This year, Allyson celebrated her first Mother’s Day with three-month-old Sean. At 51, she is savoring her new status and knows she is lucky to be cuddling her precious baby.

Allyson used the donor egg program at HRC Fertility after undergoing one cycle of IVF with her own eggs. When she married a few years ago, she and her husband understood she probably would have challenges because of her age, so she wasn’t surprised this would be a necessary option.

Allyson found an anonymous donor and was referred to Dr. Robert Boostanfar in HRC Fertility’s Encino office. After several diagnostic tests were completed, Allyson was able to start IVF treatment.

The rest of the process moved along very quickly.  According to Allyson, “The communication was great, especially regarding all the medications and injections. With the frequent office visits, I got to know the staff. I felt it was important to have a close relationship with the providers since this was such an important process.”

Fortunately, Allyson received the news she was pregnant after her second cycle.

Despite getting a lot less sleep, Allyson is figuring out how to make motherhood work and relishing her new role. She is also advising “older” moms to not let age limit their life.

“No one at HRC judged my age, which I really appreciated,” she recalled. “Instead, they honored the fact that I wanted to fulfill my dreams. I always felt in a safe place with Dr. Boostanfar and his staff.”