Bundle of Joy Fund
My husband and I have been married for 9.5 years, and we will celebrate our 10th anniversary in May. Jason and I have a wonderful life together, but there is just one thing missing. A baby. A month prior to graduating with my Master's Degree in 2009, we started family planning. 5.5 years later, still no baby.
I went through a bunch of costly medical tests, got poked with a lot of needles for bloodwork (I lost count how many times I had blood drawn). I even went through a test at the hospital called an HSG, which checked to see if I had blocked fallopian tubes. All was fine, according to the HSG. Unfortunately, we were told by our insurance company that the HSG would be paid, but it wasn't, and the test cost over $900 out of pocket. This test was the beginning of many costly tests that of course, were never covered by insurance.
During the course of testing and starting to take a fertility drug called, Clomid, I increasingly went from having minimal pelvic pain to excruciating pain that left me in tears while trying to conceive. It was at that point that I was showing just about every sign of endometriosis.
I had a laparascopic surgery in April of 2013 which diagnosed me with a severe case of endometriosis. My ovaries were both affected by endometriosis and cysts, and my left ovary was found attached to a ligament, which was attached to the back of my uterus. No wonder I felt like I was being stabbed by a knife.
The surgery was somewhat of a success, as a got some relief, and I finally got a diagnosis for my infertility. However, during the surgery, my ovary would not detach from my uterus. For six months post surgery, I went on Lupron injections to help break up the endometriosis and free my damaged ovary. I can definitely feel an improvement, as I have a lot less pain, but the problem hasn't been fully resolved, and I still have no baby.
After the Lupron injections, plus additional months added that were full of taking multiple rounds of hormones, I was finally cleared by my OBGYN to begin a fertility treatment, called IUI. My husband had to get his sperm checked again before the procedure. We were expecting it to be in the normal range, as it was before. Well, the test result was bad. Real bad. His result came back at a zero sperm count. I was devastated and knew there was no chance for a baby.
My husband was referred to a urologist, who determined that his prescribed testosterone injections lowered his sperm count. Can you believe that? Testosterone stops sperm production. Who would have known?! But luckily, the urologist said that once off testosterone the numbers should go back to normal.
On Halloween, my husband and I finally saw a fertility specialist together for the first time. We got good news that my husband's sperm count went up to a normal level, and we can begin our fertility treatments.
While we have a lot of odds against us, given the medical history, we haven't given up on our desire to become parents. We hope this fund will pay for three IUI fertility treatments and the medications, ultrasounds, and doctor visits that accompany the procedures.
If we are lucky and one treatment works, we intend to use any leftover funds to pay for past treatments, including my recent test on my egg reserve, which cost around $350 for my blood to be drawn. We live in North Carolina, and unfortunately, infertility is not covered by health insurance, so most everything has been paid out of pocket.
Thank you for reading and for helping out a couple who wants nothing more than to start a family.
God Bless You!
Traci and Jason Carter
