Brittany & Nick
Reason for Treatment
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- Ectopic pregnancy
- Male factor
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Treatment(s)
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- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- Hysteroscopy
Provider(s)
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- David Corley, MD
- Leigh Houghton, FNP-BC
Treatment Location(s)
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- CNY Fertility Rochester
- CNY Fertility Syracuse
Brittany & Nick's Story:
It feels surreal to say we now have two beautiful daughters thanks to IVF and our team at CNY. We began trying again once our first IVF miracle, Adler, turned one. For Adler, it was a three-year road of failed transfers, miscarriages, and surgeries. We were prepared for another challenging journey — but fortunately, our sweet Winnie only took three rounds.
We started with the standard workup — HSG, SIS, and bloodwork — and everything looked good. My uterine septum was still gone from my previous surgery, I knew my protocol, and I had three remaining embryos waiting for transfer. Our first transfer in October 2024 failed, as did our second in November 2024. We were down to one embryo. The thought of starting over — another retrieval, more testing, more waiting — was daunting. But we hoped and prayed that last embryo would be the one who stayed.
After taking December off to enjoy the holidays, we went back in January for our final transfer. My typically thin lining was cooperating beautifully — thicker than it had ever been — and our hopes were high. We transferred on January 23rd, which happened to be our dog's birthday, and my husband had traveled over 20 hours to make it home in time from a work trip in Shanghai. The timing was a little wild, but he made it.
Because I'm impatient — and because I genuinely felt something — I tested at home seven days after the transfer. It came back negative, and I was devastated. But I couldn't shake Dr. Corley's voice in the back of my head, reminding me to stay away from home tests. He was right. I took another test the next day, and it was clearly positive. I was pregnant, and I knew in my gut that she was coming home with us. Fast forward to today, and our Winnie is here — with a big sister who can't get enough of her.
Favorite Team Member at CNY:
Amber and Chelsea at CNY Rochester have been with me from day one, and they are simply the best. Dr. Corley has performed the majority of my transfers — two of which brought home my daughters. And Donald Clarke, my acupuncturist before and after transfers, has a gift for getting me into a calm, positive headspace right when I need it most.
The Moment:
For Winnie, the most monumental moment was when I finally got to hold her. Her delivery was complicated — a prolapsed cord led to an emergency C-section — and she was struggling with her APGAR scores in those first minutes. What felt like hours was probably closer to ten minutes, but it was the longest wait of my life. When I finally got to see her, she was perfect, with the same side profile as her sister. In that moment, my heart was completely full. She was a fighter from the very start.
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
My advice to anyone going through IVF is to trust the process — but trust your gut, too. Don't test early. There's a reason they wait a specific number of days before bloodwork. Advocate for yourself, because the team at CNY will listen and help build a plan tailored to you. That's what stood out to me most from the beginning: I felt like a partner in my treatment, not just a patient on the receiving end.
