Three Chicago Area Fertility Agencies Launch ‘Shared
Risk’ Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CHICAGO (Nov. 22, 2008)-- Three leading area fertility
solutions agencies today announced the launch of a unique cooperative
program to help intended parents better manage the risk of egg
donors dropping out before the retrieval process is completed.
The “Shared Donor Program” is an initiative by The Center for
Egg Options (CEO), Northbrook, IL; ConceiveAbilities, and Alternative
Reproductive Resources (ARR), both of Chicago.
Egg donation is an increasingly common approach to achieving pregnancy when viable
eggs are not otherwise available. Intended parents choose a donor through an
agency, based on traits important to them. Her eggs are retrieved as part of
a medical process, fertilized, and either carried by the birth mother or a gestational
surrogate. The donor is compensated for her time and effort for the retrieval
process.
Occasionally, egg donors will withdraw from the process for personal or medical
reasons after the fee has been paid. The Shared Donor Program gives intended
parents the option of choosing a new egg donor from any of the three agencies
should this happen. Participants will not incur any additional agency fees, even
if the donor is not represented by their agency. There is a nominal enrollment
fee.
“The process of building a family through in advanced reproductive technologies
can be stressful,” said Nancy Block of CEO (www.egg411.com). “The early loss
of an egg donor doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s emotionally frustrating
and a financial drain.”
Nazca Fontes of ConceiveAbilities said
that rather than leave would-be parents discouraged at being back at square one,
this program gives them easy access to three times as many potential egg donors
as they originally had, without a correlating agency cost.
According to Robin von Halle of ARR,
“We all recognized the problem and shared the desire to offer a solution that
demonstrated how seriously we take our roles as advocates for our clients – and
as leaders at putting our industry in a more positive light.”
For further information, contact Block at 847.656.8733; Fontes at 773.868.3971;
or von Halle at 773.327.7315.
Media contact:
Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications
Sally Saville Hodge
shodge@hodgeschindler.com
Robyn Velasquez
rvelasquez@hodgeschindler.com
312.666.6662
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