06/06/2026
Having fertility treatment can feel like you are working hard at something friends or family do not have to. Head down, best foot forward with the hope of achieving embryos that will eventually became your hoped for child.
On this journey, the embryos develop an identity of their own. The embryologist updates you with the progress of development and formation. And it’s easy to hear the hint of optimism or sadness in their tone.
From embryo to blastocyst all the hard work of fertility treatment is resting on this moment.
Everyone hopes for 5AA, people describe it like winning the lottery, as it feels a step closer to the dreamed for child. Some do not achieve this grade of embryo but either way an embryo is a representation of hope.
Sadly what is not spoken about enough is what happens when you are asked to make a decision on the future of those embryos if they are not used in fertility treatment. Maybe you are having a break from treatment, maybe you have had one child and the thought of going through the process again is too much. Maybe you have had a pregnancy loss, birth trauma or still birth and need time to process next steps.
As a consequence many people are paying storages fees for their embryos and they can feel quite ambivalent about them and their relationship with the past and present. I had the fortune of speaking and sharing my expert opinion about the many complex emotions with
We explored the emotions, attachments and meaning given to stored embryos. If I do say so myself, it’s a really good, thought provoking article.
Thank you Vanessa for letting me hear your story and hold space.
Link to the article is in my linktr.ee or buy a hard copy