*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ privacy Once Stephanie* had overcome the initial shock of becoming a new parent, she started investigating whether her donor-conceived child had any siblings ‘out there’. At which point, another round of shock kicked in. Stephanie discovered that her daughter has 37 half-siblings. The Importance of […]
Using a Donor: 10 things I’d Do Differently Next Time
* All names have been changed to protect the individuals’ privacy. When I found out my sperm donor had conceived children in the triple-figure range, I was asked repeatedly by friends, family, acquaintances, “If you had to do it all again, would you do anything differently?” At first, I didn’t really know how to answer […]
How to Choose a Fertility Clinic – 10 Things to Consider
When Sally* and her wife, Georgia*, needed to choose a fertility clinic to undergo assisted reproductive treatment (ART) with a sperm donor, they didn’t do much research. “We pretty much went with a recommendation from a friend, and launched straight into IVF treatment”, explains Sally. “Unfortunately, after two failed attempts, we discovered Georgia had […]
Part Three: Twelve Ways You Can Minimise the Risks (When Assessing Donor Profiles)
Part One – Do Sperm and Egg Donors Lie?
Welcome to the first article in this 3-part blog series: ‘Truth and Lies, and How to Minimise the Risks’ In this three part blog series, you’ll hear from sperm and egg donors, donor recipients and donor-conceived people about their experiences of lies, and the subsequent impacts on donor-conceived children… * Note: all names have been changed […]
Fertility Clinics in Australia – 8 Rules you Need to Know
Did you know that fertility clinics in Australia risk having their certification suspended or withdrawn if they don’t conform to certain practices? While Commonwealth and state and territory legislation have not been able to keep up with assisted reproductive treatment (ART), there are standards in place to ensure Australian fertility clinics toe the line, and […]
My Sperm Donor Story
I have a beautiful seven year old daughter who has somewhere in the vicinity of 150-200 siblings (although that’s an educated guess because no one really knows; not even the sperm bank). Hi, I’m Gail and I created this blog because I want to share everything I’ve learned about donor conception with you, so that […]