{"id":5319,"date":"2023-07-04T20:37:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T13:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5319"},"modified":"2023-07-04T20:37:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T13:37:18","slug":"cofertility-split-reimagines-egg-freezing-donating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5319","title":{"rendered":"Cofertility Split Reimagines Egg Freezing, Donating"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">I<\/span>f you consider the two sides of the fertility-preservation world for uterus-havers\u2014egg freezing and egg donation\u2014in tandem, it\u2019s clear that the incentives are scrambled. On the one hand, young people have the freshest, fullest supply of eggs\u2026 and the least incentive to shell out cash to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-egg-freezing-cost-health-effects\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-egg-freezing-cost-health-effects\/\">freeze them<\/a> (while their chances of conceiving are higher and disposable income may be lower). But on the other hand, there\u2019s a ton of demand for those same eggs among intended parents who lack their own viable eggs or otherwise require a donation to conceive, including cancer survivors, gay men, and women with diminished ovarian reserve.<\/div>\n<p>While money has helped realign these incentives in the U.S.\u2014intended parents can legally pay donors for their frozen eggs\u2014cash compensation for DNA that could spawn a new human is an ethically questionable practice (hence its <a href=\"https:\/\/civio.es\/medicamentalia\/2022\/03\/07\/egg-sperm-donors-financial-compensation-europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/civio.es\/medicamentalia\/2022\/03\/07\/egg-sperm-donors-financial-compensation-europe\/\">illegality in much of Europe<\/a>). The financial incentive could exploit lower-income folks in difficult situations by convincing them to do something they&#8217;re otherwise not comfortable with; and variations in pricing for eggs from different donors implies that some eggs (and by proxy, some people) are more valuable than others.<\/p>\n<p>And yet, it feels unrealistic and unfair to expect young people to go through a time-intensive, sometimes painful medical process and share their eggs out of sheer generosity, even if would-be parents covered their costs of doing so. But what if they could hold onto a few frozen ones themselves, free of charge, as a perk of donating the rest?<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/cofertility-split-egg-freezing\/\" current-title=\"A New Fertility Ecosystem Just Hatched: Cofertility Lets You Freeze Your Eggs for Free if You Donate Half\" current-image=\"WG_Editorial_Cofertility_feature-425x285.jpeg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-01-04\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/cofertility-split-egg-freezing\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/cofertility-split-egg-freezing\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/cofertility-split-egg-freezing\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s the premise behind egg sharing, a hybrid model of egg freezing and egg donation that lies at the heart of new fertility platform <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cofertility.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cofertility.com\/\">Cofertility<\/a>. Users who join Cofertility\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cofertility.com\/freeze-learn\/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-split-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cofertility.com\/freeze-learn\/the-ultimate-guide-to-the-split-program\">\u201cSplit\u201d program<\/a> can freeze their eggs and store them for free for up to 10 years, so long as they donate half to intended parents with whom they&#8217;re matched (who front the bill for all medical expenses associated with freezing plus the storage).<\/p>\n<p>This kind of arrangement has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.createfertility.co.uk\/costs\/egg-sharing\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.createfertility.co.uk\/costs\/egg-sharing\">gained traction in the United Kingdom<\/a>, where it\u2019s the legal alternative to buying eggs, but has, until now, only cropped up in a few fertility clinics stateside, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnyfertility.com\/donating-eggs-for-ivf-egg-freezing\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnyfertility.com\/donating-eggs-for-ivf-egg-freezing\/\">CNY Fertility<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/omafertility.com\/treatment-options\/shared-egg-freezing\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/omafertility.com\/treatment-options\/shared-egg-freezing\/\">Oma Fertility<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/freezeandshare.com\/get-started\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/freezeandshare.com\/get-started\/\">Freeze and Share<\/a>. Cofertility\u2014which launched in October 2022 and officially began conducting egg sharing earlier this year\u2014coordinates matches and facilitates the logistics with clinics nationwide.<\/p>\n<h2>How the Cofertility Split program solves for pain points in egg freezing and egg donation<\/h2>\n<p>By creating an incentive structure where saving some of your eggs for yourself is the &#8220;return&#8221; for donating eggs, Cofertility\u2019s Split program aims to lower the financial burden of egg freezing <em>and<\/em> eliminate some of the ethical murkiness of cash-compensated egg donation. Together\u2014as the \u201cco\u201d in the name implies\u2014these changes may help more people have more autonomy over their reproductive choices, regardless of certain financial or biological realities.<\/p>\n<p>On the egg freezing side, \u201cwe know that the younger you are when you do it, the more likely you are to be successful down the line,\u201d says reproductive endocrinologist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.novaivf.com\/provider\/meera-shah-md-facog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.novaivf.com\/provider\/meera-shah-md-facog\">Meera Shah, MD<\/a>, a Cofertility medical advisor. Yet young people are the least likely to be able to afford it, says Cofertility co-founder and CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/laurenmakler\/?trk=public_post-text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/laurenmakler\/?trk=public_post-text\">Lauren Makler<\/a>. After all, it costs, on average, $11,000 for one egg freezing cycle, $5,000 for the medication involved, and $500 per year for storage, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fertilityiq.com\/egg-freezing\/the-costs-of-egg-freezing#breaking-down-the-likely-costs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.fertilityiq.com\/egg-freezing\/the-costs-of-egg-freezing#breaking-down-the-likely-costs\">FertilityIQ<\/a>. Can\u2019t front those costs? You\u2019d typically need to speed up your pregnancy timeline or wait until you could afford to freeze eggs, when it may be less effective.<\/p>\n<p>With Cofertility\u2019s Split program, \u201cyou can preserve your fertility now, for free, while also pursuing other goals, whether you have massive career ambitions, or maybe you want to have three kids but you\u2019re not going to start until you\u2019re in your mid-thirties,\u201d says Makler.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note, however, that egg freezing is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-success-rates\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-success-rates\/\">not an insurance policy nor a guarantee of future fertility<\/a>. Not everyone is considered a candidate for freezing, either (more on that below). The retrieval itself can also cause unpleasant <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnyfertility.com\/ivf-egg-retrieval\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnyfertility.com\/ivf-egg-retrieval\/\">side effects like bloating and cramping<\/a>. And though it\u2019s becoming increasingly common\u2014the number of people who froze their eggs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asrm.org\/news-and-publications\/news-and-research\/press-releases-and-bulletins\/egg-freezing-cycles-jumped-31-in-2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.asrm.org\/news-and-publications\/news-and-research\/press-releases-and-bulletins\/egg-freezing-cycles-jumped-31-in-2021\">jumped by 31 percent from 2020 to 2021<\/a>\u2014there\u2019s still not enough data to determine the potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4467930\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4467930\/\">risk for long-term complications<\/a> from the egg retrieval process (which involves stimulating the ovaries with hormones to produce many mature eggs at once).<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, it&#8217;s possible that some young people may not see the benefit of going through with it\u2014that is, self-administering hormone shots, attending several doctor&#8217;s appointments, and doing the retrieval procedure\u2014even for <em>free<\/em>, particularly when they have plenty of fertile years ahead of them to conceive naturally.<\/p>\n<p>But for people who plan to wait until later in life to have kids or who have reason to suspect fertility issues down the line, the opportunity to freeze now at no cost (to them) may feel entirely worth it. That was the case for Cofertility member Sara A., who\u2019s 26 and planning to delay pregnancy, and whose mom experienced early menopause at 42. \u201cIt provides some comfort and mental space knowing that my young, hopefully healthy eggs are safely stored for later,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSo much of [cash-compensated egg donation] is rooted in someone selling their eggs for a particular price versus doing something nice for someone else.\u201d \u2014Lauren Makler, co-founder and CEO, Cofertility<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>That motivation also helps broaden the pool of potential egg donors for Cofertility\u2019s intended parents, as it could appeal to those who might\u2019ve felt skeeved out by the typical cash incentive\u2014much like Makler once was herself. She initially looked into getting eggs from a donor after learning that she had a rare abdominal disease at age 28 that could affect her fertility.\u00a0\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe how icky and transactional and outdated it all felt,\u201d she says. \u201cSo much of it is rooted in someone selling their eggs for a particular price versus doing something nice for someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To her point, egg-donation advertisements have traditionally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/what-its-like-being-an-egg-donor-social-media-ads-2022-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/what-its-like-being-an-egg-donor-social-media-ads-2022-1\">touted high-value paychecks<\/a> and all-expenses-paid vacations as the perks of donating. Rarely do these advertisements reference the medical process of egg retrieval itself or the significant commitment of sharing your DNA with strangers. Not only do these kinds of misleading ads pose the ethical problem of potentially persuading those who aren&#8217;t comfortable with donating to do so for the money, but also, according to Makler, they may even <em>dissuade<\/em> those who might otherwise be keen to donate from doing so.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the biggest problems in egg donation is a major lack of diversity among donors,\u201d says Makler, which disadvantages plenty of intended parents by limiting the options they have to build their family. \u201cWe believe that\u2019s because payment can be off-putting for a lot of women, making them feel like they\u2019re selling their eggs,\u201d she says, rather than getting compensated for their time and effort. There&#8217;s a fear that they&#8217;ll be judged by loved ones, she adds, who might wrongly assume that they&#8217;re exchanging a part of their body for money, presumably out of greed or financial desperation.<\/p>\n<p>Reinforcing that narrative is the fact that traditional egg donation places a monetary premium on <a href=\"https:\/\/thetech.com\/2021\/02\/18\/egg-donation-ad-editorial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/thetech.com\/2021\/02\/18\/egg-donation-ad-editorial\">eggs from certain kinds of donors<\/a>. Typically, that&#8217;s been people of a specific heritage or education level (e.g., &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/cornellsun.com\/2019\/09\/16\/lee-stop-advertising-egg-donation-to-smart-asian-women\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/cornellsun.com\/2019\/09\/16\/lee-stop-advertising-egg-donation-to-smart-asian-women\/\">smart Asian women<\/a>&#8220;), or even with particular talents or <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Health\/big-business-egg-donation-sparks-controversy-pricing\/story?id=34967399\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Health\/big-business-egg-donation-sparks-controversy-pricing\/story?id=34967399\">high SAT scores<\/a>, adds Makler. \u201cThe fact that one woman could essentially cost more\u2014rather, her eggs could cost more\u2014feels super unethical,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>In erasing cash compensation from the equation and providing the same benefit to all donors, the Cofertility model avoids commodifying the eggs of donors and gives intended parents the comfort of knowing that the eggs they\u2019re receiving are from someone who genuinely would\u2019ve wanted to freeze their eggs for themselves (and who isn\u2019t just agreeing for the money).<\/p>\n<p>Admittedly, the chance to freeze your own eggs at no cost can also reflect a major economic savings\u2014and it\u2019s possible that some donors may still be persuaded to donate for that reason. After all, there\u2019s no incentive structure that doesn\u2019t place <em>some<\/em> value on the eggs donated. But still, the setup of the Cofertility Split program ostensibly precludes any decision based solely on the monetary upside, says co-founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.halletecco.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.halletecco.com\/\">Halle Tecco<\/a>, with its purposefully thorough process for onboarding, screening, and connecting donors with the intended parents they stand to help.<\/p>\n<h2>Cracking the medical and ethical logistics of egg sharing<\/h2>\n<p>Though people often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-egg-freezing-cost-health-effects\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-egg-freezing-cost-health-effects\/\">address egg freezing rather flippantly<\/a> (\u201cJust freeze your eggs!\u201d) and ads for egg donation would have you think it\u2019s quick and easy, both processes involve a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-risks\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/egg-freezing-risks\/\">substantial investment of time and energy<\/a> and carry significant future implications. Particularly with egg donation and sharing, you\u2019re giving your genetic material to a stranger, which can have a life-altering impact on you, them, and (naturally) the potential future child. In order to ensure an ethical result, the process for egg sharing with Cofertility Split involves a good deal of screening.<\/p>\n<p>As a baseline, only uterus-having folks who meet all the recommendations from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) for egg donation will qualify for Split to both ensure the safety of all people involved (including a potential future child) and help avoid the scenario where someone freezes their eggs with the intention of donating half of them and only winds up with, say, one or two eggs getting successfully retrieved.<\/p>\n<p>For the sake of the former, every Split member has to complete a medical history and genetic screening to show that they have no markers of hereditary disease (which could make their way to a child) and have a psychological evaluation to demonstrate that they fully understand the gravity of the decision they&#8217;re making, says Tecco.<\/p>\n<p>And in terms of the latter, hopeful Split members need to be under 34 years old and undergo a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ovarian-reserve-testing\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ovarian-reserve-testing\/\">test for anti-m\u00fcllerian hormone, (AMH)<\/a>, \u201cwhich helps us understand a person&#8217;s egg supply or ovarian reserve, and whether they\u2019re likely to get enough eggs that they can split and have a meaningful outcome,\u201d says Dr. Shah. While you can\u2019t <em>guarantee<\/em> good egg yield (even a healthy, young person might have low-quality eggs or not respond well to hormones), she adds, \u201cI think we\u2019ll find that the vast majority of women have outcomes that correlate well with what we&#8217;ve predicted.\u201d Those who don\u2019t qualify can still participate in Cofertility\u2019s &#8220;Keep&#8221; program and freeze eggs just for themselves\u2014but they\u2019ll have to pay for it in this case (though the company has partnerships with clinics and storage facilities to lessen that price).<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSo many intended parents today are really focused on finding a connection with a donor rather than just buying eggs.\u201d \u2014Makler<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When a person does qualify and is accepted onto the platform for Cofertility Split, they\u2019ll fill out a profile with all sorts of intel about who they are, what they do and like, and their personality\u2014purposefully detailed to humanize the process of matching. This way, intended parents can \u201csee more than a potential donor\u2019s physical attributes,\u201d says Makler. \u201cThey can learn about their values and their motivations and what their ambitions may be, and whether they\u2019re an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert, and so on,\u201d she adds. \u201cIt\u2019s about getting to the core of who these women are because so many intended parents today are really focused on finding a connection with a donor rather than just buying eggs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, some intended parents might care less about personality and be more interested in connecting with a donor who looks like them, comes from their same ethnic or religious background, or has particular physical traits\u2014which is why Cofertility Split members also share these details in their profiles.<\/p>\n<p>The idea behind the platform&#8217;s universal exchange is to generate a highly diverse group of donors in order to serve the interests of as many different intended parents as possible. &#8220;Choosing a donor is a deeply personal decision,&#8221; says Makler, who says she&#8217;s seen the full gamut, from folks eager to choose someone based on the way they write their profile answers or because they share the same favorite movie to those who make a decision based on an uncanny physical similarity. &#8220;By the time you&#8217;re even coming to that decision, you&#8217;ve often been through so much\u2014whether it&#8217;s multiple rounds of failed IVF or pregnancy losses or illness,&#8221; says Makler, &#8220;so we really try to hold space for whatever feels right.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That experience is mirrored on the donor side, too, as any donor selected by intended parents will get information about that family and can choose whether to opt into the match. \u201cThat double opt-in is pretty unique,\u201d says Tecco, \u201cand gives the donor the chance to consider, \u2018Who is this family that I\u2019m going to donate to, and could I envision sharing my DNA with them?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This matching process opens the door for some version of a relationship between donor and intended parents (and perhaps, eventually, between donor and donor-conceived child), which is quite a departure from the norm. Traditional cash-compensated egg donations function more like a one-and-done transaction, with the egg donor typically remaining anonymous\u2014which <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%3Fid%3D104860X1561639%26xs%3D1%26xcust%3DSTMSHL-1075807%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Farticle%252F10.1057%252Fs41292-021-00265-1&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fcofertility-split-egg-freezing%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1057\/s41292-021-00265-1\">recent research<\/a> suggests <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/assisted-reproduction-kids-grow-up-just-fine-but-it-may-be-better-to-tell-them-early-about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/research\/news\/assisted-reproduction-kids-grow-up-just-fine-but-it-may-be-better-to-tell-them-early-about\">isn\u2019t in the best interest of the donor-conceived child<\/a> (and eventual adult).<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cA lot of donor-conceived people may have questions when they grow up about where they came from, or their medical history, or their biological relatives.\u201d \u2014Halle Tecco, co-founder, Cofertility<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhat we&#8217;ve learned is that a lot of donor-conceived people may have questions when they grow up about where they came from, or their medical history, or their biological relatives,\u201d says Tecco. Knowing the nature of their conception before those questions arise is a good thing. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that all donor-conceived people will want to have a relationship with their donor, but it means having access to that information can feel a lot less troubling or traumatic down the line,\u201d says Tecco.<\/p>\n<p>For that reason, Cofertility encourages donors and intended parents to have a disclosed relationship (aka non-anonymous), and can even set up a virtual meeting for matches to get face time before deciding whether to formally pair. \u201cI\u2019m grateful that I moved forward with a direct connection [with my donor],\u201d says Lisa F., 44, a cancer survivor who began her search for an egg donor after multiple unsuccessful rounds of IVF. \u201cA total stranger just felt familiar to me, and our connection was magical.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sara was a bit more apprehensive going into her own match meeting with the intended parents to which she\u2019ll be donating, but \u201cthe more I thought about adding a layer of transparency to the process and for the potential future kid, the more I liked the idea,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, not every donor or intended parent will want to meet either the family to which their eggs will go or the person supplying them, respectively\u2014and that\u2019s okay. The goal is just that all parties involved can have a say in the relationship or lack thereof, says Tecco. \u201cWhen we set out to build this, we really just wanted to honor the donors, the parents, and ultimately, the children that we&#8217;re helping bring into this world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you consider the two sides of the fertility-preservation world for uterus-havers\u2014egg freezing and egg donation\u2014in tandem, it\u2019s clear that the incentives are scrambled. On the one hand, young people have the freshest, fullest supply of eggs\u2026 and the least incentive to shell out cash to freeze them (while their chances of conceiving are higher &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}