“Every story ends differently than you expect,
but that’s not a bad thing.”
– Caroline Oxford, Miracle Mom and Donor Egg Recipient
Caroline’s fertility journey started at age 37 when, she had an ectopic pregnancy. Her OB/GYN removed the ectopic pregnancy but told her he did not feel it was necessary to remove her fallopian tube. After six months of trying post-surgery, and being age 38, she consulted her OB/GYN and was encouraged to attempt conception. In retrospect, she feels that delaying treatment hindered her fertility journey.
After researching fertility clinics and physicians on-line, she decided to make the drive up from Southwest Florida to The Reproductive Medicine Group. After her first HSG, it was discovered that both of her fallopian tubes were blocked; She requested surgery to attempt to open the tube as she did not want to pursue IVF as her initial treatment. Unfortunately the damage was more extensive than was anticipated and only one tube could be opened. After being unsuccessful in conceiving post-operatively, she decided to seek treatment closer to her home. However, when those treatments did not result in pregnancy, she decided that despite the drive, she was coming back to RMG. By this time, she was nearly 40 years old, and discovered that she had extremely low Ovarian Reserve. The doctor advised her that her best option would be receiving eggs from an egg donor. Caroline said she never realized that fertility could deplete so quickly.
At first, her husband was unsure about using donor egg, however, for Caroline, the decision came easier – her goal was to carry the pregnancy and raise their baby and have a family with her husband. Thankfully, her husband became more comfortable and enthusiastic when he learned more about the process. Both recognized that there are multiple pathways for achieving their dreams of becoming parents and creating their family.
Caroline and her husband met with the Egg Donor coordinator at The Reproductive Medicine Group and found out more about the process. It was hard for her to accept that she would never see a photo of her donor. But she developed a relationship of trust with the coordinator and realized that the coordinator would find a donor who matched her physical characteristics. She signed up, completed her testing and within 6 months, was successfully matched.
For her, everything up to IVF was complicated; but once she started the Donor Egg IVF process, it was smooth. Her first IVF transfer resulted in the pregnancy and birth of her first child. Her second transfer was successful as well resulting in the birth of their younger child. Both pregnancies were uncomplicated and both children are healthy.
Caroline has never hidden the fact that she conceived with donated eggs. She feels immense gratitude for her donor for helping her to create a beautiful family. She also wants other mothers who are considering donor egg to know that you should trust the process. The donor coordinator told her everything about her anonymous donor, and assured her it was a great match. Caroline took the leap of faith, and now has two precious boys.