They say it takes a village to raise a baby, but sometimes it takes a village to make one too. My husband Jacob and I have been on our family building journey since March 1, 2019. Our journey so far has been very challenging as we’re dealing with both male, and female factor infertility. YTD we have done 4 medicated cycles, 3 IUI's and 1 cycle of IVF. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2019, and Jacob was diagnosed with varicocele in 2020. PCOS has caused me to have chronic anovulation, the inability of my ovary to release an egg during my menstrual cycle. Varicocele has caused Jacob to have low sperm production and decreased sperm quality. In 2020 Jacob was able to have surgery to repair his varicocele, and even though this has helped to improve his production and quality, IVF is our best chance for starting a family. Jacob and I have always been very open about our infertility. In 2020 we went through our first cycle of IVF and we were happy to share this journey with our friends and family. Although it was really hard to cope with the disappointment of our first cycle, we’re ready to start our second cycle. We feel more positive that we’ll have a successful outcome during this cycle. Jacob has seen improvements since his surgery, and we’ve both made lifestyle changes in preparation of this cycle. We do not have any insurance coverage for IVF this cycle, so we will be paying all costs out of pocket. We are estimating the cost to be around $15,000 - $20,000. This cost consists of $6,500 that will be paid up front to the clinic for our egg retrieval, and 1 embryo transfer as well as an estimate of $8,500+ for medication. Jacob and I have a village of people who have helped us tremendously on this journey, wether it be financially or supportively. We’re hoping to grow this village as we know we’re going to need all of the support in the world to get through this next chapter of our journey! ❤️