A Child of Our Love

For the eight years of our marriage we have hoped one day to have children, but were not yet ready for a number of reasons. Two years ago we decided to "get serious" about it. Since we clearly would prefer not to pass VHL along to a child, we went to Lloyd’s doctor to discuss our options: adoption, pre-natal testing, or simply the old-fashioned method. After much discussion, Lloyd in particular wanted a child of his own, so we began, in our mid-thirties, to try to get pregnant. Each month we dreamed and planned and used the early pregnancy test kits, only to be disappointed. Finally, tearfully, we decided to check with my gynecologist to see if something might be wrong. Months later, after a series of tests, we discovered that Lloyd’s sperm count was so low that it would be nearly impossible for us to get pregnant.What we learned – what we wish we had known before going through this very stressful year and a half – is that the epididymal cysts in VHL can sometimes interfere with fertility. In Lloyd’s case, cysts on both sides were obstructing the normal delivery of sperm.

So now we are working to get pregnant by artificial insemination.‡ It’s been somewhat difficult to make peace with, but on the other hand it does ensure that the child will not have VHL, which we find comforting. We chose this path rather than adoption in order to experience pregnancy and go through the birthing experience together. We will create this child together, rearing it with our love.