I Never Wanted Children. Then I Got Pregnant With Twins At 53.

I had twins at the age of 53.

While some young girls love to imagine their future wedding dress and plan how many children to have, I did neither. Instead I climbed many mountains in the Pacific Northwest, obtained an undergraduate and graduate degree, worked for a well-known tech company as an instructional designer and, finally, surprised myself by getting married at 45.

Still, the thought of having children did not interest me until I was 52 and had taken time away from my job to re-evaluate what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When I finally knew that I wanted to do it, the realization hit me with incredible force. I felt certain that I wanted to raise kids — and raise them the way I wished I had been raised. I wanted to bring them up with unconditional love, compassion, a love for learning, a sense of adventure and amazement at the miraculous small things in life.

Though I never dreamed of having children, I had always been fascinated with pregnancy. By the time I was 20, I had amassed a small library of books on the topic, so when I decided to actually have kids, I knew I wanted to carry them. I never considered surrogacy or adoption.

Before I could become pregnant, I had to overcome some obstacles. I went through premature menopause at 40, so I was not ovulating, and Barry, my 58-year-old husband, had a vasectomy in his 30s. Despite these challenges, I was determined to find a way forward.

I researched the possibilities and made an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist. When I told Barry, who was an airline captain, what I wanted to do, he was on the flight deck in Sydney, Australia, and all I heard on the other end of the phone was a shocked silence. He agreed to meet with the reproductive