THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 1996 TAG: 9610100139
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY CAROLE O'KEEFFE, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 151 lines
The couples, each very different, shared a willingness to go to almost any length to produce their own biological babies.
And they succeeded - in ones, twos and threes - through a procedure that takes ripened eggs from the woman's body, fertilizes them with her husband's sperm outside the body and then reinstates the eggs inside the woman.
Many local families, at one time resigned to never having their own children, have been helped through in-vitro fertilization at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk. These are the stories of four.
A good place to start is with the Joneses of rural Gardner Lane in Suffolk. Lloyd, 38, and Laurie, 35, have been married for 17 years. About two years ago, they became parents of triplets: Callie, with short dark hair; Keri, with longer, dark hair; and Hannah, blondish hair.
After the couple had been married for a couple of years, they consulted the Jones Institute, then in its infancy. The first baby in America conceived through in-vitro fertilization, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, was born in 1981.
The Joneses possibly could have been the first, but it was all so new then. In those days, youngsters born of the procedure were called ``test tube babies,'' and ethical questions linger today.
Lloyd and Laurie decided at that time against working with the Institute. ``We were busy in our careers, and we resigned ourselves to having no kids,'' she said.
But more recently, they were having those longings again. Both originally country folks, they moved from Virginia Beach to Suffolk in 1993.
Some 14 years after their first visit, they returned to the Institute, named for in-vitro pioneers Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones.
``The biggest thing was getting serious,'' said Lloyd, a military man. ``We looked at all the different options, including adoption, and the percentage of success against the cost (of in-vitro). Based on the odds, we decided to take the odds and have our own.''
She learned early on there would be more than one baby. All four implanted eggs took, but one stopped developing. Still there were three.
There were no complications during the births of the girls, whose names the couples chose from books.
The Joneses have six fertilized eggs in frozen storage at the Institute. People jokingly call them ``kidsicles.'' Those eggs? ``We're still debating. We have good days and bad days,'' Laurie said.
THE TEWS OF Pruden Boulevard in Suffolk were high school sweethearts in Western Branch, Chesapeake, but they have known each other for most of their lives. William L. ``Billy'' Tew is 39. His wife of 15 years, Karen K. Tew, is 37.
Childless for the first 10 years of their marriage, they first tried artificial insemination, covered by insurance.
Even today, insurance coverage for in-vitro intervention is rare. ``But, hey,'' said Billy, ``we got two for the price of one.''
The procedure worked right away for the Tews, who became parents of two girls, age 5 as of July 17.
Kristi is older than Katie by five minutes.
Karen's grandmother was a twin, and folklore has it that twins skip generations. ``Plus, I was born under the sign of Gemini,'' Karen added.
Karen got pregnant again, this time with no clinical assistance and with twin boys. Only one survived the pregnancy. William L. ``Billy'' Tew Jr. was born breach with the cord wrapped around his neck. He lost oxygen to the brain and has cerebral palsy. At 3 1/2, he goes to public school.
``Billy was a surprise,'' Karen said. ``Ryan Taylor was a bonus.''
The youngest, and the Tews believe, their final baby, was born 15 months ago. ``We are at our limit,'' she said - four babies in five years.
The Tews, like the Joneses, produced additional fertilized eggs. Not desiring more children, they donated their frozen eggs to the Institute.
THOMAS B. CONNOR and his wife Joan, 39, have been married for 12 years. In the beginning, Joan, an only child, wavered between wanting no children or two. ``I leaned more toward zero then,'' she said.
She and Tom got married at 27. By age 30, they wanted a child. After failing to accomplish that on their own and with the help of several doctors, it was recommended the couple go to the Jones Institute.
``I was skeptical. I guess I was afraid of the unknown,'' Joan said.
She discussed the matter one day over a three-hour lunch with a friend who had gone to the Institute through one session and was successful. Sometimes couples try in-vitro fertilization several times before it works. Sometimes it never does.
For the Connors, it took six tries over two years. ``It was an emotional roller coaster,'' Joan said. Each time, there were two weeks of daily shots. And then the pregnancy test. ``In two weeks they would call and tell you if you were pregnant or not. Five times I was devastated. Not pregnant.''
After five tries, Tom said no more. ``I told her if we did it one more time, there would always be one more time, and I didn't think she could take it again.
``It's difficult to go through. There are no guarantees. It's a strain on the family, especially the woman. But finally, I relented. She promised just one more time.''
On the day she would hear the results, the phone didn't ring until 10 minutes to six. The doctor played her along for several minutes, gently teasing before announcing she was pregnant at last.
``Basically, it was a problem-free pregnancy. But I will never forget the down times,'' Joan said. ``I would still tell somebody else to go, even if I had failed.''
Because she so appreciated the talk she had with a friend who convinced her to go through with the treatment, Joan Connor said she is willing to talk to other women, to couples, about the program.
Brian, 3, has changed their lives totally. ``We know he is the one and only. He is a true delight, but we wouldn't go through the emotional strain again of conceiving.''
DR. JOHN L. GRANT, 50, and his wife Jennette, 41, have been married for 18 years. After being married for several years and failing to conceive, the couple saw several doctors where they lived, in Florida. There were evaluations, but no solutions, Jennette said.
The couple adopted sons Leland, now 14, and Austin, now 12. About 11 years ago, the family of four moved to Suffolk from the Cocoa Beach area. Since they were now so close to the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, they decided to try again.
``I went into it with the idea that if it didn't work, OK, I had my children,'' Jennette said.
In November 1987, they entered the program. They only had to go through it once. Clayton was born in August 1988.
Since Elizabeth Jordan Carr, there have been more than 1,700 births through assisted reproduction at the Institute, a division of Eastern Virginia Medical School's department of obstetrics and gynecology. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos including color cover by JOHN H. SHEALLY
II
Lloyd and Laurie Jones are amoung Hampton Roads' unique families.
Their triplets - Callie, Keri and Hannah - are in-vitro babies.
The Tew family, from left, Kristi stands beside her father, William,
holding Billy, while Karen hangs onto a wiggling Ryan and Katie
tries to hide behind her mother.
Jennette and Dr. John Grant with sons Clayton, 8, and 12-year-old
Austin, right.
The Jones family, from left, Keri, mom Laurie, Callie, dad Lloyd and
Hannah. The triplets came after Lloyd and Laurie had been married 15
years.
Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Joan and Thomas Connor with Brian. The Conners were frequent
visitors to the Jones Institute.
Graphic
JONES INSTITUTE
The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine is a division of
Eastern Virginia Medical School's department of obstetrics and
gynecology. It is at 601 Colley Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23507.
For general information or to make an appointment for a
consultation, call 446-7100. by CNB