Bo and Katelyn's Journey to Start a Family
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Bo Bailey, and his wife, Katelyn married in 2016. Since then, their desire to grow their family has become a relentless pursuit; a journey that the two have been on together, quietly, until now.
Bo is my brother-in-law. 11 years ago, I met his brother, Jason, and since then, Bo has become a friend, family member, and an endless source of inside jokes and puns. Katelyn became a sister a few years ago when she married Bo. Together, they are wonderful fur-parents to their pup, Ferguson, and have proven to love, cherish, and embrace their time with each other and family. They are a very loving aunt and uncle to multiple nephews and a niece, and they can’t wait to start a family of their own.
Bo and Katelyn recently shared publicly that their journey has been a trying one. With their permission, I asked to share their story, in hopes that we as a community can work together to support them. It is a common notion that deserving, fit, parents shouldn’t experience emotional pain, physical loss, or financial debt in their journey toward parenthood; but Bo and Katelyn have experienced it all. I ask you to read their story. Given the nature of this site, if it is within your means, please consider donating to relieve the financial burden of infertility, and so that Bo and Katelyn can continue to meet with doctors and specialists to further their journey toward parenthood. The current goal amount reflects enough to pay off the debt they have incurred in this process so far. Anything more than that will go toward continued fertility treatments.
Bo and Katelyn’s Journey:
March 2017:
Began natural means of conceiving
After realizing things weren’t progressing the way they thought, Katelyn went to her OBGYN. The result was a diagnosis of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome)
September 2017-May 2019:
Bo and Katelyn began various blood, urine, and sperm tests weekly.
Katelyn underwent internal and external ultrasounds, and an HSG x ray which meant having a tiny catheter threaded into her uterus and dye ejected, then an xray taken to check for any blockages from her fallopian tubes to her uterus.
Katelyn’s progesterone levels were tested and the conclusion was made that she was not ovulating regularly on her own.
Katelyn began taking Clomid for 4 months, a drug commonly used to assist with infertility issues. All attempts at conceiving went unsuccessful.
April 2019:
Began taking Clomid along with first rounds of IUI (intrauterine insemination). Result- three rounds of unsuccessful IUI.
June 2019:
Continued the process with Letrozole. Letrozole is a drug to treat breast cancer, but doctors found that it raises progesterone levels. This drug gave a new sense of hope. Katelyn’s progesterone levels went from 0.2ng/mL to 24ng/mL.
August 26th 2019:
Final round of IUI. Two weeks later, a positive pregnancy test! Bo and Katelyn attended their first prenatal appointment and scheduled their first ultrasound.
October 10th 2019:
First ultrasound. Bo and Katelyn learned that the final round of IUI resulted in a blighted ovum. This means that the fertilized egg attached to the uterine wall, but an embryo does not develop.
In all, they have attended 59 lab visits between March of 2017 and September 2019, and 27 in 2019 alone. Additionally, they’ve attended over 70 phone and office appointments. Bo and Katelyn are currently taking time to heal from their loss in October and will reassess their fertility plan with doctors.
Bo is my brother-in-law. 11 years ago, I met his brother, Jason, and since then, Bo has become a friend, family member, and an endless source of inside jokes and puns. Katelyn became a sister a few years ago when she married Bo. Together, they are wonderful fur-parents to their pup, Ferguson, and have proven to love, cherish, and embrace their time with each other and family. They are a very loving aunt and uncle to multiple nephews and a niece, and they can’t wait to start a family of their own.
Bo and Katelyn recently shared publicly that their journey has been a trying one. With their permission, I asked to share their story, in hopes that we as a community can work together to support them. It is a common notion that deserving, fit, parents shouldn’t experience emotional pain, physical loss, or financial debt in their journey toward parenthood; but Bo and Katelyn have experienced it all. I ask you to read their story. Given the nature of this site, if it is within your means, please consider donating to relieve the financial burden of infertility, and so that Bo and Katelyn can continue to meet with doctors and specialists to further their journey toward parenthood. The current goal amount reflects enough to pay off the debt they have incurred in this process so far. Anything more than that will go toward continued fertility treatments.
Bo and Katelyn’s Journey:
March 2017:
Began natural means of conceiving
After realizing things weren’t progressing the way they thought, Katelyn went to her OBGYN. The result was a diagnosis of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome)
September 2017-May 2019:
Bo and Katelyn began various blood, urine, and sperm tests weekly.
Katelyn underwent internal and external ultrasounds, and an HSG x ray which meant having a tiny catheter threaded into her uterus and dye ejected, then an xray taken to check for any blockages from her fallopian tubes to her uterus.
Katelyn’s progesterone levels were tested and the conclusion was made that she was not ovulating regularly on her own.
Katelyn began taking Clomid for 4 months, a drug commonly used to assist with infertility issues. All attempts at conceiving went unsuccessful.
April 2019:
Began taking Clomid along with first rounds of IUI (intrauterine insemination). Result- three rounds of unsuccessful IUI.
June 2019:
Continued the process with Letrozole. Letrozole is a drug to treat breast cancer, but doctors found that it raises progesterone levels. This drug gave a new sense of hope. Katelyn’s progesterone levels went from 0.2ng/mL to 24ng/mL.
August 26th 2019:
Final round of IUI. Two weeks later, a positive pregnancy test! Bo and Katelyn attended their first prenatal appointment and scheduled their first ultrasound.
October 10th 2019:
First ultrasound. Bo and Katelyn learned that the final round of IUI resulted in a blighted ovum. This means that the fertilized egg attached to the uterine wall, but an embryo does not develop.
In all, they have attended 59 lab visits between March of 2017 and September 2019, and 27 in 2019 alone. Additionally, they’ve attended over 70 phone and office appointments. Bo and Katelyn are currently taking time to heal from their loss in October and will reassess their fertility plan with doctors.
Organizer
Kelsey Kai
Organizer
Vancouver, WA