07-18-2022

Lets talk about IVF

We have had several people asking questions about IVF and the process. Granted, I am no expert. This is a new journey for us and we are learning as we go. A lot of people that have not gone through the process themselves or had close family members or friends go through the process, do not really know what IVF actually entails. My goal, as we adventure on this journey is to help our friends and family understand what this journey looks like… as much as I can.
To start, let us talk about what IVF is. The short version is: In vitro fertilization or IVF treatment as it’s more commonly called, is a method of assisted reproduction in which an individuals eggs are fertilized by sperm outside of the body in a medical laboratory. After an embryo or embryos form, a physician places it in the uterus, and (hopefully) pregnancy occurs.

07-19-2022

We are at 13% of our goal!

We are currently at 13% of our goal! We are absolutely blown away and humbled by the outpouring of love and support that we have received. Whether you have made a donation, shared our journey with your friends & family to rally support, or sent simple words of encouragement to us, we appreciate you.

07-22-2022

Infertility and the stigma

Did you know that Infertility is extremely common? It affects approximately 48 million couples and 186 million individuals globally. That means approximately 12% to 15% of couples of reproductive age experience and could be diagnosed with infertility. Yet, there is a cloak of shame surrounding infertility. Many people experience severe anxiety and depression. Some studies have shown that it is comparable to the stress, anxiety, and depression that patients with HIV, heart disease, and cancer experience. While social media has helped some people feel more comfortable sharing their experiences with friends and family, others suffer in silence. After 6 years, I am finally comfortable sharing in hopes that I can help someone else overcome some of the feelings I have endured.
Up to this point, we shared our experiences with very few people in our lives. We only shared bits of information with people that we felt we could trust with this sensitive information. I have gone through many different stages of emotions over the last few years. There were many times, more times than not, that I felt worthless, hopeless, and broken. Recently, those feeling have subsided. I can mainly attribute that to being involved in groups with other couples going through similar experiences. Having a support system that understands the difficulty, is willing to listen, and is kind and compassionate has been a blessing. Knowing we aren’t alone in these experiences has been priceless. In the beginning, I had absolutely no idea how common infertility was – Because no one talks about it. Feelings of inadequacy coupled with the stigma surrounding infertility leads to many people suffering in silence.

07-24-2022

What is the process for us?

The process of IVF is a multistep process that involves expensive medications and multiple procedures. We gave you the short version so we will jump into the longer version of what the plan is. There are a lot of medical/ technical terms that are overwhelming, so I am going to try and keep it as simple and informative as possible. During this process, I will be required to take follicle stimulating drugs via injections of hormones which will cause multiple mature eggs to develop. I will also be taking injections that will prevent my body from naturally ovulating. I will be closely monitored with ultrasounds and blood tests so there will be lots of visits. When the ultrasound shows that the follicles are large enough, I will be given a different injected medication to cause ovulation. Once ovulation has been triggered, the doctors can retrieve the eggs at a scheduled time, around 36 hours after the injection. Egg retrieval requires anesthesia. During the egg retrieval process, the doctor will insert an ultrasound probe into the vagina to identify follicles. Guided by the ultrasound probe, a needle is placed through the vaginal wall and into the follicles to retrieve the mature eggs. Once the eggs have been retrieved, the sperm will be sorted for quality and combined with the retrieved eggs, injected directly into the egg(s). Once fertilized the egg(s) begin to divide and grow. The initial cell divides into 2 cells, then 4 cells, and so on. Within a few days, several cells are actively dividing and growing. This is the embryo(s). Once the embryo(s) are ready, the doctor will insert a small catheter into the uterus and release the embryo(s). Hopefully, the embryo(s) attaches to the lining of the uterus and continues to grow and develop.

02-15-2023

Well, it’s about time, right? February is the month for making babies!

Well, it’s about time, right? February is the month for making babies!
I have been on simulation medications for a several days now. What does that mean?
It means, I have given myself 3 shots a day since February 6th. It means I have to take a handful of pills every single day. It means that I am moody and emotional… because who wouldn’t be?! It means that I have an appointment for blood work and ultrasounds every other day. It means we must drive 1 ½ – 2 hours one way to the clinic. It means that we are on our way to making babies! It means we are hopeful. It means we’re on the right track.
We’ll be traveling to Colorado to have an egg retrieval done and the embryologists will make our little petri dish babies. After they are so far along, we will have them tested to make sure they are viable and have no genetic abnormalities. In the meantime, we will be back home waiting for results.

02-22-2023

First trip to Colorado for Egg Retrieval

After confirming that we were getting close to time, we left Atlanta headed to Denver on February 17th. The egg retrieval was scheduled for the next day, February 18th. We were able to rent a cute little Airbnb that was about 5 minutes from the clinic in Colorado Springs. If you haven\\'t been to Colorado, I highly recommend it. It is so beautiful and there is so much to do (Not that we were able to do much on this trip). Also, most places are very gluten free friendly which was so nice. I didn\\'t struggle with finding food and it made the trip more enjoyable. We spent a few days there on our honey moon, almost 7 years ago. Being back for this season in our lives was very emotional for me. The egg retrieval was a fairly quick procedure. It lasted about 20-ish minutes. I was put under anesthesia, thank goodness! It would be a ridiculously painful procedure without it. The doctor used a transvaginal ultrasound to locate the eggs and guide a needle to each one to extract them from the follicles on both the left and the right ovaries. Recovery has been a bit more than I had anticipated. I expected to be back to normal the next day or two, partially because that\\'s what they tell you and partially because I am not very good at being the patient. I want it to be over and done with and be back to normal as quickly as possible. I think I get that from my mom. lol. Today is the 5th day and I\\'m still not back to normal. I am getting there tough. I feel much better today. I am incrementally doing better day by day. We\\'ll be planning another trip, hopefully around April for an embryo transfer.

03-01-2023

The waiting is the worse part.

Waiting has been one of the hardest parts of this journey. We wait for this test; we wait for that test. We have the testing… and wait. We have the procedure… and wait. If anything, this entire process, up to now, has taught me patience. I know that things like this take time, but we are more than ready. We’ve been ready. SEVEN years is a long time to wait. It’s difficult to cope with when everyone around you seems to be getting what you have been wanting and waiting for, for so long.
We finally got an update, and we have 7 beautiful embryos. We are waiting for results from genetic testing to make sure that they have no chromosomal abnormalities. This helps determine the best chance at a viable pregnancy and baby. Sometimes embryos have abnormalities, and they are not compatible with life which leads to the embryo not attaching and growing like it should or miscarriages. Again, more waiting.

06-16-2023

Embryo Messer #1 and the Journey:

I know it has been a while since I have posted an update. I just haven’t been able to bring myself to post until now. It’s been such an emotional 2 months and I haven’t been able to find the words.

April 9th marked the 7th year of our Wedding Anniversary! This year Easter fell on that date, so, we didn’t really plan anything special. We knew we would be returning to Colorado in April, shortly after our anniversary, to have one of our beautiful embryos taken off ice and transferred to me. We would celebrate then!

We prepped for this part of the adventure. We started giving me intramuscular injections of hormones as well as belly shots again. Those IM shots aren’t for the faint of heart. If it wasn’t for Tyler, I don’t think I could have done it. I started taking a handful of pills again. We had a few appointments to check hormone levels and the thickness of my uterine lining. Everything looked great! Then we officially got the go-ahead! We made the trip back out to Colorado and Embryo Messer #1 was transferred to me on April 17th. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but having a catheter inserted into the cervix never is. Tyler and I watched on a screen above our heads as they placed Embryo Messer. I can’t even describe the flood of emotions that overcame me. At that moment I was pregnant. The ultrasound technician even gave us a picture. I thought, “How awesome is that?! The first picture of our little embryo”! From that moment on, I was pregnant until proven otherwise.

On April 27th, ‘proven otherwise’ happened. Those words “Unfortunately, your pregnancy test was negative. I am so sorry” echoed in my head for days. How could this not have worked?! We did everything right. All of the bloodwork was great. The lining was perfect. If you know anything about being a woman with infertility and trying to get pregnant, month after month, for years… you know the heartbreak. You know the feeling of grieving every single month. This… This was a thousand times worse. This… This was unbearable. “Now what do we do? If this one didn’t work, would the next one? Is there something we should change? We only have 2 embryos left!”. Those thoughts whirled around in my head and to be completely honest, they still do.

On May 4th, we had a WTF call with the clinic. After they gave suggestions and options, I needed to start taking medication to prep for two months before we could try again with Embryo Messer #2. In order for us to try again in July, I would have to find this medication locally because it would not be able to be shipped and arrive to me THE NEXT DAY… when I needed to start taking it. I finally found it local, however, our insurance wouldn’t cover it since they had already approved the medication to be shipped to us. I had to pay $300 for 7 days’ worth of medication. So, now we wait again. I am currently taking that medication and the side effects are heinous. I swear, if Tyler wasn’t so patient and understanding, he would have hit the door running after I started this medication. I completely understand why some couples with infertility just can’t make their marriage work through and after this process. IT IS HARD. It is consuming. It is emotionally and financially draining. It sucks. It is the worst. It is not fair.

01-06-2024

We're pregnant!

Birthday is in July so we spend a couple of extra days to take in some sights. If you have never been to Colorado and have the chance to go, I highly recommend it. It is so beautiful. There are so many things to do and so much to experience. We transferred our little embryo on July 19th. To be completely transparent, I was absolutely terrified to be hopeful or excited, so I just tried to follow the doctor’s aftercare instructions and not really think about it. The next 10 days were tough to get through. The waiting was the worst. On Saturday, the 29th, we got the call. I was so nervous and afraid to pick up the phone because I was expecting bad news that I almost missed the call. I know the nurses that make those called have to have the hardest job. When I did pick up the phone call and listen to the nurses’ words, it was like a dream. Did I hear that right?! Our blood test was positive!
We had weekly appointments after that call to check up on our little one and make sure growth was still happening and my bloodwork was good. We were a little spoiled with ultrasounds. We got to see how much little bit grew every week. That was amazing. Once we were past 10 weeks, we had to stop going to the fertility clinic and start seeing a regular obstetrician and those weekly ultrasounds stopped. Let me tell you, giving up those weekly visits to make sure everything was okay was difficult and anxiety inducing. We had waited for so long and gone through so much to get here, I needed that weekly reassurance that I wasn’t getting anymore.
Fast forward to today, we are 27weeks and our little man is growing right on schedule and seems to be perfect in every way… from what we can tell with ultrasounds anyway. We have had so much love and support through this entire process. If we didn’t have that wonderful support system, I don’t think we would have made it this far. So, Thank you <3