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[quote=Anonymous]I had twins via IVF, also without the use of any donors. I am very open with my children. I want them to know that no topics are off limits with me. I may decline to answer a specific question for various reasons (which we may discuss), but they should never be afraid to ask. We had discussed conception in vague terms before, but we had the official, in-depth sex talk last year, when they were 9. One of them immediately blurted out, “Ew, you guys did that to have us?!” I don’t ever want them to think that I mislead them or lied to them, so I came clean and explained that we had trouble conceiving and needed help from doctors using fertility treatments, so we did a lot more than have sex in order to have them. As they have asked questions, I have answered them. They know that the sperm and eggs used to conceive them were combined in a laboratory. They take it as a matter of fact and currently don’t seem to have any strong feelings about it — but I anticipate that we will have ongoing discussions for years to come and their feelings may change over time.

One of my children has special needs and we have often had to fill out forms for specialists that asked about the circumstances of my pregnancy. If you don’t have children with special needs, you might be surprised what information doctors, psychologists, speech therapists, etc., find relevant, long after your child’s birth. I consider the fact that they were conceived via IVF to be part of my childrens’ medical histories. It’s not information that should be withheld forever.[/quote]

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