COVID-19 is changing how everyone does a lot of things. In fact, it is pretty much changing every aspect of life. One of the things that the pandemic has had a huge impact on is fertility treatments. This has no doubt affected a lot of people. According to fertilityanswers.com, by the time the year 2014 rolled around, nearly one million babies had been conceived via IVF since the procedure was created back in the 1980s.
The world of fertility treatments is changing a lot these days, and BabyGaga recently got the chance to speak with TULIP co-founder and chair Gail Sexton Anderson about this. Anderson co-founded TULIP with Terrell Anderson, who is also the CEO.
Kirstie Landry for BabyGaga (BG): Can you give us an introduction to what TULIP is and how you came up with the idea?
Gail Sexton Anderson (SA): TULIP is a simple do-it-yourself online search platform that empowers intended parents with vast egg donor choice, expert knowledge, and coaching support. All of the egg donors from most egg donor agencies are now part of TULIP, which means that hopeful parents don’t have to log into multiple sites to find their egg donor. People from all over the world can now search TULIP’s proprietary database of nearly 20,000 egg donors to easily find their perfect match.
I’ve been working in this field since 1998 and one of the things that struck me is that people who are using an egg donor to build their families don’t always know that they have a choice. Because there are so many different agencies, it can feel overwhelming to search through all of them, especially if there’s something special you’re looking for in your egg donor. I wanted people to have the support and resources they need to feel confident that they’ve done their due diligence and found all of the donors who may be a good fit for their family. With TULIP, intended parents can search using the criteria that’s important to them - that may be location, heritage, religious background, height, or a combination of many things.
(BG): Gail, what tips can you give those who are looking to start undergoing fertility treatment.
(SA) I’m going to rephrase this to how one can prepare themselves for getting ready for an egg donor cycle. This is a very specialized area of fertility treatment and it requires one to be psychologically and emotionally ready. For most women egg donation is not their first choice. No one grows up thinking I can’t wait to pick my egg donor unless one is gay and then it’s seen as a wonderful opportunity. For a woman to really get their head around the idea of using an egg donor it takes time.
One has to mourn the loss of the biological child they have always dreamed they would have before they can get to a point of seeing egg donation as being a wonderful option to have a child of their own that they can carry, give birth to and cherish. They need to be prepared for the inevitable ups and downs of going through the journey of finding the right donor for them.
It certainly helps if they can maintain a sense of humor and have a supportive partner. My recommendation is for them to look for a donor that will fit into their family rather than try to find someone who looks just like them. Rather someone who shared their general coloring as well as someone who they think they would like if they ever met her. We encourage people to be open with their child and you want to be able to say when asked by your child someday, "mommy, why did you pick this donor?” so you can say, “I liked her.” Being a parent is so much more than a genetic connection.
(BG): Do you have any preparation tips (physical and mental) for those who are about to undergo fertility treatment?
(SA): Adding to the above, mental health support, with someone who understands the challenges of going through infertility, can be incredibly helpful.
(BG): Finding an egg donor is challenging. How does TULIP make finding an egg donor easier?
(SA): TULIP allows future parents to do their due diligence and see all of the options that are available to them and then narrow their choices down to the donors that most closely fit their criteria. We want parents to have a choice as they make this monumental decision. Too often when fertility patients are faced with choosing an egg donor they are only aware of a limited number of options, for example through a clinic database. It has been our experience that many couples get discouraged when faced with a limited number of options because they don’t see anyone they can relate to and may choose not to move forward with treatment, feeling that this is a sign that they shouldn’t pursue matching with an egg donor. With TULIP they can search by their desired criteria to quickly narrow their scope to those donors who meet their family-building needs.
(BG): What are some things to look out for when assessing a potential egg donor?
(SA):
- Review her health history
- If she is a repeat donor and was a pregnancy achieved
- Can she travel to your clinic?
- Is she available now or listed as being in the cycle, meaning you will have to wait?
- Is it possible for her to have an AMH test to check her ovarian reserve prior to matching?
(BG): How do you think COVID-19 has impacted those who are undergoing fertility treatments?
(SA): COVID-19 has not dramatically impacted fertility treatment for those who are needing an egg donor other than it may be more important to choose an egg donor who lives within driving distance to your clinic. Pre-COVID-19 it was very easy to choose a donor from anywhere in the country because most donors were willing to travel for a cycle. This is where TULIP makes it much easier to find donors who are living in the vicinity of your clinic.
(BG): What are some precautions that need to be taken when trying to conceive during the pandemic?
(SA): First, you should discuss with your fertility clinic their advice but, in general, you should take the same precautions we are all taking these days of wearing a mask, washing your hands, etc. Clinics take every precaution to help protect you. Fertility treatment is considered essential so other than the first few weeks clinics are all open and functioning.
(BG): Have travel bans made it harder for people to find egg donors?
(SA): The biggest difference is focusing on local donors. TULIP makes that much easier for anyone who needs an egg donor since they can see many local options.
(BG): How can families get support when they are going through this?
(SA): TULIP Premium users will have the benefit of a virtual coach to guide them through the decision-making process. One of the things I often hear from my clients is that they feel alone in the process - TULIP will help with that because we are experts in the egg donation process and how to help things go smoothly.
(BG): What resources should women/men look into to ensure that they feel supported and safe throughout the journey?
(SA): Having good mental health support is key. Sometimes family and friends just don’t have the understanding of what it’s like to face this challenge. TULIP’s coaches can help with the decision making process, and they can also help our users find support from a qualified mental health therapist who works with third party fertility patients.
Your attorney, one who specializes in assisted reproductive law, is also key in this process, to help make sure that the egg donation process is completed safely and that everyone understands all of the legal requirements - this protects the egg donors and the intended parents.
(BG): Realistically, how effective is fertility treatment, and can women safely expect that they will conceive through this journey?
(SA): Egg donor IVF has a very high rate of success most clinics report success rates of over 50% live births from an egg donor cycle. To give some perspective a healthy 30-year-old has a 20%* chance of conceiving and that number drops significantly as we age.
*According to ASRM “by age 40, a woman’s chance is less than 5% per cycle, so fewer than 5 out of every 100 women are expected to be successful each month.” While there are no guarantees, the outcomes for using donor egg IVF are very encouraging.
Thanks for speaking with us, Gail! It sounds like TULIP is doing a lot for those who are looking for egg donors.
Sources: ASRM, Fertility Answers, TULIP