‘Overwhelming’: Couple trying the ‘impossible’

A disabled man and his able-bodied wife have opened up about their “impossible” journey with IVF after it was revealed his sperm is “non-existent”.

A disabled man and his able-bodied wife have opened up about their “overwhelming” and “impossible” journey with IVF after it was revealed his sperm is “non-existent”.

Shane and Hannah Burcaw, from Minnesota, document their life together on their YouTube channel, Squirmy And Grubs.

Shane, 30, who has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and his non-disabled wife Hannah, 27, shared they had begun the process of IVF after “casually trying the old-fashioned route for two years”.

Shane and Hannah Burcaw have opened up about their IVF journey. Picture: Instagram.

SMA is a neuromuscular disease that causes muscles to deteriorate over time. Shane has been in an electric wheelchair since he was two years old and struggles to move his legs, arms and hands.

“We’ve know for three years that the medication Shane is on for SMA can impact sperm health,” Hannah explained in a video earlier this year.

“We kind of knew that, it was in the back of our minds, so we got his sperm tested about a year ago and found out it was abysmal.”

Shane interjected and joked: “Excuse me, my sperm is not abysmal … my sperm is non-existent.”

Hannah said Shane’s sperm was “very affected, not just by the medication”.

“We don’t actually know how much that is playing a role, but also by the fact that Shane sits all the time, which is a huge factor. There’s heat and pressure, and all the stuff that you don’t want,” she said.

The couple said Shane’s sperm was ‘non-existent’. Picture: Instagram.

This week, the couple provided their Instagram followers with an update, saying their first round of IVF was “going remarkably smoothly so far, all things considered”.

“Life has felt a bit overwhelming lately but I’m happy to share some good news in our IVF pregnancy journey … We’re feeling very good about the progress,” Hannah wrote alongside a video of herself undergoing treatment.

In the candid clip, Shane and Hannah were seen taking various IVF medications, including a needle stabbed into Hannah’s stomach that “stops her from ovulating”.

Hannah said she felt “full” and her stomach “hard” and “bloated” due to the medication, which she took as a positive sign.

“At this point, I’m looking forward to every injection and I don’t mind them because I literally feel them working … I think it’s so cool,” she said.

Hannah added in the caption: “I have around 40 follicles growing, so we’re hopeful for a good number of mature eggs. The injections are MUCH easier now that I’m used to them.”

They recently underwent their first round of IVF. Picture: Instagram.

Unfortunately, a few days later the couple revealed some sad news. Their first IVF cycle had resulted in “zero” viable embryos and, in fact, they said the procedure hadn’t yet been completed.

“My progesterone level needed to stay below one, … and it spiked to over three, which was real bad,” Hannah explained.

“The doctor called us saying, because Shane doesn’t have (much) sperm and because we think we might only have this frozen sample, his suggestion was that we cancel this cycle. Progesterone being high can really affect the quality of the eggs, so we didn’t want the risk.”

The couple ended the latest video with a hint that their fertility journey was still in progress.

Shane joked: “The battle may have been lost but the war is far from over.”