal with through this process. Larissa - the nurse at Albany for all 3 of my visits there. And Dr. Ditkoff and Dr. Grossman.

Helpful resources Britni found:

“It Starts with the Egg”, the CNY Facebook groups, prenatal massages, affirmations on my mirror (they’re still up 5 weeks postpartum because I can’t seem to take them down).

The Moment:

It was unbelievable in the best sense of the word! I was shaking and instantly cried - was also instantly anxious, but I realized quickly that was likely not going to go away. It was the happiest moment of my life!

Hope, Inspiration and Advice:

Stay positive and hopeful - even when it’s hard! Try to focus on the good things - even when they’re rare. And keep pushing forward!