At a Glance
- Kaillie Humphries needed IVF after a Stage 4 endometriosis diagnosis
- One round cost $15,000, half her yearly stipend
- She funded treatment by winning silver and bronze at the 2023 World Championships
- Why it matters: Shows the financial and physical toll elite athletes face when starting families
Kaillie Humphries built her life around precision timing on the bobsled track. When she turned to family planning, the four-time Olympic medalist discovered a different kind of course-one lined with fertility clinics, price tags, and a race against her biological clock.
From Gold to Grounded
Humphries delayed motherhood while chasing medals. She collected three golds and a bronze across four Winter Games, representing both Canada and later the United States after obtaining dual citizenship. Each Olympic cycle reset her timeline.
A routine hip MRI in 2021 revealed an ovarian cyst. Surgeons removed it and found Stage 4 endometriosis, scarring that blocked natural conception. IVF became her only path to pregnancy.
Price Tag on Parenthood
The first IVF cycle carried a $15,000 fee, consuming half of Humphries’ annual national-team stipend. She and husband Travis Armbruster, a former USA bobsledder, mapped out a blunt plan: win prize money or borrow against future earnings.
Armbruster recalled the pressure:
> “The whole season was do well enough so we can afford to try to have a baby… that’s what we were doing.”
Humphries delivered, capturing silver in monobob and bronze in two-woman at the 2023 World Championships. The winnings bankrolled the next fertility attempts.
Three Failures, One Breakthrough
Between events and training, Humphries endured three consecutive embryo transfers. Each failed. She switched clinics and doctors, then attempted a fourth transfer while still competing.
> “Sport and IVF process, they mimic each other,” she said. “You’re chasing a dream that you don’t know will ever come true.”
The fourth transfer succeeded. Aulden arrived in June 2024, weeks before Humphries turned 39.
Back on Ice with Baby in Tow
Less than 18 months later, the now-40-year-old mother straps into a sled again, targeting the Milan Cortina Games. She juggles nap schedules with weight-room sessions and breast-feeding breaks with ice-track runs.
> “Trying to get back in shape… is kicking my butt real hard,” she admitted. “I underestimated the toll birth and being pregnant took on my system.”
She calls both titles-Olympic champion and mom-honors earned through pain, patience, and persistence.
Key Takeaways
- Endometriosis diagnosis forced Humphries to pursue IVF
- A single treatment round equaled half her yearly pay
- Championship prize money financed her path to motherhood
- She returned to elite competition months after giving birth
