Brooke and Max

A story of finding patience in loss and infertility.
 

My name is Brooke Turner. My husband, Max, and I are high school sweethearts. We were married in 2015, and decided we were ready to start growing our family in 2017. After months of negative tests, we decided to seek help from a doctor. We met with Dr. Shannon at MOGA. I was diagnosed with PCOS. PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is a hormonal disorder among women and has many side effects. The most common is infertility due to lack of ovulation. After that diagnosis, we were asked to wait a full year of trying before we could start fertility medication. Once a year passed, we did 2 rounds of fertility medication, and the second round we got pregnant, luckily.

We had a wonderful, healthy pregnancy until the 3rd trimester. I had placenta abruption and my placenta pulled from my cervix causing our daughter to lose blood flow and oxygen. My body was reacting in a way that could have taken my life. From my blood pressure being at stroke level to my white blood count being raised, I gave birth to my breathless child all naturally. That was nothing compared to the pain of losing a child. It is truly excruciating, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

After our loss, we went into a state of depression. If you have ever experienced infertility or loss, you know that it is a joy stealer! I am someone who couldn’t take “it was an accident” as an answer for our loss. I decided to seek a specialist to figure out if there was something we missed before we ever decided to try for another baby. After lots of blood work, the specialist found that I have a Protein S deficiency. It is very predominant during pregnancy, causing blood clots without the proper injections and medications. I’m thankful for that answer, but it didn’t come so cheap. The blood work alone plus visit cost us hundreds. With the diagnosis, we are still working with Dr. Shannon at MOGA to continue our infertility journey as we are still experiencing infertility after loss.

My husband and I are teachers and we have pretty good insurance from the state. However, the insurance we have does not begin to cover the cost of infertility treatments and procedures. I’ve had to decline certain tests at the fertility specialist because I couldn’t afford the costs of them after having to pay for the ambulance ride, and birth of my child that I couldn’t take home. 

I cannot imagine the financial burden couples who go through this for years endure. It shouldn’t be this way. 1 out of every 6 couples have some form of infertility. If we are offered disability, cancer, and heart insurance through our employers, then infertility insurance should be offered as wel