In recognition of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, we are proud to share the powerful stories of families whose journeys to parenthood were made possible through the partnership between the Boomer Esiason Foundation and Kindbody. These families represent what’s possible today for people living with CF—and the importance of reproductive healthcare access for all.
Guest post by Megan
I’m Megan, I have cystic fibrosis (CF) and went through IVF to have my first and only child using a grant from BEF.
I first heard about the BEF IVF grant through social media and email but hesitated to apply after having an unsuccessful IVF journey with another clinic. We had tried with IVF for about three years on and off in between infections, blockages, travel and other life events. We felt the only thing we gained from it was trauma, so we were coping with that and we were ready to call it quits without accumulating any more disappointment.
My CF doctor brought it (the BEF grant) up to me at my next appointment. She is very active in reproductive studies and knew our journey thus far. She encouraged me to apply so we talked it over and decided that if we were given the grant we’d try again at a new clinic.
When we received the call that we were getting the grant I cried on the spot. I had a rush of excitement and despite knowing that it could be false hope, I still felt hopeful that we could be parents.
Kindbody was great to work with. Having been to a colder, more sterile-feeling IVF facility before, we were surprised at how warm and inviting it was. The doctor told us that studies showed that a more relaxed and cozy environment helped increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.
My doctor at Kindbody was more receptive to hearing about trials that my CF doctor discussed with me. Other doctors in the past weren’t as open to trying new things so I struggled with different stages of treatment. Some CF patients don’t absorb medication well through their skin because of the higher presence of salt. Some IVF medications are patches so Kindbody allowed me to try injections instead and we saw much better results from that. I really appreciated having a doctor and a clinic that let me advocate for myself and they wanted to hear more ideas from my CF doctor. The whole process went better than I imagined from start to end, we decided to let the gender be a surprise and use the healthiest embryo. We had a successful transfer on the first try.
Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t the first time we were hearing that we were pregnant and going to be parents so, when the call came this time around, we stymied our excitement. We didn’t share the news. I remember truly believing that if I said it out loud it would be over. We waited, and waited, we knew it was high risk. We wanted to get to the second trimester before sharing with anyone. When we made it to week 14 and had good scans, we called our baby’s grandparents first. There were tears and cheers galore— this baby was so wanted and loved!
Throughout pregnancy we had some hiccups—gestational diabetes (going into it as a pre-diabetic, everyone told me it would be an issue sooner than normal so please get yourself tested earlier! ) An infection came that I tried my hardest to beat but after about two months and hitting week 36 I was getting worse and had to go in-patient. I wept at the news. No nesting period, no final walk out of the house as a family of two, no cute little hospital bag packed for a two night stay. Instead, panic and the realization that we needed help ASAP.
When I went to write our baby’s birth story in her book I blanked. I couldn’t put down that I was there for two weeks before she came. It didn’t feel right to have such a heavy topic permanently documented in her book. I don’t want her to know how sick I was. So when I tell her about her birth, I start with us checking into the L&D floor and how we watched a movie and listened to Leon Bridges and waited for her to come, so excited to meet her and love her forever! I will tell her that her dad cried when he said “it’s a girl!”. A perfect, healthy, beautiful, little girl was born on that day and she changed our lives forever for the better.
In hindsight, after giving birth, I realized there was no way I could have given birth without the antibiotics. I wouldn’t have been able to manage my breathing to get through it. I wouldn’t have been able to push without coughing. There was no other way and so I’m grateful to my clinic for making that call which seemed so unfair to me at the time.
I haven’t thought much about how we’ll tell our baby how she was made, I just want her to know she was so wanted and is so loved. She is everything, our whole world, and we would do it all over again, all of it, to have the privilege of being her parents.
It’s no coincidence that both CF and IVF patients are referred to as Warriors, neither are known for being easy. If you have CF or your partner has CF and you’re thinking about expanding your family, here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.
- It’s a long process. The person I knew who went through IVF at the same clinic before me did her egg retrieval, embryo transfer, and had a baby all within the same year. I thought that was normal going into it and set myself up for disappointment because it took us four years. I also compared how many healthy embryos we had and obsessed over other things that were unnecessary. It only takes one healthy embryo and someone without CF will likely have a completely different journey.
- There can be hiccups, delays, disappointments, heartbreaks, and that’s all okay and normal. Take breaks, enjoy your partner, if a cycle is cancelled or you need some R&R take a spontaneous trip or plan something special for the two of you. Listen to your body and take breaks when you need one.
- If you don’t have a therapist or counselor I recommend finding one with some fertility experience. It can be a long process and takes an emotional toll. Your partner can (and should) support you, but there is guilt that comes along with being the one with fertility issues and they may not be able to help you work through that alone. Also anxiety, so much anxiety.
Megan received care at Kindbody Dallas with Dr. Rinku Mehta
