This post is in partnership with Lighthearted Entertainment. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and appropriate sources for medical references are cited within. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
I met my very first mom friend while I was walking my daughter in her stroller. She was also pushing a little one in wheels. We started planning walks together, then play dates, and now, 12 years later, sleepovers. She’s just one of those people who was born to be a mom. Always patient and loving. As I got to know her, I learned she had really struggled to get pregnant with her first born.
A couple of years later, she desperately wanted baby #2, and I remember her driving hours away on a regular basis to see a fertility specialist. “I can’t meet you to walk today. My Mom is watching Julia. I have another appointment with the fertility doctor.”
1 in 8 Couples Face Fertility Issues
My friend was fortunate in that she was not only able to conceive her first child, but she did eventually get pregnant with baby #2, and delivered a healthy boy nine months later. But her heartache was always clear to me during that not-knowing time in between.
And she is far from alone. According to Resolve.org, 1 in 8 couples face fertility issues. That’s a lot. A lot of people hoping and praying, worried and fearful, and possibly spending a bundle on fertility treatments to boot.
A Unique Option to Consider If You’re Struggling to Conceive
The National Institutes of Health tell us that in generally healthy couples younger than age 30, a full 40%-60% of them struggle to conceive within the first 3 months. Now, you might think that 3 months isn’t too long, and these couples might keep trying for a while. And then what? Fertility treatments are an option, and some couples will take the foster or adoption route, which is an amazing way to provide for a child.
Surrogacy is another option, but one that can be kind of tricky. You have to find the right match for a gestational carrier and there are many factors that play into that. And that’s when I read about this family.
Kayla and Cody Joneses’ story had me saying, “Whoa, that’s possible?” A medical condition resulted in Kayla having her uterus removed at age 17. She was unable to conceive, and was told the only way for her to have a biological child was through a surrogate. They had no success searching for a suitable surrogate, and then someone unexpected stepped up to the plate: Cody’s mother.
At age 50, Patty Resecker became the gestational surrogate for her own grandchild. And she’s not the only Grandma serving, as Patty put it, as the valet for their grandchild. ABC News shares a story about another family taking this unique surrogacy route.
But these women are older, post- menopausal, even. How does this work? Well, it works because women’s bodies are pretty amazing, and it turns out that the uterus continues to respond to hormones forever. So in the case of a post-menopausal woman, hormones can be provided in the form of an injection or pill. In the end, age is just a number. Overall health is important, but where a woman is in the menopausal process is not the deciding factor.
As you might suspect, most couples struggling with fertility don’t even know this is an option. I certainly didn’t! What a new ray of hope for those that desperately want a biological child. Just amazing.
An Opportunity to Share Your Story
This is all interesting, isn’t it? It was so eye-opening for me to read these stories. And it’s an option that many couples trying to conceive may not have ever considered. They may not have even known this was something they COULD consider.
If what you’ve read here resonates with you, and you have a story to share about your own fertility issues, here’s an opportunity:
A leading Los Angeles production company is producing a documentary series about the subject. They’re currently in the casting phases, and are looking to meet families that are considering a surrogate. If that’s you, and you’re interested in participating in the project, email hsmotherman@lighthearted.com with your photo, your contact information including cell phone, and a brief summary of your story.
To the women that are wishing for a baby, you are not alone, and you might have more options than you think. This mom is sending you love and light.
Veronica Mitchell says
I consider myself very lucky to have been blessed with three kids but I had a big anxiety before I had been married. My husband and I were together for almost 9 years before we decided to tie the knot. What’s scary was, during that time we didn’t really followed a family planning system and so we were always thinking why I hadn’t been pregnant all those times. We accepted that there were something wrong with either of us and had seriously discussed other options before marriage. I was half sure I wanted to go through surrogacy, but the ultimate question was “who?”. I’m sure this documentary will be a heap of help to women like me.