Donor List Reject

R and I have been pouring over donor catalogs for months. Ever since KD #1 backed out we knew that using an unknown donor was an ever increasing possibility. It has me thinking…I can’t help but wonder how we’d fare if it were one of our mini bios that people were examining. I’m having a hard time eliminating people for health problems that seem minor compared to my family history. R is struggling too. She has an even more sordid medical history. She was born with a congenital heart defect that, at age 25, caused congestive heart failure. Her mother and siblings all have a heart murmur from the same valve but nowhere near as bad as hers. She had a mitral valve and tricuspid valve prolapse with an atrial septal defect. To top it all off, in the tests leading up to the surgery it was discovered that she has a backwards aorta. She had heart surgery in May 2004 and is now healthy and her cardiologist has assured that there’s no additional risk should she become pregnant. Would you pick a donor with a heart condition? I don’t think they’d even make it past the screening processes.

Sp…I came up with my own bio based on the bio provided by our bank. Would you pick me?

Donor General Information
Date of Birth: 1979
Marital Status: Living with Partner
Number of children: 0
Religion: Jewish
Occupation: Chemist
Blood Type: A+
Ethnicity: French, English, Norwegian, Native American
Race: Caucasian
Comments: not ethnic Jew, converted

Donor Physical Attributes
Height: 5′5″                          Eyebrows: Very full
Weight: overweight             Dimples: yes
Eye Color: Hazel/Green      Acne: Yes
Hair Color: Brown                Acne Info: Mild and persists into adulthood
Hair Texture: Thick            Shoe Size: 10.5
Hair Loss: none                    Body Build: Large
Hair Type: wavy                  Freckles: None
Dominant Hand: Right        Skin Tone: Medium
Face Shape: Round              Hairy: Yes
Lips: Thin                              Ear Lobes: Detached
Nose Shape: Normal            Long Eyelashes: Yes

Donor Health Information
Allergies: Codeine, bee stings, rabbits, cats, dust, grass, mold, seasonal allergies
Eyesight: poor and farsighted, corrected with bifocals or contacts
Other: GERD, PCOS, chronic skin infections

Donor Personality and Interest Attributes
Skills Hobbies and Interest: Trivia, board games, math, science, cooking, very analytical

Donor Education
In School: No                   In School Major: Chemistry and Biology
Training Type:
College Degrees: B.S.
GPA: 3.1
SAT: 1370
IQ: 138

Immediate Medical History
Mother: 5′6″ 150 lbs, large build with thin and coarse brown hair, green eyes, fair skin, right handed. Administrative assistant with some college education
Comments: Hysterectomy at 42-fibroids; In good health overall; wears glasses

Father: 5′9″ 210 lbs, average build with thick dark brown hair, brown eyes, olive skin, right handed. Farmer with some college education 
Comments: High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heavy smoker and drinker, seasonal allergies, GERD, chronic bronchitis, wears glasses

Brother: 5′10″ 165 lbs, average build with brown hair, brown eyes, olive skin, right handed. Farmer with college education
Comments: Asthma and seasonal allergies, wears reading glasses

Sister: 5′9″ 170 lbs, large build with thick wavy brown hair and brown eyes, medium skin, right handed. College Student
Comments: amεlogεnεsis impεrfεctα (dental enamel defect) , GERD, seasonal allergies

Paternal Medical History
Grandfather: 5′11″ 180 lbs with average build. Brown hair and eyes, fair skin, right handed. Business owner. Died at 75 from liver failure
Comments: liver disease, alcoholic

Grandmother: 4′10″ and 110 lbs. small build. Thick black hair and brown eyes. Beautician with trade school education
Comments: high blood pressure, strokes, cataracts, glaucoma, nearly blind

Aunt (half sibling, same mother): Breast Cancer, wears glasses

Uncle (half sibling, same mother): Migraines and severe allergies, wears glasses

Maternal Medical History

Grandmother: 5′9″ 150 lbs. with large build. Thick red hair and green eyes. Homemaker with high school education.
Comments: Alcoholic and drug use, wears glasses

Grandfather: 6′2″ 170 lbs. with large build. Thick brown hair and brown eyes. Engineer with a college education.
Comments: emphysema (heavy smoker), colon cancer in 50s, wears glasses

Uncle: 6′2″ 220 lbs. with large build. Blonde/red hair and light blue eyes. Mechanic with trade school education. 
Comments: Hodgkin’s Disease age 30

Wouldn’t you know…

I haven’t posted in over two months and the day I decide to post that I don’t know anything new from our possible donor we get a phone call from him. He is not going to be able be our donor.  

Come on economic stimulus! It’ll be just enough to buy a few rounds of chromosomes.

We Are Not Dead!

G-d, it’s been a long time since I updated. Things have been so crazy around here that I haven’t had any time to be online. I can’t believe how much time I used to spend online. I don’t even know if there is anyone out there that still cares about what’s going on with us.

What all has happened since November?

•  We found a house and moved in the week before Thanksgiving.
• I broke my foot 3 weeks after we moved in. I have been in a walking cast for the past 7 weeks and probably will be in it for at least another month. It may require surgery to repair soft tissue damage in my ankle.
• R still hasn’t found a job but is half way through her Master’s program.
• Our possible donor had some major life changing events occur in December and still has not decided if he can help us out.
• We decided to have a wedding in December and have thrown ourselves into planning for that. It has worked somewhat to alleviate the TTC stress.
• I am not really enjoying my job anymore and am looking into NC teacher’s certification in chemistry.
• We are still shopping for donors. We have narrowed it down to a bank and have a short list of donors that we like.
• I have ovulated each month on my own since Nov. It’s exciting! We will begin TTC with my body if R hasn’t conceived by August.
• We have found that there are few, if any, doctors in our area that are willing to do insems for non-traditional couples. My midwife doesn’t perform insems and said that she doesn’t know of any doctors in the area that will perform an insem for a nonmarried woman. Anyone know if someone that has a doctor in the Triad area of NC? Email me and let me know!