The Dark Side of the Infertility Industry: Advocating for the Rights of Donor-Conceived Individuals with Laura High

The Dark Side of the Infertility Industry: Advocating for the Rights of Donor-Conceived Individuals with Laura High

“The pain, stigma, and callousness against infertility drive people to operate in the dark and not talk to their community about this.”

Topics Discussed:

🦩 The importance of being told about donor conception.

🦩 The safety and health of donor-recipient parents.  

🦩 Evidence of ongoing misconduct in the fertility industry.

🦩 The need for empathy and support for infertility trauma.

🦩 The pain and physical toll of fertility treatments.

Are you aware of the massive lack of regulation in the infertility industry? The unregulated practices and their potential impact on individuals seeking fertility treatments will surprise you and make you want to rethink these processes.

In this episode of the Finding Fertility podcast, I speak with Laura High, a standup comic and sperm donor baby who does comedic takedowns of the Infertility industry and explains how donor conception actually works. She discusses her experience of contacting her donor, discovering her Jewish heritage, and discovering potential siblings.

Listen in to learn more about Laura's journey of discovering her donor-conceived status and using comedy to advocate for donor-conceived rights. You will also learn about the lack of regulation in the infertility industry, its dangers, and the importance of empathy and support for infertility trauma.

“If we want to change the infertility industry, we have to start treating infertility trauma with significantly more empathy.”
Episode Highlights:

• [01:28] Laura shares her background as a sperm donor-conceived individuals’ rights advocate.
• [02:19] How she was told about being donor-conceived at 14 and her parents' progressive approach in sharing this information. 
• [07:13] How curiosity drove Laura to contact her sperm donor at 19 about her medical history and concerns about potential health issues.
• [15:21] How religion was prioritized in her donor selection process, despite her genetic makeup being different from what was initially believed.
• [17:38] She explains how she discovered the lack of regulation in the fertility industry, including the potential for sperm switching during IVF.
• [23:48] Reference to a whistleblower who exposed a major cryobank in 2014 for allowing a serial donor to father multiple children.
• [29:49] The importance of treating infertility trauma with empathy and compassion and the negative consequences of stigmatizing and dismissing it.
• [33:25] The invasive nature of IVF and the physical pain experienced by individuals undergoing fertility treatments.

Connect with Laura:

• Website:https://www.laurahighfive.com/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lhigh6/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurahigh5/

Full transcripts over on the blog:

Let's Do This Together 💚

Monica

 

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Anything written or said about health and diet are my opinions, that I have formed over the years, through trial and error, study, reading, listening and observing. What worked for me, may not work for you. I am not a doctor, nutritionist or dietician and all medical advice should be gotten from a qualified professional. Product recommendations are based on what I used during my infertility journey or wish I had.