Let’s Talk about Egg Donation: Real Stories from Real People
Reviewed By: Susan Keefe
Susan Keefe reviews and promotes poetry, fiction and non-fiction, and is also author of the Toby's Tails series of children's books.
Essential reading for those considering egg and embryo donation.
Marna Gatlin became a patient of John S. Hesla MD in 1999 when she attended ORM Fertility. He was immediately impressed with her intelligence, warmth, thoughtfulness, and candor. Marna has since founded a large non-profit making organization, Parents via Egg Donation (PVED) which has for many years become an important source of information for people who want to become parents via egg donation.
Carole LieberWilkins became one of the first women in the world to become a mother through egg donation. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist at a private practice in Los Angeles, she is a specialist in the field of reproductive medicine, and family building options. She is PVED’s Mental Health Director and was a founding member of Resolve of Greater Los Angeles in 1987.
In the last 30 years the process of egg donation has changed a lot, and the reasons for needing egg donation are many. Marna Gatlin and Carole LieberWilkins the co-authors of this book, call upon their own experience, and those of others to provide their readers with an essential resource which explains the journey ‘real families’ experiences when building a family built through egg and embryo donation.
Within its pages the processes are explained and true accounts given by those who have used this process. Questions are answered, fears calmed and doubts expressed, allowing the reader to fully understand that they are not alone, others have been through the experience. I really love the quote from Marna which says “Don’t get too hung up emotionally regarding your egg donor selection because at the end of the day, the baby you have is the baby you were meant to have.”
There are no subjects glazed over in this frank, honest, no-holds-barred book. I had to smile at the questions asked, especially about hair color, simply because my sister comes from a family who all have blue or grey eyes and yet hers are dark brown. These things don’t matter, and shouldn’t be worried about, having a happy healthy child is all that matters.
Uniquely, this is the first book which provides its readers with age-appropriate scripts to allay the fears of parents about how to talk to their children and explain the special way they were conceived. There is also a list of resources which contains organizations and books which you may wish to read.
In summary: This book is an essential resource for those who are considering building a family through egg and embryo donation. Highly recommended!