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463words2026-01-26 09:05

My husband has asthenospermia,and it's nearly azoospermia.
After three failed attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF),I ended up pregnant—with my father-in-law's child.
A year after getting married,my husband and I still hadn't conceived.

We went to the hospital testing and learned that my husband had asthenospermia,and it was even close to azoospermia.
The best option,the doctors said,was IVF.
But IVF came with a hefty price tag:anywhere from tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand dollars per attempt, with no guarantee of success.
My in-laws were desperate for a grandchild.
"Amanda,"my mother-in-law said one day,holding out a murky bowl of some traditional Chinese herbal remedy she'd acquired from who-knows-where,"if a woman doesn't have children,she would lose her meaning of being a woman."
I stared at the dark,bitter liquid,feeling utterly drained."Mom,this is too bitter,and there's nothing wrong with me.It is all your son's fault."

Over the past year,their constant pressure had worn me down physically and mentally.I didn't care about sparing my husband's feelings anymore.I grabbed the diagnosis report from the hospital and thrust it into her hands.
"Then...is there any other way?"My mother-in-law's tone softened as she read through the report,clearly at a loss for words.
"IVF,"I repied flately.
"Then let's do it!"Her eyes lit up again with hope.

"We've already done it three times.We've spent almost two hundred thousand dollars,but it still hasn't worked,"I said.
Her jaw dropped.I knew what she was thinking—the money.
She was just a housewife,and the family relied on my father-in-law's pension for daily expenses.Before all this,I'd been working,but now Id given up my job to focus on preparing for pregnancy.My husband,seeing how much money we'd already spent,had taken up more work and was traveling for business,coming home only once every three months.My mother-in-law pondered for a moment,then looked at me with an inquisitive gaze.
"Medical technology is so advanced these days.If IVF doesn't work,could there be something wrong with you too?Just listen to me,drink this medicine,and then quickly go to the place where Eric is on a business trip.You two need to be together to make a baby,"she said.
"Mom,I've told you already.It's Eric's sperm that's not good.No matter how advanced the medical technology is,you can't change the sperm,"I said.
"Why not?"She asked,still confused.
I was a bit annoyed and pushed the bowl away."Unless we change the man!"
The bowl tipped over,spilling its contents all over her.
I was too lazy to say another word.I lay down on the bed and covered myself with the quilt.
No one understood how much this whole ordeal was weighing on me.What else could I say?
Suddenly,the door burst open,and my father-in-law walked in.He pulled my mother-in-law up."Stop making trouble,"he scolded.
As he closed the door behind him,he glanced at me lying on the bed.There was something strange in his gaze.