Last night, after writing the
blog entry yesterday “The darker side of me…” I had a startling realisation
which I wanted to share with you.
When Kirby and I did our second
round of IVF (the first where fertilisation of my eggs was actually successful)
only two of the eggs survived to become embryos (well, technically zygotes –
but I hate that term). On the day of transfer the doctor said that due to my
age they would only put one of the embryos into my womb, and freeze the other.
I was under 35 years of age and they only transfer two embryos after 35.
I didn’t fall pregnant, and sadly
the other embryo died the night after the transplant.
While this is very different to
the decision Mary and George had to make, are there not some similarities?
The doctor didn’t want to
transfer both embryos because of the potential complications with twins. I wasn’t
happy about this, but neither Kirby nor I argued for the chance of life for
both embryos. Perhaps the one that wasn’t transplanted might have survived? Did
we not choose one embryo over another because of the potential risks of having
twins, even though we knew there was a risk we would lose the embryo that was
not transplanted?
While Mary and George’s decision
was much later on and Mary was pregnant, we still were in the position where we
made a choice between our two embryos, and this could well have led to the
death of both. We trusted what the doctor said, and we lost both.
We could have potentially sought
other opinions, although time was a factor, but we didn’t. We could have
demanded that both embryos were implanted, but we didn’t.
We were devastated to lose both
and I felt much guilt and sorrow afterward.
I cannot comprehend what Mary and
George went through, but the similarities, small as they are, with regard to
choices has increased my compassion for them even more.
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