There’s a baby on the way! And it all started on TV… sort of.
As part of the "Today" show's #BornTODAY series last month, Jessica Menkhausen became the first woman to have her journey with fertility treatments broadcasted live. Her fiancé, Derek Manion, was by her side at St. Luke’s Hospital in Missouri while cameras were rolling.
And this morning, the tearful couple heard their doctor say two words they’ve been longing to hear: “You’re pregnant.”
“We are so blessed to have the results we have,” Jessica said on "Today".
She explained that in the next few weeks she and Derek will be able to see one (or two!) fetuses in the womb. Because Jessica had two embryos implanted, she could have twins.
The journey to this point was a long one for the couple.
During their previous "Today" appearance, Jessica said her fertility issues surfaced as a teen when she developed endometriosis, meaning tissue that is supposed to grow inside her uterus grew outside of it. As an adult she had two ectopic pregnancies when her eggs implanted in the fallopian tube instead of her uterus.
But the couple wouldn't give up.
“Derek was the catalyst behind my first consultation with Dr. Sherman J. Silber, a world-renowned IVF specialist and director of the Infertility Center of St. Louis,” she told "Today" in September.
According to the CDC IVF has a 30 percent success rate for women between the ages of 35 and 37. Treatments typically cost thousands of dollars. For that reason, the couple only had one try, but both Jessica and Derek believed that it would be worth it.
With the announcement of their pregnancy today, it definitely has been.
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