Donor Baby

I've been a bit slack...very slack, actually the past two weeks. I've ignored my blog...but I have been very present on Twitter!!! I'm usually great at multitasking. I can watch Masterchef or Glee or Modern Family (one of the wittiest shows ever) and Tweet about them, whilst cooking dinner and, in turn eating said dinner. What I'm unable to achieve, clearly, has been posting on my blog and for that, dear Reader, I apologize.

I spent a few days up the coast, after I found out I wasn't pregnant. I hung out with friends, went for long walks on the beach and ate a lot of vegetarian food and read a fun, perfect-for-vacation book...After the Fall, by Kylie Ladd. It's a great book and there's at least one character that every reader can relate to. The weekend was cathartic.

Now I'm back and have decisions to make...

I saw the Doctor on Tuesday. He told me I can try another IVF cycle or I can think about donor eggs. After three cycles, I've had one viable egg each time, which, whilst better than NO EGG, is not great. Especially as they've all been BFN's...it's "trying to conceive" lingo for BIG FAT NEGATIVE. For the girls who have more than one mature egg and can have them fertilized and frozen, even if one pregnancy doesn't work, they have embryos that can be used. This means they don't have to go through the whole injection/ovulation/ultrasound process, which, in turn, also means they don't have to have another anesthetic for egg collection.

My other option is using an egg donor and unless I have a family member or friend under 35, who is willing to donate, this process is not available in Australia. Shocked? Yeah, no, me either. The clinic has affiliations with clinics overseas where it IS legal to use donor eggs. These are in Greece, Barcelona, South Africa and the US. The cost ranges from $5000 to $50,000...depending on the country of choice.

While going to NY would be easiest for me and more cost effective re accommodation and I catching up with friends, the IVF cycle would cost me $50K. One day the US will bring in Socialized medicine.

Friends have asked whether getting pregnant using a donor egg and donor sperm is worth it and isn't it easier then to just adopt? There is no "just adopt" for me. I'm single, I can't adopt (another fabulous Australian law). The donors have been screened, as opposed to the biological mothers of the babies who are put up for adoption, who, could be drug addicts, or sexually abused women who don't want to keep their babies. I've heard stories, from close friends who have friends with adopted children. Two of whom had drug addict birth mothers and both kids have major behavioral problems.

I keep saying, I want to be pregnant. Using donor eggs affords me that. The Doctor also told me I have a higher chance of conceiving because the eggs are younger.

What I've decided is to give IVF one last try. I'm going all out though. I'm seeing my naturopath tomorrow. On the phone, she told me she can help boost my egg quality but it's going to take a few months. I have nothing to lose by doing this.

Will update after my appointment tomorrow...

N x