Katie & Allen
Treatment(s)
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- In vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Location(s)
- Albany
- Travel Client
Physician(s)
- Edward Ditkoff, MD
- Michael Grossman, MD
Katie & Allen's Story:
My husband and I met in my senior year of High School in 2012 and married in 2014. We knew we wanted a family, so we were never really "careful."
We decided to get checked out in 2014 before we got married to see if we would have any problems. The doctor called on my husband's birthday and told him he would never be a father naturally because he has severely low counts.
We decided to find another doctor and started trying to figure out what else we could do. Between 2014 and 2019, we tried multiple medications that were supposed to fix his counts, and received one IUI with his sperm and 2 IUIs with donor sperm. Each of us got multiple tests done and saw many doctors but still no baby!
In 2019 I got surgery done because they were pretty sure I had endometriosis, and they not only found endometriosis but also that my one tube was blocked.
They monitored me for six months and found that over this time I only ovulated once on the unblocked side. So, chances were not good for us at all. It was then that my doctor recommended IVF with Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
In our research, we found CNY and were so happy to see they offered a discounted rate and took payments for IVF.
Without these options, we knew we could not get IVF because our insurance covered nothing! Sadly in 2020, my doctor passed away, so we had to find a new doctor. Then we lost my husband's uncle in 2021 to lung cancer, and he was a huge supporter in our journey, so that hit us hard.
We scheduled our consult right before we lost him. When we told him about it he was so happy. We had tests we had to get done, and in October 2021, during an HSG at CNY, we learned that both my tubes were mysteriously now open, and we received our protocol to start IVF with my next cycle!
In November 2021, we had our IVF cycle done with a fresh transfer that failed. They retrieved 29 oocytes, 17 were mature, 13 were fertilized. We transferred one, and three made it to be frozen. We ended up with two 4CC embryos and one 3CC embryo.
We took a winter break, so we didn't have to travel to New York in the snow. My husband suggested that we wait until March when the "snow would be over," but that March as we traveled to New York there was a huge snowstorm.
We transferred one untested 4CC embryo, and she stuck!! My due date was 11/29.
After some pregnancy scares with a subchorionic hematoma that caused bleeding, my daughter was born on 10/30 a month early, weighing 5lbs 14oz and measuring 18 inches long! She is perfect! She has bilateral clubfoot, but they said they would not have been able to know that from testing the embryo anyway. We are forever grateful to CNY for making our dream come true!! THANK YOU!!
The Moment:
I had to drive an hour away for my blood test and while driving home I got the call. My husband had to work, so I was alone in the car, driving shaking, and bawling. We were finally pregnant!
My water broke early at 35 weeks and we were so scared! After a long day of an ambulance ride to another hospital, medication to make my contractions come quicker, and lots of front and back labor, we were both exhausted, but our daughter was born!
Being early, they let my husband cut the cord and took her to examine her right away. After what seemed like an eternity she was placed in my arms and I was so in love already! She is my beautiful miracle and I love her more and more each day!!
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
Our daughter is finally here ten years after my husband and I met!
It took a long time for her to arrive, but she is finally here, and from a single untested 4CC embryo! Never give up! You got this!!
