Update: Alexis Stewart's struggle to have a baby
Update: Entire article added.
Originally posted August 2nd: In the newest issue of People, Alexis Stewart, 41, daughter of author, editor and homemaking advocate, Martha Stewart, 65, shares her struggle to have a baby. In her own words, Alexis begins her story.
Click below to read..
I wanted a baby when I was 37. But when my mothergot into trouble, I couldn’t think about it. About two years ago, afterall that was over, I got back on track. I’m single now, but having myown kid is the most important thing in my life, so I am tryingeverything I can: fancy doctors, expensive drugs, high-tech procedures.Most people can’t afford what I am doing, I am really lucky; I know that. I also know it would have been infinitely easier if I’d tried to get pregnant when I was married. But my ex and I were completely ambivalent about kids. We weren’t ready. Now, I no longer have the luxury of having doubts. A child is your legacy. What better thing can you do in life than put a really good person in the world who’s going to make it a better place? And my mom’s just desperate. She has wanted grandchildren forever. Forever! She’s always like, ‘For my , I would like you to be pregnant.’ And I’m like, ‘Me too!’ My gynecologist always said, ‘Oh, I had my first kid at 40,’ so I never panicked. I actually thought it would just take a couple of months to get pregnant and then I’d be done. But I’ve learned a few things people should know. Take all these movie stars we see on magazine covers who are having babies in their 40s. If you say to a fertility doctor, ‘So-and-so just had twins at 45, he’ll tell you bluntly, ‘It’s not her egg.’ But no one says that in these articles. They don’t even say, ‘It’s an exception’ or ‘It’s very rare to have a baby in your mid-40s.’ Instead, everyone acts like it’s normal. And that creates unrealistic expectations. You know whose picture you don’t see? The movie star in her 40s who didn’t have the baby. I don’t think a lot of women know how much their chances of having a child diminish as they age. Woman also don’t know that once you turn 40, a lot of fertility clinics won’t even talk to you. They’re like ‘Hmm, we can’t help you, you’re too old.’ The first place I went to cost $10,000 a month and came highly recommended. But, like a lot of fertility clinics, they’re very worried about keeping their success rates high. When I didn’t respond to the drugs after three months, they basically said, ‘Don’t bother,’ and kept asking, ‘Why don’t you use a donor egg?’ Finally, I said, ‘You’re fired.’ Since December, I’ve been going to the New York Fertility Institute in Manhattan. The drugs cost $6,000, the doctors and in vitro fertilization procedures about $20,000 to $27,000 — a month. They give me, like, eight times as many drugs than the other place did to stimulate egg production, then check me every two to four days. I take two shots a day. Most of my friends freak out about the shots, and leave the room in tears. But if you don’t look, it doesn’t hurt. Twice, I’ve given myself shots on the street. I’m much more interested in taking my medication than in what anyone might think about me.
Once a month, I inject myself with a drug that causesme to ovulate in 36 hours. Just before the 36 hours are up, I go to thedoctor’s office and they put me under anesthesia and use an 18-inchneedle to remove about 10 eggs. Then, I go home to my apartment inTribeca, change and get ready for my Sirius Radio Show, Whatever, thatI co-host at 5 p.m.
The doctor, meanwhile, fertilizes the eggs right away, using a technique called ICSI [intra cytoplasmic sperm injection], which involves poking a hole in each egg and shoving a sperm in to create an embryo.
I’m using an anonymous donor, but not from a ‘genius’ bank. Those are creepy.
After the doctor conducts an embryo biopsy for Down syndrome and the myriad of other things you might find around the three-month pregnancy mark, he says, "Eight out of 10 are not healthy" or whatever.
Then, he tries to [transfer] the healthy embryos. I’ve had two transfers; they haven’t stuck.
Last month after my egg retrieval, the clinic left a phone message saying I should call. They were going to tell me how many embryos were healthy. I never did. I could wait a week for my next appointment to find out.
When it may be just another emotional blow, I sometimes don’t need to know right away; knowing won’t change it. If there are not healthies, I try to let it go immediately, because you can go crazy. Crazy.
But I’m not even close to stopping. I’m trying to build up a supplyof healthy embryos because ideally, I’d love to have two kids.
I tell people who are 40, or ever 35, if you have the money, freeze your eggs, or better yet, embryos. If you don’t have a husband, get an anonymous donor. That way, if you never find Mr. Perfect, you have options.
As for me, itdoesn’t hurt my body to keep trying. And if it doesn’t work? I’ll worryabout that if and when the time comes.
Source: People Magazine, August 13th issue, pg. 79-80
