Kirrin & Christopher
Infertility Diagnosis
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Treatment(s)
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET)
- In vitro Fertilization (IVF)
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Ovulation induction
- Timed intercourse
Location(s)
- Syracuse
- Buffalo
Physician(s)
- Robert Kiltz, MD
- David Corley, MD
- Kris Ziegler, NP
Kirrin & Christopher's Story:
We got married in October if 2017 and started trying for a baby right away. Come April, it still hadn’t worked and I brought it up at my annual OBGYN appointment. “Oh, it’s your PCOS. You’ll probably need a fertility specialist.” A what? My what? The PCOS I was diagnosed with that causes weight gain means I might not be able to have kids? I had no idea.
I got home and talked with Chris about our options. Initially, I had no interest in fertility treatments. I wanted to adopt. I didn’t want doctors and hospitals and white rooms and cold tables to be how our baby was conceived. But I promised we’d explore ALL the options, so we scheduled our appointment with CNY for the end of July.
When we walked into the Buffalo office for our consult, I couldn’t believe it was a doctor's office. It felt like a spa. A fireplace, teas, coffees, water. Beautifully decorated and so relaxing. There were no white rooms or old tables. Kris sat with us for over an hour talking, answering questions, laughing, explaining. We left feeling like friends and with a plan!
We tried ovulation induction and timed intercourse for four months with no luck. In December we tried one IUI and then decided to take the holidays off to re-group. Being that our insurance didn’t cover any fertility treatments, we had decisions to make. We knew IVF was our best chance and I went in for my egg retrieval at the Syracuse office two days before Valentine’s Day. We ended up with 22 eggs!! Of those 14 were fertilized and 12 were made. Because of complications with OHSS, we opted to take the rest of the month off and do a frozen transfer in March.
I will never forget Dr. Kiltz’s birthday because it was that day, March 12th, 2019 that he transferred our perfect little embryo that stuck. I got my positive test 6 days later, on my grandma’s 80th birthday!
November 22nd, our son was born. Our now perfect toddler, made with love and science.
Favorite Team Member at CNY:
Jennifer Phillips and Melissa Crisi are two of the best women I’ve ever met. I’ve talked to those women about things my best friends don’t even know. Their support really meant the world to me.
Helpful resources Kirrin & Christopher found:
Journaling, journaling, journaling! Writing down all my thoughts. The happy ones, the sad ones, the mad ones. It helped to get it all out.
Unique Moments:
Aside from our son, my high came with knowledge and advocacy of infertility. The more I knew and learned, the more I could share and educate others.
Lows came with failed cycles and family opinions. Passive or patronizing comments from others always stung but made us stronger and really showed us how to use our voices.
Hope, Inspiration and Advice:
Be prepared. Be organized. It’s a wild ride. It’s practically a full time job. But you can do it. Talk it out with people who have experienced it. Feel your feelings. Do not listen to the “if its meant to be”-ers and “just relax”-ers. If you have a partner, go to therapy sessions. Learn how to talk each other through the process.
