Fertility Cafe Eloise Drane

What is it really like for intended parents? What is the experience like? How does one cope with watching another woman carry her child? How can couples come together to share this experience and make it a positive one throughout? We'll talk to one Intended Mother about her take on these questions and more.
Guest/Host Bio Amy Oguntala Amy Oguntala and her husband are intended parents via surrogacy. They are currently on their third pregnancy.
Resources Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: Understanding The Basics of IVF and Step-by-step IVF Process On the blog: How Does Surrogacy Work? The Basics for Anyone Considering Surrogacy On the podcast: Ep 61: Egg Donors, Surrogates & IP Relationships On the podcast: Ep 35: Infertility Epidemic Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”

Infertility is on the rise and it's leading to an increased demand for assisted reproduction technology. Unfortunately, many causes of infertility are insidious and seen as relatively harmless, such as the birth control pill. In this episode, we talked about the shocking increase in infertility and what men and women need to know if they want to have a family.            
Host Bio I’m Eloise Drane, Founder of Family Inceptions, the first surrogacy and egg donation agency in the state of Georgia and the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency in the United States.
While I started Family Inceptions back in 2008, my love for giving people the gift of life goes back even further. In 1998, I donated a kidney. The experience was life-changing for me, and I felt called to help more people in such a meaningful, profound way.
Two years later, I had my first experience with egg donation. Little did I know that the egg donation journey would completely change the trajectory of my life.
To date, I’ve been a gestational carrier (also known as a surrogate) three times and an egg donor six times. Along the way, I became an expert in the process.
I founded Family Inceptions to help more intended parents start their families, to support other surrogates and egg donors, and to make an impact in the world.
Although I love working with families through Family Inceptions, I also understand that many people are priced out of working with agencies. So, I took everything I learned from donating eggs six times, serving as a surrogate three times, earning an MBA, and running the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency of its kind in the US... and put it all into an easy-to-use, comprehensive course to help intended parents successfully navigate their independent surrogacy journey. I call that course Surrogacy Roadmap.
There are so many wonderful people out there who are longing to become parents, but they can’t physically create or carry a child for one reason or another. Likewise, there are many women out there who are either considering helping intended parents achieve their family goals or who are already involved in the fertility industry as egg donors or surrogates. 
I created the Fertility Cafe podcast as a free resource to answer the biggest questions intended parents, egg donors, and surrogates are facing as they consider third-party reproduction.
Resources Eloise Drane on LinkedIn Eloise Drane on Instagram Eloise Drane on Facebook Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: Fertility and Family Building Grants and Financial Assistance Programs On the podcast: Ep 07: Fertility Grants – Providing Hope & Overcoming Infertility On the podcast: Ep 35: Infertility Epidemic Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”

What is it really like for surrogates? What are their motivations for being gestational carriers? What is their experience like? How do they feel about being close - or not - with their IPs? What is the most important thing that they really need from agencies and IPs? In this episode, we'll talk to Heathyr Suhr about her take on these questions. 
Guest Bio Heathyr suhr
Heathyr is a single mom to her 7 year old best friend. She is a 2x surrogate who loves pregnancy, helping create families, and helping educate other women on the ups and downs of surrogacy.
Resources Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: Becoming A Surrogate: What’s Carrying Someone Else’s Baby Like? On the blog: Potential Surrogate? 6 Red Flags When Selecting A Surrogacy Agency On the podcast: Ep 8: Six-Time Egg Donor & Three-Time Surrogate Eloise Shares Story On the podcast: Ep 2: Surrogacy 101: When It Takes a Village To Start a Family Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”

In the egg donor community, it's known that financial compensation is often a strong motivator. But there have been many developments in recent years that impact donor and surrogate compensation. In this episode, we're diving into the nitty-gritty, perhaps uncomfortable side of egg donation and surrogacy compensation. We'll cover changes to tax law, appeals, and how compensation affects the already delicate relationship.
Host Bio Eloise Drane I’m Eloise Drane, Founder of Family Inceptions, the first surrogacy and egg donation agency in the state of Georgia and the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency in the United States.
While I started Family Inceptions back in 2008, my love for giving people the gift of life goes back even further. In 1998, I donated a kidney. The experience was life-changing for me and I felt called to help more people in such a meaningful, profound way.
Two years later, I had my first experience with egg donation. Little did I know that the egg donation journey would completely change the trajectory of my life.
To date, I’ve been a gestational carrier (also known as a surrogate) three times and an egg donor six times. Along the way, I became an expert in the process.
I founded Family Inceptions to help more intended parents start their families, to support other surrogates and egg donors, and to make an impact in the world.
Although I love working with families through Family Inceptions, I also understand that many people are priced out of working with agencies. So, I took everything I learned from donating eggs six times, serving as a surrogate three times, earning an MBA, and running the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency of its kind in the US... and put it all into an easy-to-use, comprehensive course to help intended parents successfully navigate their independent surrogacy journey. I call that course Surrogacy Roadmap.
There are so many wonderful people out there who are longing to become parents, but they can’t physically create or carry a child for one reason or another. Likewise, there are many women out there who are either considering helping intended parents achieve their family goals or who are already involved in the fertility industry as egg donors or surrogates.
I created the Fertility Cafe podcast as a free resource to answer the biggest questions intended parents, egg donors, and surrogates are facing as they consider third-party reproduction.
Resources Eloise Drane on LinkedIn Eloise Drane on Instagram Eloise Drane on Facebook Sherman Anti-Trust Act Law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/sherman_antitrust_act#:~:text=Sherman%20Antitrust%20Act%20of%201890,is%20codified%20in%2015%20U.S.C. Perez v. Commissioner: https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/casebrief/p/casebrief-perez-v-commissioner Form 1099: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099msc.pdf Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: Do I Pay Taxes on My Surrogacy Compensation? On the blog: Tax Deductions for Egg Donor and Surrogate Expenses On the podcast: Ep 6: Family Building Finance With Sonia Stewart Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”

When we teach IPs about their possible pathways to parenthood, we often mention embryo donation. There are over a million embryos sitting in cryobanks around the country. But what happens to them if they aren’t used in IVF by the patients themselves? What is the embryo disposition process like; and what is the donation experience like, as a donor and recipient? In this episode we answer these questions along with others like, what is the difference between embryo donation and embryo adoption, can anyone pick an embryo and use it to have a child, what is the matching process like, and what will the genetic, social, and psychological ramifications be for a child born from that process?
Guest Bio Maya Grobel and Gina Davis Maya Grobel is a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and psychotherapist in private practice, where she specializes in supporting individuals and couples struggling to conceive or building their family in alternative ways. Maya and her TV producer husband Noah made a feature length film called One More Shot, documenting their tumultuous journey to parenthood, which ended with the birth of their daughter via embryo donation (available on Vimeo on Demand). Maya a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi, an educational company focused on empowering choice in embryo donation.
Gina Davis is the founder of Advocate Genetics, and a multi-state licensed, board-certified genetic counselor, who specializes in the field of reproductive medicine. Gina is also a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi, an education company dedicated to empowering choice and community in embryo donation. She is a mother of two via IVF and an embryo donor.
Resources Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on Facebook Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on Instagram Maya Grobel and Gina Davis on LinkedIn, LinkedIn EMPOWER with Moxi Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: The Journey Of IVF Treatment: Cramping After Embryo Transfer On the blog: The Truth About Single Embryo Transfer vs. Double Embryo Transfer On the podcast: Ep 36: Embryo Donation On the podcast: Ep 51: Egg Donation 101: When It Takes a Village to Start a Family Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”

Naturally, fertility issues are a sensitive subject. Most couples never imagined that they would need to go the route of third-party reproduction in order to bring their family dreams to fruition. While all IPs are grateful for the role egg donors and surrogates play in building their family, some IPs would prefer not to have a relationship with their donors or surrogates after the process is over and a child is born. Here's what donors and surrogates need to understand about this unique family dynamic and how they can best prepare themselves for the complex relationship ahead.
Host Bio I’m Eloise Drane, Founder of Family Inceptions, the first surrogacy and egg donation agency in the state of Georgia and the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency in the United States.
While I started Family Inceptions back in 2008, my love for giving people the gift of life goes back even further. In 1998, I donated a kidney. The experience was life-changing for me, and I felt called to help more people in such a meaningful, profound way.
Two years later, I had my first experience with egg donation. Little did I know that the egg donation journey would completely change the trajectory of my life.
To date, I’ve been a gestational carrier (also known as a surrogate) three times and an egg donor six times. Along the way, I became an expert in the process.
I founded Family Inceptions to help more intended parents start their families, to support other surrogates and egg donors, and to make an impact in the world.
Although I love working with families through Family Inceptions, I also understand that many people are priced out of working with agencies. So, I took everything I learned from donating eggs six times, serving as a surrogate three times, earning an MBA, and running the first Black-owned surrogacy and egg donation agency of its kind in the US... and put it all into an easy-to-use, comprehensive course to help intended parents successfully navigate their independent surrogacy journey. I call that course Surrogacy Roadmap.
There are so many wonderful people out there who are longing to become parents, but they can’t physically create or carry a child for one reason or another. Likewise, there are many women out there who are either considering helping intended parents achieve their family goals or who are already involved in the fertility industry as egg donors or surrogates.
I created the Fertility Cafe podcast as a free resource to answer the biggest questions intended parents, egg donors, and surrogates are facing as they consider third-party reproduction.
Resources Eloise Drane on LinkedIn Eloise Drane on Instagram Eloise Drane on Facebook Learn more about our podcast: Fertility Cafe Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap On the blog: Surrogates & Baby Blues – What You Should Know On the podcast: Ep 61: Egg Donors, Surrogates & IP Relationships On the podcast: Ep 65: Postpartum After Surrogacy Rate, Review, and Subscribe! We would be so grateful if you took the time to rate and review our podcast on iTunes! And of course, don’t forget to hit that Subscribe button to have new episodes delivered straight to your feed!
Podcast Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: “Beautiful and heartfelt conversations around family building. Can’t wait to hear more!”