Helping the Stork: The Choices and Challenges of Donor Insemination

Average customer rating:

Thank good ness for this book!

A great book to help with the loss!

Helped me feel less unique

A Godsend for us!

Some useful info but not quite enough detail

Helping the Stork: The Choices and Challenges of Donor Insemination
Carol Frost Vercollone , Heidi Moss , and Robert Moss
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Choosing Assisted Reproduction: Social, Emotional & Ethical Considerations

Experiences of Donor Conception: Parents, Offspring, and Donors Through the Years

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ASIN: 002861917X

Book Description

Helping the Stork The sourcebook for all the information parents-to-be need to know about the choices and challenges of donor insemination Each year donor insemination (DI) offers a pathway to parenthood for the hundreds of thousands who turn to family-building alternatives. Although DI is considered as often as adoption, couples facing male infertility, as well as single women and lesbian couples, have had few places to turn for information about this method, which has been shrouded in secrecy. In Helping the Stork, parents-to-be, as well as friends and family, doctors, and counselors, can explore the choices and challenges raised by this alternative to overcoming childlessness. This comprehensive handbook moves through each step of the process: reaching a solid decision about whether donor insemination is the best choice for a family's future; handling the difficult issue of privacy; selecting a donor and getting started; and learning to thrive as a family meeting DI's added challenges. Full of wisdom from medical and mental health experts, Helping the Stork is also enriched with stories from many families who share their insights and experiences. This book is a reassuring, supportive, and helpful guide that no one considering or going through the process of donor insemination should be without. Visit us online at http://www.mcp.com/mgr

Customer Reviews:

Thank good ness for this book!.......2003-06-03

This book was a wonderful tool for my husband and I when we were exploring DI as an option. This is the one book that truly addresses our unique infertility situation. None of the other infertility books spend more than a page talking about using donor sperm. This was wonderful!

A great book to help with the loss!.......2002-10-31

I am a DI adoptee and I recommended this book to my mother. She really felt validated by the book. As an DI adoptee I also recommend "Adoption Forum" by Kasey Hamner. It covers DI from all angles. And those touched by DI are represented in many of the other topics. Oh, and remember, always disclose!!

Helped me feel less unique.......2002-10-15

I agree with other reviewers that this book focuses more on the emotional side than the technical. However, I can get all the technical information I need from my doctor. What this book gave me was a sense that there are a LOT of others out there who are doing what I'm doing. It also helped me focus on and deal with all the stress that the process brings with it. I think you can get a lot out of this book even if you are not the hetero couple that is more targeted by the examples. You still have to deal with the issues between you and the child and the donor, no matter what your relationship is, and those chapters were very helpful.

A Godsend for us!.......2002-10-02

This book was an ENORMOUS help to my husband and me. I agree with some of the other reviewers that it is focused more on the emotional aspects and couples dealing with male infertility and may not be such a great help to single mothers and lesbian couples. But there ARE those of us out here in that category of couples with male factor infertility. My husband and I had already tried unsuccessfully to conceive through ICSI and could not afford more attempts. Donor insemination was our only other option besides adoption. This book focused on EXACTLY what we needed. What are the pros and cons, tell or don't tell others, tell or don't tell the child (I felt they were pro-telling, but discussed the positives and negatives of each choice), known donor or anonymous? These were some of the many issues we were concerned with. I didn't need a biology lesson to learn how it's done - I had other books on infertility to explain that. I didn't need a cost rundown - it varies so much, my clinic could answer those questions. After FOUR years of agonizing over whether or not to do this, this book FINALLY helped us make our decision and decide how we would handle all of the ensuing choices. I felt the authors did a great job of presenting all sides of the issue in an honest and fair way. I highly recommend it to other couples in our situation.

Some useful info but not quite enough detail.......2002-03-27

While this book gave me an overview of the basic process of donor insemination (DI), its pitfalls and successes, I found myself wanting...more. More information, more details on exactly how it all works, why, statistics, etc. This book is, in my opinion, more focused on the emotions of dealing with infertility -- complete with little vignettes *ad nauseum* from DI parents -- the DI process and dealing with postpartum DI concerns. (While those issues are indeed important and that info useful, it wasn't really what I had expected the book to be majoratively focused on.)

Book Description

This practical book on equine management and artificial insemination is the first of its kind to cover the artificial insemination of equines in-depth. Succinctly covers anatomy and physiology; the collection, evaluation and management of semen; and discusses problems that may be encountered. Provides a synopsis of the future of reproductive techniques. Contains helpful illustrations and figures!

Customer Reviews:

Equine Breeding Management and Artificial Insemination.......2000-04-26

This book is a must for any owner or manager of an equine breeding facility. It is technical, but relatively easy to read and complete. Whether you're an expert whose been in the business for years or a novice just getting started, this is the primer you've been looking for. It's one you'll want to keep handy for looking up answers to new questions or reviewing the answers to your old ones. Kudos to the author for a job well done. It's worth noting that no matter what breed of horses you work with, you will still find this reference invaluable.

Applied Animal Reproduction, Sixth Edition

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Applied Animal Reproduction

Applied Animal Reproduction, Sixth Edition
H. Joe Bearden , John W. Fuquay , and Scott T. Willard
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, 6th Edition

ASIN: 0131128310

Book Description

Comprehensive, up-to-date, and readable, this book offers unique coverage of both basic physiology as related to reproduction AND the application of physiology to the management of reproduction in livestock species. KEY TOPICS A five-part presentation covers anatomy, function, and regulation; reproductive processes; artificial insemination; management for improved reproduction; and causes of reproductive failure. For animal scientists, reproductive psychologists, animal caretakers, and herd managers.

Customer Reviews:

Applied Animal Reproduction.......2000-10-10

Was a very good book for those with iterest on how repoduction in animals works. The first chapters help to better understand the book rather then assuming that everyone knows all the tec. terms.

Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer of Dairy and Beef Cattle, Ninth Edition

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Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer of Dairy and Beef Cattle, Ninth Edition
Jere R. Mitchell , Gordon A. Doak , and Harry A. Herman
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle (Getting Started With)

ASIN: 0131122789

Book Description

Material is organized into 5 parts for easy and ready use, broadening the usefulness of the book, making it the most comprehensive, hands-on AI manual available. This manual prepares users for the "real world" by exposing them to the latest technology and techniques used in the reproduction and the practice of artificial insemination (AI) in livestock. Part One provides information on the advantages and considerations of artificial insemination, basic livestock genetics, the anatomy and reproductive processes of the cow and bull, and semen collection methods. It relates statistics on AI usage and general information about NAAB and CSS. Part Two deals with semen characteristics, including evaluation, processing, and extension; freezing and cryogenic storage; and care of the refrigerator unit. The various tests for semen quality are discussed in detail as is custom selection of semen. Part Three explains insemination techniques for dairy and beef cattle, inseminator training, pregnancy determination in cattle, conception rates, and breeding problems. The exercise on "Embryo Transfer and Related Practices" explains the advances and techniques involved in the field. Part Four includes an overview of sire selection, sire health, sire management, AI organization, and career opportunities. Part Five explains the use and techniques for artificial insemination in dairy goats and other farm animals. For herd operators and persons involved in genetic development—of particular use to people interested in livestock improvement. For those who are anticipating careers in some phase of the AI industry.

Buying Dad: One Woman's Search for the Perfect Sperm Donor

Average customer rating:

Recomended for those contemplating insemination
Funny, insightful... and oddly practical.
Snarky Funny
Very great book!
moving and wonderful

Buying Dad: One Woman's Search for the Perfect Sperm Donor
Harlyn Aizley
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1555837557

Book Description

What do two nice Jewish girls do when they want to start a family? They can marry two nice Jewish boys, or, if they happen to be lesbians, they can buy sperm online from California! Buying Dad is a hilarious, edgy, first--person chronicle of a year in the life of a woman engaged in a very alternative family-planning experience. Peeling back the layers of self-indulgence accumulated in 30-odd years as a self-proclaimed gay, childless, albeit happy neurotic, Harlyn Aizley takes the reader on one of the most personal, intimate and utterly female journeys any woman, gay or straight, can make-that of becoming a mother. Aizley's story begins with the search for sperm-known or unknown donor? Delivered on dry ice or in a nitrogen tank? The journey unfolds within the context of her relationship with her female partner, her mother's cancer diagnosis, the threat of her own possible infertility and finally pregnancy itself. Aizley's wry voice and candid prose embrace this confluence of major life events with the humor and wisdom that make Buying Dad accessible to any woman who ever considered ending a lifetime of sleep-filled nights and becoming a parent.

Harlyn Aizley's fiction and poetry have been seen in Cups, Caffeine, Inside, Dialogue and The South Carolina Review as well as the anthologies Love Shook My Heart, Scream When You Burn and Beginnings. Her nonfiction has appeared in Boston Magazine and the anthologies The Best American Neurotica and Mondo Barbie Redux. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and holds a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A native of New Jersey, she currently lives in the Boston area.

Customer Reviews:

Recomended for those contemplating insemination.......2007-03-01

I found the book fascinating, informative and cleverly written. I learned a lot from it and found that I wasn't alone in some of my pre-insemination craziness. There were even times when the book made me laugh out loud. While I found the book hard to put down, 3/4 of the way through it I got really tired of the author questioning the wisdon of lesbians getting pregnant. I felt like there was way too much internalized homophobia and I was just tired of it and wonder what the child will think when reading mom's book in the future. I also wish it didn't end so abruptly and spent more time on what would seemingly be the culmination of the book .. childbirth ... as well as the events with her mother surrounding the time of childbirth. Despite these two areas, I loved the book and highly recomend it.

Funny, insightful... and oddly practical. .......2006-08-11

The author is a Jewish, very well educated (Brandeis, Harvard) lesbian who lives in Boston. So it's written from a certain viewpoint-- but I didn't for a second think anything was "snide" or "snarky" as some other readers have commented. In fact, there is a LOT of self deprecating humor in here; the author is constantly worried about her own possible inadequacies--everything from genetic disorders that Jews might be carrying to her financial and social situation and her family issues. This book is almost kind of classic Jewish humor in some ways, which I liked, but I don't think you have to be Jewish to enjoy this book. (I'm not.) Also don't think you need to be gay to enjoy this book. I think almost anyone trying to get pregnant would enjoy this book, especially if you are trying to do it in a non-traditional way or in a non-traditional family situation.

The reason it's oddly practical is that I actually think I picked up some concrete details on the whole process, should I ever do this--how to choose a bank, costs, what to scrutinize in donor essays, how to screen doctors and clinics for mercenary motives, how clinics SHOULD be checking for ovulation and how they SHOULD be attempting inseminations. Because the author had some bad experiences with faulty donors and lousy clinics and goes into a lot of details about specific conversations, procedures she had, etc.

Snarky Funny.......2006-05-04

My partner and I bought this when we were starting to look at selecting a sperm donor, and were very disappointed in this book.

We thought the author came across as neurotic and with a lot of internalized homophobia. And not in a way where you thought, "Yes, but she's struggling to deal with it and there's some hope!"

Very great book!.......2003-11-27

I had this book on my shelf for a month before opening it - why did I wait so long? I agree with the other reviewers. This is a funny, moving, and yes, heartfelt book. Harlyn Aizley's voice is one I will never forget. Very poetic and humorous take on two of life's biggest and hardest adventures.

moving and wonderful.......2003-08-01

It's hard to imagine laughing about cancer and crying about sperm, but that's what I did while reading Buying Dad. Harlyn Aizley's insights and sharp wit made reading about two really difficult issues - cancer and infertility - a joy and a learning experience. A great book to pass on to a friend thinking of becoming a mom or to someone who is helping a loved one face cancer.

Average customer rating:

Invaluable, ahead-of-its-time book on donor insemination

Lethal Secrets
Annette Baran , and Reuben Pannor
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1567430201

Customer Reviews:

Invaluable, ahead-of-its-time book on donor insemination.......1996-12-11

"Lethal Secrets" takes a long-range view of donor insemination by interviewing donor offspring, donors and parents years after the fact. Taking a hard look at the ramifications of secrecy and donor insemination is not the norm, nor is advocating for openness. Many, if not most, doctors, patients and sperm banks continue to advocate for secrecy, blithely ignoring the psychological dangers of this widespread practice. Baran and Pannor are ahead of their time. They support donor insemination, yet argue persuasively for openness: not only is it every child's right to know the truth of his or her genetic heritage, it is healthier for the parents and the donors, as well. If you are considering using donor insemination or even donor egg to have a child, this book is invaluable. I only wish the authors would write a book specifically about the psychological aspects of using donor egg

A Donor Insemination Guide: Written by and for Lesbian Women

Average customer rating:

Very informative
In Agreeance
Ok, but a tad melodramatic

A Donor Insemination Guide: Written by and for Lesbian Women
Marie Mohler , and Lacy Frazer
Manufacturer: Harrington Park Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560232277

Customer Reviews:

Very informative.......2007-07-08

I found this book to be very useful and helped to clarify some important questions I had about the process.

In Agreeance.......2006-05-29

I agree with the other reviewer - their emphasis on timing having to be perfect has caused quite a lot of anxiety for me. After all, there's only so much we can control about this process and the rest is part nature, part luck. I would reccomend this book to someone doing home IVI's with fresh sperm, but it will only cause more angst to those doing frozen IUI's with their doctor.

Ok, but a tad melodramatic.......2004-04-12

This was the first pregnancy book I read. Frankly, I found it a bit scary. The authors clearly had a very hard time with conception and with their small-town North Carolina doctors. That seems to have made them a tad fanatical about moms-to-be doing *everything* "right" or they'll never have a child. And I'm not sure the authros' (expectation and) experience of homophobia is particularly informative for those of us in more progressive settings. I very much appreciate the info. I got from the book; now I just have to try not to worry.

Waiting in the Wings: Portrait of a Queer Motherhood

Average customer rating:

making familia from scratch
Rather less than luminous
Luminous!

Waiting in the Wings: Portrait of a Queer Motherhood
Cherrie Moraga
Manufacturer: Firebrand Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563410923

Amazon.com

At age 40, Chicana writer and activist Cherrie Moraga decided she wanted to have a child. Waiting in the Wings comprises diary entries made during her pregnancy and the first difficult years of her son's life, as well as retrospective essays on motherhood, partnership, men and woman, and families. Moraga's writing is a rich, fluid mix of English and Spanish that explores the personal, social, and spiritual consequences of lesbian motherhood.

Customer Reviews:

making familia from scratch.......2001-05-16

Moraga's text is a thoughtful meditation on the dialectics of biology and social construction of gender, sexuality, and bodies. She offers very personal reflections on how her choice to bear a child disrupts societal expectations for lesbians and how her choice is also shaped by race & culture. Ultimately, she envisions her child and the ghosts of those who have passed on (her Mexican uncle who died of lung cancer as well as gay male friends who died of AIDS) surrounding him as well as those present as part of a larger community of familia and a future generation that is inclusive of racial-ethnic minorities and sexual minorities. Moraga's trajectory as a writer is fascinating to explore--I would recommend reading The Last Generation before this book, and then reading the new sections from Loving in the War Years afterward. I also would suggest keeping an eye out for Yvonne Yarbro-Bejarano's book on Moraga's work, being published by University of Texas Press.

Rather less than luminous.......2000-09-04

A voice of dissension! Moraga's Waiting in the Wings is drearily narcissistic, toggling between journal entries and narrative over her newborn's struggle for life as a premature infant. While Moraga's early work (Loving in the War Years) offered a radical and fresh vision of Chicanismo, her later work suffers from dogmatic tendencies. Waiting in the Wings serves as a paean to the importance of the author herself with no greater glory other than Moraga's own narrowly defined boundaries of self. The journal entries are particularly self-indulgent, with the author occasionally indulging in worst kind of eugenic planning as she documents the manner in which she conceived (literally, figuratively, and politically) her child. Less a guide to the meaning of Mexican American family and community than a primer for baby boomer selfishness writ large, in the life of their children. Certainly a must-read for her ouevre, but expect no magical enlightenment. Moraga writes here not from the position of outsider but insider, who can produce drivel and still receive accolades. Tiresome, in the final analysis.

Luminous!.......2000-06-30

This is a beautifully written and insightful memoir. Moraga communicates a deep love of self, family and community in this finely crafted volume. I was particularly inspired by the seamless way the recounting of her personal story addressed so many larger political and spiritual issues.(A better case for the honoring of queer famlies could not be made). More than this, however, Moraga is just an exceptionally gifted writer, and this book highlights her luminous talent. One poetic phrase follows another, until the reader is left with one of the most elegant memoirs out there. Read it, and experience a unique glimpse into the heart of her fiercely loving mother's heart.

The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank

Average customer rating:

A great read with an appropriate title
Not much "Hard Science" I expected more.
Scary Reality
Makes you rethink ever buying donor sperm
Thought provoking and funny...

The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
David Plotz
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1400061245
Release Date: 2005-06-07

Amazon.com

Robert Graham, the oddball inventor and millionaire at the heart of David Plotz's book, The Genius Factory, is the archetype for the cliché, "more money than brains." It was Graham who reckoned America was going to hell in a hand basket and the best way to halt the trend was to impregnate women with sperm donated by Nobel Prize winners and other overachievers (providing they were smart and white). Forget for the moment the not-so-thinly-veiled racism powering the whole eugenics movement that served as the backbone of Graham's Repository for Germinal Choice. Graham's super-sperm idea also conveniently overlooked the fact that the women carrying the babies would also leave a genetic imprint while ignoring the nurture-versus-nature argument. Though Plotz addresses these concepts in his book, the real reason to recommend it is its characters, the sperm bank progeny Plotz unearths through intense and covert legwork. The book's humor is also a selling point: "In abstract, donating sperm seemed fundamentally silly. But actually doing it was seductive," Plotz writes. "I had been accepted by the ultraexclusive Fairfax Cryobak! My sperm was 'well above average'! My count was 105 million! What's yours, George Clooney?" Elsewhere, Plotz writes, "By late 1980, Graham found himself presiding over a Nobel Prize sperm bank that had no Nobel Prize donors, no Nobel sperm left in storage and no Nobel babies. None of the first three women who'd been inseminated with Nobel sperm had gotten pregnant. In fact, no one inseminated with the Nobel sperm ever got pregnant. The Nobel Prize sperm bank would never produce a single Nobel baby." No matter. Graham's experiment, which did produce dozens of non-Nobel babies, was a success in one regard: it made for a heck of a story. And in Plotz's capable hands, it also makes for a heck of a book. --Kim Hughes

Book Description

It was the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history, and no one knew how it turned out. The Repository for Germinal Choice–nicknamed the Nobel Prize sperm bank–opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades, women flocked to it from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999–its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. In early 2001, award-winning columnist David Plotz set out to solve the mystery of the Nobel Prize sperm bank.

Plotz wrote an article for Slate inviting readers to contact him–confidentially–if they knew anything about the bank. The next morning, he received an email response, then another, and another–each person desperate to talk about something they had kept hidden for years. Now, in The Genius Factory, Plotz unfolds the full and astonishing story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank and its founder’s radical scheme to change our world.

Believing America was facing genetic catastrophe, Robert Graham, an eccentric millionaire, decided he could reverse the decline by artificially inseminating women with the sperm of geniuses. In February 1980, Graham opened the Repository for Germinal Choice and stocked it with the seed of gifted scientists, inventors, and thinkers. Over the next nineteen years, Graham’s “genius factory” produced more than two hundred children.

What happened to them? Were they the brilliant offspring that Graham expected? Did any of the “superman” fathers care about the unknown sons and daughters who bore their genes? What were the mothers like?

Crisscrossing the country and logging countless hours online, Plotz succeeded in tracking down previously unknown family members–teenage half-brothers who ended up following vastly different paths, mothers who had wondered for years about the identities of the donors they had selected on the basis of code names and brief character profiles, fathers who were proud or ashamed or simply curious about the children who had been created from their sperm samples.

The children of the “genius factory” are messengers from the future–a future that is bearing down on us fast. What will families be like when parents routinely “shop” for their kids’ genes? What will children be like when they’re programmed for greatness? In this stunning, eye-opening book, one of our finest young journalists previews America’s coming age of genetic expectations.

Customer Reviews:

A great read with an appropriate title.......2007-10-03

This book was incredibly interesting - a topic that I certainly wouldn't have thought would be so. It is very well written - so much so that you think you are reading a novel at times. The stories of tracking down the families and descendants were particularly fascinating.

I think the title of the book (and the jacket picture) provide a good clue to how this book is written - serious yet fun. The reviewers that said the book lacked scientific fact or basis missed this point entirely.

Definitely one of my all time top non-fiction books.

Not much "Hard Science" I expected more. .......2007-08-19

I'm only half way through the book, but I'm not sure I can go on. I may return to it later. There is definitely thought provoking material here, but I was looking for more scientific "meat". Interesting that when Graham opened up to the sperm bank to any woman, it became a market driven company for the short time it was around and women began selecting for qualities other than Nobel type intelligence, qualities like "looks", happiness, athleticism. Darwin strikes again!!!

Scary Reality.......2007-02-21

This is a great book, made even more relevant due to the pressing times we live. Given the current state of science, artificial births, and eugenics, this book provides some great background on one man's attempt to breed a society of geniuses. Science fiction you say? No, this is all true fact! The author did an excellent job of digging up all the information necessary for this book, which was no easy task given the ultimate secrecy in which the project was carried out under. This is definitely THE book on this topic, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in science and where society may be headed in the near future if we are not careful!

Makes you rethink ever buying donor sperm.......2007-01-20

As numerous readers have pointed out, this book is divided into several parts or themes. What I found to be the most interesting was the psychological and emotional part of the book--the identity of the donors, how these banks operate, and the psychological fallout for the kids and their families from anonymous donation, and then in some cases, disclosure. Basically, the banks were run like a joke, and a lot of the kids seem desperate to know their genetic (what they would call "real") dads--which is incredibly sad. Meanwhile, the fathers who (sometimes) raised them felt disconnected to the kids... Some of the donors were liars and very creepy guys who were going nowhere with their lives, but had some bizarre sense of narcissism that was satisfied by donation. This book is not fantastically written, and there are almost too many angles and things to think about in here, but overall, it is indeed a page turner and fascinating book that is well worth buying. Probably great for book clubs as well. There would be no end of opinions and items of discussion...

Thought provoking and funny..........2006-11-01

I stumbled upon this book by chance and it is definitely a page turner. David Plotz started this whole series about "seed" at slate.com in 2001 before "The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank" existed. After reading it, I find this book thought provoking and funny as Plotz takes you on a journey to "what if geniuses dominate the world, will it improve society?" and how heredity and environment shape who we are. It was an enjoyable book and I totally recommend it.

Morals and Medicine. The Moral Problems of: The Patient's Right to Know the Truth; Contraception; Artificial Insemination; Sterilization; Euthanasia.

Average customer rating:

Morals and Medicine. The Moral Problems of: The Patient's Right to Know the Truth; Contraception; Artificial Insemination; Sterilization; Euthanasia.
Joseph Fletcher
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JLJQVO

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