Embryo Donation: The Family-Building Option You’ve Never Heard Of with Maya Grobel of EmPower with Moxi
What if the answer to your family-building journey was a frozen embryo that someone else created?
What if the answer to your family-building journey was a frozen embryo that someone else created? Today, we will blow your mind about the (literally) life-changing world of embryo donation.….
Maya Grobel is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) / psychotherapist in reproductive medicine. Her diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve in her early 30s sent her straight to IVF, which resulted in no embryos to transfer and intense heartbreak.
Over the next 4 years, she and her husband tried everything assisted reproductive medicine had to offer and documented the entire journey, which resulted in a feature-length film called One More Shot that debuted on Netflix in 2018 and is now available on Amazon PRIME.
Spoiler: the end of their journey was the birth of their daughter who was conceived via embryo donation.
She has co-authored the chapters on embryo donation for two very important books for reproductive medicine professionals.
And she is a co-founder of EM•POWER with Moxi, an organization modernizing the embryo donation process, backed by a Department of Health and Human Services grant.
Key Talking Points
What led to the decision to pursue embryo donation?
Let’s go through a 101 on Embryo Donation
What is it and how does it works?
Statistics: How many frozen embryos are in the U.S. today?
Intended for use? abandoned?
Why is embryo donation so unknown?
Breaking Down Barriers
The lack of awareness and education around embryo donation.
Challenges: Legal gray areas, lack of standardization, and political influence.
The importance of counseling for both donors and recipients.
Unethical Practices in the Current System
Anonymity vs Directed Donation
Why don’t clinics openly share this with families?
The Advantages of Embryo Donation
Cost-effectiveness compared to other fertility treatments or adoption.
The ability to experience pregnancy and birth.
The emotional complexities of raising a child conceived through donation.
Modernizing the Process with EmPower
How EmPower is simplifying and standardizing the donation process.
The resources available on EmPower… clinics, professional, etc….
Vision for the future of embryo donation.
Listener Questions
"How do I know if embryo donation is right for me?"
"What’s the counseling process like for both parties?"
"How does one navigate the emotional and ethical aspects of raising a donor-conceived child?"
