Testimonials

Considering Egg Donation in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area: Making The Decision

The recommendation from your physician to consider utilizing an egg donor for building and growing your family is initially a very difficult and upsetting thing to hear.  For many that do hear those words, it becomes a wonderful opportunity to experience pregnancy, and have the baby they have always dreamed of.  How will you know if that is the right path for you?

As with most major life choices, it helps to have a plan.  There are several important points to consider, and one of them is what aspects of becoming and being a parent are most important to you.  There is a very helpful fact sheet from The American Fertility Association, “Transitioning From IVF To A Donor Egg Cycle”, which you can access on their website at www.theafa.org.  If you have questions about the process, or would like to learn more about how we can help, contact Pathways To Parenthood today!

Surrogate vs. Gestational Carrier: What’s the Difference?

The terms surrogate mother, gestational surrogate, and gestational carrier are often intermixed, and sometimes confused.  It is important to understand the differences so that you can make the best decisions about your family building options.

The term gestational carrier is most often used by medical professionals and attorneys, to describe a woman who carries a baby that she is NOT genetically connected to.  When a gestational carrier conceives, it is via in vitro fertilization by using either the intended mother’s eggs, or an egg donor’s eggs, the intended father’s sperm or a sperm donor’s sperm.  Embryos created are then transferred to the gestational carrier’s uterus with the hope that a pregnancy ensues. The term gestational surrogate is used interchangeably, and is the same as a gestational carrier.

A traditional surrogate is a woman who is inseminated by the intended father’s sperm, or donor sperm.  If she conceives and gives birth, the baby, or babies are then given to the intended parents to raise as their child.  In traditional surrogacy, the carrier is also the genetic mother of any children conceived.

In either scenario, the intent is for the carrier to give any children to intended parents to raise and care for as their own. There are different legal, social and ethical considerations for each of the options, so talking with professionals who are knowledgeable about all options is essential to making the best family-building decisions.  Pathways To Parenthood: An Egg Donor and Surrogacy Agency can help you with clarifying and understanding your options.  Contact us today!

The Financial Burden of Using An Egg Donor or Gestational Surrogate in Kansas City

Building a family through the use of an egg donor, gestational surrogate, or sometimes both, can be an emotionally exhausting journey.  The realization of the dream of having a baby is worth the journey for those that reflect back on their journey after their baby (or babies) are born.

Most are able to recover quickly and enjoy the family they worked so hard to build.  However, there is one aspect of the journey that is much more difficult to recover from, and that is the financial burden that third-party reproduction brings.

Many individuals and couples cannot even consider the options because they simply cannot afford it.  And even if they figure out a way, it leaves them with starting the journey of parenthood, which is quite an expensive endeavor itself, financially strained.

If you are considering family building through third-party reproduction, know that there are companies and clinics that offer fertility financing programs and options.  Although these programs do not eliminate the financial burden of third-party reproduction, they can help you afford more options, and allow you to budget for your treatment.  Resolve, The National Infertility Association, offers a list of products and programs that offer infertility financing programs.  You can learn more about these programs here.