1 in 6 couples struggle with infertility, but that statistic was far from my mind when my husband and I first discussed family planning. Infertility never crossed our conversations—not because we weren’t thoughtful planners, but because no one that looked like us had ever faced such challenges. We believed we had time on our side, as high school sweethearts, we were planning to wait until we graduated and established our careers before trying for our first child. Little did we know, the journey ahead would be anything but straightforward.
When we started trying to conceive, I became immersed in everything related to pregnancy. I meticulously tracked my cycle, read countless articles, and joined online communities, almost obsessing over each detail. After a year of trying with no success, we decided it was time to consult a specialist. We were optimistic, believing we were simply impatient and that time was all we needed. But after numerous tests, our optimism was challenged by a diagnosis: male factor infertility. The specialist reassured us that my fibroids weren’t a significant concern, but the reality of our situation began to sink in.
I distinctly remember the moment our doctor mentioned adoption as an option. While it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar—I was adopted by my aunt after losing my parents as a child—domestic adoption was a path we knew little about. We were still young, and the idea of adoption felt distant and uncertain. For the next 7 to 8 years, we were unsure how we would grow our family. Strikingly, none of the clinics we visited mentioned embryo adoption.
One day, after another fruitless search for answers, I stumbled across information about embryo adoption. I was eager for my husband to get home so I could share what I’d found. The idea intrigued us both, and a few weeks later, we reached out to a clinic for more details. After a consultation and fulfilling the necessary requirements, we received news that embryos were available for us to consider. We were thrilled to find that we were interested in one particular embryo. We moved forward with the process, completing therapy sessions, legal paperwork, and beginning the preparation for the embryo transfer.
The stakes were high—only one embryo and one chance at a viable pregnancy. Despite the challenges, including the isolation brought on by the pandemic, I remained hopeful. My husband couldn’t attend most of my appointments, and he wasn’t allowed in the clinic during the transfer, adding to the anxiety. But we persevered.
In January 2022, our daughter was born. Embryo adoption transformed our lives in ways we couldn’t have imagined. It also led me to a partnership that would shape our future. After discovering her helpful YouTube videos on adoption, I reached out to a woman who had already adopted domestically and was in the process of adopting again. Like me, she had learned about embryo adoption later in her journey. Our shared experiences and passion for helping others led us to create MK Adoption Services, an adoption consulting business dedicated to providing families with the resources, support, and guidance needed to navigate both traditional and embryo adoption.
Embryo adoption not only gave us our daughter, but it also inspired us to help others find their path to parenthood. Our story is just one of many, but it highlights the importance of exploring all options, even those that might be lesser-known, in the pursuit of growing a family.
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