Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation (Hardcover)

by Elen Sarasohn Glazer (Author), Evelina Weidman Sterling (Author)
Key Phrases: pregnancy with donated eggs, considering egg donation, pursuing egg donation, Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation, Deciding Whether, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
...chocked full of information and resources... covers medical, ethical and psychological aspects completely than anything previously available. -- Carole LieberWilkins, M.A., Marriage and Family Therapist, Los Angeles

...indispensable resource for all involved: married couples, singles, gay/lesbian couples; donors/gestational carriers; medical personnel; friends and family -- Patricia Mahlstedt, Ed.D, Psychologist, Private Practice, Houston, Texas Patricia Mahlstedt, Ed.D Psychologist, Private Practice Houston, Texas

In very basic language and terminology, Glazer and Sterling guide the reader through the maze of feelings and considerations -- Andrea Mechanick Braverman, Ph.D., Director of Psychological Services, Pennsylvania Reproductive Associates of the Women's Institute

factual and humane must read for professionals focusing efforts on application and refinement of ovum donation procedures. -- Luigi Mastroianni, Jr., M.D., The William Goodell Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

From the Inside Flap
Increasingly, friends, family members, or physicians are asking , "Have you thought about egg donation?" It is asked of women who have lost ovaries (or ovarian function) to cancer treatment, women born without ovaries or having lost them to surgery, women unable to attempt pregnancy until they were over 30, young women being diagnosed with premature ovarian failure, and gay couples, more and more of whom are considering parenthood through collaborative reproduction.

Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation is the first comprehensive book for people considering parenthood through donated ova. It takes readers through the decision making process, focusing on questions they are likely to be asking themselves, including: "Are we candidates for egg donation?" "Will it work?" "How much does it cost?" "How do we find a donor?" "Should we ask a family member or work with a stranger?" "How do we talk about our decision with others?" "How will we tell our children?" Ethical questions related to egg donation are also examined: "Can a donor truly have informed consent?" "Is it ethically correct for donors to receive payment, and, if so, is the payment for ‘time and effort’ or for their eggs?" Perhaps the thorniest question of all is "How old is too old?"

For readers facing the unfamiliar new terrain of ovum donation, Ellen Sarasohn Glazer and Evelina Weidman Sterling are wise and compassionate guides. In simple, clear, informative, and sensitive language, they address feelings that arise for individuals and couples facing egg donation decisions. Drawing from different and complementary areas of expertise-Glazer is a counselor and infertility coach, Sterling a public health specialist and medical ethicist-they provide readers with information and understanding

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Perspectives Press (IN); 1st edition (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0944934323
• ISBN-13: 978-0944934326
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,590 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Snarky Comments Against Older Mothers, April 24, 2006

By	Roxanne Jones "Roxie" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

I was really looking forward to reading this book. However, I was really disappointed and disturbed by the bias that the authors have against older mothers. At times you hear a running theme about how older parents "will be feel out of the loop at school activities and functions" and how a radiologist friend snarked how these older moms are getting mammograms with young children in tow. Just who do they think egg donor recipients are? Are only younger women in their 30's the only ones who deserve to get egg donation. I thought they would be more objective.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Conflicted, May 4, 2007

By	E. Wilson (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was excited to find a book that addressed my issues of infertility exactly, but this book made me feel that even those in the "infertility family" did not approve of my decision. There is a tremendous amount of information and the book covered every possibility of reaching the egg donation decision. However, the authors were not supportive of mothers considering egg donation if they were over 45 years old and repeated that lack of support throughout the book.

The beginning of the book has a section discussing seemingly all ways of arriving at the decision of egg donation and they were positive about all of them except women who need both a donated egg and donated sperm, which happens to be my situation. The authors dismissed this option as "unfair to the child" and barely discussed it in the rest of the book.

I would recommend this book for a good overview of the emotional ups and downs, but take it with a grain of salt if you are older or are not lucky enough to have family to donate for you.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful & Informative for Those Suffering from Infertility, March 31, 2005

By	Wendy S "Wendy S" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I highly recommend Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation to anyone who is going through the pain of infertility. The book is incredibly helpful and informative. I am planning on passing it on to my friends who are suffering from infertility with the hopes that this compassionate book will offer them guidance and inspire them to continue their journey to have a child.-- WENDY S.