#eggdonor

No Infertility Challenge too Big for Dr. Robert Boostanfar

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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.”

 

Our Twins: We Were Excited and Scared

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When Stephen and Jun decided they were ready to start their family, they were both excited and anxious.

While anxiety is common for couples undergoing ART treatment, same-sex couples face the additional anxiety of coordinating both an egg donor and gestational surrogate.

They took their time assembling the right team to build their family, knowing they wanted twins–a boy and a girl. Using an agency, they found a mixed race egg donor who matched the mix between Stephen and Jun, who was born in the Philippines.

They also wanted a surrogate who was willing to carry twins, had children of her own, and had no concerns about carrying babies for a same-sex couple. The surrogate they found was both a twin and in a same-sex relationship.

“She had all right qualifications, and we felt immediately comfortable when we met her,” Stephen said.

The agency also referred them to several clinics, and the couple ultimately chose HRC and Dr. Frederick for a few reasons: Dr. Frederick had helped other same-sex couples conceive and she’d invested in the Bonding Room at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center for couples whose children are born via surrogate at the hospital.

Because Stephen and Jun knew they wanted both a boy and a girl, they opted for gender selection, which determines the sex of the embryos before transferring them to the surrogate. They were fortunate enough to have several embryos and one of each gender, so they chose to transfer one of each.

Dr. Frederick told them there was an 80 percent chance that one embryo would take, and a 50 percent chance that the second embryo would implant. When both were successfully implanted, the couple and Dr. Frederick were thrilled.

When at first you succeed, you must try again is this couple’s motto. The couple has already gotten a thumbs up from the donor and surrogate about a second round. In the next few years, their family of four might be a family of six–a though that excites Stephen and Jun…and probably scares them, too!