Mum gives birth to twins, thanks to sister's egg donation
Amber Spears and her fiancee Chris, from Melbourne, couldn't wait to start a family.
They were young, in love, had steady careers and decided that they wanted children.
But at the age of just 23-years-old, Amber started experiencing hot flushes, which increased in frequency and seriousness, until she was diagnosed with early onset menopause.
This revelation was heartbreaking for the young couple, as they were told that they couldn't naturally have children.
After having a cyst in her ovary removed and using fertility increasing drugs, nothing was working. The couple decided to try IVF.
They went through two rounds of IVF, before more medical complications deemed that neither of Ambers ovaries worked. They were unable to have a child.
Until, that is, her sister stepped forward, and offered to be her egg donor.
“I can’t even tell you how it was decided she would donate her eggs," Amber told Kidspot. "I never asked and they were never offered. It was just this bond we had that we would do anything in our power for us to make this work."
Taylor, who was 24 at the time, underwent the 20 minute procedure to harvest 9 eggs.
Unfortunately, Amber miscarried. So Taylor donated more eggs and this time it worked. Amber was pregnant, with twins!
The delivery was far from easy, Amber was discovered to have pre-eclampsia. Which is a serious condition, usually characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling. When in the advanced stages and a risk to the mothers life, the babies need to be delivered immediately.
After a C-section and a lot of blood loss, the twins, Archie James and Annalise Taylor, were born healthy.
The babies are now two months old and doing well. As for Amber, she's loving her new role as a mum:
"I'd rather stretch marks and two divine little cherubs then an amazing body with no babies!"
Amber will be eternally grateful to her sister for her gift of life.