Stories of couples gifting frozen embryos to strangers

IVF couples who made the difficult yet generous decision to gift leftover embryos to infertile strangers have shared their stories – but some endings were far happier than others.

Australian mother-of-two Natalie Parker is a startling example of how this game of trust can go horribly wrong, 60 Minutes found.

Natalie and her husband decided to donate their spare frozen embryos to a childless couple after the process successfully gave them their two sons, Angus and Hugo.

 

Australian mother-of-two Natalie Parker (pictured) is a startling example of how this game of trust can go horribly wrong, 60 Minutes found

Natalie and her husband decided to donate their spare frozen embryos to a childless couple after the process successfully gave them their two sons, Angus and Hugo 

Natalie and her husband decided to donate their spare frozen embryos to a childless couple after the process successfully gave them their two sons, Angus and Hugo 

Natalie claims that it was agreed that she would be able see the child once a year and photos would be exchanged – but the woman who accepted the donation mysteriously severed all contact and lied about miscarrying.

‘We kind of walked in with rose-coloured glasses and thought “this will all be great” because we had heard the good stories,’ Natalie told journalist Allison Langdon.

The woman had been inseminated with only two out of three embryos – and before even coming back for the third she disappeared without a trace. 

Taken aback that her generosity had been thrown back in her face, Natalie told 60 Minutes that she did a quick search on Facebook and discovered the woman had actually fallen pregnant and given birth to a baby who looked exactly like her own son.

‘That was the worst thing… because I trusted her and trusted the system,’ she explained.

‘I feel like I’ve just been used, they’ve just used me for what they wanted and tossed us aside.’ 

IVF couples who made the difficult yet generous decision to gift leftover embryos to infertile strangers have shared their stories - but some endings were far happier than others. 

IVF couples who made the difficult yet generous decision to gift leftover embryos to infertile strangers have shared their stories – but some endings were far happier than others. 

And while the generous donations from successful IVF couples can go terribly wrong, it can also go so right

And while the generous donations from successful IVF couples can go terribly wrong, it can also go so right

Despite the injustice of it all, the Parker family hit a legal brick wall and Natalie soon realised there was no feasible way the child could ever trace his genetic history back to his biological parents. 

Associate Professor Peter Illingworth, medical director of IVF Australia, said parents who accept embryonic donations have no legal responsibility to inform their child of their genetic origins.  

‘We cannot walk into every parents’ living room and tell them you have to tell you child this or you have to tell them that,’ Dr Illingworth said.

And while the generous donations from successful IVF couples can go terribly wrong, it can also go so right.

For one blended family brought together by the struggles of infertility, the entire experience has been nothing less than a ‘fairytale’.

For one blended family (pictured) brought together by the struggles of infertility, the entire experience has been nothing less than a 'fairytale'

For one blended family (pictured) brought together by the struggles of infertility, the entire experience has been nothing less than a ‘fairytale’

Koby Argall (right) donated her frozen embryo to Cathie Thomas (left) who had two beautiful babies

Koby Argall (right) donated her frozen embryo to Cathie Thomas (left) who had two beautiful babies

Koby and David Argall also found a couple online who were desperate for children, and now they count them as some of their closest friends. 

Cathie and Paul Thomas are the proud parents of IVF babies William and Hannah who share the genetic makeup of Koby and David.

‘They now are some of our closest friends and the parents of two gorgeously perfect kids born from our donation,’ Koby wrote on Facebook.

‘We are hoping that sharing our story will help others out there who have left over embryos in making a decision to donate instead of just discarding their precious little snow babies.’

Cathie (pictured) and Paul Thomas are the proud parents of IVF babies William and Hannah who share the genetic makeup of Koby and David

Cathie (pictured) and Paul Thomas are the proud parents of IVF babies William and Hannah who share the genetic makeup of Koby and David

Both sets of parents are confident they made the right choice and encourage others to look into embryo donation either as a successful couple with leftovers, or as an infertile couple hoping for a miracle.  

‘I just wish that other people would consider it instead of just defrosting their embryos,’ Koby said.

‘There are so many people out there with empty hearts and empty arms who would just love to be mums and dads but unfortunately can’t.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk