Taryn Gray had endured a four-year fertility journey when she received the devastating news her final two eggs were not viable – but a twist of fate saw her dreams finally come true
A woman has shared the extraordinary story of how she was able to fulfil her dreams of becoming a mother and welcome baby twins – against all the odds.
Taryn Gray had undergone a gruelling four-year fertility journey and spent around £39k when she was told the devastating news that her last two eggs were not viable, with “little chance” of them “leading to a live birth”.
She was further advised to discard the two remaining embryos due to their low chance of success and concerns about potential miscarriage or abnormalities.
The news understandably devastated Taryn, now 47, from Sydney, Australia, but she decided to follow the advice. All she needed to do was confirm her decision via email.
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And then fate intervened. Taryn sent the email – but it was never read by the clinic, apparently due to an administrative oversight. Amazingly, as a result of that simple error, Taryn actually went on to give birth naturally to healthy twins Piper and Hunter nearly two years later, thanks to those embryos not being destroyed.
Recalling the moment she was told her eggs were not viable, Taryne said: “We were devastated, but at a point where we were so numb, nothing really surprised us.
“We had spent about $80k on our fertility journey, so when someone says ‘These embryos have a low to zero chance of producing a live birth’ do you accept your doctor’s opinion, or deliberately walk into more heartbreak when you’re barely hanging on?”
Taryn’s journey began in 2007 when she and her husband Kristian stopped using contraception. By the time she was 30, they were actively trying for a baby — tracking ovulation, using kits, and exploring every holistic remedy, from acupuncture to yoga. But nothing worked.
“Over the years, the pressure only grew and, in hindsight, really shook my confidence,” she explained. “I began withdrawing from friends because I didn’t want to be asked about it — IVF had taken over my life.”
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Taryn endured seven IVF cycles, two laparoscopies, four egg retrievals, over 300 blood tests, a blighted ovum miscarriage that resulted in emergency surgery and what she estimates were 70 IVF clinic appointments. Kristian also underwent repeated rounds of testing.
The process took a huge emotional toll, and for a long time, it all seemed in vain. Taryn said: “Towards the end of 2010, we were nearing the end of our journey financially and emotionally. We were offered the chance to participate in a polscope assessment for our next cycle. At the time, this was relatively new. It’s a technique that identified which embryos had the best chance of success.
“We were thrilled to have 15 mature eggs retrieved. By day five, we had three embryos left: one considered to have a 60% chance of success, and two with minimal odds. We transferred the ‘best’ embryo and finally felt the odds might be on our side. Once again, we were unsuccessful.
“We were then advised to discard the two remaining embryos due to their low chance of success and concerns about potential miscarriage or abnormalities. We were devastated but followed the advice. By that stage, we were done with that doctor and agreed to try again at a new clinic.’
And it was their new doctor who gave them fresh hope – and a new perspective.
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“He assured us he’d be honest if he believed we should stop. He was appalled by the advice we’d been given to discard our embryos. He had no faith in the polscope results and said there was likely nothing wrong with them,” Taryn recalled.
Taryn and Kristian did one more full round with the new clinic, which resulted in just one embryo. That too failed.
“Looking back, the first six months of 2011 were the hardest of my life,” Taryn said.”I think I was verging on some sort of breakdown. I had to try to imagine a future without children.”
The couple went on a family holiday to Thailand, and Taryn admitted that she spent her time justifying why she should divorce Kristian and give him the chance to have children with someone else.
It was upon their rerun to Australia, that she had a call from her original doctor asking if she consented to the destruction of the embryos – and Taryn sent the email.
“When I told her it had been emailed to her, as her secretary instructed, she laughed and said she hadn’t checked her email in two years,” Taryn shared.
“That moment made me realise we should have left her care much earlier. I was angry not just at the oversight, but that I hadn’t sought a second opinion sooner. I was worried about upsetting her. It sounds so silly in hindsight.”
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With guidance from their new doctor, they decided to try one last time — this time using the two embryos they were once told to destroy. And to their delight and astonishment, it worked and within weeks Taryn was pregnant.
On 9 February 2012, at 37.5 weeks pregnant, Taryn gave birth naturally to healthy twins – first her daughter and then her son. The newborns spent a week in neonatal intensive care, but were soon home, and their family was complete.
The weight of what was nearly lost still haunts Taryn. “I can’t believe we signed papers to destroy them. It makes me feel physically sick.
“Medical incompetence nearly cost us our kids, and admin incompetence saved them. A busy doctor who neglected her email essentially saved my babies’ lives.”
Last year, Taryn – now the founder and editor of CENTRED Magazine, a free digital publication that supports women’s wellbeing through shared stories and wisdom – and Kristian returned to Thailand as their twins turned 12.
Once the place where they faced their deepest sorrow, Taryn and Kristian were this time able to visit with their two children – and make new happy memories.
“We were ready for our full-circle moment, to create new memories as a family in a place that once held so much pain,” she said. “That trip became a defining part of our journey. Against all odds, the children we were meant to have – who were meant to be born – were.
‘”When people say it was written in the stars, that it was a miracle, they’re right. And I wouldn’t change a single part of it.”