In this week’s episode, we talk with Paige Pieroni about Turner Syndrome and the incredible family building journey she and her husband are on. Turner Syndrome is a genetic condition which affects female chromosomes at birth, and one of the main ways it impacts Paige is that she is unable to have children as a result of underdeveloped ovaries. Knowing this at a young age, Paige was very open about her inability to have children and she and her husband always planned to pursue non-traditional means of family building. However, they never imagined that two separate women who knew Paige and her dream to have a family would step up to support their family building with selfless gifts of egg donation and surrogacy. It’s an amazing story of selflessness and community. 

The symbol for Turner’s Syndrome is a butterfly and a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope, which describes Paige’s story in such a beautiful way. A kaleidoscope has a myriad of different colors coming together to make something really amazing - much as Paige and her husband are putting together the pieces to build their beautiful family. 

 

In This Episode: 

 

• [ 2:40 ] Paige’s introduction of this interim season of family building
• [ 4:52 ] What is Turner’s Syndrome and what are the symptoms or indicators
• [ 9:50 ] How Turner’s Syndrome impacts identity
• [ 12:40 ] Discovering your infertility at a young age 
• [ 17:37 ] Paige’s amazing story with family building
• [  25:10 ]  Paige’s experience using a know fertility donor 
• [  28:12 ] Paige’s indescribable gratitude for her donors
• [ 30:55 ] The medical, financial and legal components using a fertility donor
• [ 33:55] Deciding how involved the donor will be in the child’s life
• [ 35:36 ] What is the next steps in their family building journey
• [ 37:52 ] Surrogacy or gestational carrier agencies
• [ 40:27 ] Managing the overwhelming details and emotions of family building
• [ 45:14 ] Paige defines what family means to her

 

Takeaways: 

 

• Turner Syndrome is a women’s medical condition with a wide array of symptoms that impacts women in many different ways. One consistent symptom is infertility. 
• The legal component for gestational carriers and egg donors is one of the most important components to get in place first, before beginning any of the other medical treatments.
• Medical insurance will not cover a majority of the medical or legal expenses associated with family building like this.
• In Paige’s experience, the egg donation process and embryo creation was more expensive than the carrier implantation. 
• In order to balance the emotions associated with their complex family building journey, Paige and her husband keep gratitude at the center of their conversations as they dream and plan for a child.

 

Links: 

 

@themurderdiariespod

 

@paige_919

 

 https://turnersyndromefoundation.org/

 

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