Ep. 76 | Embryo Donation

When we teach IPs about their possible pathways to parenthood, we often mention embryo donation. There are over a million embryos sitting in cryobanks around the country. But what happens to them if they aren’t used in IVF by the patients themselves? What is the embryo disposition process like; and what is the donation experience like, as a donor and recipient? In this episode we answer these questions along with others like, what is the difference between embryo donation and embryo adoption, can anyone pick an embryo and use it to have a child, what is the matching process like, and what will the genetic, social, and psychological ramifications be for a child born from that process? Guest Bio Maya Grobel and Gina Davis Maya Grobel is a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and psychotherapist in private practice, where she specializes in supporting individuals and couples struggling to conceive or building their family in alternative ways. Maya and her TV producer husband Noah made a feature length film called One More Shot, documenting their tumultuous journey to parenthood, which ended with the birth of their daughter via embryo donation (available on Vimeo on Demand). Maya a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi, an educational company focused on empowering choice in embryo donation. Gina Davis is the founder of Advocate Genetics, and a multi-state licensed, board-certified genetic counselor, who specializes in the field of reproductive medicine. Gina is also a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi, an education company dedicated to empowering choice and community in embryo donation. She is a mother of two via IVF and an embryo donor. Resources Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on Facebook Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on Instagram Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on LinkedIn, LinkedIn EMPOWER with Moxi Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: The Journey Of IVF Treatment: Cramping After Embryo Transfer On the blog: The Truth About Single Embryo Transfer vs. Double Embryo Transfer On the podcast: Ep 36: Embryo Donation On the podcast: Ep 51: Egg Donation 101: When It Takes a Village to Start a Family Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed! Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”