A woman has become a mum for the first time at 52, and says she and her husband aren’t done having kids yet.
Luise Hoehn from Lowell, Massachusetts, gave birth on Christmas Day after trying for a baby for six years.
She and her partner Dean Biele, 47, tried to conceive with the help of IVF therapies and donor eggs.
The IVF failed a devastating six times, which cost over $115,000 [£95,617], while the donor eggs cost $75,000 [£62,359].
But even though they spent more money on trying to get pregnant than buying their home, Luise says their baby Stellan is ‘priceless’.
Luise and Dean met in 2007 when Luise was 37, and the couple didn’t start fertility treatment until nine years later.
Luise, then 46, was already over the cut-off age for many clinics and when the couple did find a specialist, they learned their insurance wouldn’t cover most of the treatment because of her age.
The new mum said: ‘Before meeting Dean, I’d never met someone I wanted a family with.
‘I had a fulfilling job as a nanny, helping to raise other people’s children and simply thought I would meet the right person and one day have my own.’
She and Dean tried to conceive naturally at first once they bought a house together in 2012, but Luise admitted she was naïve to not be concerned about her fertility as she entered her forties.
She said: ‘When I was 42 my doctor asked if I wanted to talk to an IVF specialist.
‘It had never occurred to me to freeze my eggs and I believed it would happen naturally, so I said no.’
When she was 46, her period stopped for two months, and a doctor broke the news that she may be perimenopausal.
She said: ‘Thankfully it wasn’t the start of menopause, but the scare made me stop waiting for something to happen naturally.’
In 2016, the couple had their first IVF consultation, and they were recommended to opt for donor eggs.
Louise said: ‘I was very disappointed. The doctor said I would have more success with donor eggs because I was past the ideal age for trying with my own eggs, but I decided to try with them anyway.’
After Dean and Luise got married in February 2017, the future mum underwent her first IVF cycle in March 2017.
When that attempt failed, the couple worked with a local doctor for two more cycles before moving to another clinic five hours away in Manhattan for three more cycles.
Luise said: ‘My husband’s insurance paid for the first round and half the second round.
‘After that, we are fortunate that Dean has a job that afforded us the opportunity to keep trying more IVF cycles, and we had to keep trying because it was what we both wanted.’
By 2019, the couple agreed to search for a donor egg.
Luise said: ‘I am over the moon with the donor, she matches me perfectly.
‘Ethnically, she could be my sibling, but also her personality and characteristics meant she was an ideal match for what I was looking for as my stand-in for my genetic half.
‘It was important I found someone who represented me and I went through several agencies.’
The couple transferred their first embryo in May 2022, and eight days later, Luise had a positive pregnancy test.
She said: ‘I didn’t make a big announcement on social media because I was unsure how I would handle the pregnancy and I didn’t want to attract lots of questions.’
But their time to become parents had finally arrived, and their son was born healthy at 35 weeks via C-section, weighing 4lb 15oz on December 25.
Luise said: ‘He’s so calm and peaceful, and we are slowly finding our feet as a family of three.’
She also said her pregnancy was easy and had just a few symptoms, despite her age – she was just ‘exceptionally sleepy’ for eight months.
Luise was also happy she has been able to breastfeed, adding: ‘I was worried my age may affect my milk supply, but the hospital was fantastic and encouraged me with a breast pump and we used donor breast milk too initially.’
Luise feels like age has brought her and Dean confidence when it comes to parenting.
She said: ‘Some of my friends are grandparents. We are just starting, but there’s something to be said for life experience.
‘I am confident in what I can do and our choices in how we will raise a child.’
She hopes sharing her story can help inspire older women to not give up on their parenthood hopes.
Luise posted her baby news in an older mum’s support group online, writing: ‘I hope seeing successes inspire others not to give up because I was motivated by stories of other older mums.
‘It helped me to realise I’m not too old to carry and safely deliver a healthy baby and when you’re trying for so long you need to hear that it does happen successfully for older women.
‘We paid more for IVF than we did for our house, but becoming parents is priceless.’
She acknowledged some of the challenges, adding: ‘I may not have the stamina I once had, but I do have the motivation and a wealth of knowledge and experience.
‘He is the love of our lives, and he is the best decision we have ever made.
‘I look forward to trying another transfer so that we may have a sibling for Stellan.’
Source: metro.co.uk
