Gilmore Girls: More in the Life

Chapter 29

Luke and Lorelai sat in the waiting room of the fertility clinic, waiting to be called back. Both were nervous at the information they'd learn today. Lorelai feared that she'd be told she was too old to conceive and would be pointed toward alternative options, such as surrogacy. That was why she and Luke jumped right to surrogacy. Lorelai was also scared that she would be told donor eggs would be needed, which would likely cause Luke to change his mind.

A door opened. "Luke and Lorelai Danes?"

Luke stood and anxiously grabbed Lorelai's hand. "This is it."

Lorelai smiled, unable to speak.

The nurse led the couple to a room with a desk and two visitor chairs, where Luke and Lorelai took seats. The walls were covered in posters, describing various procedures available to assist with achieving pregnancy. Lorelai's eyes drifted to one about fertility medicines that increased the chances of a pregnancy and wondered if that would help in their situation.

The office door opened and the doctor walked in. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Danes. I am Dr. Derrick Williams." He walked around the desk and pulled out his chair. Once seated, he began to ask questions in an attempt to get a feel for what brought Luke and Lorelai in. Once it was discerned that the biggest concern was Lorelai's age, the doctor was able to explain the possible risks of a pregnancy.

"Lorelai, I'm not going to mislead you— a pregnancy at your age is risky. Once a woman reaches the age of thirty, the chances of natural conception decrease. Those chances dip again at ages thirty-five and forty. You're forty-eight so I'd venture a guess that some sort of fertility drugs or treatments will be necessary to achieve a pregnancy. Because a woman is born with all of her eggs already stored, the quality of the eggs is affected by the woman's age. If an egg were to be fertilized at age twenty, there would likely be few issues with the pregnancy or the resulting baby. That same egg fertilized at age forty, however, poses problems such as a greater chance of miscarriage, chromosomal abnormalities, or other complications."

Soaking in the information, Lorelai felt her chances at becoming a mother again slipping away. "So you're basically saying the window is closed."

"Not necessarily. I want to give you a physical to make sure there aren't any underlying issues that could affect a pregnancy. I also want to test Luke's sperm to make sure there is nothing wrong there either. I won't know much until all of that is done. If those things come back clean, I think a fertility drug would be a great way to start. It will increase the number of eggs released upon ovulation so it may also increase the chances of multiples."

Luke, who had been silent throughout the appointment, finally spoke up. "Multiples? As in twins? Or triplets?" Suddenly, his throat felt dry. This became apparent to Dr. Williams, who reached behind him and opened a small refrigerator, removing a bottle of water for Luke.

"Yes, that's what I mean. I think that the possibility to having more than one child at a time is something that needs to be discussed in great detail between the two of you. I also want to mention that menopause is not far off for you Lorelai. Some women your age have already started that process. If you're truly hoping to conceive a child, now is the time. A year from now— even six months from now— may be too late." The doctor went on to further discuss time frames, costs, and other topics that he felt Luke and Lorelai needed to know so they could make an informed decision about what they wanted to do.

Dr. Williams stood up. "I know it's a lot to digest right now. At this point, I usually end the consultation with the instruction to make an appointment next week for the physical. However, we had a cancellation this morning so, if you're both willing for Lorelai's physical to get done today, we can. I will also let the nurse know that Luke can get his portion of the initial testing done while he's here." He looked between the couple expectantly.

Lorelai searched Luke's eyes, hoping to decipher what she saw in the depths. He didn't let her question it long when a smile creeped across his lips. She turned toward the doctor. "Let's get Luke that cup."