You may have heard of the ROPA method (Reception of Oocytes from the Partner), an Assisted Reproduction technique that allows both women to actively participate in the gestation process.
This method, besides being a viable alternative for couples who want to have biological children, represents a unique opportunity to strengthen emotional bonds and build an even deeper connection between the two future mothers.
Here you will find detailed information about the ROPA method and the testimony of a couple who have gone through this experience.
“We arrived in Shanghai the day they closed the borders due to the coronavirus, and Daphne was pregnant. The pandemic, a different country, a foreign language, a different culture, different rules...
Since we started our relationship, we both agreed that we wanted to start a family. We decided on the ROPA method because we didn't want to involve anyone else, we wanted to ensure the baby's health and that it would be from both of us.
A friend told me about the Institute, we had an online consultation, and in 2019 we started the studies. We were both eligible, but we decided that I would get pregnant first, although we were both stimulated, and it was very intense.
I was swollen and very uncomfortable, with injections every day, mood swings, very tired, and I also had polycystic ovary syndrome, so it was challenging.
On the day of the transfer, my progesterone levels were high, but Daphne was ready, so she would be the one to carry the baby. We didn't expect it to be two. On February 5th, we received the news.
After that, we traveled from Mexico to Shanghai, and on that day, they closed the borders. We were terrified of all the risks involved in traveling or going to any hospital. Where would they be born?
It took us 24 hours to enter the country, and we were under mandatory quarantine. They put a chip outside our house to see if we left, we had to report if we had a fever, and in the meantime, we continued with the medication prescribed in Mexico.
Here, a pregnancy at 35 years old is very high-risk, especially since it was in vitro. Daphne was hospitalized for a while, but today China is the safest place. They underwent many tests, and we had to go every eight days since they were going to be born, and each time we had to provide a COVID test, but I couldn't go to the appointments.
We couldn't be together during the birth. When they were born, Daphne had a fever and couldn't dilate, and they asked me to sign many papers... I was afraid. They performed a cesarean section and removed the babies.
I asked: "Are they okay? How is Daphne? What are they?" In China, it's prohibited to know the sex, you can't even see it on ultrasound, but I always knew they were boys.
After three days, they let us see them, but we were only allowed to take Giovanni. After four days, we went back for Yanick and it was an enormous joy. We crossed the world in the midst of a pandemic to have them, we desired them with all our might, and they were made with so much love, they are a little piece of both of us.
We froze Daphne's embryos and we want to go back to the institute to have their brother or sister. Now it will be my turn. If you have the opportunity and it is your dream to be a mother, don't think twice.
Despite all the processes, you will go through because it is not easy: the hormones, the pregnancy, the pain of childbirth... but once they smile at you, it is worth it. Absolutely everything is worth it."
If you and your female partner are looking to have a baby, you have the option of the ROPA method at Ingenes. It is the way for same-sex couples to have a baby that is 100% both of yours, through the Partner Oocyte Reception Method.
It is carried out through the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique to form an embryo with the egg of one woman, which will then be implanted and gestated in the uterus of her partner.
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