First baby at 43 with help of IVF
Amanda Gordon didn’t plan on having her first child at 43 but she didn’t meet her husband Sean until she was 35.
They got married a couple of years later and started trying for a baby soon after with no luck. Eventually they turned to Fertility Associates.
The couple’s first appointment, when Amanda was 40, revealed she had a low ovarian reserve while Sean had low sperm motility.
They had a first round of IVF and four eggs were successfully fertilised but none took, at which point the couple were told their best option would be an egg donor.
Amanda said they were overwhelmed with support and a family member agreed to donate eggs for them.
After one miscarriage and two embryos which didn’t take, Amanda fell pregnant at the age of 42 and gave birth to a healthy little boy who is now 6 months old. Having a baby later in life had pros and cons, she said. The extra life experience better prepared her for the sometimes difficult IVF journey and the couple were financially more stable. But she did have some minor complications during pregnancy including pre-eclampsia and an emergency caesarean section.
But, she said their “beautiful” son Lachlan was worth the $40,000 they spent on IVF, although she warned others IVF was “not a magic bullet”. — Amy Wiggins