My Egg Retrieval Day – Amelia’s Journey

gender selection australia

The gender selection journey is a very personal experience and no two experiences are the same. Each family has its own make up and experiences that influence their decision to seek gender selection to have a baby boy or girl. We have been fortunate enough for one of our mums, Amelia, who felt compelled to share her journey in the hope that it would help other families understand the journey better. We hope you enjoy and get a greater understanding of the journey from reading about Amelia’s experience.


Amelia’s Journey

My dream to have a baby girl crept up on me. I wasn’t a person who grew up desperately wanting a daughter and I hadn’t really thought too much about having a girl over the years. I just assumed that I would have boys and girls. I assumed I would feel a sense of completeness after my third child and I assumed my third child would be a girl. I had been blissfully happy with my two little boys and it didn’t occur to me for one moment that I would have a third boy until I went for my 20 week scan and the sonographer confirmed I would be having my third boy. I was shocked. This was not what I had anticipated. Despite loving my little boy with all my heart I knew I had to have a girl to complete my family and it was from that moment on I decided I would undergo IVF with gender selection to achieve that goal.

It took me 367 days from that moment to be where I am today and that is at Dr Potter’s clinic in L.A for my egg retrieval. After nearly five months of planning, the big day had finally arrived. The past five months had seen me undergo all my testing, calls with Dr Potter, cycle monitoring and of course the planning of the trip. Here I was – the day of the big dance!

I had met Dr Potter three days earlier when we arrived in L.A. We had travelled directly from the airport to Dr Potter’s clinic for my final ultrasound. It was a pretty quick visit to check my eggs were ready to retrieve…everything looked great but of course I was nervous in anticipation.

I woke early on my egg retrieval day. There was a real sense of excitement and nerves which wasn’t unlike the days of my scheduled caesareans with my two boys. The feelings and emotions were very similar. I was so desperate to meet my little eggs, similar to being so desperate to meet my little boys. I just wanted to know how many there were and to feel that sense of comfort and relief that everything was going to be okay.

I was scheduled for my egg retrieval at 1.00pm, so we arrived at the scheduled time of 10.30am. We were greeted by the lovely ladies at the front desk and soon after, Dr Potter’s Nurse Lori greeted us. She hugged us with a lot of warmth and care. It felt right. We completed paperwork and after a short wait, my husband provided his sample and then it was my turn.

I was prepared for treatment and it wasn’t unlike when I had minor surgery. I met Dr Potter’s team and just before I went in for my treatment I was able to spend some time with Dr Potter. He was easy to talk to, calm and friendly. He was optimistic about the outcome and helped calm my nerves which by this time were at an all time high. The anticipation was playing havoc with me.

By 2.00pm that afternoon, my eggs had been harvested and despite having some bloating and a little discomfort I mainly felt relief that the hard work was over. Dr Potter told me that he had retrieved 13 eggs. I knew that not all of them would make it to testing but it felt like a good number to start with, a solid base. Now all my fingers and toes were crossed that these little eggs would grow and develop into healthy embryos.

After such an emotional day, my husband and I decided to have a mini celebration. I didn’t feel like going out but we were able to have a lovely dinner and a small glass of wine at the hotel. It very much felt like the beginning of something very special.