For the LGBTQ+ community, there are various family-building options to consider. In honor of Pride Month, we wanted to shine a light on Reciprocal IVF, a beautiful path to parenthood, also known as Co-IVF. Reciprocal IVF is a treatment option for many LGBTQ+ couples in which both partners have eggs and a uterus, such as lesbian or trans couples. What is so incredible about this family-building choice is that it allows each partner to have an intimate role in the creation and growth of the couple’s child. How does reciprocal IVF work? During reciprocal IVF, one partner...

June is National Men’s Health Month, but there is no better time than the present to start taking men’s health seriously - especially when it comes to your fertility health when trying to conceive.  We know that 1 in 8 couples find themselves having difficulty getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy. While much of the focus and education around fertility health centers solely on women, men’s health plays a vital role as well. After all, sperm does contribute to 50% of a baby’s DNA. You might be surprised to hear that male factor infertility is a contributing cause...

If you’re considering using frozen donor eggs to help grow your family, you might also be wondering what sort of biological impact, if any, you’ll have on your baby, given the fact that they’ll be inheriting their DNA from the egg donor rather than from you. The reality is that your baby’s development, health, and even future well-being are greatly dependent on your body, from day one. And that’s due — much in part — to something known as epigenetics.  Here’s what RN and Donor Egg Bank USA’s physician relations manager, Becca Murillo, has to say...

It was over two years ago when we found ourselves at a crossroads on our journey to parenthood. After exhausting our insurance-covered intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycles, we decided to take a small break from fertility treatments. We had just bought a new house on the edge of St. Paul, complete with a front porch, big windows, and three bedrooms, at least one of which we desperately wanted to fill with a crib and rocking chair in the near future. Oh, and a baby too.  One evening, I found myself on the Google machine, every infertile’s most...

For heterosexual couples, being told by a doctor that you need to use donor eggs to have a baby can be incredibly emotional for both partners. While it might seem obvious that a woman would grieve the loss of her biological tie to her future child(ren), there is a lot for men to come to terms with as well when it comes to pursuing donor egg IVF as their path to parenthood. Grief  Infertility is a couple’s issue, not just a woman’s issue. And in the case of donor eggs, it can be incredibly difficult...

Male factor infertility is not something I ever thought I would experience. I’m young, healthy, and no one else in my family has had infertility issues, so why would I? I felt broken, like less of a man and husband. I was embarrassed. What will people think? The shame and secrecy around the topic of male infertility leave every newly diagnosed man feeling emasculated and alone, a sad reality considering that nearly 50% of all infertility diagnoses are at least partially due to male factors. Having children has always been a given for me, something I...