Testimonials

Working With A Local Kansas City-Based Surrogacy Agency

If you have been through the overwhelming process of deciding to use an egg donor or gestational surrogate to build and grow your family, you understand you have options as to which agency or egg bank to work with.    There are always pros and cons to any decision so it is important to weight both sides when deciding who to trust with such an important life event.

If you live in the Kansas City area, working with a local agency like Pathways To Parenthood, we offer benefits that you will not find with other agencies.  The most important one is that your clinic likely has worked with us before and can offer you insight into the professionalism and experience of our staff.

Another benefit is Pathways To Parenthood’s egg donor candidates and gestational surrogates are well screened and live in the states of Kansas or Missouri.  This can reduce your overall peace of mind as well as the costs of agency fees, donor/surrogate compensation, and travel costs.

For more information about working with Pathways To Parenthood, visit us today at www.pathwaystoparenthood.com.

Using An Egg Donor in Kansas City: The Waiting Game Continues….

One of the most challenging aspects of coping with infertility is the time you have to wait.  Waiting for test results, waiting to hear back from your clinic, waiting to see if “it worked this time.”  The list could go on and on.

There is a bit of relief for most people when they decide on a new opportunity to build and grow their family, such as using an egg donor.  Getting started can be scary but exhilarating, being filled with hope that this new path will finally lead to success and happiness.

And then you find yourself waiting, again.  Waiting to learn how to start the process, and with who.  Waiting on finding the right donor, and then waiting for all of the next steps that come after that.  Unfortunately, waiting is part of it all, and you cannot do much if anything to change that.  But, you can enhance your coping strategies to help you get through those difficult waiting periods.

Here are a few suggestions:

Seek out support from new people and places.  It is difficult to open up to others about your struggles, but finding friends or professionals who “get it” is better than trying to get support from others who simply cannot give you what you need.

Work on communication and boundaries.  Learning how to communicate differently and directly with others (including your partner or spouse) can help in clarifying what you need (and don’t need) from others.

Be kind to yourself.  Self-talk is very powerful so be careful how you talk to yourself.  Imagine yourself having a conversation with your best friend who was having the difficulties you are experiencing.  What would you say to him/her?  Heed your own advice….

For information and support on using an egg donor to build and grow your family, visit www.pathwaystoparenthood.com.

Intended Parents Using Egg Donation in Kansas City: Coping With The Stress Of The Process

For most intended parents that use an egg donor to help increase their chances of success in building and growing their family, it comes at the end of a very long road of disappointment and past failed attempts to conceive.  After years of trying and failing, many intended parents are stressed and have a hard time being hopeful that an egg donor will be the final answer.

Unfortunately, using an egg donor to attempt in vitro fertilization does not give you a 100% chance of success, but for most, it greatly increases the chance of having a baby.  It is important that once the decision is made, intended parents let go of all of the stats and find a way to reduce stress and allow yourself to be hopeful.

How to go about doing so will be different for everybody, but these strategies will help most people reduce the stress of the treatment process:

1. Improve communication with your partner/spouse.
2. Look for support in new people/places.
3. Talk nicely to yourself. You are going through a very difficult life experience.
4. Focus on the present.

For more information about using an egg donor to build and grow your family, contact us today!

The Two Biggest Obstacles For Intended Parents in KC

When you decide to build and grow your family using donor eggs, the search process can take some time.  It is best to devote as much time and energy to growing your family as you would any other big event in your life.  It is important to understand that the time devoted to the process can help make it smoother and less stressful than if you try to rush or force the necessary and important steps.

It is realistic to expect 3-6 months from the time you make your decision to use an egg donor until you go through a cycle with your selected donor.  A variable that is hard to predict is the influences on the time frame it will take to find the right donor.  If you see an egg donor you feel good about, it is best to not wait too long to move forward with selecting her.  Often times a donor is selected by someone else if you delay your official selection, and then you have to start over.

Once you select and match with your donor, the next step is to schedule medical evaluations and schedule the cycle at a time that works for the clinic, the donor, and of course you!  Syncing up cycles and calendars can sometimes take a couple of months.

The cost of doing in vitro fertilization using an egg donor varies a bit between agencies and clinics so it is important to understand ALL of the potential costs upfront.

To learn more about using an egg donor to build and grow your family contact us today.