Using a donor - where to find support

[Skittles11]

Hello I feel I need to speak to/ hear from people who have used an egg donor.

Can people who have used / planning to use an egg donor indicate where you felt you got support?

I am aware of Paths to Parenthub and Donor Conception Network. Has anyone registered with these and if so have you found it useful? Especially if you used egg donor from abroad. Are these networks supportive where anonymous egg donors have been used?

Are they able to link you up with people that have used egg donation / are in the process of using egg donation to chat with by phone?

We havent made our decision yet but we are looking seriously at Spain as an option. We are looking at UK too but the costs are extraordinary and not in a good way.

Any other support welcomed (e.g. are there other networks people have found helpful)? I know we will be doing donor yet, still trying to adapt to our early miscarriage with last own embryo but also wanting to keep things moving.

Your input and support always always appreciated.

Thanks x

[LouCollier]

Hi

I found some facebook groups useful and follow people on Istagram.

From doing this I have a group of local mum friends that have all used DEIVF and also a group of mum friends that are scattered across the UK we all whats app and facetime and we all went through it all about the same time. All our children are 18-24 month old. definatly worth chatting in the facebook groups to find your people....so important on this journey and when you do have your little one xx

[Axel131]

Hi Skittles, I'm sorry for another loss for you, this journey just completely sucks. I'm currently making my decision about where to go for donor eggs (I'm in Ireland). Most people I know who've used them have gone to Spain and had great experiences but for me I prefer an open donor so that's not an option for me. I just recently attended a webinar for a donor clinic in Cyprus who are very good with the info, I can DM you the name of you'd like. They use both open and anonymous.They had a webinar over the weekend which went on for over 2 hours, very informative and then I had an individual zoom but they also put you in contact with parents who have used them before. I'm not sure I'm going to go with them because figuring out travel and work is a hassle for me but so far they've been so accessible and it's just a shame they're not closer.

[Skittles11 in reply to Axel131]

Thank you for your for your reply. I think we are most likely to pick between Spain and UK but the clinic you consulted with in Cyprus does sound good so a DM with the name would be appreciated in case we decide to go this direction, thank you.

[Boo718]

we were in Spain and they provided councilling for moving on to donor. It was really good xxx

[Skittles11 in reply to Boo718]

Thank you, would it be okay if I messaged you a question on DM? X

[Boo718 in reply to Skittles11]

Absolutely xxx

[Kitkat10]

yes I joined DCN and joined some zoom meetings to talk to other ladies contemplating donor eggs or those already with children conceived using DE. Really helpful and supportive. You can either just sit and listen to people’s stories or you can describe your own story. They are very relaxed and friendly. There is no pressure.

I’m now 25 weeks pregnant with a double donor baby and planning on attending another zoom meeting shortly with women in a similar position. I find it really supportive just to talk to people doing the same and also those with children already. The DCN also have what’s app groups and face to face meetings, plus lots of resources on their website, newsletters etc x

[Skittles11 in reply to Kitkat10]

Thanks for this, I really appreciate the feedback and insights. May I ask whether you also have knowledge of Paths to Parenthub? X

[Kitkat10 in reply to Skittles11]

Hi, no I haven’t heard of that one. I also read Motherhood Reimagined which I found v useful x

[minnesota_girl]

Skittles i am happy to talk to you on the phone if that would help, you know I did donor in Spain.

Where I found the most support personally was finding social media accounts where people used egg donors and talk about their pregnancies and kids and what it means to them. But everyone is different.

I'm happy to support in any way I can if it helps your process. Just DM if you want to talk.

[Skittles11 in reply to minnesota_girl]

That's really kind of you. I'll drop you a DM x x