Thank you for taking the time to read about our story. Matthew and I are truly appreciative of each and every one of you!

My husband, Matthew, and I were married in October of 2023 and were eager to start expanding our family shortly after. What started as an exciting and hopeful journey turned into one with complications and hurdles. In January of 2024, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). This condition impacts the endocrine system and can cause a multitude of problems, including fertility issues. In my case, I was experiencing anovulation, which means that my body was not regularly ovulating.

With advice from my OBGYN, I began making lifestyle changes and taking medications to help combat the symptoms that come with PCOS. Throughout 2024, I worked to improve my fertility in an effort to start ovulating each month. I made progress on my overall health, but I still wasn’t ovulating. Once we reached a year with no success, we decided to reach out to a reproductive endocrinologist to see what else we could do to achieve our dream of becoming parents.

Our appointment was scheduled for January 2025, and we were hopeful yet nervous. The appointment went very well, and we were excited to start ovulation induction. This fertility treatment is relatively inexpensive and less invasive than most.

After speaking with our new doctor, I remember feeling relieved. We had a plan to help us achieve our goal and a doctor that was willing to help us on the way!

In the weeks after, we began doing all the necessary blood work and tests to prepare for our first cycle with medication. We got everything checked off our list and were just waiting on the results of my genetic carrier screening. I assumed that the results would come back normal and we would be able to begin our first cycle in March or April.

Unfortunately, the results were not what either of us could have ever expected. I found out that I am a carrier of X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD). X-linked refers to the location of the mutation, meaning that this is found on one of my two X chromosomes. ALD is a genetic condition that impacts the adrenal glands, the spinal cord, and the white matter in the brain. It is a progressive neurological disorder and it currently has no cure. Since I have one X chromosome without the mutation, any symptoms I develop should be mild and come at a later stage in life.

The concern is that since the mutation is on my X chromosome, there is a 50% chance that I would pass this down to my children. Since boys only have one X chromosome, instead of being a carrier, they would have ALD, which is likely to have devastating effects. After speaking with our doctor and a genetic counselor, it was suggested that we do in vitro fertilization (IVF) and PGT testing to avoid passing this mutation on to our children.

This news was certainly alarming and unexpected. We had always thought IVF could potentially be an option if our initial fertility treatments didn’t work, but we weren’t expecting to have to start out with this invasive and expensive treatment.

Over the past few weeks, we have been gathering more information, speaking with insurance, and trying to plan out how to do this. Fortunately, my insurance will cover a good portion of the expenses, but the part they don’t cover is the genetic testing lab, which is very costly. The estimated cost of this is anywhere from $5000 to $8000, depending on the number of embryos we end up testing.

IVF is overwhelming in so many ways. From the physical toll of all the appointments and injections, to the financial burden of the medications and genetic testing, we are asking for some help to make our dreams come true.

We have always heard that it takes a village to raise a child, but I never imagined that we would be leaning into ours to help us get our baby. Anything helps, and we are truly grateful for anything at all. If you are unable to donate, we just ask that you keep us in your thoughts and send some baby dust our way.