By Laura Witjens, Chair of the NGDT The lack of awareness has always been one of the biggest issues in recruiting egg and sperm donors. It just isn’t on people’s radar. One of the ways of addressing it is by media coverage. ANY media coverage we have learnt over the years. There is really no …
Monthly Archive: July 2009
Jul
27
Being a father to DC children
By Richard Woolven Being a father to donor conceived children is, in many ways, just like being a father to any child. It’s tiring, the hours are long and the pay is terrible. Of course, at the same time it is a truly wonderful thing to do and a privilege to be a part of. …
Jul
21
Why I got involved with the National Gamete Donation Trust
By trustee, Kriss Fearon I became a donor for the first time 12 years ago. At the time the NGDT didn’t exist and there was hardly any information online about egg donation, even less of that was UK-based and aimed at donors. Though my clinic was lovely I felt quite alone through the process and …
Jul
12
Diary of a sperm donor, part 4
Time for an update in this rather slow process. I guess it didn’t really dawn on me how slow it all was until it started – I’m not really complaining either, but when there was so much mental preparation and anticipation it’s an odd drawn-out anticlimax. I think I prefer the egg donation idea of …
Jul
08
Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what they say is a world first.
The researchers believe the work could eventually help men with fertility problems to conceive. But other experts say they are not convinced that fully developed sperm have been created. Writing in the journal Stem Cells and Development, the Newcastle team say it will be at least five years before the technique is perfected. They began …
Jul
07
Introduction to the National Coordinator, Pip Morris
I had heard of the acute shortage of donors in the UK, and decided I’d like to be involved. I’m always happy to speak to the media about the work we are doing, the campaigns we run and even though we need ‘x’ number of donors, every donor can change someone’s life forever. My family …
Jul
01
Why I got involved with the National Gamete Donation Trust
By trustee, Richard Woolven My first contact with the NGDT was when my wife and I were undergoing treatment. Our clinic had purchased 3 samples of donor sperm from another clinic and we’d had two failed cycles. Just before we began our third our clinician took us to one side and told us that if …