Meet Our Pregnancy Fighter, Jessica

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 Our infertility journey has been a long and emotional road, and I wanted to share it with you in hopes that it brings some comfort and hope to others facing similar challenges and to bring awareness to infertility and its impact. My husband and I are high school sweethearts and best friends. We’ve been together for nine years, and from the beginning, we always dreamed of starting a family together. A year after we got married, I became pregnant for the first time, but unfortunately, we experienced a heartbreaking loss. I went to my OB at the time, who brushed it off with, “You’re young, it happens.” Despite feeling devastated, I tried to believe it was just a part of the process. A year later, I got pregnant again, but tragically, that pregnancy ended in another loss. By then, I knew something was wrong, and I went back to the doctor to have a serious conversation. I felt broken, like my body had failed me in the most important way. After some testing, I received the diagnosis that would forever change our journey—Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI), or what is sometimes referred to as premature menopause. At just 21 years old, I was told that my ovaries and eggs resembled those of a 50-year-old woman, and that our chances of conceiving were as low as 1%. The world stopped that day. It felt like our dreams were shattered in an instant, with no clear path forward. After that devastating diagnosis, we were referred to a fertility clinic. Over the next year and a half, we tried various medications and procedures, and I underwent a series of invasive tests, all without success. With each failed attempt, my hope diminished a little more. Our last chance was using donor eggs. An anonymous and generous woman donated her eggs to the clinic, and we selected her, knowing this was our final hope. This process was mentally and emotionally taxing—accepting the fact that I couldn’t use my own eggs made me feel as though my femininity had been stripped away. But through therapy and discussions with genetic counselors, we decided to move forward with DEIVF (Donor Egg In Vitro Fertilization). We wanted to be parents more than anything, and we were willing to pursue any path to make that dream come true. Even though it was hard to remain hopeful, my dear husband Luke never lost faith. Throughout the highs and lows of this journey, Luke has been my pillar of strength. He went to school full-time and worked while we faced infertility and yet he still never missed a single appointment. For a long time, he was the only bright spot in my day, the guiding light that kept me going when I felt completely defeated. There were times when I wanted to give up, when I tried to convince him to let it go, but he stood firm. His unwavering faith and love were the reasons I found the strength to keep pushing forward. After four long years of trying, I am thrilled to say that I’m finally having a healthy pregnancy! It’s still hard to believe that this chapter of our journey is ending, but the joy we feel now is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. For a long time, I was afraid to share our story, worried about judgment. But now I want to share it, knowing that others who struggle with infertility might read this and find some hope. Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples, and if it’s not your journey, it may be someone close to you. I hope our story brings you optimism and the belief that, despite the heartache, there’s always hope on the horizon. And for those of you still in the middle of your journey—I wish for baby dust and all the strength to keep moving forward.