As a mother, or as a couple, you often find yourself pondering the fate of the precious embryos you chose to donate back to your fertility clinic once your family was complete. This decision, made with deep reflection and love, wasn’t just for your own family but also for other women yearning for the chance to become mothers.
To those incredible donors, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude:
Thank you for igniting hope when, at 42, I faced discouraging fertility test results that revealed my nearly depleted ovarian reserve—an issue that left me with no options for IVF. Your choice to donate embryos opened a door I had never considered, especially when egg donation became financially prohibitive due to inadequate insurance coverage. Unbeknownst to us, time had not diminished your uterus’s ability to nurture life, allowing an older woman the chance to carry a child long after her egg supply had declined.
Thank you for making what must have been a profoundly difficult decision to donate your already fertilized embryos to fertility clinics, where they could be preserved as little souls awaiting the love and care of hopeful parents.
Thank you for granting me, a 44-year-old woman, the opportunity not just to experience motherhood, but also the incredible joy of carrying and giving birth to a child.
Thank you for the weeks leading up to the embryo transfer, which taught me the true meaning of perseverance and focus through fertility shots, pills, and countless blood tests and ultrasounds, joining the shared journey of so many women.
Thank you for the intimate moment shared with my partner, Mark, as the embryo was gently thawed and transferred at the clinic, accompanied by our favorite song, “Clair de Lune.” Tears streamed down my cheeks as we grasped the essence of hope in that moment.
Thank you for the unforgettable moment last fall when Mark and I received the voicemail confirming the success of my embryo transfer—I was pregnant!
Thank you for the thrilling and sometimes nerve-wracking months following, as I bonded with the precious life growing within me. Our hands intertwined, we watched with excitement during each ultrasound as our baby developed.
Thank you for the experiences of birthing classes, the joy of preparing the nursery, the baby shower celebrations, and the dreams coming to fruition as we slowly moved past the riskier stages of pregnancy.
Thank you for the life-altering experience of going into labor and welcoming my beautiful baby boy into the world—an event that would have been unimaginable before the advancements of the 1980s.
Thank you for the weeks that have followed, filled with moments that shape our days and years ahead with our wonderful son, whose presence brings endless joy and transforms our lives as parents.
Thank you for your decision to donate your embryos to be cryopreserved, allowing women like me and families like ours to bring these little souls from the chill of the clinic to bask in the warmth of life.
If you’re interested in learning more about insemination options, check out this insightful post on home insemination. For a deeper understanding of the process, visit Make A Mom, an authority on this topic. Additionally, UCSF’s Center for Reproductive Health is an excellent resource for pregnancy and home insemination.
In summary, my journey to motherhood at 44 has been filled with gratitude for the generous souls who donated embryos, enabling me to experience the joy and wonder of bringing a child into the world.