Donor Conception & Surrogacy
Navigating the Path to Parenthood
The decision to pursue donor conception or surrogacy brings with it a complex mix of emotions, decisions, and considerations. Whether you’re beginning your journey toward parenthood through egg or sperm donation, embryo donation, or surrogacy, it’s essential to be well-prepared emotionally, legally, and practically.
Each path offers a unique experience with challenges and rewards, and understanding what lies ahead is crucial for your personal well-being and for the future of your family.
Getting Support On Your Journey
Intended Parent Consults
Intended parents, donors, and surrogates all have an important part in building a family journey.
With this in mind, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has set guidelines for those using donor egg, sperm, or embryo and surrogacy to ensure all are empowered with information and opportunities to ask questions. ASRM recommends a psychoeducation consultation with a mental health professional trained in working with those on fertility journeys and 3rd party reproduction.
Most go into the meeting with apprehension and leave with a greater understanding and relief that important topics are raised and given a safe place to be explored. In essence, this meeting allows for informed consent. The goal is for the intended parent, donor, and surrogate to feel comfortable with their decision to move forward.
Donor Conception & Surrogacy Workshop
This workshop offers a supportive space to explore the impact and possibilities of building your family through third-party reproduction, helping you navigate this unique journey with confidence.
In this workshop, we will explore:
Understanding the physical, emotional, and financial impact of third-party reproduction.
Key considerations when selecting an egg donor, gestational carrier, or surrogacy agency.
Strategies for making thoughtful, confident decisions throughout the process.
Recognizing how third-party reproduction impacts various areas of your life.
Navigating relationships and communication with partners and loved ones.
We are here to guide and support you through the emotions, decisions, and unique challenges of building your family through donor conception.
Coming Soon
Support Groups
Finding Community Through Donor Conception & Surrogacy Support Groups
Navigating donor conception and surrogacy brings its own set of joys, challenges, and decisions. Support groups offer a place to connect with others who understand the complexities of this path to parenthood. These groups provide more than emotional support—they help you build a sense of community with others walking a similar journey.
Whether you are exploring your options or already well into the process, these support groups are here to help you feel connected, empowered, and understood. Together, we’ll celebrate your progress and tackle any challenges along the way.
Psychoeducational Consultations
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has established guidelines for individuals and families utilizing donor eggs, sperm, embryos, or surrogacy. These guidelines are designed to ensure that all parties are informed, supported, and provided with opportunities to ask questions. ASRM recommends a psychoeducational consultation with a mental health professional trained in fertility journeys and third-party reproduction.
Intended parents, donors, and surrogates all play an important part in the family-building journey.
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This psychoeducational consultation is focused on helping the IP to explore important topics, issues, decisions and emotions associated with their family building journey through 3rd party reproduction.
In line with ASRM guidelines, we will discuss selecting a donor and surrogate, future relationships, feelings associated with genetic or non-genetic connections, disclosure to your child, concerns about bonding, your support system, legal ramifications, and resources.
The goal is to ensure the IP has enough information about what having a donor-conceived child is like, what common issues arise and an opportunity to think through options and tools to handle them. It is being informed before moving forward, it is informed consent.
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This psychoeducational consultation, is similar the intended parent. It allows for informed consent. The consult is an important place to discuss the significant and unique components of donating an embryo and allowing others to build their families. The psychoeducational meeting follows ASRM guidelines.
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ASRM guidelines recommend psychoeducational consultations for donors and surrogates. A recommendation that many clinics align with to ensuring donors or surrogates recognizes the impact of sharing their DNA or carrying another’s child along with the short and long-term emotional and physical impact. The meeting includes both the donor or surrogate and partner if they have one. The donor or surrogate will also be asked to participate in a psychological screening PAI or MMPI. Once all is completed, a report, (if needed) will be provided to the clinic.
Psychological Screening for Donors & Surrogates
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The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is an objective inventory of adult personality that assesses psycho-pathological syndromes and provides information relevant to clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, and screening for psychopathology
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The MMPI- developed in the late 1930s,” revised and updated several times to improve accuracy and validity. The MMPI-2 test questions consist of 567 true-false and take approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete; the MMPI-2-RF has 338 true-false questions.”
Frequently Asked Questions
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The purpose of the psychoeducational consultation is to allow the intended partent, donor and surrogate to have informed consent in moving forward on the path to family-building journey. In most cases the donors and surrogates will participate in a PAI or MMPI.
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Most consultations for the intended parent last one hour. The consultations for the donor, including testing, take about two hours.
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Your report will be sent to the clinic or doctor you are working with after you sign a release of information.