IVF Support for the Sullivant Family

This site was created to help us get closer to our goal of becoming a family. The funds will only be used for our IVF process.

For those that may not know us, let me briefly describe the journey that has brought us to this point. In November 2013 Mike and I decided to start trying to conceive. We knew that this process can take several months so at 6 months in with no detectable pregnancy we were still feeling hopeful about the possibilities of parenthood. It was in April 2014 when I began to experience intense cramping and immediately went to the doctor to discover that I had miscarried our first child. We were heartbroken by this news and grieved our loss with family and friends. Unsure of what led to our miscarriage, we continued to follow all recommended advice to increase our chances of natural conception. In November 2014 we began to seek the help of a fertility specialist. After a series of medical exams and 2nd and 3rd opinions we were unanimously informed that I have polycystic ovaries and various hormonal imbalances and Mike was told he has a genetic issue that is linked to Y chromosome infertility.

The time that has passed from November 2013-February 2015 has been filled with steadfast prayer and seeking counsel from several different people who have experience with many different types of infertility solutions. We have experienced many victories and many defeats along the way. The victories have resulted in the following: I now have healthy eggs that can be extracted, my womb can sustain a pregnancy to full term, and the current health of Mike’s production makes us good candidates for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This decision has not been taken lightly and we have carefully considered all options. After much prayer we have decided to pursue our chances with IVF. The financial investment of IVF is massive and unfortunately in our case, time sensitive. Based on Mike’s condition we have been given the unique challenge of a potentially small window of time in which IVF could be successful. Men who face possible Y chromosome infertility often struggle with the health of their production and it is hard to say when this health will deteriorate. Our specialist recommends that we pursue IVF as soon as we are able so that we can capitalize on Mike’s current healthy production and my stabilized hormones. In order to do this, we will need the help of our family and friends.

When asking for financial and emotional support we want to be as transparent as possible about what funds are needed and what they are needed for. The cost breakdown is as follows:

Prayer: FREE!

Hugs: ALSO FREE!!!!

Genetic Testing: $202.00

IVF Injection Education Course: $53.00

Oocyte Retrieval (Follicle Aspiration): $1,575.00

Probe Guidance: $473.00

Lab Fees: $4,200.00

Embryo Transfer: $578.00

Echography: $315.00

Embryo Cryopreservation Freeze: $840.00

Office Monitoring: $2,007.00

Anesthesiologist Fees: $525.00

IVF Medication: $5,000.00

Cryogenic Storage: $400.00

Approx. Total Cost of IVF: $16,168.00

All funds must be paid in full before the process begins. Our insurance plan does not cover any of the cost, as most insurance plans don’t, and those that do require a deductible and monthly payments that are near the amount of IVF without insurance. Considering this, the entire amount will be paid out-of-pocket. The fertility clinic offers a discount to people in this situation and that discount is reflected in the cost listed above. We are currently working hard to come up with as much funding as possible on our own and do not take the donations of others lightly.

We also want to be upfront about the possibilities involved in this procedure. We have chosen what is called the One-cycle Plus package. This is our most affordable IVF choice and it covers all the predetermined costs for one cycle of IVF, including 1 additional frozen embryo transfer cycle.

Worst scenario: 1st cycle does not result in a pregnancy. 2nd cycle does not result in a pregnancy.

Good scenario: 1st cycle does not result in a pregnancy. 2nd cycle results in a pregnancy!

Better scenario: 1st cycle results in a pregnancy! We can use our frozen embryo transfer at a later date and possibly give birth to a 2nd child!

Best scenario: (Keeping in mind that the chance of giving birth to multiples increases with IVF) 1st cycle results in a pregnancy and we give birth to multiple children! We use our frozen embryo transfer at a later date and this 2nd cycle results in a pregnancy and we give birth to multiple children!

Although there is always the possibility that IVF will not work, our chances are good, our doctor is optimistic, and we are very hopeful that this procedure will be effective. We might even end up raising a larger family than we intended to from the very beginning! Please consider supporting this endeavor prayerfully and financially, as our window of successful IVF grows increasingly smaller each day and funds are needed asap. In honor of all who donate their prayer and finances to supporting this dream we will have a blanket made with the name of each donor stitched on it. Thank you, thank you, thank you in advance for all of your prayer and support. We are already overwhelmingly blessed by the generosity of our community.

Love,

Mike and Jeri Sullivant