Expectant Amy

What you see in that remarkable photograph (which was taken today) is an ultrasound depiction of my granddaughter Amy’s womb. Two fetuses can be clearly identified. And happily, the heartbeats of both were heard and recorded. Until now, she and her husband Kevin have had tragic misfortune with their past pregnancies. All three miscarried at exactly eight weeks. But happily, with the assistance of very advanced technology, she is once again pregnant and fervently hoping to carry this gestation to term.

Having Amy’s permission, I will endeavor to provide our readers with a description of some of the technical procedures that were followed: After several weeks of medication to stimulate her ovaries to produce follicles, she was then given a dose of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) in order to initiate ovulation. Those follicles were collected trans-vaginally by Reproductive Endocrinologists who employed orthoscopy for visualization. Of the 18 collected, 13 were subsequently fertilized. But only 10 embryos survived the trip to the genetic laboratory in California. All 10 of those embryos were subjected to a pre-implantation chromosomal scan. Seven were found to have the kind of chromosomal flaws that might have predisposed them to self-abort. The remaining 3 were approved for implantation into Amy’s womb. In the meantime, to keep her womb "fertile" Amy’s menstrual cycle had to be suspended with specific hormones. Amazingly, this whole extraordinary implantation process is going forward as planned and the prognosis is very positive.

The only current discordant note is that Amy is having bouts of nausea and occasional vomiting, which is not unusual during early pregnancy. It will pass and she will soon begin to blossom with joy and anticipation. These two eager parents to be, can use all the comfort and support we can give them. It is good to know that their families and all of their friends are passionately rooting for them. But it is also good to know that God is watching closely and blessing them daily.

I am obliged to conclude with this ironic reflection: While so much is being disputed, here and abroad, about preserving a woman's "reproductive right" to abort, Amy's and Kevin's travails resonate with an extraordinary contrapuntal effect.