Becoming a Parent After Infertility Struggles
- Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski has just celebrated her daughter Georgie Winter, who was born via surrogate, turning 12 months old—and we can’t help but admire the joy she and her husband are feeling as she’s dubbed the past year as “the best.”
- Lipinski was previously diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus, and ultimately learned she had a reproductive immunology issue which caused her body to reject their fertilized embryo.
- Endometriosis, a painful disorder that has been associated with infertility, is a condition when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus.
- In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Jaime Knopman said time was precious when dealing with fertility preservation for women with cancer or a medical condition. Basically, the sooner the better when it comes to having these important fertility conversations with your doctor.
- In some cases after cancer treatment, women may have difficulty giving birth to a child or they may be unable to at all. Having someone else carry their baby may be an option, either through surrogacy or a gestational carrier.
The former competitive skater, sports commentator, and actress, who is married to sports producer Todd Kapostasy, previously learned she had a painful disorder called endometriosis, a condition associated with infertility. The diagnosis ultimately led to her discovering that she had a reproductive immunology issue, and later dealt with four miscarriages, eight egg retrievals and six failed transfers in an attempt to have her own child.
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She continued, “These little hands, the giggles, the cuddles, the sounds, the tiny feet pitter pattering….all of it is just too good.
“Baby girl thank you for giving us the best year of our lives.”
Lipinski shared a handful of photos featuring her daughter Georgie wearing a light pink, polka-dot dress alongside a pink unicorn stuffed animal and a circular sign reading 12 months.
Just a few weeks prior to her birthday post, Lipinski also posted some sweet photos for National Daughter’s Day.
“Can’t miss National Daughters Day! To our Georgie girl- you’ve brought us more happiness than we could have ever imagined,” she wrote.
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Lipinski also took to social media to honor her daughter when she turned 11-months-old.
“This song is spot on. I loved you before I even knew you. I thought about you every day for 5 years. What would you be like? How would it feel? I feel like I’ve known you for so long. But it’s better than I could have ever imagined,” she captioned post.
“You are our lucky #7 embryo. It’s clear with your spirit and tenacity that you were never NOT coming. I can’t believe I get to live out these sweet moments with you, watching you grow and become your own person. I love that part.”
She concluded, “I’ll be your biggest cheerleader supporting you from the sidelines for forever and ever.”
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Tara Lipinski’s Journey With Surrogacy
It’s heartwarming to know that Lipinski’s determination paid off in various aspects of her life, not only her figure skating accolades, but the goal to have her own child.
Last year, Lipinski opened up to People about the fertility struggle both she and her director and producer husband have gone through.
She recalled that during her daughter’s birth, she felt very emotional while playing Dave Matthews’ “You and Me.”
Lipinski had four miscarriages, various unsuccessful attempts at in vitro fertilization transfers and two surgeries stemming from endometriosis, she previously explained on social media last August.
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She wrote, “My husband and I have seemingly hit every roadblock imaginable from the moment we began this process in 2018 and since then I have been under anesthesia 24 times, have had 4 miscarriages, 4 D&C’s, 6 failed IVF transfers, 8 retrievals and a diagnosis of endometriosis that led me to 2 major surgeries.
“It has been an excruciatingly painful journey that has been filled with loss & dealing with the grief that comes along with that.”
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In another heartwarming social media post, Lipinski captioned a video clip of her holding Georgie Winter, “Literally the moments that I dreamed of for so long.”
The ice skating star’s Instagram page is filled with loving images of her daughter. She also recently shared a photo of her daughter wearing a T-shirt reading “Mommy’s Little Ice Skater,” and Lipinski wrote, “Meet Georgie Winter. We are so grateful that we get to make this announcement that our baby girl is here. It feels so surreal and I’m experiencing a feeling of happiness that I have never felt before.
“This little embryo that Todd and I made together has come to life! We are so grateful and forever thankful for our surrogate. Mikayla, thank you for carrying her safely into our arms.”
Looking back on her difficult five-year surrogacy, she continued, “I can’t help but think of all those shots, surgeries, multiple retrievals to replenish all of the miscarriages and failed transfers I endured, the miscarriages that felt like they broke me more and more each time and to the times that Todd and I thought are our dream would never come true.”
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“I wish we never went through it but I’m grateful that somehow I found the strength to keep going when I thought I couldn’t because we got very lucky. Georgie, we have thought about you for half a decade. You are so loved. You are EVERYTHING,” she said, with some positive words for those dealing with fertility struggles.
She concluded, “Ps. For anyone still in the wait, I’m sorry for what you are going through. I see you and I know the pain you are going through – I’m rooting so hard for you all.”
Understanding Endometriosis
Endometriosis can be a very painful disorder. Essentially what happens is the abnormal tissue outside of your uterus thickens, breaks down and bleeds with each menstrual cycle. But because this tissue has no way to exit your body like normal endometrial tissue, it becomes trapped. This can cause cysts, irritation and scar tissue and adhesions abnormal bands of fibrous tissue that can cause pelvic tissues and organs to stick to each other to form.
This disorder has been associated with infertility, just with Tara Lipinski’s case.
The Massachusetts General Hospital states that “between 30-50% of people with endometriosis may experience infertility.
“The normal chance of getting pregnant each month for people with no endometriosis is approximately 10-20%, while people with surgically documented endometriosis have a chance of only 1-10%,” the hospital explains.
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According to the National Institutes of Health, “The word endometriosis comes from the word ‘endometrium’—endo means ‘inside,’ and metrium means “uterus,” where a mother carries her baby. Healthcare providers call the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus the endometrium.”
Endometriosis usually occurs on or near reproductive organs in the pelvis or abdomen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Other areas is can be found in are the fallopian tubes, ligaments around the uterus (uterosacral ligaments), lining of the pelvic cavity, ovaries, outside surface of the uterus, space between the uterus and the rectum or bladder.
In rare circumstances, it can also grow on and around the bladder, cervix, intestines, rectum, stomach (abdomen), and vagina or vulva.
Fertility and Cancer Treatment
Infertility can be a side effect of endometriosis, as well as some cancer treatments, but there are options to consider. Fertility preservation, for example, is available to women of childbearing age. Options for women include:
- Egg and embryo freezing (the most common practice)
- Ovarian tissue freezing
- Ovarian suppression to prevent the eggs from maturing so that they cannot be damaged during treatment.
- Ovarian transposition, for women getting radiation to the pelvis, to move the ovaries out of the line of treatment.
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No matter what course of action you choose to take, it is important that all women feel comfortable talking about their options prior to cancer treatment.
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Jaime Knopman said time was precious when dealing with fertility preservation for women with cancer. Basically, the sooner the better when it comes to having these important fertility conversations with your doctor.
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“The sooner we start, the sooner that patient can then go on and do their treatment,” Dr. Knopman said. “A lot of the success comes down to how old you are at the time you froze and the quality of the lab in which your eggs or embryos are frozen in.”
Surrogacy and Gestational Carriers
In some cases after battling a condition like endometriosis or undergoing cancer treatment, women may have difficulty giving birth to a child or they may be unable to at all. Having someone else carry their baby may be an option, either through surrogacy or a gestational carrier.
According to the National Cancer Institute, a surrogate pregnancy is “a type of pregnancy in which a woman carries and gives birth to a baby for a person who is not able to have children.”
“In a surrogate pregnancy, eggs from the woman who will carry the baby or from an egg donor are fertilized with sperm from a sperm donor to make an embryo,” the institute explains.
“The embryo is implanted in the uterus of the surrogate mother, who carries the baby until birth. Surrogate pregnancy may be an option for men or women who want to have children and have had certain anticancer treatments, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, that can cause infertility.”
As for a gestational carrier, the institute describes this person as a “woman who carries and gives birth to a baby for a person who is not able to have children.”
“Eggs from an egg donor are fertilized in the laboratory with sperm from a sperm donor to make an embryo,” the institute explains. “The embryo is implanted in the uterus of the gestational surrogate, who carries the baby until birth. The gestational surrogate (or carrier) is not genetically related to the baby and is not the biological mother.”
If you or someone you know is deciding on whether or not to go the route of surrogacy or gestational carrier, it’s important to know that each state has different laws and it may be necessary to speak with an attorney before moving forward.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you’re facing cancer treatment and wondering about your fertility preservation options, here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
- How do you expect my treatment to affect my fertility?
- Are there specialists I can talk to about my fertility preservation options?
- Is it safe for me to preserve my fertility before treatment?
- What resources are available to help me pay for fertility preservation?
- What mental health resources are available to help me cope with this?
Milestones After Health Challenges
For cancer survivors and their families, reaching life’s milestones is a big deal.
Milestones can be the birth of a child or grandchild, adopting a child, getting married, traveling on a dream vacation, or reaching another birthday. Most importantly, these milestones during or after cancer tend to have a more significant meaning since many cancer patients will gain a greater sense of gratitude from all they’ve endured.
WATCH: One cancer survivor’s incredible story detailing the value of milestones.
Aside from celebrating milestones, standard day-to-day activities can also feel more special, such as planning a nice dinner or spending time working with a cancer charity.
The way you memorialize your cancer milestone could also be independent of others in the form of simple reflection or a walk in nature.
We love how Tara Lipinski is celebrating every moment with her daughter Georgie and exuding gratitude after hardship.
Survivorship, overall, can enhance the time you spend doing all of the above.
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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
