Shooting Up with Hopes Up

One of the aspects of infertility treatments and embryo donation and adoption that may make even the most resolute of couples squirm is the shots. If you’re like Jimmy and Christine Moore, injecting yourself or your partner with infertility drugs may feel nerve-wracking. Chances are, though, each of you will likely find it stressful for different reasons, according to The Center for Reproductive Psychology.

For women, the injected treatments hurt and the resulting change in hormones can cause mood swings, bloating and discomfort. The treatments also serve as a reminder of further upcoming fertility treatments, stirring desires for success and dread of failure to rise. Men may experience a whole different spectrum of emotions –ranging from feelings of hope about being an active participant in the child creating process, to feelings of anxiety. With so much on the line, it’s natural to have such inundating emotions (CRP).  

Since the burden of invasive and sometimes painful medical procedures surrounding fertility treatments falls primarily on the woman, the man can feel powerless, passive and even sidelined in his own family building journey. Letting him be the one to administer the shots may help him feel included, an active participant and in a more equal partnership towards your end goals of achieving a pregnancy and building a family. Some men, however, may be afraid of causing pain, or making a mistake. They may choose to not administer the shots. Even if the husband isn’t administering the injections, he can still offer support by preparing the treatment and providing comfort after. Other times, schedule conflicts may prevent him from being of assistance, which may add aggravation for both of you (CRP).

Our Precious Gifts (Part 2)

(The following was written by an embryo adoptive parent and was published in a Nightlight Christian Adoptions newsletter.)

by Chad & Tanya

In part one of Chad and Tayna's story, we learned of the couples choice to begin the process of Embryo Adoption. Read the conclusion of their amazing story below.

We were matched with a third genetic family and adopted 18 embryos, and through some circumstances and several people, including the genetic father, we felt we should switch doctors. This was a hard decision to make. In May 2005, we had a transfer with our new doctor, but again our pregnancy test was negative. Just prior to our sixth transfer in July 2005, I felt at peace, knowing that we were doing what we were called to do. And two weeks later, we were thrilled to learn that we were pregnant! But the greatest joy of our lives turned into the deepest heartache as we lost the baby at 8 weeks.

We had our next transfer in February 2006 with our remaining embryos, and we had decided that this would be our last transfer if it was not successful. Instead, though, we were thrilled to learn that we were pregnant, and this time we were expecting twins! But once again, joy was accompanied by heartache when we had an ultrasound at 16 weeks and learned that one of the twins had died at the end of our first trimester. Thankfully, we were blessed us with Ethan Richard, who was born on October 19, 2006!

When Ethan turned a year old, we began thinking about how to expand our family. After our first experience, we had no idea what the path would look like. We were matched with a genetic family and adopted eight embryos. We had our transfer last October, and just prior to Ethan’s second birthday, we found out that we were pregnant! We suspected that we were once again expecting twins, but after a complication and an emergency visit to the doctor, we learned that we had been expecting twins but again had lost one of the babies. Thankfully, though, we were blessed with Tyler Matthew on June 21, 2009.

I find significance in the fact that he was our gift on Father’s Day, as we had previously had so many difficult Mother’s and Father’s Days, as is true for so many infertile couples.

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Embryo Adoption Questions Answered - Adoptive Parents

This week’s topic: Potential Adoptive Families

Q: Why would adopting parents choose embryo adoption instead of traditional adoption of a new born?

A:  The most obvious difference between an embryo adoption and a traditional adoption is the pregnancy experience. Mothers of adopted embryos are able to experience the joys (and burdens!) of pregnancy and labor. They also have the peace of mind of knowing their children received the appropriate parental care and were not exposed to alcohol or drugs during pregnancy.

Q: What are the basic requirements for a family hoping to adopt embryos?

A: The adopting mother must be able to carry a child to term. Her doctor will be asked to provide a letter stating that there are no contraindications to pregnancy. Additional eligibility requirements may be indicated by the placing family. The adopting family must also have completed an adoptive home study. This home study is the same study used to evaluate and educate adopting parents in traditional domestic adoptions.

Q: What other stipulations may affect a family’s ability to adopt embryos?

A: Each adoption agency has various eligibility requirements for adopting parents. These may include –
• An age limit for the adopting mother
• Eligibility of couples who do not have an infertility diagnosis
• Whether adoptive couples can use a Surrogate mother to carry their adopted Embryos
• Out-of-state/country embryo adoptions
• Eligibility of single women

Our Precious Gifts (Part 1)

(The following was written by an embryo adoptive parent and was published in a Nightlight Christian Adoptions newsletter.)


by Chad & Tanya

Edited by Embryo Adoption Awareness Center 

Father’s Day was extra special for us last year, as our second son, Tyler Matthew, was born. He was born on his actual due date, June 21, at 3:30 PM. In fact, when I looked back at our calendar from last year, I realized that our frozen embryo transfer the previous fall had been at 3:30 PM. As our doctor said, he wanted to be punctual! It was six years ago on June 21 that our close friends gave birth to their second child, and at the time, I wondered if we were ever going to have a child.

Four years prior to that, we learned that it is medically impossible for us to conceive a child. Before seeing our fertility doctor, we had both separately learned about the Snowflakes (Embryo Adoption) program. After receiving our diagnosis, we quickly realized that we were called to adopt embryos. But like many adoptions, our journey was filled with ups and downs. We were matched with our first genetic family at the end of 2002 and adopted five embryos. Our first transfer was unsuccessful and the next scheduled transfer did not actually happen because the remaining two embryos turned out to be just one embryo, which did not survive the thaw. We were heartbroken by the disappointments, but we were still confident of our calling.

New Book Helps Parents Tell the Kids about their Unique Adoption

As more and more families are growing through embryo donation and adoption, parents continue to scratch their heads and wonder, "What do we tell the kids???"

Joining "Our Wish for a Baby" and "Hope and Will Have a Baby" on the shelf of children's books focusing on this unique way children enter families is "Training Wheels: How Did I Get Here?"

This collaborative work by Chris Barrett, Digital Media Manager for The National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC), and a University of Tennessee psychology professor, Dr. Sally B. Hunter, warms the heart as it shares how children born through embryo donation and adoption are special and very much loved.

In a cheery rhyming pattern paired with colorful illustrations by Tyler Garrison the story of five-year-old Miles and his new bike unfolds. The bike, a birthday present from Miles' special friend, Mike, opens a door for Miles' parents to explain that Mike's mom and dad gave them a very special gift as well when they donated their remaining embryos and Miles was born as a result.

To learn more about Training Wheels visit Western Kentucky University, The NEDC, or purchase it on Amazon.