Mom of 5 Who Struggled With Infertility Donates Uterus to Woman in Need

A mother who struggled with infertility for years and was finally able to have the family of her dreams is now giving back by donating her uterus.

April Lane, 39, wasn’t sure she would ever be able to have her own children after trying to get pregnant for over nine years. But after adopting a son, she became naturally pregnant. She then tried in vitro fertilization (IVF), and on her tenth cycle, she had twins. Less than a year after that, she got pregnant again with another son. 

Beforehand, doctors had declared that she and her husband had “unexplained infertility.”

“We had created a community of support around us and it was important to us to continue to give back that community that supported us while we were going through our family journey,” Lane said. 

Lane started a scholarship foundation to help women pay for infertility treatments and even considered surrogacy, but when she heard about the uterus implant trials at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, she knew she wanted to give it a try. 

Using her own money, she traveled from her home in Boston to be tested and was accepted into the trials and within weeks had a match.

“I thought that was kind of amazing,” Dr. Liza Johannesson told InsideEdition.com of Lane's story. "There is nothing in it for them. It’s a big commitment for the donors not only emotionally, but financially.”

Lane donated her uterus last year and was one of the 15 transplants at the university thus far.

Once a woman receives a uterus, she goes through a three-month healing process and then through implantation of an embryo.

The university has had two live births and women get to choose once they give birth whether they want to try for one more child. If they don’t, the uterus is removed.

Lane said she has exchanged letters with the woman who received her uterus. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the success we’ve had,” Lane said. “Giving back has been really healing for us. It’s been healing for me personally and collectively for our family. It’s very rewarding.”

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