A different perspective on IVF
I have been reading a lot of comments on people's blogs. Women state that they are in their 2nd, 3rd, and sometimes even 4th IVF cycle. They talk about the pain, the discomfort, etc. I am on my 6th IVF cycle, doing most of the things that they do, and I am looking forward to it. Of course, mine are always successful, since they always get lots of eggs. I'm healthy, and respond to the medications in the textbook manner. The real difference is the hope and disappointment and emotional issues that go along with having IVF to have a baby. It's not that the process is so bad by itself. Mildly annoying, certainly, but not life alteringly painful. I can only imagine how emotionally difficult it must be, though, when you are trying to have a child and it is not working. That would compound the discomfort into a major problem.
In any case, I keep it to myself. "Hi, I'm Egg Donor and I'm *totally* looking forward to my 6th IVF cycle!" That's probably not the wisest comment to make in a room full of infertile women.
E.D. @ 3:40 PM
3 Comments:
Au contraire, Egg Donor. ;)
I start my first IVF cycle tomorrow, and having read of your experiences, am certainly less fearful now than I was before.
Thankyou.
Hello, you are correct. The worse thing, by far, about doing IVF as an infertile woman is the emotional roller coaster. The physical discomfort - the shots, the operation, the lack of control over one's schedule - is minor in comparison. So much is riding on each cycle - all your dreams and a whole pile of money - that the process is emotionally exhausting.
And on behalf of infertile women everywhere, thanks. I am so glad that there are women like you willing to go through these procedures and regimen in order to give another woman a chance to have a child. Thank you.
The fact is that I was trying to think of how my egg donor was feeling when I was having my IVF procedures done. It makes me feel so much better to know that it wasn't so bad for her (I hope she felt as you did.) She didn't get as much money as you did, and even though I gave her some nice gifts, I still feel she gave me an infinitely valuable gift.
Not a day of this pregnancy goes by that I don't think of her with gratitude. I'm struggling with the desire to keep it a secret, and seeing your feelings about wanting anonymity helped me feel better about it. I was conceived through artificial insemination and I think it would have been better if it had been kept a secret. Kids don't need to know absolutely everything, there's no point to it.
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