'I Want A Baby!' - Part Three

Carolyn was advised by her doctor that if she wanted a biological child, she’d need to start trying within a year—here’s how she coped with that revelation

- Collette Merritt

You might have heard a woman say, “If I’m not married by 40 or 45, I’ll have a baby alone.” As a mother of two with a very involved husband, I shudder at that thought. I’m not sure I could’ve done it by myself ! But what if you’re not in your 40s? What if you’re still quite young and you’re informed that, for any myriad reasons, your time is running out to have a baby?

Brave mum Carolyn was advised in her early 30s that her egg reserves were low. The time for a baby was now! So she investigated the facts and turned to science to make it happen. She’s a healthy, strong 34-year-old, with a successful career as a chartered accountant and a registered ballet teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. This is her story:

“Growing up, I always thought I’d do it all in the right order: meet someone, get married, then start a family. It was just a given. I concentrated on my studies in my early 20s, thinking there’d always be time later. However, we women have that clock constantly ticking loudly—something I think I was made more aware of because my best friend works in the fertility industry. Because of this, I was more exposed to the stories of infertile couples, single parents, those needing a donor egg, sperm or both.