IVF in Portugal age limit

Going for fertility treatment abroad? 8 Portugal FAQs, covered

From the IVF Portugal age limit, to queries about donor anonymity, costs, travel tips and more, we collected your most-asked questions about fertility treatment in Portugal, and put them to the experts at leading Porto-based clinic Procriar. Some of the answers might surprise you!

california cryobank donor sibling registry

How to create a wider support network for your donor-conceived family

Last year, when their eldest daughter was nearly five years old,  The Ribbon Box Founder Eloise and her husband were contacted (out of the blue) by a lesbian couple who used the same sperm donor as them, via their bank's donor sibling registry.  Based in the US, the couple asked if Eloise and her husband would [...]
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Solo Motherhood – Choosing to Have Children on Your Own with Donor Sperm

There are lots of reasons why you might struggle to conceive, and one of the less talked about obstacles is ‘social infertility’.’ This is when there is not a physical reason that stops you from conceiving, but a social reason. For example, if you’re in a same-sex couple and you need donor sperm, donor eggs and or surrogacy. Perhaps you [...]
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Love makes a family – nature, nurture and donor conception

Nature vs nurture. It’s the question that pops up time and again, at every stage of the parenting journey. Which has the greater impact on a child’s development, personal traits and trajectory? Is it nature, or nurture? Biology, or environment? Genetics, or family unit?  For Cryos International, it’s both - but most of all, it’s [...]
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Donor conception and family-building – 5 thought-starters for 2023

This year’s ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) conference has just wrapped in Anaheim, USA. The lead topic for 2022’s groundbreaking meet-up - Genes, Gametes & Genetics - is right up our street. But often, it’s the work going on under the medical radar, in patient care, counseling and a lifetime of family building, which [...]
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Using donor eggs – how to honor & move past your emotional barriers

Moving to egg donation is a big step, whether you’re early on in your fertility journey, or you’ve been TTC for a while. Almost always, experts agree it’s important to honor the feelings and emotional barriers which can come up, from shock at an unexpected diagnosis or test result, to sadness, anxiety, grief and in [...]
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Having a baby via donor-conception? Bookmark these 5 resources

Support, resources & things to consider, when prepping for donor conception From their fantastic YouTube webinar - focusing on donor-conceived children, and their unique perspectives - to a blog packed with resources, Cryos International are paving the way for parents having a baby via donor-conception.  With 30+ years of experience, Cryos are perfectly placed to [...]
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Is Donor Conception Right for Me?

If you're considering using an egg or sperm donor for fertility treatment, you might be wondering if it's right for you. Perhaps you're in a same-sex relationship, planning on being a solo parent, creating a fertility safety net, or maybe you or your partner have fertility problems. Whatever your reasons for using donor gametes, speaking [...]
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5 Unexpected Things to Consider When Choosing a Sperm Donor

If you’re considering using donor sperm for fertility treatment, the chances are you’ve spoken to your fertility specialist, Googled “How to choose a sperm donor” and had a good old think about what to look out for when selecting a sperm donor. These are all important steps and questions but are there any other things [...]
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What We’ve Learned From Choosing an Egg Donor for Fertility Treatment

Many in our fertility community understand how a fertility journey is littered with curveballs and hurdles. Here, Rachel Honeyman shares her and her husband's story of infertility, the discovery that their fertility problems could be female-factor, in addition to the male-factor issues they knew existed, and finally, find out what they learned when choosing donor [...]
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How to Find Acceptance Using Donor Eggs or Sperm for Fertility Treatment

As anyone having fertility treatment knows, it's a roller-coaster of emotions. The chances are, you'll have wondered what your general wellbeing would be like if you weren't experiencing fertility difficulties but have you ever considered how your (in)fertility diagnosis plays a role in your ability to overcome challenges on a fertility journey? At FHH, we’ve [...]
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The Importance of DNA Ancestry When Choosing Your Sperm Donor

Over recent years, developments in DNA testing services have become increasingly popular. And why wouldn't it be? Understanding the ancestry of our parents gives a better insight into our genetic heritage. Although for some people struggling with infertility and wanting to use donor gametes in fertility treatment, not knowing the ancestral history of a donor [...]
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Do I Need Full Genetic Testing on My Sperm Donor?

Before using donor sperm in IVF, should you screen your donor for all genetic conditions? When picking a sperm donor, how much information do you need to know? Prior to using donor sperm, fertility clinics screen the donor for key genetic conditions to help you make informed decisions about using donor sperm for IVF.  But [...]
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What’s it Like to Donate Sperm? A Sperm Donor Tells All.

Ever wondered why someone would become a sperm donor or how sperm donation works? Earlier this year, TRB's Founder, Eloise spoke with one of California Cryobank's sperm donors about his experience of sperm donation.  If you missed the podcast, read our article below to learn more about why our podcast guest became a sperm donor. [...]
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The Odds are Against Me – But I Still Have Hope

Our fertility community is always bursting with messages of hope and support (download our free app). Here, one member under the name "Solo Mummy Donor Conceived", shares her thoughts on hope and moving forwards. Over to Solo Mummy Donor Conceived (find her Instagram here). One year closes and another one begins...  Time moving forwards is [...]
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Personalised Children’s Books about Donor-Conception

Anyone who regularly interacts with children knows they're naturally curious.  "Why are you wearing your red gloves?", "What would happen if I ate my banana skin?", "How does an aeroplane fly?" and most parents will likely be asked something like: "How was I made?" at some point. For parents of surrogate or donor-conceived children, questions [...]
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Is Donor Conception one of the Greatest Gifts?

Through their generous gesture, egg and sperm donors often make a huge impact on families who are trying to conceive. However, there is currently more demand than supply for donor conception treatment, especially for egg donors. In light of this, Fertility Help Hub has asked The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH) to explain [...]
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Deciding to Use an Egg Donor – Camille’s TTC Story

Camille Guaty is an advocate for Donor Conception and Co-Founder of Foster a Dream. We are grateful that she is sharing with out Fertility Help Hub readers her personal trying to conceive story on making the decision to use an egg donor, advice to anyone looking for an egg or sperm donor and how her feelings [...]
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Fertility Answers – Anna’s Story of Recurrent Baby Loss and Surrogacy Abroad

In today’s fertility blog, we hear Anna Buxton’s trying to conceive journey, from miscarriages, IVF and being diagnosed with Asherman’s Syndrome, to having three children via surrogacy. Here is where Anna has found vocation. Hear Anna’s personal fertility story, from process, gaining fertility answers, family decisions, to what she wished she had known at the […]

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Q&A – Eloise, Founder of FHH, Tells Her Story

I am the founder of Fertility Help Hub and a mother to three kids, thanks to sperm donor conception. My husband has Klinefelter Syndrome, which means he has azoospermia (no sperm), therefore making him infertile. Our eldest is now four years old and our boy/girl twins are two. From this early age, we’re making sure [...]
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Eight Things I’ve Learnt Whilst Raising a Donor-Conceived Child

  Australian Gail Pascoe, discovered from Australia that her nine year old daughter has over 100 siblings after Gail used a US sperm donor. After researching for six years, she is in the final stages of writing a detailed end-to-end guide-book to help others using an egg or sperm donor avoid similar pitfalls and to […]

'Social Infertility' I didn't Choose to be Gay

‘Social Infertility’ – I didn’t choose to be gay

What happens when you know from any early age that having a family means building it in a different way? The wonderful Millie from @jessi_and_millie (huge voices in the LGBT community), has spoken openly about ‘coming out’, social infertility and the consequences this has had on her life and creating a family. There is a [...]
solo motherhood by choice

Solo motherhood by choice, using donor sperm

Meet Mel Johnson, The Solo Parenthood Coach ™ and founder of The Stork and I, who pursued solo motherhood with donor sperm to have her daughter, Daisy. She covers the starting point, her story and the services, support and community she’s built to help others navigating social infertility.