By JoAnne Brian
The diagnosis of infertility although not life threatening is very difficult to hear and assimilate, as young children most of us dream of getting married and having children of our own. When this doesn’t happen naturally we are confused as to where we should turn for help and what our options are.
In the 1950’s my parents suffered from infertility. Back then advanced infertility treatment options were not available. They saw an OB/Gyn who tried fertility drugs and IUI’s. After 5 years and no success my parents opted for adoption and I was born in 1959.
I married my husband Tim in 1985; he was also adopted. His parents suffered from secondary infertility after having one child naturally. Two years after Tim was born his parents were able to conceive again naturally and his brother was born
I knew before I married Tim that we would not be able to have children of our own due to radiation and chemo treatments that Tim had, had following a battle with bone cancer when he was 21. I wanted to pursue fertility treatments with an IUI and a sperm donor but Tim did not, so we opted for adoption and our beautiful son Jon was born in 1990.
There are so many options now for family building IUI, IVF, IVF using an Egg Donor, IVF with an Egg Donor and a Gestational Carrier, Adoption and the list goes on. All of us have our own individual ideas about how we want to create our family. There is no right or wrong way.
Every day in our clinic we witness great joy and great sadness. But there is always one constant and that is hope…children may not come to us the way we planned sometimes we have to be open to other options that may challenge and change the way we think about having a baby and becoming a parent.
I can say that for me and my family adoption was the best and most natural choice.
A 20-year veteran of the health care field, Ms. Brian graduated from DeAnza College in 1983 with AS degree in Physical Therapy, later becoming a licensed physical therapist assistant. In 1997 she decided to pursue a career in health care sales and marketing, going on to become regional sales director for a national occupational health care provider. Her responsibilities at Reproductive Science Center of the San Francisco Bay Area include helping to improve patient satisfaction and public and professional relations in the Bay area.
One Comment
I love it!! I am adopted, and I too, am dealing w infertility issues; it hasn’t been until very recently, that I have been 100 percent open to the idea of adopting-silly me!!
I guess being adopted, I’ve always wanted to have a biological child, but am now excited @ the possibility of adopting my OWN child!! I think, and hope, that more of us that r dealing w infertility, will be open to this “solution”, rather than thinking we have to close the door, and be childless!! 