My guilt destroying IVF embryos - Real Mum story on MoM

3 Comments

It took 5 natural IVF cycles to conceive. An earlier frozen IVF cycle didn’t work as the embryos were fractured when defrosted. Each year we paid the holding fee to keep two vials in liquid nitrogen. One had two embryos and the other three. The letter from the clinic stated that they would automatically destroy the embryos after 10 years, and gave us options each year if we didn’t want to pay the annual account. Donate to research? Donate to an infertile couple? Let the clinic defrost the vials for the embryos to die, or collect the vials ourselves? We chose the last option and said a little prayer. The vials are still in my drawer. I cannot throw them away. Research is important but I didn’t like the thought of them being dissected. As for helping infertile couples part of me wanted to, but the other made me concerned that my genetics would be out there somewhere. I think about what could have been.

Posted anonymously, 26th April 2015

3 Comments

- - mom206279 said
  - 31 Mar 2017
    12:05 pm
Sorry this is something you have to go through xoxo

- - mom90758 said
  - 27 Apr 2015
    10:57 am
I had cryopreserved eggs too. And, if not used, I knew I would have had to face the same decision. Like you, I wouldn’t have been able to give them to another couple. While maybe I would have decided for the research. At the end we used all the eggs so I didn’t have to make any further decision.
But just accept the decision you took. It was the right one for you, so it was the good decision. Take care of those special vials!

- - nictate said
  - 27 Apr 2015
    6:58 am
What a difficult decision hugs x