05/13/2007

Another path to motherhood

Transferring embryos is an option for prospective parents

By
Record-Eagle staff writer

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Mike and Nicole Bell with their three children, Leah, 4, in front, and 1-year-old twins Paige, left and Michael.

TRAVERSE CITY — Nicole and Mike Bell have had the entire parental experience with their twins Michael and Paige.

They waited out the pregnancy with all of its usual anxieties and joys.

They saw the ultrasound images of the babies in the womb.

She gave birth by caesarean section and breast-fed the babies for about six months.

The couple has watched them grow to 15 months — Michael, an outgoing redheaded boy; Paige, whose smile is so wide her pacifier can't cover it.

They've shared everything with the twins except one.

Their DNA.

"It's all the same to me, but I don't know any differently,” Nicole said.

The biological parents had the embryos frozen in November 2002, the third day after they were fertilized.

A physician at the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, Tenn., transferred them to Nicole's uterus in August 2005 and she gave birth in June 2006.

"As hard as it was to go through, I wouldn't want any other children,” Nicole said. "These are the ones God intended us to have.”

There are fertility clinics throughout the country that provide embryo transfer, but the NEDC claims to be unique in that it receives both donors and clients from throughout the United States.

The eggs generally come from people who have undergone fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization resulting in more eggs than needed. The NEDC does not charge for the eggs, though there are costs for other services.

The agency's Web site estimates the cost of application, embryo transfer, study of the couple's home to make sure they're suitable to adopt and other services at between $4,560 and $5,360. That doesn't include travel, medications and coordination with a local physician.

More people are starting to have the procedure, said Marti Bailey, spokeswoman for the center, which is part of Baptist Hospital for Women. The organization performed 78 transfers in the three previous calendar years; with eight in 2004 and 39 in 2006.

"I think people are becoming more aware,” Bailey said. "There's a lot of people out there that don't know it's an option.”

The transfers resulted in 43 pregnancies, 10 of which were miscarriages.

Of the 33 successful pregnancies, 10 resulted in twins, so 43 babies were born.

Mike and Nicole have been married for 14 years and learned they were infertile about nine years ago.

The couple have an older adopted daughter, Leah, 4. She was excited to have a new brother and sister.

"They're really nice,” Leah said. "They're occupied when the cat's up.”

The Bells adopted her during her mother's pregnancy. She had agreed to give Leah to the Bells at birth.

But they chose to do it a different way the second time around.

Nicole learned of the NEDC online and worked with them through the Bethany Christian Services office in Traverse City.

"We felt led to this,” Nicole said. "We prayed about it.”

The Bells agreed to take eight embryos, all from the same donor parents, whom they've never seen a picture of. They had three eggs implanted to better the odds of at least one surviving.

Now they must decide what to do with the remaining five embryos. Do they want more children or will they donate them back to the center for others who may want them?

"I feel very strongly about those embryos,” Nicole said.

She's glad she opted for the transfer.

"Being able to hear them cry right after they were born, it was an incredible experience to have,” she said. "You get to welcome them and see them in.”