One baby, four parents: assisted reproduction for two couples in New Zealand

Egg donation by another woman in New Zealand and elsewhere has become a successful solution for childless couples who want to have a baby. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was first undertaken in New Zealand in 1983 (1). Approximately 5 in 100 couples have IVF in New Zealand, and 450 IVF babies are born each year (2). In this article, two women and two men who underwent this assisted reproductive process describe, in question-and-answer format, their experiences from their initial meeting and proposal, evaluation, egg retrieval and implantation, and pregnancy, to the birth of a healthy infant. Petra is the egg donor and genetic mother and Adam is her husband, Donna is the recipient and biological mother, and Erich is her husband and the genetic/biological father. Lorelai, the baby, was born on 27 November 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand.