This lesbian couple did a “twin transfer” & welcomed “twiblings” born 12 days apart

A lesbian couple in Quebec, Canada, has shared the story of their inspiring journey to parenthood.

As The Daily Mail reported earlier this year, Valerie and Renee Thourin tried for years to become parents. The couple began dating in 2016 and after marrying in 2018 began trying to start a family. They tried in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive, using a sperm donor to fertilize their own eggs. Between them, they experienced four miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and multiple failed rounds of IVF. They described the experience as “devastating” and “soul-crushing.”

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One gay male couple’s insurance company denied them coverage since. technically. they could successfully conceive with women.

But in December 2021, the Thourins finally gave birth to their “miracle” baby boys.

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More than a year earlier, in early 2020, the couple decided to try a new approach: a “twin transfer” in which both women would have donor embryos implanted. They had their first consultation on March 12, just before the world essentially shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It felt like the universe is spitting in your face. When the clinics started closing there was a… definite sense of, are you f**king kidding me?” Valerie told CBC.

“You can’t help but think, ‘Is this actually going to work out for me? I’m getting older. Maybe I should just start thinking about moving on. I don’t have a bad life,’” Renee added.

But the couple didn’t lose hope and were finally approved for a twin transfer in April 2021. Two weeks later, they were both pregnant.

“We didn’t plan on getting pregnant at the same time, but our cycles had synced, and our doctor suggested a twin transfer – it was meant to be,” Valerie gushed to South West News Service.

“It was so special and fun to experience it together and our pregnancies mirrored each other- we had the same morning sickness times,” Valerie said. “And we were able to go for ultrasounds at the same time during COVID restrictions, which was so special.”

The couple’s sons, Levi Theodore Thourin and Lenny Rrll Thourin, were born 12 days apart in December 2021. The Thourins describe their “twiblings” as polar opposites.

Valerie adds that the couple intends to be completely open about how the boys were conceived. “Our story – whilst turbulent – is special, and we wouldn’t change it for the world,” she said.