Should I Freeze My Eggs? What to Know Before You Decide

Becoming an Egg Donor: The Real Process

Thinking about becoming an egg donor? Before you take the first step, here’s what the process actually looks like from your first application to the day you receive your compensation check. In this solo episode, Eloise Drane a six-time egg donor herself and founder of Family Inceptions takes you through the entire egg donation journey in detail. She covers how to choose the right program, what medical screening and monitoring really involves, the legal agreements that protect you, and what compensation looks like at every level. Eloise doesn’t sugarcoat it. She talks about OHSS, the emotional weight of the decision, what anonymity actually means in the age of 23andMe, and the questions most potential donors don’t know to ask until it’s too late. If becoming an egg donor is calling you, this is the episode to start with. “She is a kind and compassionate human being who wants to give a family a part of herself so they can feel whole.” — Eloise Drane This episode is for women who are curious about egg donation and want an honest, detailed look at the process before they decide whether it’s right for them. What You’ll Learn • How to decide if egg donation is right for you and how to get clear on your ‘why’ • The qualifying criteria every egg donor must meet • The four types of egg donation programs and how to choose between them • What the application, matching, and medical screening process looks like step by step • The medications you’ll take, what to expect, and what OHSS actually is • Legal agreements: what the Egg Donor Agreement covers and why you need your own attorney Episode Resources Family Inceptions  [familyinceptions.com] Thinking About Becoming an Egg Donor? If becoming an egg donor is something you’re exploring, visit https://familyinceptions.com/egg-donors/ [https://familyinceptions.com/egg-donors/] to learn what’s involved. This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season. Stay Connected Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe] LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe [linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe] More Resources Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/ [https://familyinceptions.com/] Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe [https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe] Get expert insights & updates thefertilitycafe.com/resources [linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe]

Should I Freeze My Eggs? What to Know Before You Decide

Should you freeze your eggs? It’s one of the most searched fertility questions online and one of the most misunderstood. In this solo episode, Eloise Drane cuts through the noise and gives you an honest, grounded look at egg freezing: what the process actually involves, what it costs (financially and emotionally), who it’s right for, and what the conversation often leaves out. Egg freezing has moved from a niche medical intervention to a mainstream choice but popularity hasn’t made it simpler or more accessible for everyone. Eloise explores how the technology evolved, what a real cycle looks like, and why access and equity still matter in this conversation. Whether you’re seriously considering it or just trying to understand your options, this episode gives you real talk and the clarity to make a decision that’s actually right for you. “Your timeline, your body, and your decisions deserve clarity and care.” - Eloise Drane This episode is for women at any stage of life who are weighing egg freezing as an option and want honest, practical information before making a decision. What You’ll Learn • How egg freezing evolved from a last-resort treatment to a proactive choice • What a real egg freezing cycle looks like, step by step • The true cost of egg freezing financial, physical, and emotional • Who egg freezing tends to work well for, and who it may not be right for • Why access to egg freezing remains unequal despite growing mainstream interest • How to think through the decision clearly, on your own timeline Episode Resources American Society for Reproductive Medicine [asrm.org] FertilityIQ [fertilityiq.com] Stay Connected Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe] Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe] LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe [linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe] More Resources Learn more about surrogacy & fertility https://familyinceptions.com/ [https://familyinceptions.com/] Listen to past episodes https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe [https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafe] Get expert insights & updates thefertilitycafe.com/resources [thefertilitycafe.com/resources]

Does Your Job Cover IVF? Fertility Benefits at Work

Does your employer cover IVF, surrogacy, or egg donation? Most people have no idea what fertility benefits they’re entitled to, or how to ask for them. In this episode, Eloise Drane sits down with Brooke Bartholomay Quinn, COO of Carrot Fertility and fertility benefits expert, to explore how companies are building fertility and family-building benefits into their packages, what those benefits actually cover, and how employees can advocate for themselves if those benefits don’t yet exist at their workplace. They cover why family-building benefits have taken so long to become standard, how many current offerings still fall short on inclusion, and what it looks like when an employer gets it right. If you’re navigating surrogacy or egg donation and wondering whether your employer could help cover the costs, this episode is essential listening. “Fertility benefits aren’t a perk. They’re a signal of who your employer thinks deserves to build a family.” – Brooke Bartholomay Quinn  Guest Bio BROOKE BARTHOLOMAY QUINN IS COO OF CARROT FERTILITY AND A FERTILITY BENEFITS EXPERT WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE HELPING COMPANIES BUILD FAMILY-BUILDING SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOR EMPLOYEES NAVIGATING IVF, SURROGACY, EGG DONATION, ADOPTION, AND MORE.  This episode is for intended parents and anyone exploring family-building who wants to understand whether their workplace benefits can help offset the cost.  What You’ll Learn * Why fertility and family-building benefits have lagged behind other workplace benefits * How many current fertility benefit offerings still aren’t fully inclusive * What employers gain by offering family-building support * How to start the conversation with your HR team or employer * What employees should ask when reviewing their benefits package  Episode Resources Brooke on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/brooke-bartholomay-quinn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooke-bartholomay-quinn/] A History of Employer-Sponsored Healthcare – griffinbenefits.com [https://www.griffinbenefits.com/blog/history-of-employer-sponsored-healthcare]  Related Episodes Ep 35: Infertility Epidemic [thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/ep-35-infertility-epidemic/]    Start Your Family-Building Journey If you’re considering building your family through surrogacy or egg donation, visit thefertilitycafe.com/start [https://thefertilitycafe.com/start] to talk with our team. This episode is part of our Between Seasons series, where we’re bringing back some of the most-loved and most-needed conversations from the Fertility Café archive while we work on our next full season.  Stay Connected Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitycafe] Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe [https://www.facebook.com/fertilitycafe] LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe [https://www.linkedin.com/company/fertility-cafe/]  More Resources Learn more about surrogacy & fertility – https://familyinceptions.com/ [https://familyinceptions.com/] Listen to past episodes – youtube.com/@FertilityCafePodcast/playlists [https://www.youtube.com/@FertilityCafePodcast/playlists] Get expert insights & updates – thefertilitycafe.com/resources [https://thefertilitycafe.com/resources]

What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Surrogate

What do you wish someone had told you before you became a surrogate? In this episode of Fertility Café, Eloise Drane opens up the conversation surrogates rarely get to have out loud: the strange facts, surprising details, and small things nobody warns you about before a surrogacy journey begins. Drawing on years of stories from surrogates past and present, the Family Inceptions team, and friends across the field, this episode gathers the honest, behind-the-scenes truths -- from what not to do during the application process (hint: don’t assume one answer will disqualify you) to the surprisingly common “crying husband” moment on delivery day. It is candid, funny, and full of the kind of insight you only get from people who have actually been through it. If you are thinking about becoming a surrogate and want the real story, not the brochure version... If you have already started your journey and want to know what is coming next... If you simply want a behind-the-scenes look at how surrogacy really works... This episode is for you. Chapters You’ll Learn * How long the screening process really takes, and how to be choosy about your agency * Why this is your journey too, and you choose your intended parents as much as they choose you * Why surrogacy is not just a side hustle, plus what to expect for compensation * Why a little fertility biology goes a long way before clinic meetings * Why kids often grasp surrogacy faster than adults, and how to field their questions About Our Host Eloise Drane is the founder of Family Inceptions, a full-service surrogacy and egg donation agency she launched in 2008, and the host of Fertility Café. A six-time egg donor and three-time gestational surrogate herself, Eloise built her agency around informed empowerment, transparency, and care for everyone involved in the family-building process. She is also the creator of Surrogacy Roadmap, a course for intended parents pursuing independent surrogacy. Her mission is simple but powerful: to give surrogates, egg donors, and intended parents the honest information they deserve before they begin. Resources & Links Learn more about the podcast: Fertility Café [familyinceptions.com/fertility-cafe] Learn more about our surrogacy and egg donation agency: Family Inceptions [familyinceptions.com] Learn more about independent surrogacy: Surrogacy Roadmap [surrogacyroadmap.com] How to apply to be a surrogate: The Application Process [familyinceptions.com/how-to-apply-to-be-a-surrogate-the-application-process] On the blog: Ten Things That Make You an Ideal Surrogate [familyinceptions.com/ten-things-that-will-make-you-an-ideal-surrogate] Thinking about becoming a surrogate and want to talk with a team that has been doing this for over two decades? Visit https://quiz.familyinceptions.com [thefertilitycafe.com/start/become-a-surrogate] Connect with Eloise & Family Inceptions: familyinceptions.com [familyinceptions.com] Related Episodes Ep 78 -- What It’s Really Like to Be a Surrogate [https://thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/ep-78-first-hand-stories-from-a-surrogate/] A firsthand look at the day-to-day reality of carrying for someone else, from matching through delivery. Ep 13 -- Becoming a Surrogate: The Real Process [https://thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/ep-13-becoming-a-surrogate-do-you-really-understand-the-surrogacy-process/] A step-by-step walk through what the surrogacy process actually involves, start to finish.

The Surrogacy Industry Has a Serious Problem

What happens when an industry built to help people build families starts failing the very people it's supposed to serve? In this season seven finale of Fertility Café, host Eloise Drane steps out from behind the interview chair to speak directly about what's been happening in the fertility and surrogacy space: the progress worth celebrating, the structural failures that keep producing real harm, and the political forces reshaping access to care right now. Eloise draws on nineteen episodes of conversations, years of experience inside this industry, and her own story as a former surrogate to give an honest assessment of where things stand and why so many people are getting hurt along the way. From agencies collapsing mid-pregnancy to embryo mix-ups with no federal reporting requirement, from the California surrogacy fraud case to billionaires fathering over 100 children through the American surrogacy system, Eloise names what's happening and why it keeps happening. If you've ever trusted this industry and wondered whether your trust was well placed... If you're considering surrogacy or egg donation and want to go in with your eyes open... If you believe that the people building families through these paths deserve better than what the system is currently offering... This episode is for you. You'll Learn * Why the surrogacy industry's lack of licensing requirements is at the root of its most serious failures * What the 2025 California surrogacy fraud case revealed about how women are being deceived * What is happening when wealthy men use the American surrogacy system to father dozens or hundreds of children * Why embryo mix-ups keep occurring and why there is still no federal requirement to report them * How fertility fraud by doctors using their own sperm without patient consent is still being uncovered today * Where federal policy is moving on IVF access and why progress on one side is being undercut on the other * Which states are leading on fertility insurance mandates and what those laws actually cover * What the push for restorative reproductive medicine in federal policy actually means for patients * Why Eloise believes a federal insurance mandate is the only thing that will truly move the needle on access * What the Vatican's call for a global surrogacy ban gets wrong about ethical, supported surrogacy * How to thoroughly vet an agency, clinic, or donor situation before you commit to anything * What the stories that never make the news say about what this industry looks like when it works About Eloise Drane Eloise Drane is the founder of Family Inceptions, a licensed surrogacy and egg donation agency, and the host of Fertility Café. She has spent over two decades working across every facet of third-party reproduction as a professional, an advocate, and a former 3x surrogate herself. She brings that full picture to every conversation on this show, including this one. Resources & Links Website: familyinceptions.com Instagram: @fertilitycafepodcast YouTube: Fertility Café Related Episodes Ep 136: When the Donor and the Donor-Conceived Meet: One Remarkable Story [https://thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/an-80s-sperm-donor-a-fertility-specialist-a-sitting-senator/]A sperm donor from the 1980s, a fertility specialist, and the sitting senator who came looking for him. Ep 135: I Carried Two Babies for Other Families: The Truth About Becoming a Surrogate Twice [https://thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/i-carried-two-babies-for-other-families-the-truth-about-becoming-a-surrogate-twice/]Darnae Pitts on what surrogacy really looks like from the inside, twice. Ep 138: The Egg Donation Screening Process: What to Expect from Application to Retrieval [https://thefertilitycafe.com/podcast/the-egg-donation-screening-process-what-to-expect-from-application-to-retrieval/]Christina Alicea, a five-time egg donor and fertility field professional, demystifies the process from start to finish.