Massena & Austin
Treatment(s)
- Genetic Testing
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Ovulation induction
Location(s)
- Albany
Physician(s)
- Rebecca Eskin, NP
Massena & Austin's Story:
My husband and I met back in 2011 and became high school sweethearts. After finishing school, starting our careers, buying our first house, and getting married, it was time to consider extending our family beyond our fur babies.
In 2016 I was diagnosed with PCOS after noticing symptoms such as facial hair growth and acne. My sister has PCOS too, so I was very familiar with the symptoms. At this time, we were not quite ready for kids, so I was too concerned.
Fast forward to October 2020, when we decided it was time to try to get pregnant. I had my IUD taken out, but by May of 2021, I still hadn't had a menstrual cycle. So I met with my GYN, who induced a cycle with medication.
We found that if a cycle was not induced, I did not get one. We then did four rounds of letrozole with no luck. Then we did an HSG and found out that my tubes were blocked!
My husband and I decided we wanted a second opinion. We scheduled a consultation with CNY, and our care started moving fast!
By the beginning of 2022, we were already going in for another HSG, to which we were pleasantly surprised that my tubes were perfect and that was not the issue.
Based on this information, we would take the IUI route. We did 2 IUI with letrozole. But my follicles would not fully respond, and I needed something additional. We then added in Follistim while continuing letrozole and an HCG trigger shot.
My follicles stopped growing at 10mm, and we were going to cancel this cycle and start fresh, but I felt that all of our hard work stimming would be wasted. So I asked for a few more days before canceling. I went in 3 days later, and to our surprise, I was overstimulated with 16 ready follicles!! Boy, was I disappointed, but I certainly wasn't ready to be Octomom.
My husband and I decided that in August 2022, we'd talk about starting IVF right after our last IUI ( number 5) on August 8th. I didn't think it would work, and I only did it to kill time until we started IVF in September.
So you can imagine my surprise when on August 22, 2022, I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive! We were pregnant! It was a day I never thought would come!
Baby and I were perfectly healthy until 35 weeks, when I had a high blood pressure reading. I was admitted to start induction and delivered on April 1st at 35 weeks and three days. He was a perfectly healthy 5-pound 6 oz baby boy Bowen.
We can’t thank CNY enough for making us parents!
I think back to 2022, when I thought I would never be a mom. And even though it is a long, hard journey, the second I saw Bowen, I forgot about all of the pain and struggle we went through from October 2020-august 2022.
(Photos by Kerry Kippert Photography)
Favorite Team Member at CNY:
Christina, Meghan, and Rachel (Albany nurses).
The Moment:
The moment I first found out I was pregnant I didn’t believe it. I thought this had to be another trigger-shot disappointment. It took about 14 weeks for me to believe it was true.
The second you hold your baby all of the terrible, scary, exhausting, infertility journey is left behind you.
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
You can be sad. It’s ok to not be happy for those pregnant around you. You can be happy for them and sad for yourself all at the same time. It’s ok to not listen to the “It will happen when you stop trying,” and “Have you thought about adoption.” Those people don’t understand.
