Fertility Center Blog

Anonymous

We knew we wouldn't be able to have children when we got married – or so we thought – due to a vasectomy done many years ago. The success rate of reversal was so slim that it didn't seem worth the cost.

As time went by though, children became more of a focus in our lives. We visited the Fertility Center in 2005 and learned that sperm could be aspirated in preparation for IVF. We made plans, financially and emotionally, for our first cycle in the fall of 2007. This cycle resulted in a positive pregnancy test, but we lost the baby at 4 weeks. We waited until Christmas 2008 to use our frozen embryos for another cycle, which ended without a pregnancy. Many, many tears were shed. We met with Dr. Bird in the spring of 2009 and reviewed our options.

As a woman, I was pretty adamant that I didn't want to do IVF again, and – bless my husband – he supported my decision. Facing another egg retrieval process was too hard physically, not to mention emotionally. As an alternative, Dr. Bird suggested using donor sperm with intrauterine insemination. This was a completely new idea to us. How simple it looked, at least on paper! We immediately came home and searched the different sperm donor banks, examining profiles and imagining how our baby would look. Next, we ordered sperm and started Clomid. After multiple ultrasound scans, Dr. Bird said we were ready. We did two inseminations and found ourselves pregnant again!

For Christmas 2009, God blessed us with a beautiful baby girl who is the joy of our lives. Not having daddy's DNA seems so trivial – she is ours, and everyone around us knows she is ours. Many people might struggle with the decision to use a donor, but our donor made our dreams a reality. We are so blessed and excited as we plan for another pregnancy.