Before you make up your mind about surrogacy, listen to Arsiak’s story
When a woman is diagnosed with infertility, she may not know exactly what’s wrong with her body.
But she knows one thing immediately: the road ahead will not be easy.
There’s rarely a quick fix.
And in many cultures, it’s still something people don’t talk about.
Arsiak Vartenian, whose family is from the Middle East, struggled with hormone imbalances and irregular cycles for most of her life. In her 20s and 30s, she became pregnant several times.
Each pregnancy ended in loss.
(Note: I personally hate the word 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦. It somehow suggests the woman did something wrong. Loss feels more honest.)
Her OB-Gyn eventually referred her to a fertility specialist.
She endured four rounds of IVF.
Two pregnancies followed. Both ended the same way.
Her doctors never discovered the exact cause. Perhaps uterine complications. Perhaps an immune response. Perhaps something medicine simply doesn’t yet understand.
Then one day they raised a possibility she had never considered.
A surrogate.
Her clinic handed her a sheet of paper listing several surrogacy agencies and sent her on her way.
No roadmap.
No explanation.
Just questions.
How do I choose the right agency?
How do I select the right surrogate?
How does this even work?
The road that followed was anything but simple. There were still setbacks and heartbreak along the way.
But eventually…
Arsiak held her daughter in her arms.
Before forming an opinion about surrogacy, I hope you’ll listen to Arsiak’s story.
She is one of the strongest and most resilient women I know. Today, she mentors other women considering surrogacy and helps guide them through a process she once had to navigate alone.
Today at 2pm ET, I’ll be sitting down with Arsiak to talk about her journey.
If you want to understand what surrogacy really looks like for the families involved, I hope you’ll join us. When a woman is diagnosed with infertility, she may not know exactly what’s wrong with her body.
But she knows one thing immediately: the road ahead will not be easy.
There’s rarely a quick fix.
And in many cultures, it’s still something people don’t talk about.
Arsiak Vartenian, whose family is from the Middle East, struggled with hormone imbalances and irregular cycles for most of her life. In her 20s and 30s, she became pregnant several times.
Each pregnancy ended in loss.
(Note: I personally hate the word 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦. It somehow suggests the woman did something wrong. Loss feels more honest.)
Her OB-Gyn eventually referred her to a fertility specialist.
She endured four rounds of IVF.
Two pregnancies followed. Both ended the same way.
Her doctors never discovered the exact cause. Perhaps uterine complications. Perhaps an immune response. Perhaps something medicine simply doesn’t yet understand.
Then one day they raised a possibility she had never considered.
A surrogate.
Her clinic handed her a sheet of paper listing several surrogacy agencies and sent her on her way.
No roadmap.
No explanation.
Just questions.
How do I choose the right agency?
How do I select the right surrogate?
How does this even work?
The road that followed was anything but simple. There were still setbacks and heartbreak along the way.
But eventually…
Arsiak held her daughter in her arms.
Before forming an opinion about surrogacy, I hope you’ll listen to Arsiak’s story.
She is one of the strongest and most resilient women I know. Today, she mentors other women considering surrogacy and helps guide them through a process she once had to navigate alone.
Today at 2pm ET, I’ll be sitting down with Arsiak to talk about her journey.
If you want to understand what surrogacy really looks like for the families involved, I hope you’ll join us.
And for those interested in learning more about common misconceptions surrounding surrogacy, here’s a link to a recent 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 article.
Thank you, Arsiak, for sharing your story with such strength and bravery. I am better educated and forever changed.
