Maggie's Story

“I am so grateful to the two couples who donated their embryos and gave us our children." Maggie's Story

When New York couple Maggie and Frank first started trying to have a baby, they were hopeful they would not have any problems. Maggie was 26 years old and had no reason to believe she or her husband would have any fertility issues. But after trying to conceive without success for a several years, they sought the advice of a local fertility specialist. Diagnostic tests failed to pinpoint a cause and their subsequent treatments were unsuccessful, so their reproductive endocrinologist suggested preimplantation genetic diagnosis with in vitro fertilization to see if one or both of them had a genetic problem. Indeed, most of the 16 embryos they produced were genetically abnormal. Though Maggie briefly looked at egg donation, her efforts to become a mother focused on adoption. But then her fertility clinic told her about its newly developed embryo donation program. Embryo donation was a family building option that had not been presented to her before.

The couple found a known donor through the Miracles Waiting Web site, but that attempt unfortunately did not result in a pregnancy. However, they found success via two anonymous donations facilitated by Long Island IVF.  The first donation produced their now 23-month-old daughter with a second donation creating their seven-month old son.

"I am so grateful to the two couples who donated their embryos and gave us our children. My only regret is that I never had the opportunity to thank them for our two miracles," says Maggie. "However, both couples wrote the reasons they wanted to donate in their profiles and reading these gave us some insight into what they were like personally." They also received the couples’ medical histories

With two little children, Maggie and her husband have not decided whether they will use the remaining frozen embryos to expand their family. "If we decide our family is complete, the embryos will return to the donor pool," explains Maggie. "They will be available to help another potential family fulfill its dreams."