BROWSING through their pastel wardrobe, Whitney and Megan Bacon-Evans pick out the perfect outfit.
Opting for matching bags and the same color palette, the couple like their outfits to complement rather than match.
6
Megan (left) and Whitney Bacon-Evans have been dating for 16 yearsCredit: Instagram
6
The couple says they keep getting mistaken for twins, or even mother and daughter Credit: Rex
But Whitney and Megan are not twins, not even siblings despite what the trolls might say in their Instagram comments.
They are actually a married couple expecting their first baby together.
The couple have been together for 16 years, but with the same blonde hair and similar styles, many of those years have been plagued with comments calling them siblings.
Others even mistook them for mother and daughter – despite the fact that 37-year-old Megan is only a year older than Whitney.
Read more about real estate relationships
The Windsor duo recently announced their pregnancy after a long journey with three unsuccessful rounds of intrauterine insemination (IUI) and two rounds of IVF, costing a total of £40,000.
Although Megan is now 20 weeks pregnant, the longtime wives say they are still inundated with questions about their relationship.
“We are often mistaken for sisters, twins and worst of all – mother and daughter,” said Whitney, a Kentucky native.
“They think Megan is [my] mother.
“We hear it all the time, from live to online.
“We think people are naturally curious because they feel a deep connection between us and want to know the connection.
What is IVF, how does it work and can the treatment be done on the NHS?
“They keep asking questions like that assuming we’re anything but married and a couple.”
Whitney says they are polite when correcting people, but happy to teach them about their relationship.
“We kindly correct them and say that we are married and have been together for 16 years,” he adds.
“We hope that by correcting them we can educate them about lesbian couples and that they never make assumptions.
“It’s quite awkward when we let them know we’re married and they say ‘but you look identical’ – we really don’t.”
The pair first connected on MySpace as teenagers in 2006 before meeting two years later when Whitney was studying abroad in London.
Megan said: “As soon as we laid eyes, I knew she was the one.
“Two weeks later we were officially a couple.”
6
The couple met 16 years ago on Myspace and had a long distance relationship Credit: Jam Press
6
The couple has to keep telling people they are wives, not sisters Credit: Jam Press
They spent four years long-distance before Whitney moved to the UK in 2012 and the couple had a civil partnership.
They then “upgraded” their marriage in a ceremony in California in 2017.
By 2020, they have decided to expand their family with a child together – although it will be a long journey that will cost them tens of thousands of pounds.
Megan said: “We were excited to finally start our journey of becoming two mums, but we also didn’t know what that would mean, due to the huge lack of representation.
It’s quite awkward when we tell them we’re married and they reply ‘but you look identical’
Whitney Bacon-Evans
“There is a huge lack of information about how LGBTQ+ couples start their families.
“We didn’t know where to even begin our baby journey, and neither did our doctor.”
It took two years before they were able to start IUI.
Whitney said: “We got pregnant in the first round and couldn’t believe our luck, we were so excited.
“Unfortunately, it turned out to be a chemical pregnancy and a few weeks later, Megan was unfortunately no longer pregnant.”
They had two more unsuccessful rounds of IUI before turning to IVF, where the first round was unsuccessful.
Megan went through a second round of egg retrieval and one of the viable embryos stuck.
Whitney said: “We are both so excited.
HOW DOES IVF WORK?
There are six main stages of IVF:
- First, medication will suppress the menstrual cycle
- You will be given further medicines to stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs
- Ultrasound scans will be given to check the development of your eggs and medicines may be used to help the maturation process
- The eggs will be collected with a needle inserted into the ovaries through the vagina
- Eggs are mixed with sperm for several days so that they can be fertilized
- One or two fertilized embryos will be returned to the uterus. Women must wait two weeks before taking a pregnancy test to see if the procedure was successful.
“The most magical feeling is knowing that we will be able to meet our child in May.
“We can’t wait to be mummies and expand our family.
“We just found out we’re having a girl, which is very exciting!”
After everything they’ve been through to get to this point, the couple still struggles with the toll it can take on same-sex couples to conceive.
Megan said: “During our journey with the baby we were shocked to discover the barriers and discrimination that prevent same-sex female couples from having a family.
“This also affects single women and people with a uterus.
We can’t wait to be mummies and expand our family
Whitney Bacon-Evans
“Cointed as the ‘gay tax,’ there is an unfair financial burden placed on the LGBTQ+ community.
“We self-funded our baby’s trip and spent approximately £40,000 in total.
“We discussed these issues in parliament for the LGBT+ commission’s inquiry report last year.
“In July 2022, the government published its Women’s Health Strategy with one aim of removing additional barriers to NHS fertility treatment for same-sex female couples.
“This still hasn’t been launched but we continue to put pressure on the government and we recently had a positive meeting with the health minister.”
6
The couple recently announced that they are expecting their first child togetherCredit: Jam Press
6
The couple have a baby girl Credit: Jam Press
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education