TRACY’S JOURNEY TO PARENTHOOD

Tracy and Jordan’s story started at Abbott.

The two met while working in Abbott’s Corporate Audit function — Jordan in IT, Tracy in compliance. They were part of the same larger team, and the role gave them an unusual way to get to know each other. Corporate Audit meant traveling to Abbott locations around the world, spending weeks on site and then returning home before the next assignment.

Tracy says, “I think Corporate Audit is the most exciting role at Abbott. We both traveled to over 30 countries during our three years in that group.”

The job was fast-paced and exciting, but it was also temporary by design. Corporate Audit is a rotational program, and after a few years most people are ready to move into a different part of the business. Tracy and Jordan both rolled off the team in 2020, and that same year, they got married.

A couple of years later, they were ready to start a family.

At first, Tracy followed the usual advice: try for several months, then check in with her OB if nothing happened. When early testing didn’t reveal any obvious issues, she and Jordan were referred to a fertility clinic. That began the complicated process of navigating fertility treatment — tests, consultations, conversations about treatment options, and importantly, about how they would pay for it.

“I remember the doctor pulling out a piece of paper about Progyny and being like, ‘Progyny is really good. It’s very comprehensive coverage,’” Tracy says.

What stood out to Tracy was how the benefit was structured. Progyny organizes covered services into “smart cycles” where all the individual services, tests, and medications needed for a particular type of treatment are bundled together and assigned a smart cycle value. For example, one full IVF cycle, including egg retrieval, counted as one smart cycle. For Tracy, that clarity mattered.

At the time, Abbott offered coverage for two smart cycles. That meant coverage was limited, but it also meant the treatment would be comprehensively covered in a way that was easier to plan around. Plus, she wouldn’t have to worry about unexpected costs or running out of coverage mid-treatment.

Still, only two smart cycles came with pressure.

“In theory, we would get two full rounds of IVF with our benefit,” Tracy says. “And I don’t want to underplay that — two rounds is fantastic. But it’s still limited. I know people who needed 9 or 10 rounds. You just don’t know.”

That uncertainty shaped every decision. Tracy and Jordan eventually decided to pay out of pocket for IUI before moving to IVF, saving their smart cycles for the more expensive treatment path. Even when the choice made sense on paper, it felt emotionally fraught.

“I was terrified,” Tracy says. “When it’s limited, it’s hard to figure out what to do with your cycles. I remember just sobbing, thinking, do I use my benefits or not?”

She called Progyny often, talking through options with their care team and trying to make the best decisions she could with their reassurance and support.

That uncertainty can be one of infertility’s most difficult realities, Tracy shared. There is no guaranteed timeline, no guaranteed result, and no way to know in advance how much treatment someone may need.

“I remember sitting there and thinking, well, if I run out of smart cycles, I’m going to have to leave Abbott,” she says. “That was the only reason I’d ever leave — if I needed fertility benefits somewhere else.”

In the end, she and Jordan were lucky. They did not need more cycles. And even with the stress of navigating the limits of her coverage, Tracy is clear about how meaningful the benefit was.

“The reality is, the infertility club sucks,” she says. “Nobody wants to be part of it. Nothing is ever guaranteed. But Progyny gives you a chance. It offers a lot of hope.”

That is also why Abbott’s move to offering unlimited smart cycles now means so much to her.

When Tracy first learned about the change, her own fertility journey was already behind her. But the news still hit her hard.

“I remember sobbing in my office,” she says. “I was done with fertility treatments by then, but I was thinking this is so great for the next family. Who can I write an email to and thank? Somebody at Abbott made that decision, and that’s a really kind and wonderful decision.”

For employees going through infertility today, she sees the expanded coverage as more than a policy change. It’s relief. It’s possibility. It is one less impossible decision to have to make during an already difficult time.

“Financial cost shouldn’t dictate whether you become parents or not,” Tracy says, “Now people don’t have to make that decision, they can just focus on what matters.”

Tracy is also quick to point out that fertility treatment is about more than the clinical side of care saying, “Infertility is very isolating and you feel very alone.”

That is why community matters so much to her. One of Tracy’s close friends had gone through IVF the year before she did, and having someone to text, ask questions, or cry with made a real difference. Now, she offers the same support to others.

“I’m always telling people, you can reach out to me,” she says. “I’m happy to cry with you or give you a hug — whatever you need.”

Today, Tracy and Jordan have two daughters, Addison and Eloise. Their first was conceived through IVF. Their second pregnancy came as a delightful surprise — but for Tracy, both are part of the same story. During their first year, they used Abbott’s employee store to buy Similac at a discounted price. Both girls now attend Abbott daycare. In ways big and small, Abbott has remained woven into their family life.

In the infertility community, Tracy says, there is a common phrase: everyone says it takes a village to raise a child. But sometimes, it takes a village to have one.

“For us,” she says, “Abbott was part of that village.”