There have been many times that I would go walking through Smiths or the mall to have someone come up to me and ask me a million questions about my twins and one of those questions is almost always if they are natural or not. Yes, my twins are natural but I have always found this question offensive especially in the manner that they would ask it. They made it seem like my twins would not be as special if I had conceived them through so called "unnatural means." Well I am out to set the record straight so I interviewed two women who had their twins threw In Vitro Fertilization or IVF for short.
IVF is an amazing procedure where they have the women inject themselves with hormones for a period of time in order to produce as many eggs as possible. Once the doctor feels the patients eggs are ready they then harvest the eggs and place them in a special culture so they will be able to survive outside the woman's womb. After a while the eggs will develop in two to eight cell embryos, this is when the doctor will transfer them back into the woman's body.
I asked two women, Kristen Bowker and Jamie Stoller a series of questions about what their experience with IVF was like. I learned a lot from them and it is my hope that their story will help other women that are either going threw or thinking about using IVF.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Thank you so much for this interview, are you sure you are okay about talking about this on my blog?
Kristen Bowker- Yeah sure! Like I said, I like to be open about the process because it will only help people...infertility is talked about so little. I never had any idea about the process until we were hit with it, so talking about it may help people realize they are not the only ones.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That's exactly what I was hoping for when I thought about doing an interview about the process for my blog. I want to show women that they are not alone, I know my twins were natural but I have always been a huge supporter of IVF and other means for those who can't conceive naturally.
Kristen Bowker - I always was too, I just never knew how involved it all is, .the process is crazy and emotional but in a way I'm glad I got to experience it.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I can understand that, so what exactly was the process for IVF like?
Kristen Bowker - A lot of doctor. appointments, even before you start treatments. Shots everyday, towards the end I was giving myself three a day in the stomach. Each doctor appointment (they were weekly or twice weekly, I can't really remember because there were so many) they did internal ultrasounds to check follicle size and number. Along with blood work to check hormone levels. They would use this to check if your doses needed to be changed. Then when they are ready, you get a trigger shot the night before retrieval to make the eggs mature, they got thirteen, ten were mature enough to fertilize and six made it to five day embryos
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Wow, that does sound like it would be incredibly stressful. How long did it take before you knew the treatments had worked?
Kristen Bowker - After they fertilized the eggs (we had to do ICSI, which is when they take the eggs and manually fertilize them), we waited the five days for them to be ready for transfer. They then transfer them into the uterus and then it's the normal two week wait basically. They do a blood test to check HCG levels, but I knew I was pregnant because I was so sick about a week after the transfer.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson- Wow that would drive me insane. All the waiting just to see if it worked, what was that like for you?
Kristen Bowker - Nerve wracking, hoping I wasn't doing all of this to my body for it not to work. Plus with the added hormones from the treatments I was a mess.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - What was the hardest part about IVF for you?
Kristen Bowker - I think before anything started, the phone call I got saying we wouldn't be able to have kids naturally. After that it all became routine.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I can completely understand that, I can't even imagine how I would react if I had been told I could not have kids. How long did you try to get pregnant before turning to IVF?
Kristen Bowker- Two years.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - What would you say to all the women going threw or thinking about using IVF right now?
Kristen Bowker- Remember you are not the only one going through infertility. It is a lot more common than people realize. There are great groups online that have awesome support from great people going through the same thing. Although it may not seem like it sometimes, the end product is worth all the pain and emotions. I don't know what I would do without my boys in my life. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor if you have concerns about getting pregnant. My doctor was very receptive and got everything started quickly. From the time of the first preliminary test till we started treatment it was less than six months.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That's amazing and well worth the wait for those sweet babies. One last question for you, I mentioned before that a lot of people ask if my twins are natural, are you ever asked this question and if so what is your usual response?
Kristen Bowker - It depends I guess, if it's people I know I tell them it was IVF, people that are rude I tell them twins are in my family (which is true,) but a lot of the time I tell them it was IVF. It doesn't offend me though.
At this point I began to interview Jamie on her own experiences with IVF
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - So what was your own process with IVF like?
Jamie Stoller - Our actual IVF process was amazing. Everything went better than planned
Miranda M Snow Gustavson -Did you get pregnant on your first try?
Jamie Stoller - We had a long road up to that point, but once we decided that was what we wanted to do it went pretty smooth. I was able to get pregnant on our first round. They retrieved thirty five eggs (which is a lot) and twenty five of them fertilized. Then they transplanted two and we now have eight frozen. Four weeks later we found out that both had attached and we were having twins!
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That is amazing! Twins are always so exciting. I remember being completely hysterical when I found out I was having twins. I literally could not stop laughing. What was it like for you when you found out you were having twins?
Jamie Stoller - Well the day of the transfer the doctor asked how many we wanted to put in. We had always thought two because that would just increase our chances. She kind of tried to talk us out of it because it then becomes a high risk pregnancy if they both attached, as you well know. So the day we went to our first ultrasound she was able to see two tiny babies in a matter of seconds. I think the first words out of my mouth were "shut up!" She just kind of laughed and said, "well I tried to warn you!" Once we found out we were pregnant my husband was convinced it was twins. He is a twin himself, now I will be the only person in my family who isn't a twin!
Miranda M Snow Gustavson- That is hilarious! My husband always told me that twins ran in his family so I always told him, "if I ever become pregnant with twins I will kill you!" So of course the first words out of my mouth where, "I am going to kill you!" The nurses still make fun of me every time I come in for an appointment. Was any part of IVF uncomfortable or painful?
Jamie Stoller - IVF is no cake walk. Before that I had tried different medicines, surgery, acupuncture, gluten free diets, and IUIs, none of which worked. I remember at one point my husband and I both realized that it was time for IVF. I think we both went into the whole process with a really positive outlook. We KNEW it would work. But as positive as we were it was still really hard to go through four shots a day, countless 6:30a.m. doctor visits, and the emotional uncertainty that goes along with that.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Wow, it really does sound like you had a long and difficult road before finding IVF. Not to mention having a twin pregnancy on top of it all. I am sure I know the answer but would you recommend IVF to anyone?
Jamie Stoller - I think people have to be really ready for IVF. My husband and I were very vocal about our struggle and the fact that we were going through IVF. It takes a lot out of you, and for me if I had to hide it from people it would have been that much harder.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Yes, I think I would need all of the support I could get too. It was already terrifying just to have a twin pregnancy, just so many things can go wrong, to have the uncertainty of IVF on top of that would be incredibly difficult.
Jamie Stoller - When we first realized that we were going to have a tough road getting pregnant I remember riding in the car with mom. I was explaining that I just didn't want to do IVF (this was about a year before we actually did it.) She basicaly told me that if that is what it takes to have a baby I needed to get over it. It took a long time for me to accept that was the only way it was going to happen. When I finally did, it made everything so much easier.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I am glad everything worked out in the end. Especially since it worked so well, giving you twins and everything. I mentioned before that a lot of people have asked me if my twins are natural. Have you ever been asked this and if so do you find it offensive?
Jamie Stoller - People always ask that! As open as we are I don't need to tell the clerk at the grocery store our whole story. I usually just say, "oh well my husband is a twin." People usually get excited and say, "oh well that is where it comes from!" I just smile. I dont think I am really offended by the comment. It's kind of annoying but I admit I've probably asked/wondered that in the past too.
I think some people are against IVF because it's not "natural" or for religious reasons. First of all, I don't know what "unnatural" pregnancies are. I was born to be a mom, it is totally natural. Also, we are fully convinced that our babies are a miracle. We had a little help from science and a lot of help from god. I think you really have a positive outlook, and pay attention to the people in your lives who are there to help.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I completely agree, I would not deny being a Mom to anyone. There is absolutely nothing better. I think I have pretty much gotten everything I need. Is there anything you would like to add?
Jamie Stoller - I think that is about it, just send some good vibes that these babies arrive happy and healthy.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Oh I will, having twins is completely a dream. You will LOVE it!
I want to take a moment now to thank Jamie and Kristen for this chance to interview them on something that can be so personal. You are both total inspirations to all of the women going threw or considering IVF as a means to have children. I truly hope that any other women out there dealing with infertility learn as much as I did from these interviews. Thank you all so much for your time. For more information on IVF please click here.
Interview by Miranda M Snow Gustavson
Follow me and my blog on facebook by clicking the like button bellow.
IVF is an amazing procedure where they have the women inject themselves with hormones for a period of time in order to produce as many eggs as possible. Once the doctor feels the patients eggs are ready they then harvest the eggs and place them in a special culture so they will be able to survive outside the woman's womb. After a while the eggs will develop in two to eight cell embryos, this is when the doctor will transfer them back into the woman's body.
I asked two women, Kristen Bowker and Jamie Stoller a series of questions about what their experience with IVF was like. I learned a lot from them and it is my hope that their story will help other women that are either going threw or thinking about using IVF.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Thank you so much for this interview, are you sure you are okay about talking about this on my blog?
Kristen Bowker- Yeah sure! Like I said, I like to be open about the process because it will only help people...infertility is talked about so little. I never had any idea about the process until we were hit with it, so talking about it may help people realize they are not the only ones.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That's exactly what I was hoping for when I thought about doing an interview about the process for my blog. I want to show women that they are not alone, I know my twins were natural but I have always been a huge supporter of IVF and other means for those who can't conceive naturally.
Kristen Bowker - I always was too, I just never knew how involved it all is, .the process is crazy and emotional but in a way I'm glad I got to experience it.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I can understand that, so what exactly was the process for IVF like?
Kristen Bowker - A lot of doctor. appointments, even before you start treatments. Shots everyday, towards the end I was giving myself three a day in the stomach. Each doctor appointment (they were weekly or twice weekly, I can't really remember because there were so many) they did internal ultrasounds to check follicle size and number. Along with blood work to check hormone levels. They would use this to check if your doses needed to be changed. Then when they are ready, you get a trigger shot the night before retrieval to make the eggs mature, they got thirteen, ten were mature enough to fertilize and six made it to five day embryos
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Wow, that does sound like it would be incredibly stressful. How long did it take before you knew the treatments had worked?
Kristen Bowker - After they fertilized the eggs (we had to do ICSI, which is when they take the eggs and manually fertilize them), we waited the five days for them to be ready for transfer. They then transfer them into the uterus and then it's the normal two week wait basically. They do a blood test to check HCG levels, but I knew I was pregnant because I was so sick about a week after the transfer.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson- Wow that would drive me insane. All the waiting just to see if it worked, what was that like for you?
Kristen Bowker - Nerve wracking, hoping I wasn't doing all of this to my body for it not to work. Plus with the added hormones from the treatments I was a mess.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - What was the hardest part about IVF for you?
Kristen Bowker - I think before anything started, the phone call I got saying we wouldn't be able to have kids naturally. After that it all became routine.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I can completely understand that, I can't even imagine how I would react if I had been told I could not have kids. How long did you try to get pregnant before turning to IVF?
Kristen Bowker- Two years.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - What would you say to all the women going threw or thinking about using IVF right now?
Kristen Bowker- Remember you are not the only one going through infertility. It is a lot more common than people realize. There are great groups online that have awesome support from great people going through the same thing. Although it may not seem like it sometimes, the end product is worth all the pain and emotions. I don't know what I would do without my boys in my life. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor if you have concerns about getting pregnant. My doctor was very receptive and got everything started quickly. From the time of the first preliminary test till we started treatment it was less than six months.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That's amazing and well worth the wait for those sweet babies. One last question for you, I mentioned before that a lot of people ask if my twins are natural, are you ever asked this question and if so what is your usual response?
Kristen Bowker - It depends I guess, if it's people I know I tell them it was IVF, people that are rude I tell them twins are in my family (which is true,) but a lot of the time I tell them it was IVF. It doesn't offend me though.
At this point I began to interview Jamie on her own experiences with IVF
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - So what was your own process with IVF like?
Jamie Stoller - Our actual IVF process was amazing. Everything went better than planned
Miranda M Snow Gustavson -Did you get pregnant on your first try?
Jamie Stoller - We had a long road up to that point, but once we decided that was what we wanted to do it went pretty smooth. I was able to get pregnant on our first round. They retrieved thirty five eggs (which is a lot) and twenty five of them fertilized. Then they transplanted two and we now have eight frozen. Four weeks later we found out that both had attached and we were having twins!
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - That is amazing! Twins are always so exciting. I remember being completely hysterical when I found out I was having twins. I literally could not stop laughing. What was it like for you when you found out you were having twins?
Jamie Stoller - Well the day of the transfer the doctor asked how many we wanted to put in. We had always thought two because that would just increase our chances. She kind of tried to talk us out of it because it then becomes a high risk pregnancy if they both attached, as you well know. So the day we went to our first ultrasound she was able to see two tiny babies in a matter of seconds. I think the first words out of my mouth were "shut up!" She just kind of laughed and said, "well I tried to warn you!" Once we found out we were pregnant my husband was convinced it was twins. He is a twin himself, now I will be the only person in my family who isn't a twin!
Miranda M Snow Gustavson- That is hilarious! My husband always told me that twins ran in his family so I always told him, "if I ever become pregnant with twins I will kill you!" So of course the first words out of my mouth where, "I am going to kill you!" The nurses still make fun of me every time I come in for an appointment. Was any part of IVF uncomfortable or painful?
Jamie Stoller - IVF is no cake walk. Before that I had tried different medicines, surgery, acupuncture, gluten free diets, and IUIs, none of which worked. I remember at one point my husband and I both realized that it was time for IVF. I think we both went into the whole process with a really positive outlook. We KNEW it would work. But as positive as we were it was still really hard to go through four shots a day, countless 6:30a.m. doctor visits, and the emotional uncertainty that goes along with that.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Wow, it really does sound like you had a long and difficult road before finding IVF. Not to mention having a twin pregnancy on top of it all. I am sure I know the answer but would you recommend IVF to anyone?
Jamie Stoller - I think people have to be really ready for IVF. My husband and I were very vocal about our struggle and the fact that we were going through IVF. It takes a lot out of you, and for me if I had to hide it from people it would have been that much harder.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Yes, I think I would need all of the support I could get too. It was already terrifying just to have a twin pregnancy, just so many things can go wrong, to have the uncertainty of IVF on top of that would be incredibly difficult.
Jamie Stoller - When we first realized that we were going to have a tough road getting pregnant I remember riding in the car with mom. I was explaining that I just didn't want to do IVF (this was about a year before we actually did it.) She basicaly told me that if that is what it takes to have a baby I needed to get over it. It took a long time for me to accept that was the only way it was going to happen. When I finally did, it made everything so much easier.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I am glad everything worked out in the end. Especially since it worked so well, giving you twins and everything. I mentioned before that a lot of people have asked me if my twins are natural. Have you ever been asked this and if so do you find it offensive?
Jamie Stoller - People always ask that! As open as we are I don't need to tell the clerk at the grocery store our whole story. I usually just say, "oh well my husband is a twin." People usually get excited and say, "oh well that is where it comes from!" I just smile. I dont think I am really offended by the comment. It's kind of annoying but I admit I've probably asked/wondered that in the past too.
I think some people are against IVF because it's not "natural" or for religious reasons. First of all, I don't know what "unnatural" pregnancies are. I was born to be a mom, it is totally natural. Also, we are fully convinced that our babies are a miracle. We had a little help from science and a lot of help from god. I think you really have a positive outlook, and pay attention to the people in your lives who are there to help.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - I completely agree, I would not deny being a Mom to anyone. There is absolutely nothing better. I think I have pretty much gotten everything I need. Is there anything you would like to add?
Jamie Stoller - I think that is about it, just send some good vibes that these babies arrive happy and healthy.
Miranda M Snow Gustavson - Oh I will, having twins is completely a dream. You will LOVE it!
I want to take a moment now to thank Jamie and Kristen for this chance to interview them on something that can be so personal. You are both total inspirations to all of the women going threw or considering IVF as a means to have children. I truly hope that any other women out there dealing with infertility learn as much as I did from these interviews. Thank you all so much for your time. For more information on IVF please click here.
Interview by Miranda M Snow Gustavson
Follow me and my blog on facebook by clicking the like button bellow.