Making Babies Personal IVF Stories

Making Babies: Personal IVF Stories

To mark the 30th birthday of Australia's first 'test-tube' baby, Scribe Publications is releasing the popular anthology, Making Babies: Personal IVF Stories as an e-book.

On 23rd of June 1980 Candice Reed made headlines as Australia's first IVF baby and the world's third. She was born in Melbourne, thanks to a team of scientists at Monash University, lead by Professor Alan Trounson.

Since then almost 100,000 Australian IVF babies have been born and today one in every 33 newborns is a product of assisted reproductive technology.

Making Babies tells the intimate and candid stories behind the statistics. Journalist and IVF mother Theresa Miller interviewed 14 people about their very difference experiences.

"Some of the people in this book were successful, some failed after many attempts, and others are still on the IVF treadmill. I interviewed people from all walks of life- heterosexual couples, gays, singe women, gamete donors and recipients. No matter what their journeys, all expressed an overwhelming desire to become parents," Theresa Miller says.

"I am incredibly grateful to everyone who shared their tales of joy, grief, and disappointment. And I'm constantly buoyed by emails from readers saying this book has not only helped them decide whether IVF is the right choice for them but that it has also given them support during the sometimes bumpy IVF ride."

Making Babies is already sold in some fertility clinics and Scribe's decision to offer a digitised version to commemorate this historic 30th anniversary, will make this gripping memoir even more accessible to the fifteen per cent of couples touched by infertility.

www.makingbabiesivf.comMaking Babies: Personal IVF Stories
Scribe
Author: Theresa Miller
ISBN: 981921215469
Price: $29.95
E-book Price: $23.95

Interview with Theresa Miller

What made you decide to put together Making Babies: Personal IVF Stories?

Theresa Miller: My husband and I had been through IVF; we tried for five years, naturally, to conceive and weren't having any luck. I really resisted the idea of doing IVF because the only books I could find at the time were one very negative memoir of a woman who tried for years and didn't have any success and had terrible side affects and the others were very dry text books. I had this idea that IVF would be this very horrible experience and that my hormones would be up and down and all over the place. I believed that it would be nastier than it was which is why I resisted it. We did go to an IVF clinic and I remember the IVF nurse saying "the first lot of drugs we give you put you into mini-menopause" at the time I thought 'that is terrible, I'm only in my thirties!' So, we put off IVF for another two years.

Finally, we tried IVF and we got pregnant on the first round, which is almost unheard of. We now have a beautiful little girl, Zoe and subsequently later we had another daughter who was a surprise home-grown baby, against all odds. We are very blessed to have two beautiful girls.

I was blown away by the whole experience and really wish there had been a book around, like this one, when I was exploring the idea of IVF.


How did you collate the stories for the book?

Theresa Miller: I put an ad on a parenting website, for anyone who wanted to share their stories of IVF. I was absolutely inundated with people who wanted to share their stories, that is when I though 'this is a book that needs to be written'. From the hundreds of emails I received, I choose to interview 20 people and from there I selected 14 stories for the book.


Can you share with us some information from one of the stories in the book?

Theresa Miller: There are varied stories from your run-of-the-mill heterosexual couple who tried IVF and succeed or they don't succeed and they end up giving up and adopting. There is also a gay couple in the book and a single women as well as an egg donor who donated her eggs to a near-stranger and now her family and the family she donated to are bonded, because they created a child. There is a story about one woman who had to accept a donated egg and donated sperm to make her children. The book contains stories from all walks of life.

The stories show what other couples and individuals went through. I have received emails from readers who say that it really helped them realise that they're not going mad and the experiences that they went through with IVF are what a lot of people go through.

A lot of the stories, even the happy ones are quite emotional and have emotional rollercoaster's in them. There are a few women who have endless, endless rounds of IVF and miscarriages until they finally have a baby, although, some don't and some decide after countless episodes that maybe it's not going to be and they go and adopt or they decide to live as a childless couple.

People say you do need a good box of tissues to read this book.


Who would you recommend this book for?

Theresa Miller: I think that the book is good for anyone who is experiencing IVF or who wants to weigh up if IVF is for them or not, reading about other people experiences can help them decide whether it is good for them. It is also good, if you're going through IVF and you want your family, maybe your parents, or your extended family to understand what you're going through.


Why do you believe many Australians are assisted by reproductive technology these days?

Theresa Miller: Many couples are leaving child bearing until later in life, which can cause problems. IVF has become more accessible as for some time Medicare was assisting with the costs related to IVF. Also, now days people aren't as hung up on seeking help as in the past; prior couples would just think 'Oh well, it's not meant to be' and live a childless life.

Many couples are desperate to have kids now and they often go to their doctor for advice who suggests IVF. What we need to remember is that IVF isn't the silver bullet. Only 30% of those who try IVF end up with a baby in their arms.
More and more women are choosing to have children later in life and thinking that they can use IVF, if need be. Once you're over 35 you are really pushing it. If you want children, you need to begin trying earlier in life.

40% of infertility is a woman, 40% is the man and 20% is combined and unknown factors. Some STD's and environmental factors contribute to infertility in women. Whilst, chemicals can affect a man's sperm count and smoking or generally being unhealthy or overweight also contributes to infertility.