Three Wishes, Three Surprise Endings

Statistics from the Pew Research Center show that single women over 35 now account for around fifteen percent of the birthrate in the united states. One reason may be that there are so many more options for women who have delayed motherhood -- from adoption to using donor sperm to freezing their own eggs. Journalists Pamela Ferdinand, Carey Goldberg, and Beth Jones all had fulfilling careers, rich friendships, and hapless relationship histories. They all wanted children, but were all approaching “biological midnight.” They tell their unlikely stories in Three Wishes: A True Story of Good Friends, Crushing Heartbreak, and Astonishing Luck on our Way to Love and Motherhood, now out in paperback. When the book was first released, Pamela Ferdinand spoke to NHPR's Elaine Grant about the role a single sperm donor only known as "#8282" played in changing her life, and those of her two close friends.