IVF & Rainbow Baby Dreaming

Hello there,

My name is Kacie Jump. My husband, Raymon, & I, are here to humbly ask for your assistance in helping us to start our family.

My husband and I began this journey toward parenthood almost 13 years ago when we took those 1st steps of intimacy and our ultimate commitment toward one another. After 2 years, we quickly realized that something was amiss, as we were not yet pregnant, after going at it like rabbits as all newlyweds do.

Now, when my husband and I first got together, before we wed, it was suspected, by my Dr., that I may have been suffering from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), as I had, since the start of my menses, suffered from horribly painful periods, followed by infrequent periods which then led to no periods, at all, from the age of 17 to 27 years old. So the Dr. then prescribed me metformin, as bloodwork revealed that I was having some insulin resistance, which is part and parcel with a PCOS diagnosis, to help me to get my period. It worked, and my period was regular from then on, however, still no baby after 2 years. So I proceeded to go to my OBGYN, who was able to give me a confirmed diagnosis of PCOS, and spoke to me about trying a medicine called clomid to help me to ovulate, as she suspected that while I was getting my period, I was still not ovulating. With this medication, she strongly felt we could fall pregnant, and possibly with multiples. At this time, I was entering Grad school. So my husband and I decided to hold off on the clomid until I graduated and was settled into my career financially 1st, while still not preventing pregnancy and trying naturally.

Fast forward a couple more years, and still no baby, despite still being a very intimate couple. So I returned to the OBGYN to ask to begin the clomid and try it naturally. We tried a few rounds and then this Dr, without any further testing of me or my husband, decided she did not want to try to help me get pregnant and said that was all she could do for me, that I was a lost cause. So had to find a new OBGYN. Found one, and he was incredible!

This new OBGYN told me that we were not a lost cause and that he would fight for us to get pregnant. He put me on Clomid again, 3 rounds, and after no success felt there was more to the story. He suggested a diagnostic surgery he would perform, to determine how bad the PCOS was, if I had endometriosis too, as he was suspecting I did, and to permit him to do what he needed to do while in there. We did the surgery! He found out that I did have endometriosis, removed it, removed cysts, made sure my fallopian tubes were open, and then performed ovarian drilling to help in the release of more eggs to help me get pregnant. Post-op, after I was healed, we went on more rounds of clomid and tried again naturally. After that failed, we were sent to a fertility clinic.

At the Fertility Clinic we were told that the next logical step to take would be to try IUI (Intra-Uterine Insemination), where they would put me on Clomid, monitor how my follicles and eggs were progressing through a 12 to 14-day period of time, and then, when the time was right, I would give myself a thing called a trigger shot, to help me release my eggs once they fully matured. From there my husband would drop off his sperm sample at the clinic, where it would be analyzed through a process called washing, where they would then collect the best sperm from his sample to then insert back into me through the IUI process. In IUI they insert a catheter into my cervix and then release his best sperm into me, by pushing his sperm through the catheter from a syringe containing his sample. However, given our "advanced ages", both of us 37 years old at the time, the Dr felt it may be best to skip all that and go straight to IVF. When we inquired about pricing it was IUI at $1,200 a round, or IVF at $30,000. At the time $30,000 was not attainable (and still isn't) for us, but the IUI pricing we could manage and we wanted to start there 1st.

So IUI it was, but 1st there was some baseline/preliminary testing and labs to be performed, and Ray needed a sperm analysis (that we had not yet done), which added to the IUI cost, which was still manageable. The results of my testing we great, the Dr. said that the results of my testing were showing that I was reproductively younger than my actual age, and all was looking great. Ray's sperm, while not great, was good enough that they felt confident to start the process, along with prescribing Ray some Clomid too to help sperm count. So we were given the green light towards IUI.

We started with 5 rounds of IUI. Sadly during this process, while things were going great on my end and I was responding well to fertility treatment, with each new round, my husband's sperm samples were coming back with less ideal sperm, and his sperm was getting worse. During that time my husband started to have pain in his pelvic region, that could not be ignored, so they sent him to a Urologist. Come to find out he was suffering from a condition called Varicolce, which can sometimes cause pain, and that can most certainly lead to infertility, killing off sperm. Ray needed surgery! The Dr assured him that after the surgery he would feel better and that his sperm quality would improve, after 3 months post-op.

After Ray's surgery and healing, we began again with IUI, as his numbers had improved! The 1st IUI round post-op sadly did not take. But the 2nd round!!! We found out we were pregnant on May 5th, 2022. Sadly, 2 weeks after the wonderful news we had been waiting for all those years and celebrating Mother's Day, we found out we were miscarrying. We were devastated. I could not get out of bed for days, and I cried until I had no tears left to give. After I mourned, I picked myself up and I got right back to it the following month, as I found hope in the fact that my body had finally gotten pregnant, and I was sure I could do it again, and that I had heard success stories right after a miscarriage. We tried 3 more rounds, and with no success, my Dr had a hard conversation with us that the next steps would be the very costly IVF treatments, which he knew would be more successful than the IUI, or going another route entirely toward becoming parents. He felt though, above all else, that we needed to take a few months breaks from all the treatment, and that I still needed time to emotionally heal from the miscarriage, so Ray and I decided to give it until the New Year, 2023, and talk it all out, save money in the meantime.

During this break, one day at work, in speaking with a client of mine about my struggles, this client revealed to me that she too had been through a similar journey starting her family. She then asked me if I had ever heard about CNY fertility, based out of NY. I told her I had never heard of it and she told me I needed to look into it for IVF treatments, and that they are all about affordable fertility treatments. As soon as I got home, I got onto my computer and looked them up. I cried! CNY's mission statement was simple, it reads, "Making priceless affordable. To ensure everyone has access to the high-quality fertility care needed to start or expand their family". My faith in humanity and my hopes of becoming a mother were renewed. I looked into the cost, and it was way more affordable than my current fertility clinic here in VA, with the extra cost of meds and travel. So I booked a consult right away, and the 1st available appointment was 2 months away, so I grabbed it!

On March 6th we had a consult, and then we began our IVF journey with CNY Fertility <3.

Ahead of our consult, on Feb 26th, we pre-paid for our IVF, as they were about to raise their prices by $1,000 and wanted to get locked into the original IVF price, and if we paid in full, got a slight discount. After our consult, we started right away working with my OBGYN, locally, and with lab corp offices, to get done all of our preliminary testing done, which includes lots and lots of blood work (to include expensive genetic testing for both Ray and me), updated sperm analysis for Ray, HSG testing for me, ect. The bills for this testing have been coming in and we have been paying them as they come, still have more pending. We were also told to order all my RX's for the IVF ahead of time too, which have been paid for and were thousand of dollars.

Now with our story being told, while Ray and I saved up for CNY fertility costs and have already paid a great deal of the IVF costs, there have been additional tests and costs that popped up that we were unaware of. Between this, and on top of costs of other things, like emergency dental work, and PT ordered for me, that have come up during this IVF journey, this is why we need your help.

***We need your help with the costs of....frozen embryo transfer, special genetic testing of embryos, 3 times a week weekly testing (bloodwork and ultrasounds) through the IVF process and a little after IVF, travel expenses to Albany like gas and food, the potential for more RX's, and any other possible surprises. ****

Any small contribution towards helping us reach our dream of having the family we have always wanted, and having our rainbow baby, would be appreciated more than you will ever know. We will never forget your generosity and will be forever humbled by your love and support. Please, and thank you. Venmo: @Kacie-Jump

Love, Kacie & Ray