My name is Emily, and my husband is Mike. We got married in June 2021, and not long after, we started trying to grow our family. Like so many couples, we dreamed of becoming parents, of holding our child in our arms, of hearing laughter in our home, and of raising little ones in love and with faith. After a year of trying without success, we met with a fertility specialist. We went through testing and were diagnosed with unexplained infertility — which means there’s no clear reason why we haven’t been able to conceive.

We began a less aggressive treatment plan at first, two medicated cycles and four IUIs, but it was all unsuccessful. So, we moved on to the next step: IVF. Our insurance doesn’t cover any part of IVF. Everything had to be paid out of pocket before we could move forward — all the procedures, medications, and genetic testing — and it totaled around $37,500 that we had to pay out of pocket.

IVF is incredibly complex, and that’s what makes it so expensive. The first step of the IVF process is the egg retrieval. For two weeks, I gave myself multiple hormone injections every day — sometimes three to four shots — all in the hope that my body would produce healthy eggs. That medicine was expensive! Then I underwent egg retrieval under anesthesia, which we also had to pay for ourselves. The doctors retrieved 13 eggs from me. Eight were mature. Five fertilized. Four made it to the blastocyst stage. After genetic testing, only one came back genetically normal — just one viable embryo. One chance.

So, on August 1st, with Mike by my side, our precious embryo was transferred into my body — and for the first time in a long time, we felt so hopeful and excited, believing this could finally be the beginning of our miracle.

From that moment, we were told we were pregnant until proven otherwise. We waited, hoped, and prayed.

Then today, August 11th, we got the call: the transfer was unsuccessful. We are not pregnant.

We’re devastated to say the least. That was our only healthy embryo — and it didn’t make it. Now, we have to start the entire IVF process all over again from the very beginning… and that means facing another $30,000 in expenses, all due upfront before we can move forward.

We do have three embryos still frozen, but sadly, none of them give us much hope. Some couples are fortunate enough to have multiple embryos they can freeze after a single round of IVF. Later on, when they’re ready to try again for another baby, they let their doctor know and pay a fee (usually around $1,800 to $2,400) to move forward with a frozen embryo transfer.

Unfortunately, that is not our reality. Of the three embryos we have frozen, two are so genetically abnormal they are not viable for life, and the third is what’s known as a mosaic embryo — meaning it has both normal and abnormal cells. These embryos have a high risk of miscarriage, especially in the first trimester, and a much lower chance of success overall. Some clinics won’t even attempt to transfer mosaic embryos because of the emotional and physical toll they can take.

So we are now left with no clear path forward… except to try again.

We are asking — humbly, graciously — for your help.

This journey has been long, painful, and mostly private. Only our closest friends and family have known what we’ve been walking through. But now we’re opening up our hearts, hoping that someone out there might feel moved to help us keep going. We want nothing more than to become parents, and I told Mike I won’t stop until I know I’ve done everything possible to give us that chance. If you feel led to donate to our IVF fund — or even just to share our story — we would be deeply, deeply grateful.

We know that God has a plan. We know we are blessed in many ways. But we also believe there’s a love waiting for us — a child meant for us — and we are not giving up on that dream.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for listening, for praying, for walking beside us. And if you or someone you love is also on this IVF journey, please know — we are praying for you, too.

With love,

Emily & Mike