Dalia's Story I was 37 when I first tried to conceive. We knew it was kind of late, but didn't think it would pose a serious problem. After 9 months of trying, I went for tests but they found nothing. We decided to go to a fertility counselor who recommended various natural methods for improving fertility, but I didn't get pregnant. Additional tests showed that I had benign tumors in my uterus. I had an operation to have the tumors removed. The operation was a success and we believed that our problem had been solved. It was a full year later when we turned to IVF. My ovaries barely responded to treatment and only during the third cycle were there enough eggs to justify aspiration (even then there were only four). Of the four, only two survived the aspiration and neither of the remaining eggs was fertilized. The doctor said that my eggs were old and of low quality and that it was futile to continue trying using them. I took it very badly. I was only 41. One doctor suggested that perhaps the tumors had contributed to the early aging of the eggs. When we understood that we would not be able to contine with my ova, we decided to find out about egg donation. The medical center explained the need to synchronize cycles with the donor... It took another few months until we were notified that a donor had been found. In the meantime, I took medications that made the necessary synchronization possible. As it happened, the donor had a large number of eggs. Eight were given to us. Six were fertilized and four continued to develop. We decided to transfer two embryos and to freeze the remaining two. We were worried that taking care of twins might be difficult, but the doctor recommended that we go ahead and transfer two, saying that the likelihood that both would implant was very low and that we would have a better chance of achieving pregnancy. After what seemed like a never-ending wait, we discovered that both embryos had implanted in my uterus! We discovered that taking care of twins was really as difficult as we had thought it might be... but far more rewarding than we ever could have dreamed. We had a difficult time deciding what and when to tell the children and our friends and family, much like parents who adopt a baby. We came to the decision that it is best to be open with the children and that they grow up with egg donation as a natural part of their lives.