Campaign Story

Hello. My name is Brianna, but to most people I am just known as Bri. My wife – Ariela – and I have been together over six years and married for just over one, but our fertility dreams began long before we met.

Both Ariela and I have always dreamt of becoming a mom. Like most kids, we never anticipated anything besides the fairytale happy endings we had seen around us all those years. You find someone you like, get married, and start a family. Of course, for two queer women, we soon realized our story would be a bit different. Step one: find someone. Check. Step two: get married. Check. Step three: make a baby. Working on it.

Ariela and I began fertility testing soon after our wedding in November 2022. The process was slow, but throughout 2023 we felt encouraged that we were at least beginning the work of making our dreams a reality. Unfortunately, as the tests rolled on we found that our journey, already complicated by being same-sex, would be further constrained due to fertility struggles on both sides. Ariela, while in excellent shape for maintaining a pregnancy, has low ovarian reserve and will likely need many rounds of egg retrievals to produce viable eggs for IVF. On the flip side, through fertility testing we learned that my prior diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is mostly regulated and should not cause too many issues down the line; however, we also learned that I have one fully blocked fallopian tube and the other is partially blocked. Because of this, my odds of conceiving in any way besides IVF are limited. IVF is also, unfortunately, the most costly way of conceiving a child.

Ariela and I pride ourselves on our ability to be self-sufficient and independent. We do not like asking for monetary help from others. However, with the bills already piling up, looming graduate studies for myself, and careers in helping fields (which largely go underpaid), we are struggling to know how to make our dreams a reality without increasing the debt load. We would greatly appreciate any help we can get. We appreciate the generosity and look forward to engaging the village.