The ROPA method to get pregnant is an assisted reproduction treatment, which allows couples to experience a shared maternity; that is, to have a son or daughter that will belong to both of them. This was the case of Guadalupe, who together with her wife had little Matías; she tells you her story here.
Among the different alternatives offered by Assisted Reproduction, there is a treatment called the ROPA Method, also known as shared maternity, which uses the technique of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to form an embryo with the egg of one woman, which will be implanted in the womb of another .
Although this use of IVF is more commonly known and used in processes such as surrogacy, scientific advances in this field allow us to expand its application to consolidate the dream of millions of couples of women who have decided to become mothers.
The ROPA Method of getting pregnant, carried out with two-woman same-parent families, involves using the egg of one woman to form an embryo, with the support of a sperm donor. Once the embryo has successfully developed, is implanted in the womb of the other woman.
In this way, one of them will become the biological mother and the other the gestational mother; however, both will be providing their genetic material to the embryo. In this way, couples who decide to undergo the ROPA Method can live their maternity as a couple and thus grow their family.
"Our family may not be in the norm, but it has as much love and even more love than anyone else's. My partner and I had already been together for 8 years when we talked about having a baby. My partner and I had already been together for 8 years when we talked about wanting to have a baby. We set out to explore all the options and came across the ROPA Method for getting pregnant.
We researched everything about this on the internet, we went to all the websites we saw, and we did find different alternatives for us, like artificial insemination, but this was always our first option. To start with, we first went to a gynecologist and we tried three times, but it never worked .
He was very sincere, I thank him very much, he told us that he didn't know exactly why it didn't work and he recommended the Institute, he said it was safe here.
I looked them up and registered online, they called me for the appointment and when we arrived with our fertility specialist here, everything he told me made me feel that he really knew what he was talking about. He inspired a lot of confidence in us; although, I also felt worried because doing an Assisted Reproduction treatment involves so many illusions, and the truth, a lot of expenses.
They explained to us about the multi-cycle programs which are more complex and more likely to be successful, but the cost is something you are not prepared for, honestly. What made us continue was that here they gave us the guarantee that if we didn't make it, we would get our money back, that made the difference and we were super encouraged to try it.
Before I came here they hadn't given me a diagnosis as such, I didn't really think I needed one, but before anything, before they told us about the packages and everything, they told me that they needed to assess my uterus, my ovaries, my whole reproductive health, because that could generate adjustments with medications, interventions or other tests; to personalise my treatment and give me as much of a chance as they could for us.
After the evaluation I was told that I had polycystic ovary syndrome, and although that was not an impediment to having my baby, having more than one IVF cycle would be much safer.
My wife and I talked it over, checked the options and decided on the 3 cycle In Vitro Fertilization plan with a guarantee, with which we would get 50% of the money back in case we didn't make it. It was a big challenge to put it all together, but we would be much more relaxed this way.
In the first cycle we had hormone injections and we both took the medication, we both prepared ourselves, we went through each injection together and that gave us strength, you can imagine the two of us full of hormones together, the house was suddenly upside down with both of us crying; but apart from that we did very well in all the preparation.
When the time came, my partner had her egg retrieval, and we chose the perfect donor from the bank that they also have here, everything was ready and I was a bundle of nerves! Then they implanted the embryo in my womb, there are no words to describe that magical moment, when they put it in I saw a sparkle on the screen, like a little star shining there.
I had a pregnancy test and it was positive, but there was no embryo. That was something so strong, I still remember it and it's hard for me a little bit; that's the strongest part of all this, not the injections, not the waiting, doing everything, getting your hopes up and everything falling apart in a second when there's nothing on the ultrasound.
We waited a month after that, my doctors met to review everything we had done, consult with others who were also there, and explained to us that we would change the process a little bit for this new cycle number two.
That wasn't all that changed, we also changed our mentality, because before we were so scared, I was so uncertain; but in this second IVF I tried to be as positive as possible, to try to think only that it was going to happen.
We tested positive again, but now we wanted to take everything calmly, not to get too upset, and wait as quietly as possible; and just three weeks later, we heard her heart! His beautiful little heart was there, inside me beating with all its strength, it was so fast, so loud, that was the best moment of my whole life.
My wife and I were together the whole time, from the second we decided to go for the ROPA Method to get pregnant and even when Matias was born, that was so exciting!
I want to take this opportunity to address all women couples who are thinking of becoming mothers, I want to tell them not to worry about what people will say, go for it! There is not just one definition of family, there are all kinds of families in Mexico and all over the world, and what matters most is your desire and your desire to share all your love with a being that will belong to both of you. Nothing and no one else matters!
Our family may not be the norm, but we have as much love as the others and even a lot more, I am absolutely sure of it. We are 2 mums who love him and my Mati has 2 pairs of grandmothers and grandfathers, we are the luckiest in the world.
Today, everything we do is around him, and Matías will always have one or the other, I am completely reassured because he will always have someone by his side.
If you and your partner are considering using the ROPA Method to become pregnant , it is important that you and your partner see a fertility specialist to assess your reproductive health and provide you with an Assisted Reproductive Technologies treatment accordingly.
For the woman who decides to contribute eggs, it will be particularly important to assess her ovarian reserve. For the woman who will be carrying the baby, it is important that her uterus and the rest of her body are in optimal condition.
If you would like to share motherhood with your female partner, we invite you to click here and tell us more about your story and chart the best way to have your baby.
