Part 5
Laura reached for the pen and clipboard she had abandoned earlier, she scribbled a short note. “Did you have any more encounters with Matt?”
“No, he must have taken Derek’s warning seriously because the next time I even saw him was when my family was getting ready to drive back to our home. I actually had a call from Derek the day I left.”
“What did he say,” asked Laura?
“He told me again that I was not part of his world and that I needed to find myself.”
“You mean he called to dump you?” Laura professionalism momentarily abandoned her, she was incredulous.
“I know, not too original, huh? But at the time, I thought he was telling me to follow a more traditional life style. You know, high school, college, profession, and family.” Sarah chuckled to herself, “Oh, he did have some very practical advice – he told me to get some birth control pills. He also said that once I was older and had those pills, I could come see him any time.”
“That is an incredible story and I am very glad you shared it with me,” Laura said. “I am going to relay most of it to Dr. Henry, but as you see, I have not written any of it down, so it will not become part of your record with us. We have a few more minutes and I do have a couple of additional questions, if you don’t mind”
Sarah gestured with her hand, indicating she was ready. Laura began. “You told me you have had three sexual partners, including your husband. That means that following these experiences with your uncle and Derek, you had no other sexual experiences in high school or college until you met your husband, is that correct?”
“That’s right,” Sarah replied. “I had a couple of high school boy friends, but none were serious. There was a date or two that lead to some very light petting, but nothing beyond that. I suppose word spread in high school that I was a cold fish. Like I said, I dated some guys, but there was no spark with any of them.”
“Were you afraid of intimacy given what you had just been through?”
Sarah contemplated the question for a moment. “I don’t really think so because in a sense I forgot about it fairly quickly. I don’t mean I developed amnesia or anything like that, but I did not dwell on what had happened to me.”
“Did you have nightmares,” Laura asked?
“Not in the negative sense, I never did. I do remember reliving some of the pleasant moments. For example, during my infrequent masturbatory activities, I would use the feelings and memories of orgasms I had with Derek to stimulate myself. But I did not relive those moments with any sense of dread.”
“How is sex with your husband?”
“I would say we are average in every sense of the word. We usually have sex about once a week or so. And, I guess you would say we’re fairly conservative. What I mean is that we usually use the missionary position and we will have oral sex once in awhile, but he has never asked and I have never volunteered for anal sex.”
“Do you like when your husband performs oral sex on you?”
Sarah blushed and lowered her eyes, “Yes.”
“Sarah, don’t be embarrassed. Most women enjoy the act. Do you achieve orgasm when he performs oral sex?”
Sarah nodded.
“How would you rate these orgasms? Use a range from one to ten with ten being extremely intense.”
Sarah thought for a moment, “I guess I would say they were about a six or so. They are good, but . . .”
Laura interjected, “Not as good as what you experienced with Derek, right?”
Sarah nodded again, “Yes, my memories of that experience with Derek are pretty incredible. Sometimes I think that I have exaggerated the whole event in my mind, and maybe it really wasn’t that good.”
“Well,” Laura began, “it is possible your memory has improved with age, so to speak. And, even though you were very young and inexperienced at the time, it would seem that you have not had another experience that equals or surpasses that particular event, have you?”
Sarah shook her head from side to side, “No, I really haven’t.”
“Do you perform oral sex for your husband?”
“Yes, I do . . . sometimes. Not too often. He usually doesn’t ask for oral sex.”
“Does he not enjoy it? Or are you uncomfortable taking him in your mouth?”
“I don’t think I’m very good at it, but I don’t think that’s the issue. I suspect my husband believes oral sex is not really normal, so he feels a little odd asking for it.”
“Do you let him ejaculate in your mouth?”
“Yes, I usually do, but sometimes I choke a little bit and have to spit his semen out.”
“Do you like the taste and texture of cum?”
“Well, it isn’t a favorite of mine, but I guess it is ok. I mean, it takes some getting used to. The first time I ever swallowed cum, with Derek, I was sort of surprised when he squirted into my mouth and I suppose I swallowed as a reflex more than anything else. But with my husband, I am sucking him to purposely make him cum in my mouth, so I swallow because it is expected. Does that make any sense?”
“Yes, it does. Now, how about intercourse? Do you have orgasms when you have intercourse with your husband?”
“Sometimes, but not often. I mean, I like the sex, but most of the time, he is just not able to last long enough for me.”
“How big is his penis,” Laura asked? “Would you say it is small, medium, large, extra large, . . . ?”
“Gee, I don’t really know. I guess he must be average.”
“Could you be more specifiic? Five inches, six inches?”
“I have never taken a tape measure to check, but I suppose he must be about five or five and a half inches long. When I take him in my hand, he fits pretty well within my palm.”
“Do you and your husband have anal sex,” Laura inquired?
“No, we never have.”
“Would you if he wanted it?”
Sarah considered the question before she answered. “Well,” She began, “I guess it would depend on the situation.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I suppose I would consider anal sex if I was really turned on,” she laughed, “or really drunk. As you know, my only anal experience was not pleasant, so I would be very tentative about it.” Sarah paused, “Why would my attitude about anal sex be relevant to this fertility program? For that matter, why is oral sex even an issue?’
“Very good questions, Sarah,” Laura smiled. “As we told you at the very beginning, our program requires complete participation and commitment by the patient. We believe that the more sexually receptive a patient is, the better her chance of becoming pregnant. Our data indicate that sexual acts stimulate the production of hormones vital to the successful production, release, and fertilization of an egg, as well as to the successful implantation of the egg in the uterus. The Doctor will explain further when he sees you.” Laura glanced at her watch, “And that will be in just a few minutes.”
Laura stood and picked up a hospital-looking gown that was draped on a nearby chair, handing it to Sarah. “Why don’t you take off your clothes . . .”
Sarah’s eyes asked an unspoken question.
“Yes. Take everything off, including your bra and panties. I’ll brief Dr. Henry on your history and he will be in shortly to answer any questions you may have and complete his physical exam. There are some magazines over here by the desk and water and soft drinks in the small refrigerator over by the examining table. Dr. Henry should be with you in 15 – 20 minutes.”
Sarah picked up the gown, looking at it closely. It was like no other hospital gown she had ever seen – it was a beautiful, gauzy silk material and when she held it up, she realized it was very short and would end several inches above her knees.
“This is more like a sexy kimono than a hospital gown,” Sarah muttered to herself as she draped it over the chair. As she began to unbutton her blouse, her mind raced ahead to what might be in store when Dr. Henry returned. She had already submitted to dozens of physical exams with the other doctors she had seen. She wasn’t sure what another one might show. She was even more curious about the technique Dr, Henry used, especially in light of Laura’s questions about oral and anal sex.
“Just what did they expect me to do to get pregnant?” Sarah asked the empty room.
Within minutes, Sarah had stripped and covered herself with the kimono. The gown wrapped around her body, closing in the front. It felt wonderfully smooth and slick against her skin, particularly her breasts, and her nipples began to stiffen from the stimulation. The gown had no fasteners other than a belt around the waist, and she realized it was going to be very difficult to remain modest in the gown. As she sat in the chair, her thighs were just barely covered and there was no way she could cross her legs without exposing her womanhood to the world.
“Oh well,” she thought, “He is a fertility doctor. I’m sure he has seen more vaginas than I could imagine, mine is certainly not going to be the first.”
In less time than she expected, Sarah heard footsteps in the hallway outside the door and Dr. Henry walked in, followed closely by Laura.
“Are you comfortable Mrs. Morgan? Can we get you anything,” Dr. Henry asked?
“No, I am fine. A bit cool in this gown, but I am ok.”
“Well, I hope you are not too cold,” the Doctor replied, his eyes lingering on the prominent projections caused by her nipples. “We can turn up the heat a little if you like.”
“No, I’m fine, really.”
Dr. Henry took a seat directly opposite Sarah. His gaze moved slowly from her knees to her barely covered upper thighs to her prominent nipples to her eyes. “Ok. Let’s get started. Laura has briefed me on your personal history and I have spent the past hour reviewing your medical file. You’ve been diagnosed as an infrequent ovulater, which is not an unusual condition, by the way. I see many women with the same symptoms, and my theory is that the condition is induced by stress. There may be a number of physical factors that work in combination with stress, but I am convinced that if we humans could eliminate most of our everyday stress, we would be a healthier species.”
Dr. Henry paused a moment, “I’m sorry, I have gotten up on my soap box again, I apologize. As I said, you appear to ovulate infrequently, making it difficult to know when to time intercourse so that sperm are present as your egg moves into your uterus. To use a much abused clich?conception is not rocket science or brain surgery – it is mostly luck! In your case, because you are irregular, you may need more luck or more sperm than many women.”
That thought captured Sarah’s attention. “What do you mean, ‘more sperm’?”
“We can use your medical history to plot the approximate time you ovulate. But since you are irregular, the smartest thing to do is make sure you have plenty of sperm available before and after your expected ovulation. My technique is specifically designed to do that for you.”
“Doctor,” Sarah began, “would you tell me exactly what your technique is?”
“I can do better than that,” and he reached over to a desk drawer, extracting a DVD. “I can show you.”
He continued talking as he rose from the chair, flipping some wall switches that caused a wall panel to rotate exposing a large screen television and a DVD player. “Basically, my technique involves inviting you to our private ranch and asking you to have sex with three or four virile men over several days. If your personal schedule and calculated ovulation date works out, it is best to begin on a Friday evening and conclude mid-afternoon the following Sunday.”
Sarah was speechless. She really had not expected such a base and crude proposal. She really thought he would initiate some highly technical procedure to extract eggs from her womb and fertilize them in the lab using her husband’s sperm. But he had just told her she would be expected to have sex with three or four strangers. She had never expected anything like this. “You mean,” She stammered, “you want me to spend a weekend having sex with men I don’t even know? What about my husband? What about artificial insemination?”
“I realize my suggestion is probably more radical than you anticipated, but please don’t be put off until I explain. Let me start with your last question,” Dr. Henry said with a slight smile on his face. “Why not use artificial insemination in the lab? That technique works pretty well, but I have found that conception arrived at the natural way results in healthier babies. Yes, I am asking you to have sex with strangers, but I strongly recommend that your husband participate in the procedure as well.”
“You mean, my husband would be there to watch me have sex with these men?” Sarah asked, the pitch of her voice rising at the incredible thought.
“Your husband would do more than watch. I would expect him to participate with the other men.” Sarah started to reply, but Dr. Henry raised his hand to stop her comment. “Wait a minute, let me explain some more. I definitely prefer that your husband be an active participant in this procedure for several reasons. Most importantly, his presence removes any shadow of deceit. At no time would you engage in sex with these men without his knowledge. Granted, this procedure could severely test the bond between you and your husband, but think how much more volatile the situation would be if he were not informed. And also, while it is a long shot, there is always the chance that your husband’s sperm would be the one to fertilize your egg. If he does not participate, he will always know that you were impregnated by another man. But before you run out of here screaming that I’m crazy, please take a look at this video. It is about 30minutes long and is a compilation of one of Laura’s attempts to get pregnant.”
Again, a look of dismay was clearly visible on Sarah’s face.
“Yes, Laura was one of my first patients,” Dr. Henry said. “I am infertile and it turns out Laura has a congenitally deformed uterus that makes it impossible for her eggs to implant. We knew I was sterile, but we thought there was a chance Laura could still conceive, so I designed this technique around her. This DVD is from her first experience.”
Sarah looked at the Doctor, “Did you ‘participate’ in the procedure?”
“As I just mentioned, I knew I was sterile, but yes, I did participate – I was the cameraman.”
Sarah turned toward Laura and sputtered, “How many times did you , ah . . . you know, try to conceive?”
Laura smiled at the question, “I tried three procedures.”
“So you had sex with three or four men, . . .”
Laura interrupted, “Four the first time and five each of the last two times.”
Sarah’s was staggered. “Was it with the same men, or . . . ?”
Laura finished her sentence, “Different men each time.”
Sarah’s mind was whirling. She was having difficulty processing the fact that Dr, Henry had willingly encouraged his wife to have sex with fourteen different men. Did he expect her to do the same? What would her husband think? An uncomfortable realization was beginning to crystalize in Sarah’s mind. If she wanted to get pregnant, Dr. Henry’s procedure would require her to have sex with numerous men, all of whom were going to be strangers!
Dr. Henry’s voice directed her attention to the television screen. “Please watch this video, and after it is over, we will be at a major decision point. If you choose to go on, I will need to conduct a test to measure your reaction to physical stimuli. If you choose not to go forward, we will part company, and I will wish you all the best. So sit back, try to relax, and watch the DVD.”
As he loaded the DVD and pushed Play, he turned back to Sarah. “One more thing, Sarah, each of these procedures is filmed for research purposes. If you choose to undergo the procedure, you will be filmed also.”
He gestured toward the screen, “You will notice some numbers at the corners of the screen. The one in the upper left is obviously the date, but the one in the lower right is a counter. As the film progresses, you will notice that the number increases. I find it is important to keep count of the number of orgasms the male partners have over the course of the procedure. There is a minimum volume of sperm that I believe must be inserted into the womb to enhance the chances of a successful fertilization. That number of donor orgasms required will vary with each patient, and it is something Laura and I will calculate for you using your medical data.” With that statement, Dr. Henry sat down at his desk while Laura turned off the room lights and sat in a chair near Sarah.
