This past week was Men’s Health Week. Our lecture content consisted of topics such as: Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction (ED), and various cancers. Infertility was also covered over the past couple weeks. It is incredible how many things can go wrong with trying to conceive a child. Men and women can carry recessive disorders that may prevent the embryo from developing properly. It may just be a time of the month when the woman has not ovulated yet. The uterus in the female may not be able to house the embryo as it develops into a fetus. Or the man may not be able to achieve an erection for various reasons. There are so many obstacles that could pose a threat to the baby, that there are careers made in helping couples conceive. This brings me to my story.
I, Dustin Harris, was conceived 23 years ago through In Vitro Fertilization, or IVF. If it wasn’t for science I may not have made it here today. I am not aware of all the details of why my parents could not conceive, but it doesn’t change the story. My parents wanted children and UCSF was able to make that dream a reality. With IVF, there is a high chance of multiple births and I may have been a quadruplet at one point. But, now I am a twin. My parents wanted another child after my brother and I were born. I remember my father giving my mother injections into her gluteus maximus of what I assume was a hormone. Though fate was not kind enough to smile on them again and give them another genetically related child. So they chose to adopt and now I have my younger sister whom I love with all my heart.
Intercourse may not be an option for how some couples can conceive. Thanks to many brilliant minds we have ways around nature’s obstacles. From IVF to surrogacy, having a genetically related child is very possible for most couples. Though adoption is a fantastic option also. If your dream is to have kids in the future, see a doctor and find out the best way to go about this process.
