Each child has his own story
“We have two children. After several unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, I conceived and delivered a son using donor eggs. Two years later, we adopted a newborn domestically. I loved being pregnant and being able to nurse my son, but when we wanted a second child, we knew we couldn’t go through the stress and turmoil of infertility treatment again. Each of our children has a different story, and I wouldn’t change either one for anything.”
Staying close to the pregnancy
“After years of failed infertility treatment, my husband and I had almost given up. We didn’t have the energy or emotional stamina to keep trying. When our doctor suggested that we consider gestational surrogacy, that was hard to hear. But eventually I realized I could have a genetic child and be very close to the pregnancy, even if I wasn’t carrying the child myself. It was so exciting to be at that first ultrasound and hear my child’s heartbeat!”
I wanted to bond from the beginning
“My husband and I were drawn to embryo donation because it would allow me to experience pregnancy and birth. Being able to bond with our child(ren) from the earliest possible moments was very important.”
Honest advice from our doctor
“I went through five failed IVFs with my own eggs. At that point, I had an honest conversation with my reproductive endocrinologist. He said that my chances of conceiving with my own eggs were 10 percent vs. 60 percent with embryo donation. That confirmed for us that it was time to move on.”
We refused to give up
“By the time we decided to start having children, my husband and I were both 35. Six months later, we were told I was effectively menopausal and could not conceive. Although it was hard to hear, we refused to give up. We decided to use an egg from a donor. It took four years and $50,000, but we had our miracle baby four months ago!”
A gift from my sister
“I was unable to carry a child, but we still wanted children who were genetically ours. Using a gestational carrier meant that my husband and I could use our own sperm and egg. My sister generously agreed to carry our son. We went through two rounds of IVF, and now we have a healthy 10-month-old boy.”
We consider embryo donation “adoption”
“My husband and I consider embryo ‘adoption’ a true form of adoption. In addition to the medical costs of the frozen embryo transfer, and all medications associated with that, we were required to have an updated homestudy and had to pay for travel and lodging expenses. We just think of ourselves as having adopted our two children when they were very, very young.”
A lower-cost option
“Depending on your insurance, the out-of-pocket expenses for using a frozen donor embryo and the medication you need to get your body ready vary. But, overall, the cost is much lower than for traditional domestic or international adoption.”
