Most prospective parents, when arriving at the decision to have children, presume their journey will be an exciting and rewarding one, resulting in the birth of a healthy baby. When those dreams are shattered by their inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term, they ask, “Why me?  What did I do wrong?”   The trauma of infertility is as devastating to one’s self-esteem as any other life crisis, it can destroy intimate relationships, or it can bring out the best in us. 

     Dr. Higgins, an obstetricina/gynecologist, describes her own experience becoming a mother by ovum donation, and she includes the first hand accounts of dozens of others who have turned to assisted reproductive technology (ART) in order to realize their dreams of becoming parents.

     She takes us along on their journeys as they struggle with infertility, as they explore the options that medical science now offers, as they meet obstacles, and as they adjust to repeated loss.  She also takes us into the minds and hearts of sperm and ovum donors, surrogates, and gestational carriers, looking at what makes them want to lend such an intimate, helping hand.  Are they like organ donors? Do they do it for financial gain?  When ART enters the picture and donors and surrogates are used, how should we describe their relationship to the children they helped create? And what about the children?  Are they like adoptees?  How do they understand their birth origins? And what should their parents tell them?

     Dr. Higgins’ wisdom as a well-traveled physician, who has delivered babies and counseled patients from many cultures, allows her to tackle tough practical and ethical questions from a global perspective. These questions are answered honestly, with deep compassion and respect for those courageous men and women who have sought the help of ART and who belong, as a result, to a special group of parents whose success in family-building is due to an extraordinary commitment and a selfless expression of love.