{"href":"http://player.captivate.fm/services/oembed?url=http%3A%2F%2Fplayer.captivate.fm%2Fepisode%2F75874662-3941-49cf-9627-3e6a9f3f100f","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Captivate.FM","provider_url":"https://www.captivate.fm","width":600,"height":200,"type":"rich","html":"","title":"Donor Sperm and Treatment abroad","description":"In this episode, we\u2019re talking about donor sperm and treatment abroad. We have discussed donor conception on the podcast before and refer throughout the episode to previous chats we\u2019re had as we\u2019ve spoken to egg donors, as well as organizations that help match you with donors both in the UK and abroad and we\u2019ve heard your stories about having treatment abroad with a donor egg or sperm, for a multitude of reasons. \r\n\r\n\r\nThe idea of using a donor to make your baby can take a lot of time to get your head around and it's so important to get support and there are brilliant organizations to guide you. We\u2019ve chatted with the Donor Conception Network who have been around for a long time, working on the narrative about how we talk about this with our loved ones. \r\n\r\n\r\nMore recently, the brilliant Becky Kearns who is @defiingmum on Instagram has launched her Paths to Parents hub which is to support people looking at donor conception and Becky is working tirelessly to provide webinars and an amazing support network to help answer the many questions that come with donor conception. \r\n\r\n\r\nOur first guest is JR Silver who has created a wonderful children's book called Sharing Seeds.\r\n\r\n\r\nJR was diagnosed with the BRCA1 and sadly lost his sister to breast cancer 9 months later. The family had realized there was a line of females that had passed away young\r\nSister died 9 months later. It was when he went to find out about PGD testing to see whether they could take sperm and have it analyzed to see if they would only put forward healthy sperm\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat is Non\u2010obstructive azoospermia (NOA)\r\nEnded up having fertility tests - he found out that he had zero sperm which is defined as Non\u2010obstructive azoospermia (NOA) Definition - no sperm in the ejaculate due to failure of spermatogenesis and is the most severe form of male infertility. The etiology of NOA is either intrinsic testicular impairment or inadequate gonadotropin production.\r\n\r\n\r\nJR went on to have more tests to confirm the condition and then went on to see a Urologist and had two operations to try and retrieve sperm over the coming year. He and his wife had a strong support network and also gained more support and also funding from the Jewish infertility charity Chana \r\nChana is close to my heart as they also supported me in the early stages of our decision to donate our frozen embryo You can learn more about them\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s it like choosing a sperm donor for a guy and what advice do you have for other men? \r\n\r\n\r\nJR explained how he was on a light dose of anti-depressants felt that might have taken the edge off the choosing a sperm donor. Once the pair had got their head around it, they found it quite good fun. \r\n\r\n\r\nJR talked about how his wife didn\u2019t want to see pictures, but it was one of his requirements. The pair are fair in the background and they wanted someone close to his aesthetic and he said that enabled them to pick the donors based on the pictures available. The donor was from Canada and the US from Xytex\r\n\r\n\r\nJR says to be wary of all the advice offered and encourages Men to work with their partner and look at if they can deal with the setbacks of how it feels, see it as a joint project.\r\n\r\n\r\nHow do you talk about using a sperm donor - with your friends and family? \r\n\r\n\r\nThis is such an important conversation and once we\u2019ve also discussed on the podcast with Jana Rupnow as she talks about how she supports parents in having such conversations both with those around you and ultimately with your children \r\n\r\n\r\nJR went to talk to the Donor Conception and learned about the importance of telling your children from a young age. He talked about how he and his wife both found their parents to be surprised that they were going to talk about it which was another issue they had to navigate. \r\n\r\n\r\nWhat do you do when family \u2018concern\u2019 is an issue? \r\n\r\n\r\nOf course, there will be generational differences in understanding and perceptions of ART...","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/743649d5-4a8b-4546-9d73-2b25006f9be7/cover-image-kt55sa0q-thefertpod.png"}