We have a match!
Bring in the lawyers.
Author’s Note: For those new to Irreplicable, I was born with a genetic condition called Turner Syndrome. Assigned female at birth, I learned at the age of 12 that I only have one X chromosome instead of two. Because I have a single sex chromosome my ovaries did not develop. I don’t have any eggs with which to reproduce. I relied on estrogen and progesterone hormone therapy to go through puberty. I continue to rely on hormone therapy to maintain my health. Learn more about my diagnosis with Turner’s here. Because of a Turner’s-related heart condition, my husband and I are in the process of growing our family via surrogacy.
A notification popped up on my phone from our fertility clinic: “Great news! Your GC is medically cleared!”
I was at work seeing patients myself so I did a private little happy dance. I relayed the message to Matt and save my joy for my upcoming vacation. The milestones in this process don’t come with fanfare. No one can tell you, “THIS is the moment you should get excited about!” This was a big one, though! I was thrilled that our GC, or Gestation Carrier, had our doctor’s blessing to proceed!
We first met our GC and her husband on zoom. We met again in person when she traveled to SF for her medical clearance appointment. She prefers not to post publicly online, so out of respect for her privacy I will not not be using identifying information about her in my space. I will continue to write about my experience as an intended parent! I am feeling really well-aligned with her. I was willing to make compromises and have a lot of flexibility in the matching process. She has surpassed my expectations.
She is an experienced GC so she’s been through this process before. That was not a priority for us, but it has been nice. I was put at ease when she and her husband expressed having a positive experience with their first surrogacy journey. Since we’re still learning along the way, I’m grateful they’ve done this before!
The last step before we start an IVF cycle is getting legal documents in order. We have engaged a lawyer who is drawing up a contract for us. Our surrogacy agency provided a short list of law firms who specialize in family law. Our surrogate has her own independent legal representation who will review the contract as well. Once we all agree on the terms and sign, she will begin an IVF cycle with one of our embryos!
With so many small checkboxes and tasks to get through along the way, it can feel hard to know exactly when to celebrate milestones in this process. Making it to this step with someone we feel so positively about definitely feels like a win! I invite you to join Matt and me in hoping for a successful transfer.
Congrats to you two! <3