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Egg Recipient is Profoundly
Grateful for the Gift of Life
After two miscarriages and three years of testing and procedures
at another infertility clinic, Jennifer* and John* came to
The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of Saint
Barnabas Medical Center with hope for one last chance to
conceive a baby. Since Jennifer was now 43 -- which brought
into question the quality of her eggs -- she, her husband
and the physicians decided that the best chance for conception
was through egg donation.
We had one last procedure in us, recalls Jennifer. Financially,
physically and emotionally, this was to be our last attempt
and we thought our odds were greatest with a donor egg.
The years before coming to The Institute were frustrating
ones. Although Jennifer had good egg production and responded
well to medication, she still failed to conceive. The couple
remained strong throughout the years of unsuccessful treatments,
but there was a difficult, emotional toll for both individuals.
Infertility is a very unique phenomenon and you wonder how
people are able to withstand the pressure, the expense, the
physical wear and tear on the body, the sheer Herculean undertaking,
and the sometimes crushing disappointment, she says. Still,
people are able to pick themselves up and try again because
of the strong, primal urge to parent and love a child.
With the help of an Institute counselor at Saint Barnabas,
the couple found a New York-based egg donor. The donor traveled
to The Institute for the actual egg retrieval procedure.
Once the eggs were united with John's sperm, several embryos
developed and two were transferred to Jennifer's uterus.
Within two weeks, the couple had a positive pregnancy test.
Jennifer's story is typical of our patients, says Serena
Chen, M.D., Medical Director of the Ovum Donation Program
at The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of
Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Most of them have traveled
a very long road. We even have patients who have failed donor
egg IVF cycles at other programs who achieve success here.
After years of waiting, the couple was jubilant that they
had finally conceived their longed-for baby. It couldn't
have been any better, says Jennifer. On August 7 1998, Jennifer
and John welcomed a new addition to the family, their son
Matthew*.
While Jennifer and John chose to tell family and friends
of the egg donation, Jennifer now says that perhaps this
was information that should have been Matthew's to share
or not to share. In retrospect, she would reconsider sharing
the information to allow Matthew to make the decision in
his future.
On the subject of egg donation, the couple feel eternally
indebted and profoundly grateful to their egg donor and view
her act as incredibly altruistic because her compensation
was not a great deal in comparison to what she went through.
In a sense, her involvement ended after the procedure, but
at the same time her gift continues with us throughout our
lives, Jennifer says.
For more information about The Institute for Reproductive
Medicine and Science, please call (973) 322-8286.
* INDICATES A PSEUDONYM. Names have been changed to respect
the privacy of our patients.
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