Campaign Story

Hello! My name is Kimberly. I am 29 years old. My husband and I started trying for a family shortly after we got married in November of 2022. After almost a year of trying with no luck, I tested my hormones and found out my body was not functioning the way it was supposed to. I was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) also known as Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR). As the doctors explain this condition, my identification states that I am 29 years old, but my ovaries are functioning like I am 50 years old. I was also diagnosed with a blocked fallopian tube and will be having surgery to get that removed in July as that could cause damage to my uterus and potential fetus if I do become pregnant. I was told that although I am not in menopause yet, it will most likely begin sooner than expected. My egg count is extremely low, a value of 0.2 ng/mL (a normal value for my age is around 2-4 ng/mL). Although this does not prevent me from becoming pregnant, it makes it a lot harder to become pregnant, and the quality of my eggs could also be low, which means it could be harder staying pregnant and risk of miscarriage goes up. My condition also makes it extremely difficult to have success with fertility treatments such as IVF, which we were recommended to start ASAP. Because my body is working so hard to produce an egg every month (since I have very few left), it does not respond well to fertility medication which then makes my chances of a successful IVF cycle very low. I was given a ~20% chance of success with my own eggs through IVF.

With that being said, my husband and I were grateful as my insurance through my work provided 50% coverage for IVF, but only for one cycle.

We did our first IVF cycle in May 2024, and it was unsuccessful. My body was unable to produce any eggs and we were left with nothing to show after paying thousands of dollars. We were devastated. With insurance covering the cycle 50%, after medication and miscellaneous fees, we still ended up paying around $20,000.

There are many options provided to us moving forward in our fertility journey, such as doing another IVF cycle, donor eggs, or adoption. All of which we know will cost us thousands of dollars, especially now that we do not have any insurance to cover us moving forward.

We are not the type of people to ask for money, in any way shape or form. We know that everyone is dealing with hardships, and life in general is expensive and hard for all of us. We are only asking for help in any way possible, whether that be 5, 10, or 20 dollars. A little bit goes a long way, and we will be so grateful for whatever donation we are given. We thank you for taking the time to read our story and for all the love, support, and help you have given to us in our hope to one day be able to hold our baby. We pray and hope that one day we will be able to bring baby Rios into this world!