Our 3 Little Miracles with Embryo Donation

As I write this post, my two and half year old daughter is drawing a picture on the floor beside me while my one year old fraternal twins are watching TV in the living room.  I can't help but think back to three years ago when I started writing this blog and how much I dreamed of this day.  I remember planning our first embryo transfer in the Czech Republic and how nervous and excited I was at the same time.  I had spent so many years dreaming of having children with my husband, and had almost given up hope.  It took three embryo transfers to finally make our family complete. We now have a new set of challenges ahead of us, such as which Pre-school our children should attend and when to tell them the story of their conception. So many things to consider.

As for our children, all three of them are beautiful and brilliant!  Our two year old daughter Big A, has a feisty and spirited personality.  She loves to dance and run around the house.  We rarely find her sitting down.  She's very busy. She's also a happy and very intelligent toddler.  At two years of age she's already speaking in short sentences, and has amazing recall.  She's also a very sweet and loving and absolutely adores her two younger siblings.  

Our daughter, Big F, is the oldest twin.  She is feisty and spirited and quite frankly a "little wild." She's a very happy baby and rarely has anything to complain about. She enjoys the company of her younger brother and occasionally likes to tackle him whenever she can steal his pacifier.  She's also mommy's girl and prefers to fall asleep in my arms whenever possible and is quite the little snuggle bunny.  

Her fraternal twin brother, Big D, is the polar opposite of his twin sister.  He's quiet and observant and always seems to be thinking about something. However, he has an incredible sense of humor and is always laughing and giggling with his daddy. He loves to play with his older sister Big A. I enjoy watching him interact with his sisters. I can already tell he is very thoughtful and protective of them.  If he hears one of them crying he will get our attention. He's definitely an old sole in a little man's body.  

Our unorthodox and nontraditional way of starting a family may not be for everyone.  However, it worked for us and our children have brought so much joy to our lives. We are very happy. 

Are you considering embryo donation? Do you have any questions?   

Why we chose embryo donation in Europe vs. the United States

My husband and I did our research and decided that IVF in Europe was the most affordable and ultimately the best decision for us overall. 

There were several factors that lead up to our decision to seek embryo donation in Europe instead of the United States.

1. Anonymous embryo donors

Egg and sperm donation is anonymous by law in Spain and the Czech Republic.    

2. Healthy young donors
Donors have to be between the ages of 18 and 35 years old.

3. Donors go through a rigorous selection process
Both sperm and egg donors are screened for sexually transmitted diseases (hepatitis B,C, HIV, syphilis, chlamydia). Additionally, egg donors also go through genetic evaluations for Karyotyping, and CFTR (cystic fibrosis) mutations.

4) No Waiting Period
Typically, most of the clinics in the Czech Republic and Spain have shorter or no waiting periods than clinics in the US. This made arranging our procedure around my vacation time much easier. 

5. Western Europe Medical Care comparable to United States
The quality of medical care in Western Europe is comparable to medical care in the United States. The facilities were clean and modern and the technology was state of the art.  Additionally, a lot of their doctors are trained in the US then go back home to practice medicine.

6. IVF is cheaper in Europe than in the US
Even after factoring in a.) the cost of travel and b.) the fact that we had to make the trip twice because our first visit was not successful, we saved money by going to a fertility clinic in Europe. We were also able to save money on our second visit through a “Shared Risk” program with our clinic.

7. A "Shared Risk" program

Many fertility clinics throughout Europe and the United States have "Shared Risk" programs.  If a pregnancy is not achieved after the program, an agreed upon amount is refunded.  

8. English is the international language of business
And finally, do not be afraid of any language barriers. English has become the international language of business. You will find that most clinics throughout Europe will have several English speaking representatives to assist you.

Difference in ED Pregnancies - Singleton vs. Twins.

A friend asked me today if my twin pregnancy has been different from my singleton pregnancy with my daughter.  Since both pregnancies were the result of embryo donation, there have been some similarities and total differences.  Such as, after our daughter's embryo transfer, within 24 hours my hormones seemed to increase exponentially which caused me to experience intense morning sickness and severe migraines.  By the time I got home from the Czech Republic, I was in the throws of morning sickness which lasted for close to my entire first trimester. I was not surprised when I took the pregnancy test and it came back positive. 

With the twins, I felt no different after the embryo transfer.  The night after the transfer I did feel a pinch on my lower right side.  However, for weeks afterwards I felt no different.  I was totally shocked when I took the pregnancy test and it came back positive. For weeks I had convinced myself that the transfer was not successful and had my husband convinced as well.  We were even more surprised when at our six week ultrasound scan we were told that we were pregnant with twins. I had no nausea or headaches like with my daughter.  I actually felt amazing and full of energy.  So when we had our twelve week scan I was flabbergasted when we were told we were still pregnant with twins.  I was totally expecting a disappearing twin like with my daughter's pregnancy.

However, with the twin pregnancy, by my fourth month everything went downhill.  I was hit with severe morning sickness without warning.  One morning I was brushing my teeth as I got ready for work and the next thing I knew, I was throwing up non-stop.  The morning sickness lasted close to six weeks straight.  It was worse than during my pregnancy with my daughter.  Once I started throwing up, I couldn't stop.  I wasn't able to hold anything down for weeks. I lost weight. I wasn't able to take any medication to help relieve the nausea and vomiting because I couldn't hold it down.  It got so bad that I was finally sent to the emergency room where I had to get hooked up to an IV.  This actually happened twice over the course of six weeks.  Throwing up and unable to eat much, for weeks, had caused me to become dangerously dehydrated. I also had severe light sensitivity and terrible headaches/migraines that were so intense that I was unable to get any relief.  I was so miserable that I had difficulty going to the doctors office because of the fluorescent lighting or even outside. 

Now with my daughter, by my fourth month of pregnancy I was on easy street.  I felt great.  I glowed! The only lingering issue I had was pregnancy hypertension which the doctors were essentially able to control until around  35 weeks.  By 37 weeks it had developed into pre-eclampsia and then I was induced.  My daughter was born three weeks early at 5lbs. 10 oz.  One of the happiest, joyous days of my life!  She's amazing in every way and is smart and funny and absolutely delightful:)

I have now been on leave for three months with my twin pregnancy.  I am on modified bed rest.  I am allowed to go from my bed, to the bathroom to my couch.  I am two centimeters dilated and 100% effaced.  My OB is worried that I may go into labor early due my uterus only being able to hold so much for so long.  Last week I had to be hospitalized because I was contracting, which they were able to stop with magnesium and steroids. Both babies are weighing at 30 weeks around 2.10 and 2.09 pounds.  I will admit that I am getting more uncomfortable as the weeks go by.  Getting off the couch takes motivation, rolling over while in bed has become an event and walking to the bathroom feels like a marathon. I'm ready for my babies to be here. Hopefully we will make it to the 35 or 36 week mark.  I'd like these little ones to cook for as long as possible. We will see what happens.