One option open to women with Turner's who want to have a child is In-Vitro Fertilization. For a Turner's woman this usually means donor eggs, as their body is not able to produce one on its own. The eggs are then fertilized with her husband's sperm, and once they have been fertilized, they are then inserted in the uterus with a catheter. If a more that 2-3 eggs are retreived from the donor, the rest can be frozen in liquid nitrogen, and used at a later time, if the couple wishes.The success rate is quite variable, but it seems to be at about 30-35% at this point in time. This is something to consider, because it does cost a fair amount to go through the procedure, and obviously, there are never any guarantees that it will work. Your doctor however, can tell you the things you should or shouldn't do in order to have the best possible chance for success.
The few days prior to the procedure usually mean taking hormones, and quite a bit of monitoring by ultra- sound, as the lining of the uterus must be a certain thickness to provide the greatest chance for success. On the day of the procedure, you don't have to do anything special, but plan afterwards to just spend a quiet day, doing NO heavy lifting, or excercise, and if possible, having a few days or a week off work at the time would probably be a good idea.
You will not know the identity of the donor (unless of course you find your own, which some people have done), but you will be given the physical characteristics (i.e. age, build, hair and eye colour)and a medical history (i.e. previous pregnacies, cancer in the family, mental problems, and other information that could be important to your child's health if you do get pregnant).
The two weeks after the procedure usually mean continuing to take hormones (usually in the form of suppositories, or injections, to give you the proper dosage), and a lot of waiting. It's best to find things to do occupy your time, or the waiting can be almost UNBEARABLE! The cost of the procedure varies from hospital to hospital and clinic to clinic, so it can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars, to tens of thousands, depending on how many times you have to go through the procedure, and where. Some hospitals actually have a donor egg program, so look into this as well.
Some hospitals also have a program for embryo donation. Sometimes, after a woman has gone through the procedure and has a child, the couple decides that they do not wish to use the rest of the embryos that resulted from the fertilization. In this case, they will often donate them, so that another couple could try to have a child as well. Most hospitals that offer this option will require that both couples have a certain amount of counselling before making a final decision.
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