S9 E10: Shifting to Embryo Donation After IVF Burnout With Jeni
I sit down with Jeni to unpack a raw, deeply resonant, and incredibly insightful fertility journey. Jeni shares her evolution from viewing egg freezing as a simple piece of "mental insurance" at age 35 to navigating a grueling five-year path spanning five different fertility clinics. She describes the mental and physical toll of constant cycle adjustments, the burden of clinic communication woes, and the unique challenges of deciding when to finally stop using your own genetic material.
We dive deep into how a direct conversation with her mother served as a turning point, prompting her to shift paths and explore embryo donation. Jeni shares her practical experiences onboarding with major matching organizations like Embryo Connections and Empower with Moxie, explaining how she navigated potential match criteria and discovered what genuinely mattered to her.
Throughout it all, Jeni models a beautiful mindset shift: learning to release a tight grip on expectations, setting clear intuitive boundaries of "this and no further," and choosing to hold her solo parenting journey as lightly as possible.
In this episode, we discuss:
The emotional reality of egg freezing at 35 and how expectations can shift over time.
Advocating for yourself across 5 different clinics and recognizing when a provider is not the right fit.
Processing the decision to stop using your own eggs.
The step-by-step onboarding process, cost realities, and managing weekly databases through agencies like Embryo Connections and Empower with Moxie.
Shifting perspective from sperm donor filters to full embryo genetics, adjusting to physical match considerations, and managing communication alignment with donor families.
Moving past the urge to strangle every choice.
Connect with Katie:
Instagram:@single_greatest_choice
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Reach out to Katie over at katie@singlegreatestchoice.com.
