Posted by Lisa Rosenthal on Thu, Feb 25, 2010 @ 07:56 AM
Egg donation is my theme for this week. I have to admit that it's not a subject that I know a tremendous amount about, at least personally. Yesterday we posted a lot of information specific to
Reproductive Medicine Associates of CT. Today I thought I would go for a little history and places to find reliable research on the subject.
Here are the articles and resources that I uncovered that I know we can trust. First up is from a highly respected reproductive endocrinologist writing for RESOLVE. In case you are not familiar with RESOLVE, their full name is RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. Founded by Barbara Eck Menning in 1974 to serve as a place where men and women could find information, support, and education as well as an organization designed to raise public awareness and encourage and oversee advocacy efforts. The article that is published on the RESOLVE website talks about the general history of egg donation as well as who the technology is truly designed for.
Moving onto an area that needs to be considered by prospective parents, we come to disclosure. Disclosure is a decision that one does not come to lightly; as a prospective parent, one needs to weigh the benefits and possible drawbacks for the child. Considering the child is where the process begins as it is his or her personal and medical history. There are many wonderful, helpful articles and books out there discussing this piece of egg donation. One paper, created and published by ASRM is available by clicking here.
Another article that I found clear, with great step by step information for egg donation and other informative, well researched information is available through a site that focuses on pregnancy, but has a very valuable, helpful and well rounded section on infertility. If being on website that also talks about pregnancy could upset you, then this is not an article that you need to look at. However the click through will bring you straight to the article on egg donation.
Moving onto books, one of my favorites is by Ellen Sarasohn Glazer and Evelina Weidman Sterling, published by Perspectives Press, called "Having Your Baby through Egg Donation". This book goes past the basic and moves into the depth that this subject really needs. Written thoughtfully, while addressing the legal, ethical, religious and economic issues that are involved in egg donation, clearly a well researched book on all the various levels.
Another great find on the internet has been published as a Google book, although still in print and available through bookstores and Amazon, written by Machelle Seibel and Susan Crockin, JD, titled "Family Building through Egg and Sperm Donation: Medical, Legal and Ethical Issues". Machelle Seibel has been in the field of infertility for decades, writing, researching, and publishing and at one point editing an ASRM magazine. Susan Crockin is an attorney in Massachusetts who struggled with her own infertility and went on to become instrumental in passing one of the most comprehensive and the oldest state mandate in the United States. I was thrilled to find the book online and hope that you either take a look at it or remember it for future reading. The book covers all the major aspects of egg donation and may be a place to look for certain answers.
Veering onto a slightly different path, to a wonderful group called Fertile Hope; you can find information about egg donation and freezing when cancer is the driving force behind your diagnosis. While this may only pertain to a few of you, I felt it important to include. Fertile Hope, founded by Lindsay Nohr Beck, a cancer survivor who struggled and successfully became a mother, is a national non-profit organization dedicated to educating and support men and women going through cancer during their reproductive years. Preserving fertility is the main educational message behind Fertile Hope and within the last few years, the relationship between Fertile Hope and Livestrong (Lance Armstrong's not for profit organization) became a formal one, with the two organizations supporting one another in their fertility preservation message.
I hope that if you are considering egg donation that these resources help you. Certainly, good, reliable information that you can trust will save you time when searching the internet. After over 20 years in the field of infertility, knowing what to look for and steering you away from sites that are purely commercial in nature was truly the point of this blog. It was interesting to me see how much information is on the internet that would not prove to be helpful or supportive when looking at this sensitive topic. If there are sources that you have found that are helpful, please share them with us, as this blog mentions but a few very good resources.
I enjoyed looking through and seeing how much egg donation has evolved into a technology that is truly a viable option when we are trying to conceive. The amount of time, research, and energy that has been expended on this subject is comforting. Please let me know if there is more specific information that you would like to see.
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