Carli Lloyd, a former pro soccer player, has recently opened up about the struggles she has faced with infertility. She is retired from soccer now and she retired at 39 after she’d already spent 34 years of her life playing the sport, with seventeen of them being at a professional level. Because of the high level of play, she had to put the sport before everything, and that included having a family.

Once she retired, though, she talked with her husband Brian about having a baby. It’s a discussion the couple had worked through before, but neither one of them had all the knowledge and information they needed to fully understand potential fertility concerns. If they had known how much fertility can change with age, the couple would have likely looked into freezing eggs or embryos when they were younger.

In 2022 when Carli was 40, she and her husband decided it was time to start trying for a child. After all, she wasn’t playing soccer or training anymore, and she’d always wanted to be a mom. Now, they had time to spend with one another and raise a family, even though she was still traveling for speaking engagements, charity matches, and other events.

After Carli didn’t get pregnant naturally the couple worked with doctors who suggested IVF due to Carli’s age. There weren’t any other reasons for her infertility, but age can play a big role in how easily a natural pregnancy can occur. Even though Carli was resistant at first, she eventually agreed to try IVF and fulfill her dreams of being a parent. They started the process in April of 2023.

With two rounds of egg retrievals, the couple ended up with two genetically normal embryos from the first round and none from the second round. They attempted an embryo transfer in October 2023. Unfortunately, it wasn’t successful in creating a pregnancy. The couple chose another round of IVF and ended up with two embryos.

After another transfer in January 2024, Carli and her husband received the spectacular news that she was, indeed, pregnant. So far Carli is having a healthy pregnancy without complications and is due in October. Now, she wants to make sure she tells her story to help other women get the fertility care they want and need.

To learn about how The Surrogacy Law Center helps protect individuals and couples who want to realize their dreams of becoming parents, contact us today!