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Ask the Experts: Everything You Need to Know About Donor Conception — with Dr. Mark Leondires
Re-released for Pride 2026 — Because this conversation never gets old
What does it actually feel like to need a donor to build your family? How do you choose the right one? What does the medical process look like — and what does the emotional process look like? In this rare co-author conversation, I put these questions to Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder and Medical Director of Illume Fertility and Gay Parents To Be — and he turns them right back on me.
Together, Dr. Leondires and I wrote Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception. In this episode, we give you the condensed, honest version — the medical clarity, the practical steps, and the emotional truth — all in one place.
You’ll walk away knowing:
• The key medical steps in egg, sperm, and embryo donation
• How to think about choosing a donor — and what really matters
• The emotional landscape most people don’t expect
• What to tell your children — and when
• Why donor conception is more mainstream than ever, and what that means for your family
Whether you’re just starting to explore the idea or are already in the process, this episode gives
you clear, actionable guidance from two of the leading voices in the field. No fluff. No
overwhelm. Just answers.
#DonorConceptionConversations #Pride2026 #DonorConception #LGBTQFamily
#EggDonation #SpermDonation #IVF #FertilityDoctor #BuildingYourFamily
#DrMarkLeondires #IllumeFertility #GayParentsToBe #FamilyBuilding #QueerFamily
#FertilityPodcast #ListenNow
Co-authors Lisa Schuman &; Dr. Mark Leondires answer your biggest donor conception
questions — medical, emotional &; practical. 50+ years of expertise in one episode.
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Dr. Mark Leondires, MD — Founder and Medical Director, Illume Fertility; Founder, Gay Parents
To Be; co-author, Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception. Father through donor conception and surrogacy.
Lisa Schuman, LCSW — Founding Director, The Center for Family Building; host, Donor Conception Conversations podcast; co-author, Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception; award-winning researcher, ASRM.
View all episodes
By Lisa Schuman
5
1313 ratings
Re-released for Pride 2026 — Because this conversation never gets old
What does it actually feel like to need a donor to build your family? How do you choose the right one? What does the medical process look like — and what does the emotional process look like? In this rare co-author conversation, I put these questions to Dr. Mark Leondires, Founder and Medical Director of Illume Fertility and Gay Parents To Be — and he turns them right back on me.
Together, Dr. Leondires and I wrote Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception. In this episode, we give you the condensed, honest version — the medical clarity, the practical steps, and the emotional truth — all in one place.
You’ll walk away knowing:
• The key medical steps in egg, sperm, and embryo donation
• How to think about choosing a donor — and what really matters
• The emotional landscape most people don’t expect
• What to tell your children — and when
• Why donor conception is more mainstream than ever, and what that means for your family
Whether you’re just starting to explore the idea or are already in the process, this episode gives
you clear, actionable guidance from two of the leading voices in the field. No fluff. No
overwhelm. Just answers.
#DonorConceptionConversations #Pride2026 #DonorConception #LGBTQFamily
#EggDonation #SpermDonation #IVF #FertilityDoctor #BuildingYourFamily
#DrMarkLeondires #IllumeFertility #GayParentsToBe #FamilyBuilding #QueerFamily
#FertilityPodcast #ListenNow
Co-authors Lisa Schuman &; Dr. Mark Leondires answer your biggest donor conception
questions — medical, emotional &; practical. 50+ years of expertise in one episode.
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Dr. Mark Leondires, MD — Founder and Medical Director, Illume Fertility; Founder, Gay Parents
To Be; co-author, Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception. Father through donor conception and surrogacy.
Lisa Schuman, LCSW — Founding Director, The Center for Family Building; host, Donor Conception Conversations podcast; co-author, Building Your Family: The Complete Guide to Donor Conception; award-winning researcher, ASRM.
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