-We had an egg retrieval February 10th,
and then literally like two weeks
after we got the results on our embryos,
the pandemic started happening.
So it's kind of frustrating that for two weeks,
we had this hope that we were going to start a family
and be able to move along in the process,
and that was just all destroyed by this pandemic.
-We spent a few months just trying
the old-fashioned way to see if we could just get pregnant,
and it wasn't happening.
And then we were like,
"Alright, let's just get to the bottom of what's going on."
-When I was 15 or so, I started having pain in my leg,
and that led to a number of tests,
eventually a diagnosis of Ewing's sarcoma.
That was a good decision because we eventually down here
used it not long ago.
-We had just done a round of IVF treatment.
Especially because I know, like,
I have some friends who have gone through this
and just, like, hearing other stories from other people,
just, like, how long this process can be.
So I definitely started to feel a little anxious.
-We were originally planning on starting IVF
and getting a consultation after this fall, basically.
So we were planning on getting married this summer.
Thankfully, we were too lazy to plan a wedding.
Because I think that would have also gotten interrupted
by all of this coronavirus stuff.
But my firm changed their health insurance last year,
and while our infertility benefits got better afterwards,
it kind of scared us into realizing
that we're incredibly fortunate to have this kind of coverage
and it's not guaranteed to us.
So we decided to do a consultation last fall.
-So we had the embryos, and then we were supposed
to go this week
to get the second part of the fibroid removal procedure done.
But then, yeah, we got the news
that elective surgeries were on pause
and all IVF procedures were on pause until further notice.
-We have had to cancel cycles,
patients who maybe had just started their medications
and their transfer wasn't going to happen for another two
to three weeks.
We called them.
We spoke to them, walked through the uncertain times
and the concerns that we had for how to keep them safe
and also ensure the healthiest pregnancy possible.
-It's really the fact that for five years,
I was not sure that we were going to be able to have kids.
And I'm still not sure about that
because there's no guarantees out of this process.
But for two weeks, I finally had some hope.
-I definitely feel, like, the clock ticking.
But yeah.
But at the same time, I just don't know
what we can do about it.
Nothing, I guess. There's nothing we can do.
-Long term, it means that our plans
are delayed by a good deal.
-I'm worried about the backlog of treatment
that's going to happen once clinics start back up again.
And I'm one of those people where I feel fortunate
where we're at right now with the embryos
we have and my age that we still have time.
And, so, for me, from a moral perspective,
it's like once the clinics do open up again,
is it really fair for me to jump in right away?
Like, I struggle with that, too,
where maybe it's like we wait for things to settle down.
-I think the initial focus is, "What about my cycle?"
But then, the bigger focus is, "Well, what about my pregnancy
if my cycle is successful and I move forward?"
We do know that with other viruses such as influenza
and the SARS, which is also a coronavirus,
there were pregnancy complications,
higher risks of pneumonia,
higher risks of pre-term delivery,
and we don't have quite enough information to understand
if we're going to be seeing those same risks with COVID,
though if we had to extrapolate from other viruses,
then we have to anticipate
that we are going to see those complications.
And so we're assuming that pregnant women
are in the high-risk category if they do contract the virus.
-But now we're in this sort of moral quandary.
Do we --
Can we even try on our own, or do we actually have to even
actively prevent getting pregnant right now?
Which -- Like, that seems like a real kick in the teeth,
you know, after, like, spending, like,
almost a year going through --
taking great pains to get pregnant,
now all of a sudden, oh, now we have to not get pregnant.
-You know, having treatment for infertility postponed
and delaying transfers is heartbreaking.
We're grieving it and we're coping with it in various ways.
On the other side of this, will we be in a space
financially where we feel like we can have a kid again?
Or mentally, how much trauma is going to be left over
with all of us once this is over.