About the Author
Rebecca A. Clark, M.D., Ph.D., is the lead physician in the HIV Outpatient Program at the Louisiana State University Health Science Center.
Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D., FACOG, is chair and professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Meharry Medical College, associate director of the Center for Women’s Health Research, and a board certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist.
Jill Hayes, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist in private practice and an adjunct associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. She is the coauthor, with Dr. Rebecca A/ Clark, of A Woman's Guide to Living with HIV Infection, also published by Johns Hopkins
Michelle Murphy, J.D., is in private practice.
Katherine Pucheu Theall, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center’s School of Public Health.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"I am thirty-nine years old and have been through seven IVF cycles. I got pregnant with four of the cycles, but I miscarried them all. It wasn’t clear if I could ever carry my own child.
"I was emotionally burned out from the pregnancy losses. My husband didn’t want to try again. So, I began to think about our other options. It was a painful emotional journey to think about using a surrogate. I began to see family members and friends as potential carriers. It was driving me insane.
"But selecting a surrogate wasn’t so easy. I looked at package after package and video after video trying to select just the right person. I finally chose our surrogate candidate.
"My husband and I are busy professionals so it was hard to set aside a week when both of us could fly across the country for our IVF cycle. We flew back home and waited anxiously for the pregnancy test. It was positive! Our surrogate went for her first ultrasound and then called with the news was that we were pregnant with twins. I screamed with joy.
"We flew to California for the birth and became the proud parents of twin girls. Our lives were forever changed. There is a special place in heaven for our surrogate and all the women who reach beyond themselves and selflessly give to others."―from Planning Parenthood
