Our IVF Story
Hi! We’re Marissa and Jordan, parents to our sweet daughter and two spoiled pups, Snowflake and Hades. We’re a family who loves hiking, cooking together, cheering on our daughter at competitions, and making memories whenever and wherever we can. We work hard, dream big, and like most parents, we want nothing more than to grow the family we’ve always pictured in our hearts.
But for us, the road to baby number two hasn’t been simple. It’s been full of needles, ultrasounds, lab results, unexpected detours, and a whole lot of hope.
This page is our story — raw, real, and still being written.
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Where our Journey
Began
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Infertility wasn’t something we expected to navigate.
But Marissa was diagnosed with PCOS, and Jordan was diagnosed with unexplained male infertility, which instantly placed us into the world of reproductive endocrinologists, medication schedules, and conversations we never imagined having.
Still, we knew one thing for sure:
We were ready to do whatever it took to expand our family.
Our First Round of IVF
Our first IVF journey felt like learning a new language — one with acronyms, syringes, calendars, and early morning monitoring appointments. Marissa started her first stimulation cycle with hope (and nerves) running high.
We made it through injections, bloodwork, ultrasounds, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with watching follicle counts and hormone numbers rise and fall.
We completed our first egg retrieval, made embryos, and held onto the hope that the hardest part was behind us.
Losses, Setbacks, and Hard Answers
But IVF rarely moves in a straight line.
We’ve faced losses, failed attempts, and moments where the future felt unbearably uncertain.
We learned that strength doesn’t always look like positivity — sometimes it looks like crying in the car in the clinic parking lot, or taking a break from social media, or building each other up on days when everything feels heavy.
And still… we keep going.
Because our baby is worth it.
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Our Current Chapter
Banking Embryos & Preparing for Transfers
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In 2025, we started our third, fourth, and fifth egg retrieval cycle — 60 follicles, daily injections, medication changes, early-morning monitoring, and endless hope.
We now have embryos safely frozen, waiting for us.
Our next step is two embryo transfers, transferring two embryos each time, as recommended by our doctor. It’s the chapter we’ve been dreaming of reaching — but it’s also the most expensive.
Right now, all our embryos are sitting in storage, ready…
and we’re working every day to save for the next stage.
Our financial goal is $14,000 to cover transfers, medications, storage, and travel.
Why We Started Our IVF Shop
Opening our IVF merch store was a deeply personal choice.
We didn’t want to simply ask for help — we wanted to create something meaningful.
Something that would bring comfort, humor, connection, and solidarity to other IVF/TTC families.
Every product in our shop — from the IVF Mama tees to the cozy crewnecks to the self-care wrapping paper — was designed with love, intention, and lived experience. They’re pieces we genuinely wear and use ourselves.
And every order helps bring us one step closer to completing our family.
A portion of every purchase directly supports our IVF fund and helps us reach our $14,000 goal.
It’s more than a shirt or a mug or a sticker — it’s a piece of our journey, and it means the world to us.
What Keeps Us Going
This journey is far from easy, but we’ve found so much strength in:
our daughter
our community
the TTC and IVF families who share their stories
the laughter we still find in the hard days
believing that our baby is out there
We walk into every appointment knowing that the waiting room is full of people just like us — tired, hopeful, and still showing up. That’s why we share our journey on TikTok, why we’re building this community, and why we’re opening up about the financial and emotional reality of IVF.
If you’re here reading this, thank you.
Thank you for caring, for supporting, for cheering us on.
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How you can
Support our Journey
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If you’d like to support our family as we work toward our embryo transfers, here are a few ways:
Shop our IVF merch
Every purchase helps fund our next step and spreads awareness + comfort to others on the same path.
Follow our TikTok (@cottenfamilyIVF)
Your views, likes, and comments genuinely help us grow and support our fund.
Share our store or story
Even one share makes a huge difference.
Send encouragement
We read every message.
To Anyone on the Same Road
If you’re going through IVF, PCOS, infertility, miscarriages, or a TTC journey of your own…
You are not alone.
We are right here with you.
This community has already become such a safe, supportive space for us, and we hope our story gives someone else a gentle place to land.
We believe your miracle is coming, too.