Insider's Guide to Egg Donation: A Compassionate and Comprehensive Guide For All Parents-to-Be

by Erika Napoletano, Wendie Wilson-Miller

Overview

2013 Gold Medal Winner IPBA Benjamin Franklin Award, LGBT Category

Each year, over 7.3 million Americans face infertility. In their search for answers and alternative means for building a family, they turn to the nearly 500 reproductive specialty clinics across the US.

Same-sex and single-by-choice parents are more prevalent than ever in the fertility industry and there is no definitive, up-to-date guide to help families of all types approach egg donation. Resources are fragmented, and thatÌs true regardless of your family "type."

Insider's Guide to Egg Donation, is the first how-to-handbook that helps families of all types navigate the less talked about but widely practiced egg donor landscape with a warm and friendly tone, giving those in need of a different kind of stork the answers and information they need as they begin to research family-building options.

The Insider's Guide to Egg Donation Answers:

• What do I need to know about the medical process of using an egg donor?
• What are the latest reproductive medicine technologies that we should know about?
• What should I consider when choosing a fertility clinic?
• How should I evaluate potential egg donor agencies?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617051043
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/12/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	145
File size:	434 KB

About the Author

Erika Napoletano was Introduced to the concept of egg donation in 2000 through a co-worker who had been a donor for her best friend, she began researching the process and became a rostered donor for a prominent Los Angeles-based egg donor and surrogacy agency. A professional writer, Erika is a prominent consultant and outspoken presence in the digital marketing realm.

Wendie Wilson-Miller is a ten-year veteran of the egg donation and assisted reproductive technology field, is the Founder and President of Gifted Journeys, an egg donor agency based in Studio City, California.

Table of Contents

1. Egg Donation: The Basics
2. Filling Your Nest: Considering Ovum Donation
3. Beyond the Nest - When Hearts and Science Collide
4. How to Choose a Reproductive Clinic
5. How to Choose an Egg Donor Agency
6. Choosing Your Donor: Another View on "Natural Selection"
7. Circling the Nest: The Ovum Donation Cycle
8. Readying the Nest: Transfer
9. Leaving the Nest: Recipient Parents
Donors and Honest Questions
10. Everybody Builds a Different Nest: Issues Facing Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and Single Parents, and International Recipients
11. The Nest of the Future: Emerging Technologies in Reproductive Medicine
Appendices

Editorial Reviews

“They provide excellent resource lists, and "Key Chapter Highlights" conclude each chapter. This title is a commendable roadmap for this challenging process and is highly recommended as a valuable resource for libraries."—Library Journal, November 2012

“They successfully address the many complex components involved in this process, such as choosing a reproductive clinic, choosing a donor, ethical considerations for assisted reproductive technology (ART), compensation, and more. They are sensitive to the struggles of families who face infertility, and dedicate an entire chapter to non-traditional families such as single women and gay, lesbian, and transgendered families. They provide excellent resource lists, and 'Key Chapter Highlights' conclude each chapter. Woven throughout the text are the latest scientific statistics and studies related to ART, and the helpful appendixes address key issues, such as sample surrogate questions, considerations for genetic testing, and a complete glossary and index. This title is a commendable roadmap for this challenging process and is highly recommended as a valuable resource for libraries."—Library Journal, November 2012

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Kasey Reynolds, MD (Washington University School of Medicine)
Description: This overview of the oocyte donation process is intended largely for members of the lay public who intend to be, or are considering being, the recipients of donated oocytes. The aim is to guide prospective oocyte recipients through the process while giving them some unique insights.
Purpose: There is a vast amount of information available on this subject on the Internet — some not so reliable — and it is useful for people considering oocyte donation to have a reputable source of information. This book does that, and also provides a variety of unique viewpoints and opinions.
Audience: Readers may be entirely new to the process or they may already have a great deal of insight into ART and IVF after going through it. This book is appropriately aimed at both groups. The authors call on a variety of credible sources which bring needed perspective to the subject, such as oocyte donors, previous oocyte recipients, and counselors and therapists, etc.
Features: The book covers essentially all aspects of the oocyte donation process, from the science and the actual process itself, to its emotional aspects. Its strength lies in the collection of viewpoints and opinions from a variety of sources, many of them people who have already gone through the process, which makes the book more approachable for the lay public. The only shortcoming is that the text is a bit bland, but I am not sure what additional illustrations or graphics could be added to liven it up.
Assessment: This is a good quality book, well thought out and likely quite useful to anyone about to undergo the oocyte recipient/donation process.

Doody's Review Service