ABOUT THE BOOK
LET'S TALK ABOUT EGG DONATION is written by, for and about families created through egg and embryo donation. The book tells real stories by and about real people.
LET'S TALK ABOUT EGG DONATION takes you on the journey-from infertility diagnosis, to pregnancy, to how to talk to your child about the special way in which they were conceived.
What makes this book unique are the scores of stories from individuals about their experiences before and after becoming parents through egg or embryo donation. We've woven their stories throughout the book to craft an informative, easy-to-read narrative that focuses on positive language choices. It is sure to appeal to anyone who wants to know more about egg donation or embryo donation as an alternative method of family-building. We answer the questions we most often hear from parents and intended parents via egg donation:
- Will I love my child?
- Will my child love me?
- Will my family accept my child?
- What will my child feel?
And, perhaps the biggest question of all:
How do I talk to my child about donor conception.
Our timely book includes couples with a mom and dad, same sex couples, and single parents, as well as young adults conceived via egg donation.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Marna Gatlin
Marna Gatlin is the founder and Executive Director of Parents via Egg Donation (PVED), a non-profit organization created to provide an informational and supportive environment where parents and parents-to-be can learn and share information about all facets of the egg donation process.
PVED's mission is to educate, support, and empower families and individuals at any stage of the process who choose egg donation to build a family. PVED shares information about agencies, legal and medical professionals, treatment centers, mental health professionals, industry professionals, and other resources, as well as providing access to the online forum.
Nineteen years ago, Marna and her husband chose egg donation to build their family. Then still in its relative infancy, there were few resources to support men and women pursuing egg donation. In 2008, Marna founded PVED because she wanted to make sure that no one had to go through what she did alone.
Since then, Marna has tirelessly advocated for tens of thousands of men and women around the world who are pursuing egg donation. Marna responds to hundreds of people who are considering or undergoing an egg donation cycle, or who are parents via egg donation. As a mother through egg donation, Marna brings direct experience of the process to the table.
Marna can be reached at 503-369-9363; marna@letstalkabouteggdonation.com; www.pved.org
Carole LieberWilkins
Carole LieberWilkins is a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Los Angeles. Her career as a psychotherapist specializing in infertility counseling spans well over 30 years. She has counseled thousands of men and women who have chosen third party reproduction to build their families. In addition to being a founding member of Resolve of Greater Los Angeles in 1987, Carole serves as PVED's Director of Mental Health, as well as co-chairing the Mental Health Committee for SEEDS, the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy.
Carole's own experience with premature ovarian failure at the tender age of 30 gives her a personal perspective on those women whose bodies don't work at an age when they should. She was one of the first donor egg recipient moms in the U.S.—she would later learn that her son, Daniel, was one of the first eleven children in the world conceived through egg donation. Having created her family through egg donation and adoption, Carole has always advocated that family is family and that love, not genes, makes a family. Still, DNA is important and curiosity about genetic connectedness is normal and healthy.
Carole is widely regarded for being among the first mental health professionals to teach parents how to talk with kids about how their family was created and how to initiate conversations about donor conception. Her groundbreaking article, Talking with Children about their Conception, serves as an invaluable reference for medical professionals as well as parents via adoption and gamete donation worldwide.
Carole and her husband live in Los Angeles. Their two 30-something year old sons hang out with them on the weekends. Carole can be reached at 310.470.9049; familybuildingclw@gmail.com; www.LAFamilybuilding.com
THE STORIES
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