Kyhle and I were married in July of 2010. We wanted to have children right away, and knew we wanted at least four kids. Fast forward 12 months, and still no baby. I met with my OBGYN to talk about why were weren't pregnant yet, and see if there was anything we could do differently. She put me on Clomid (the evil drug) and thought that would solve our problems. Fast forward 6 months, and still no baby. January of 2012, we met with our first RE, also known as a fertility specialist. We did some testing and blood work, and Kyhle got a clean bill of health and everything looked good on his end. In May of 2012, I had a laparaoscopy where they found stage 1 endometriosis, along with a cyst on one of my tubes. They also checked and made sure my tubes were clear. On August 8, 2012, I had my first chemical pregnancy, which is a miscarriage before 5 weeks. We decided to try Artificial Insemination, also known as IUI, and I used gonal-F injections, HCG trigger shot, and progesterone. We ended up doing two IUIs with Dr. Carnovale, and both treatments failed.
We took some time off over the summer of 2013, and then met with a new RE, Dr. Gentry, in November of 2013. He did cycle 3 labs and found that I have a low AMH level, also known as my ovarian reserve, or egg count. I was born with a smaller amount of eggs than the average woman, and so I will run out earlier than most women. For a 25 year old, the number should be 2-3, and my number was 0.5. Dr. Gentry summed it up as I need to get pregnant ASAP, and if we want more than one child, we need to cross our fingers that we get multiples, as I have a limited window before running out, and am at high risk for early menopause. I have done two more IUIs with Dr. Gentry's office, and had my second chemical pregnancy on February 27, 2014.
We are now at the point of needing to choose a next step between IVF and adoption. After much prayer and careful consideration, we have decided to go for in vitro fertilization (IVF), as Dr. Gentry believes we have a very high chance of success. Kyhle and I feel that if there is still that chance of us having our own children, we need to do everything possible to try. We know that in the end, it is in Heavenly Father's hands, and if we are meant to become pregnant, we will. We have to put our faith and trust in Him, and know that He has a plan for us. We believe the Lord placed these amazing doctors in our lives for a reason, and gave them the gift of helping couples like us become pregnant. One thing we love about Dr. Gentry is his strong faith, and that he will openly talk about how he just does his part, and God does the rest, and that ultimately, it's up to Him.
Unfortunately with IVF, they do not accept payment plans, and everything has to be paid up front. I am very grateful and lucky that I am on my parent's insurance plan for one more year until I turn 26. With that plan, I have some fertility coverage, which is very rare. All of my blood work and ultrasounds are covered, and I only have to pay 10% of my medications. However, this is still a very expensive process, and with us only have a year left of this coverage, we are asking for help from our friends and family. I am in the middle of doing a fundraiser with Thirty-one, and hosting a raffle. We are also going to be having a garage sale at my parent's house the first weekend in June. I have also set up an account on "Popmoney", where anyone can send us a donation straight to our savings account. We originally set up a page on gofundme, but they keep 5% of the proceeds, so we wanted to find a different option where the money went directly to us.
I wanted to break down the costs of everything, to show you all exactly where your loving donations will be going. The total cost for IVF at our office is $9,200, with an additional $3,000-$5,000 for medications. As I said above, we only have to pay 10% of the medication cost. Grateful for that! Our office also offers a 20% discount on physician fees if paid with cash, and 10% if paid with card.
Physician Fees
1 Baseline Ultrasound $340 (Covered)
4 Follicle Ultrasounds $1,080 (Covered)
5 Estradiol Blood tests $675 (Covered)
1 Retrieval $2,080
1 Transfer $850
Total: $2,344 (with 20% discount)
Laboratory Fees
1 Oocyte Identification $975
1 Culture Fertilization day 1-3 $608
1 Culture Fertilization day 4-7 $608
1 Sperm Isolation $370
1 Insemination of Oocytes $525
1 Prep. of Embryo for Transfer $305
Total: $3,391
Surgery Facility
Procedure Room Assessment/Recovery $974
Procedure Room for Transfer $370
Total: $1,344
Pharmacy
$300-$500 (10%)
Kyhle and I will never be able to say thank you enough to all of you for your prayers, support, and love. We truly are blessed with the best friends and family, and are amazed every day for all you each do for us. Every single amount helps, and gets us closer to our goal. If you would like to help, but cannot make a donation, you can share this post, and spread the word about our fundraising efforts. Together, with your help, we can make this dream come true. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thirty-one Raffle
1 ticket for $5, or 5 tickets for $20. First place winner will receive $100 in Thirty-one products, and second and third place will each receive $50 toward products. The rest of the proceeds (after the $200 for prizes) will go toward our fund. If you'd like to buy tickets, just let me know and I'll put your name down! Then you can either mail me the money, or send it to our account on Popmoney. I have sold 15 tickets so far, and have 85 more to sell before we do the drawing.
Popmoney
If you'd like to make a donation, all you need is my email address (rlmporter@gmail.com)and phone number (317-446-3774)! Go to popmoney.com and you can make the donation straight to our account.
https://www.popmoney.com/
“Your Father in heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance. He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations. And He knows what you can become through faith in Him.” -Jeffrey R. Holland
