The 54-year-old, from Sydney, Australia, spent over $53,528 on multiple rounds of ⒾⓋⒻ before welcoming her twin daughters in August 2018.
IN the 11 years Manda Epton was going through ғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs, she ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʟᴏsᴛ ʜᴏᴘᴇ that she would one day become a mother. Twin newborn as a result of her ɪɴғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇs, Manda says she now makes the most of every single second with her girls, unlike the younger mums she sees scrolling on their phones. Going ahead on her own meant between the ages of 39 and 45 she would spend a staggering $75,000 on fertility treatment. When she first looked at the possibility of becoming a mother via ⒾⓋⒻ she believed there was nothing holding her back. Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs told her from the outset she had a five per cent chance of ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ, her age meant the quality of her ᴇɢɢs ᴡᴀs ᴅɪᴍɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ.
Despite , in the decade where Manda was trying to have a baby, she went through two and a half rounds of ⒾⓋⒻ – but the third was ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʟʟᴇᴅ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴀɴ ʜʏᴘᴇʀsᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, which is an ᴇxᴀɢɢᴇʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsᴇ to ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇs. The mom ғᴇʟʟ ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴛ twice but sᴀᴅʟʏ ʟᴏsᴛ both at eight weeks. After this, she had 13 ᴅʀᴜɢ-ᴀssɪsᴛᴇᴅғᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs and ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴇᴅ a third time. She added: “I sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ with the ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs and part of me wanted to give up at points, but I really wanted children of my own. I even thought about ᴀᴅᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ, but the waiting list was seven years, and single women were at the bottom of the list.” In 2017, the mom traveled to Cape Town for a ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴇʀ which resulted in her successful twin ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ.
She said:” I got to choose the ᴅᴏɴᴏʀsand got to shop around. I come from a ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ ʜᴀɪʀ and ʙʟᴜᴇ ᴇʏᴇs ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ so chose a lovely ᴇɢɢ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ғʀᴏᴍ Sᴏᴜᴛʜ Aғʀɪᴄᴀ and got to shop around for ᴀ sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ, eventually choosing one from Dᴇɴᴍᴀʀᴋ. I spent $10,835 at the ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ and had two ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs ᴛʀᴀɴsғᴇʀʀᴇᴅ, as it was my final chance and I really wanted at least one of them to be successful. I was in the stirrups like Bridget Jones during the ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇᴅᴜʀᴇ.” and seven weeks later, after returning home to Australia, she was delighted to be given the news she was expecting twins. She added: “I was quite sɪᴄᴋ for the first five months of the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ and had ɴᴏɴ-sᴛᴏᴘ ᴠᴏᴍɪᴛɪɴɢ, and being an ᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ, I had a lot of ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs to help me along too. But both my girls came out perfectly happy and healthy.” In August 2018, after a ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ that ran fairly smoothly, her twin girls were born via Cᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
The new mum says support from family and friends has made things much easier. Her parents help take care of the girls once a week and there’s also another close friend who is now caring for the girls twice a week so her can return to work.
