TCM & Egg Donor Success

Whether through adoption or egg donation, both are great options for families seeking to have children.

After multiple failed attempts with egg donation, she turned to NUWA for traditional Chinese medicine adjustments. Fang Fang, who married in Taiwan from abroad, experienced three failed IVF attempts and discovered she had a chromosomal translocation issue. Decisively, she opted for egg donation, matched with suitable blastocysts, and even used heparin and various immune medications, yet faced three failed implantations! Last year, she came to NUWA TCM. Seeing her slim figure, dry skin, and cold extremities, I started her on herbal remedies to nourish her blood, acupuncture, and foot baths, along with monitoring her basal body temperature. Three months later, she successfully implanted the remaining two 3BB blastocysts during a natural cycle and gave birth to a daughter this month.

On the day of her positive pregnancy test, Fang Fang cried with joy. She shared that the good embryos had not raised their β-hCG levels during her previous three implantations, not even achieving biochemical pregnancies. Initially, she only wanted to implant the remaining embryos to avoid regrets, but unexpectedly, she achieved success through traditional Chinese medicine treatment and natural cycle implantation!

Through years of advocacy and calls for awareness, I hope everyone understands that the number of eggs is fixed at birth. As women age, their eggs also age, and so far, there’s no method to rejuvenate eggs like there is for skin through anti-aging treatments; unlike sperm, which can be produced in batches.

During my college years, it was common to hear the phrase "a junior alert, no one wants a senior" applied to fertility, reminding women to prioritize childbearing. However, with rising education levels and career achievements, many women may forget how quickly their childbearing years pass. This was particularly evident for those in the '70s and '80s; economic growth and underdeveloped egg-freezing technology meant that by the time they wanted to have children, it became challenging. In the past, adoption was often the only option to have children; now, with the help of assisted reproductive technology, young women with loving hearts can donate eggs, leading to successful fertilization and allowing the embryos to develop in their uterus, giving them the experience of motherhood. Yet, before preparing for egg donation, many women grapple with inner struggles and worry about their ability to love the child.

In the past twenty years, I have seen children born from egg donation grow, the oldest now in high school. The embryos grow in the mother's uterus for ten months, and the physiological and psychological changes during pregnancy lead to the recognition that the embryo is their own. After childbirth, they regard the child as their own. This bond of nurturing cannot be equated to mere genetic inheritance!

In the Book of Exodus, there is an account of Moses being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, and becoming part of the royal family. Nowadays, almost every family has iPads or iPhones; even Apple's founder, Steve Jobs, was adopted. I have a good friend who also wanted to have children and met me through a referral to the clinic. Sharing similar thoughts and beliefs, we became good sisters. After three failed IVF attempts, she and her husband decided to adopt, fulfilling their desire for parenthood while also providing a better environment for another child to grow. Since my friend lives across the street from my daughter's elementary school, every Wednesday afternoon during third and fourth grades, my daughter would go over to play with the new child who was still adjusting to their environment, and they’d share a meal. This year, that little one is in kindergarten and has formed a strong bond with their adoptive parents.