Learn tips from this Denham Springs couple for surviving IVF
Bre and Cameron never thought they wouldn’t have their children the “old-fashioned” way. But after Bre’s diagnosis with lean PCOS in 2017, the couple knew they wanted to find the fastest path to a pregnancy. Choosing IVF with PGT (preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy) was a “no-brainer” for them as they decided the faster, more certain path of IVF far outweighed more uncertainty and longer treatment of less costly options such IUI. And along the way, they learned important lessons about surviving IVF that have made them stronger as a couple and now a family.
The couple balanced the highs and lows of treatment by creating a documentary video of their journey
Aside from the monumental decisions related to treatment, a bigger challenge for the couple was keeping their treatment a secret from family and friends. “Because the element of surprise was taken away from us by not getting pregnant the typical way, we thought about what we could hold on to in all of this that was just for us,” the couple explained. So they decided to keep their treatment a secret and the surprise would be for their family and friends when they got pregnant.
They also decided to document their entire journey by videoing every step of the way. Cameron made a point to be at every single appointment. And before and after every trip to Fertility Answers they were making videos as a way to help them process the whole experience and provide a record of what they were going through. While it was difficult to keep it to themselves, they knew they wanted to record all the highs and lows of surviving IVF to share their story after treatment.
As a result, Bre and Cameron did a lot of sneaking around during treatment, sometimes missing events and avoiding family because of treatment side effects. It also became a fun challenge for them to see how well they could keep their secret. “We would be at a party or an event and our challenge would be to find a way to sneak off to give Bre her shots,” says Cameron. They recount giving shots in parking lots, restaurants and even at weddings.
When the couple finally surprised everyone by posting their IVF journey video, the positive response was more than they could have imagined. “We knew we wanted to share our story after our round of IVF, because we needed to finally talk about it,” says Bre. Their family was elated knowing the reason for their odd behavior over the previous year. And many friends reached out to them saying they were going through infertility and treatment as well.
Now the proud parents of Adalynn born in August 2019, Bre and Cameron admit that their faith played a large part in surviving IVF. “We just have to trust Him and be patient,” says Cameron.
