We first started to try to conceive a child in the autumn of 1997 and after a year of unsuccessful attempts we contacted a hormone clinic. We used Clomiphene pills for six months and then estrogen injections for two years but to no avail. We were referred to an IVF-clinic where we started our five attempts but since the medication did not have the desired effect only one egg retrieval was performed, and then only resulted in two eggs. They were fertilized but did not develop as they should have. The physician at the clinic recommended that we did no further attempts and instead directed our attention towards adoption or egg donation. We had already started to attend an education for adoption. Since the rules in Sweden are so strict concerning the donors, very few attempts with egg donation are made here, whereas the rules for adoption were a lot less strict and each town council could do their own interpretation of what was endorsed. We were approved as adoptive parents, but we were neither allowed to choose from which country we wanted to adopt the children nor their age and siblings were out of the question. This was a big grief for us since we during the long process of the adoption had developed an immense attachment for the children we hoped to adopt. We did after all decide to endeavour egg donation.
All this had brought us to the summer of 2003 and we undertook an egg donation treatment in Finland. It is not very far away and the physician spoke Swedish. We succeeded in the first try and had a little boy. He is very cute and popular among his friends at the daycare centre, not least among the girls. Some years later we wanted him to have a brother or sister, but by then the rules in Finland had changed and the time we would have had to wait even longer than the first time. We contacted Dr Olga instead and there was no waiting list at the clinic at the time. We were also surprised to find what a big difference there is between the treatment in Finland and Russia. The staff here at the Saint Petersburg clinic was much more conscientious. Every step in the process is slightly altered to achieve an optimal result and the age limit for donors is lower. These factors significantly increase the likelihood of success. One can also decide that the donor should have an academic exam which felt agreeable since the risk thereby is minimized for chromosome deviations and genetically predisposed brain damage. This is an advantage with egg donation compared to adoption. Another plus is that if it is oneself that is pregnant and is giving birth in Sweden one automatically will be considered to be the biological mother. One can also have an effect on the physical condition of the child by living healthy during the pregnancy. Since the looks of the donor is matched towards the mothers we have noticed that already after a few weeks the children are beginning to look like us. Research has shown that this is related to infants' good ability to copy facial expressions.
It is worth the extra hassle of going to Russia with the visa applications and the required longer stays. Once there, one is well looked after by the staff and when in Sweden one has a frequent contact by telephone and email with the doctor. We now have another wonderful son. He is almost three months old and is very keen on our company. Now at last it feels like we are a real family.
Good luck from a happy family with two children!
2009
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