Wendy Kramer is Director of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR). The DSR is a charity organization, founded in 2000 by Wendy and her donor-conceived son Ryan, to assist individuals conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation that are seeking to make mutually desired contact with others with whom they share genetic ties. With more than 66,000 members in 105 countries, the DSR has helped to connect more than 17,000 people with their half-siblings and/or their donors. Without any outside support, the DSR has pioneered an international discussion about the donor conception industry and the families, with its research, speaking engagements and media appearances.

Wendy has co-authored numerous published papers on donor-conception, has reviewed abstracts for the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and has been a peer reviewer for the journals Human Reproduction and RBM Online. She was Associate Producer on the Style Network's 2011 Emmy nominated show Sperm Donor and on MTV News & Docs, series Generation Cryo, that aired in December 2013. Wendy and her son Ryan have appeared on 60 Minutes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America and many other news shows and publications. Wendy is co-author of the book Finding our Families: A first-of-a-kind Book for Donor Conceived People and Their Families.

Listen to Wendy as she discusses with Ellen and Jenn:

• Wendy’s backstory and how she got inspired to start the DSR.

• What the DSR does and how they help donor conceived people.

• Key takeaways from the research they have conducted.

• Shifting from anonymous donation to known donation through the DSR.

• Common misconceptions of sperm/egg/embryo donations.

• How the DSR works and how it protects your personal information.

• Accepting your infertility to move forward in being in an open donation.

• Unfortunate stories of profits before ethics.

• How DNA testing has changed the industry and DSR.

• Wendy’s thoughts on how to fix the industry.

• Wendy’s advice to those searching for a donor or donor clinic.

Want to share your story or ask a question? Call and leave us a message on our hotline: 303-997-1903.

Learn more about our podcast: https://iwanttoputababyinyou.com/

Learn more about our surrogacy agencies: https://www.brightfuturesfamilies.com/

Learn more about Ellen’s law firm: http://trachmanlawcenter.com/

Learn more about the Donor Sibling Registry: https://www.donorsiblingregistry.com

Purchase Wendy’s book, Finding Our Families: A First-of-Its-Kind Book for Donor-Conceived People and Their Families: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Families-First-Its-Kind-Donor-Conceived/dp/1583335269/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1383854617&sr=1-1

Purchase Wendy’s book, Your Family: A Donor Kid's Story: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692106936?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=ur2&tag=storypodca-20&linkId=2P4S6EY6B462X4AR