Carolina Conceptions assists many women who pursue independent motherhood. Depending on the woman, our team can either work with a patient’s cycle naturally or pursue more advanced options like intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).
For patients Wendy and Jamie, they began their fertility journeys by freezing their eggs for future pregnancy.
Choosing Egg Freezing
Wendy came to Dr. Meaghan Bowling at Carolina Conceptions to freeze her eggs. Her mother went through early menopause, so she chose to preserve her eggs proactively.
Wendy initially went to a different clinic, but she did not feel well connected and did not receive thorough explanations about her ovarian reserve testing. Wendy said her experience coming to Carolina Conceptions felt more personal.
“I went, felt welcome that they explained everything, and I went, ‘Okay yeah, this feels a little more personable than just being a number,’” Wendy said.
Jamie chose to freeze her eggs as well because of her diminished ovarian reserve. After a referral from her obstetrician, she came to Carolina Conceptions since she knew of the clinic’s successful outcomes.
Using Stored Eggs to Become Pregnant
Wendy started considering using her eggs frozen in storage to become pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic slowed down, she came back to Carolina Conceptions ready.
“When I was more settled in my career and financially ready for a child, I still had not found a significant other,” Wendy said. “So, I decided to go for it by myself using the previously preserved eggs and an anonymous sperm donor.”
Wendy said the hardest part of the process was choosing a sperm donor. She found it difficult to narrow down donors based on so many factors, but she found Seattle Sperm Bank’s photo matching service helpful in her decision.
Wendy used her frozen eggs for IVF, and implantation went smoothly after her embryo transfer. She said the Carolina Conception staff explained the process well and helped with any questions along the way.
“Anytime I had a little question, I sent them to the little portal and got answers right away or called to keep my peace of mind,” Wendy said.
When Jamie chose to return to Carolina Conceptions, she met with Dr. Lauren Johnson to decide the best treatment plan. They chose to first try IUI with donor sperm.
Jamie sometimes felt hopeless or thought her treatment would be unsuccessful. Fertility treatment challenged her financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically.
“A lot of people don’t really talk about [infertility], so you don’t really know how many people actually are going through it,” Jamie said. “I started to be more vocal about it, and a lot of people ended up messaging me and telling me that they were going through the same thing. They were really encouraging and made me feel not so alone.”
After three unsuccessful IUI cycles, Dr. Johnson and Jamie moved on to IVF. Throughout the process, Jamie said she had an amazing experience with Dr. Johnson. Jamie said it was meaningful to have a doctor who listened and made her feel comfortable.
During Jamie’s third IVF cycle, she became pregnant with twins. During the fifth week of her pregnancy, she got an ultrasound for a subchorionic hemorrhage.
“It said I had a subchorionic hemorrhage, and it also said twins,” Jamie said. “That was very surprising, but also I knew it was a possibility. I was freaked out at first, and then I was really excited.”
Starting Independent Motherhood
Wendy and Jamie soon welcomed their babies. Wendy gave birth to her son Tobias, and Jamie had a C-section with her daughter Remi and son Silas.
Wendy chose single parenthood because she was ready for kids, and she did not want to settle on finding the right partner. Her family helps and supports her with Tobias, and she keeps a positive mindset. Wendy said being a mom is tiring but rewarding.
“I know a lot of people seem to think you need a husband, but people can do it themselves,” she said. “When I was ready, I was like, ‘We’re doing this.’ And every step of the way I had encouragement.”
Jamie chose single parenthood because she had not found the right partner to start a family, but she wanted to become a mom. She pursued independent motherhood with ongoing support from her family and friends.
“I am a single mom by choice and with the help of Dr. Johnson, I was able to conceive my beautiful twins who complete our little family,” Jamie said.
