TSBC Interviews
KQED
Alice Ruby speaks with Mina Kim on KQED Forum along with Diane Tober, Daley Dunham & Ryan Kramer.
LezBeMommies
Alice Ruby shares “Everything you wanted to know about sperm banks,” from screening donors to talking to your children about donor conception.
Choice Moms Approved
Joanna Scheib talks to Mikki at Choice Moms about what donor-conceived adults want to know. It’s one of the top 10 most popular interviews on a wide range of family-building topics.
Helpful websites
- At Home Fertility Michelle Edgar, LM and Rebecca Plum, LM, CPM, IBCLC, 510.655.2229
- Amma Midwifery. Anjali Sardeshmukh (She/Her)is a certified professional midwife with a homebirth practice. Based in Huichin territory, Oakland, California. 510-740-8490
- Emunah Midwifery El Tarver, LPM, CPM and Renee Lepreau, LM, CPM, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
- IUI at Home SF Ping Mo, NP
- June Moon Birth & Midwifery Renee Lepreau, LM, CPM, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)
- MAIA Midwifery and Fertility Services Kristin Kali, LM CPM
- Natalya Lukin, LM, CPM
- Nia Healing Center Samsarah Morgan DD, Cht
- Partera Midwifery Andrea Ruizquez CPM
- Restore Midwifery Marea Goodman, LM, CPM
- Take Root Home Inseminations Michelle Borok,LM, 510.735.7830
- The Golden Belly Kiki Jordan LCM
- Unfurling Birth Midwifery Services Catherine Bailey, CPM, LDM, Sarah Dinger CPM, LDM. (971) 279-6808. Located in Portland Oregon
Licensed Midwives can sign your TSBC registration paperwork
- Aimee Eyvazzadeh, M.D. Fertility Specialist in Bay Area, California
- American College of Nurse Midwives National database of nurse midwives, plus links related to pregnancy, medical issues, and parenting.
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine Helpful guidelines and fact sheets related to every aspect of reproduction from technology to psychosocial education. ASRM’s research journal, Fertility & Sterility, focuses primarily on medical and psychosocial aspects of fertility. Also see ASRM’s Mental Health Professional Group, which specializes in education, psychological support and well-being. See also Ethics Committee reports:
- At Home Fertility These SF Bay Area-based midwives offer in-home intrauterine inseminations to women in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.
- Awakenings Birth Services SF Bay Area-based midwives offering prenatal, birth and post-partum care.
- Bay Area Home Birth Collective Collective of midwives offering prenatal, birth, and postpartum care, as well as classes and support groups. Serving the San Francisco Bay Area. (415) 273-5185
- The Broken Brown Egg Information and support for Black women facing infertility. This site also has a resource page that links to websites founded or written by BIPOC
- Building Healthy Donor Conceived Families An excellent primer to read anytime during the process of trying to conceive, during pregnancy or after your child is here. Authored by psychosocial fertility expert, Madeline Licker Feingold, PhD.
- Choice Moms For single women who are choosing to build a family. Resources, events, podcasts and blogs geared toward the choice mom community.
- East Bay Homebirth Midwifery We are committed to and skilled in providing emotionally and physically safe space for women who choose to give birth in the intimacy and comfort of their home.
- Embodied Birth offers regularly occurring online classes on queer birthing education with a focus on affirming of all genders and family structures.
- European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology ESHRE’s research journal, Human Reproduction, is an excellent research publication which covers both medical and psychosocial issues related to fertility.
- Family Equality An inclusive organization committed to helping people create their families by providing leading-edge outreach programs and timely educational information. Extensive website resources.
- Fertility for Colored Girls seeks to provide education, awareness, support and encouragement to African American women/couples and other women of color experiencing infertility and seeking to build the families of their dreams. Additionally, FFCG seeks to empower African American women to take charge of their fertility and reproductive health.
- Fertile Hope Non-profit organization dedicated to helping male and female cancer patients faced with infertility.
- Fertile Thoughts Resources, links, and bulletin boards related to fertility, adoption, surrogacy, and parenting.
- Fertility Plus Articles and resources on trying to conceive.
- Gamete Donation: Findings on Disclosure and Anonymous Donation Good resource for when you’re considering whether to use a donor in our Identity-Release® Program and/or when you’re trying to decide whether and when to talk to your future child about your family’s donor origins. Based on empirical and clinical data. Authored by psychosocial fertility expert, Madeline Licker Feingold, PhD (2013).
- Genetic Counseling Resources
- San Francisco Genetic Counseling https://sf-genetics.com/
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- Stork Genetics https://storkgenetics.clientsecure.me/
- INCIID International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination. Consumer-targeted infertility information with fact sheets and up-to-date reproductive health news.
- Infertility Network Non-profit organization offering education and support related to infertility. Based in Canada.
- Internet Health Resources Group An online resource with a range of resources: legal, medical, social support, books.
- Laurel Fertility Care They offer only the latest assisted reproductive technologies (ART) supported by our nationally accredited embryology laboratory, resulting in excellent success rates.
- LGBTQ Family Building Grants Family building grants and financial resources from the Family Equality Council.
- MAIA Midwifery and Fertility Services Internationally renowned experts in LGBTQ family building, MAIA Midwifery provides comprehensive fertility consultations for all families conceiving via donor insemination, including individualized insemination timing plans, holistic fertility enhancement, and a balanced approach to infertility. Their reported “over 40” success rate of 33% is far above industry standards.
- Mental Health Professional Group The American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Mental Health Professional Group (MHPG) is to dedicated to enhancing knowledge and understanding of psychological and emotional aspects of reproductive health.
- Natural Resources SF Bay Area-based retail store and educational center providing resources, referrals, and classes focused on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting.
- Parents Via Egg Donation Information for the parent or the parent-to-be including secure message boards, resource information and reading list.
- PregnantTogether An online community from Marea Goodman supporting people who are trying to conceive (TTC) and/or pregnant in feeling supported, empowered, and connected through their family building journeys.
- Refuge Midwifery (Pennsylvania/South Jersey) Fertility care that spans from individuals just beginning to explore their conception options to those seeking holistic fertility support to regulate cycle and determine optimal conception timing and families ready to conceive through IUI at home. Offers home birth midwifery care – spanning from the first prenatal visit to labor, birth, and the first six weeks postpartum. Services are offered from a Health At Every Size (HAES) perspective, and specializes in working with individuals who have PCOS and transgender people who have previously used hormone affirming therapy.
- Reproductive Science Centers of the Bay Area Great Resource. Fertility services. Site includes general information about reproductive technology.
- UCSF Center for Reproductive Health Fertility services, including IUI, IVF, ICSI, and donor egg program. Fresh sperm inseminations with husband’s or known donor’s sperm. Inseminations seven days a week. San Francisco, CA (415) 353-7475
- US Fertility Clinics Contact one in your area.
- RMA of Connecticut A guide with information on financing infertility treatment.
- She Matters is a digital health platform designed to support Black mothers who experience postpartum comorbidities by providing access to community, culturally competent healthcare providers and culturally relevant resources.
- Bananas Provides comprehensive information and referrals to child care and children’s services in Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, and Piedmont. Oakland (510) 658-7353
- BabyQuest Foundation Provides grants to individuals and couples seeking to build their families through ART and/or donor assistance.
- Building Healthy Donor Conceived Families An excellent primer to read anytime during the process of trying to conceive, during pregnancy or after your child is here. Authored by psychosocial fertility expert, Madeline Licker Feingold, PhD.
- The Coalition for Family Building Offers family building grant program to help defray the financial challenges of infertility treatment, adoption, or third party reproduction.
- Choice Moms For single women who are choosing to build a family. Resources, events, podcasts and blogs geared toward the choice mom community.
- COLAGE. National organization dedicated to youth in LGBTQ+ families. A network of peers and supports, events, education, back to school and other resources and more – check it out!
- Donor Insemination Guide COLAGE. A comprehensive resource written by and for donor-conceived individuals raised by one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) parents. Also a great resource for parents, teachers, and medical professionals. Covers many difficult topics including broaching the topic of the donor with your parents, approaching relationships with others who have the same sperm donor without excluding your own siblings, and more generally dealing with everyday challenges of answering the question ‘who’s your father?’ Beautifully written, easy to read.
- Cheryl Deaner, LMFT Resource for considering building a family through donor conception. Cheryl is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist In 1997. Cheryl founded and served as the first executive director of Our Family Coalition, a non-profit organization serving the needs of LGBT families.
- Donor Conceived Community (DCC) A great organization dedicated to making a better world for donor-conceived people. Provides support groups, education, and resources for DCP, parents, donors, and the professionals who work with them.
- Donor Conception Network One of the first organizations to promote openness in families. Offers education and support related to family formation through donor conception. Excellent books and resources for talking to your child about their donor origins, and book for donors on talking to their children about being a donor. Based in the UK. Sign up for resources and services specific to your situation.
- Donor Sibling Registry Supporting donor-conceived families, donor-conceived people and donors. Many discussions about how parents handle disclosure.
- EMPOWERING SOLO MOMS EVERYWHERE (ESME) dedicated to Solo Moms who face the challenge of solo parenting in a society that provides little help or guidance.
- Ethics Committee reports and Fact sheets from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine Every aspect of assisted reproduction from technology to psychosocial education. ASRM’s research journal, Fertility & Sterility, focuses primarily on medical and psychosocial aspects of fertility. Also see ASRM’s Mental Health Professional Group, which specializes in education, psychological support and well-being.
- Access to fertility services by transgender persons (2015)
- Access to fertility treatment by gays, lesbians and unmarried persons (2013)
- Informing offspring of their conception by gamete donation (2013)
- Fertility Cafe Podcast discusses the use of surrogates and egg donors to build families.
- Family Equality Council Works to ensure equality for LGBT families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families.
- It’s Their Turn A blog for grandparents.
- If These Ovaries Could Talk Podcast discusses queer family building
- Beth Jaeger-Skigen, LCSW Support groups for people considering family building through donor conception.
- Madeleine Katz, Psy D provides consultations, education, and resources to help individuals and couples considering and/or doing family building through assisted conception. Support groups available. American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Mental Health Professional Group member. San Francisco 415-937-0425
- Dori Kavanaugh, LCSW Specializing in Infertility, adoption, and complex family building. (917) 923-5497
- Mombian-Resources for LGBT Families For lesbian moms
- Our Family Coalition Sponsors events and education for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered families and friends in the SF Bay Area.
- Queer Path to Parenthood Restore Midwifery has a LGBTQ+ centered comprehensive prenatal care in a group setting for families in the SF Bay Area.
- Parents Place A full-service family resource center offering workshops, classes, and support groups to families in San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa.
- Single Mothers by Choice National support and information network for single women choosing motherhood.
- Talking with Children about Sperm or Egg Donation An excellent primer when thinking about talking to your children about the family’s donor origins. Authored by psychosocial fertility experts, Patricia Mendell, LCSW & Jean Benward, LCSW (2010).
- The Rainbow Babies The Rainbow Babies vision is to provide a central area for general information on the many aspects of GLBT pregnancies and parenting. We will also provide space for parents or would-be parents to share their stories about their respective paths to parenthood.
- [Kids of] Trans Resource Guide: “Plenty of transgender people have children, but there are only a few resources available for transgender parents and their families. This guide is the first of its kind, a resource specifically created for and by people with transgender parents…” (p. 4).
- Two Lives A publisher and distributor specializing in books, music, and gifts for LGBT families.
- Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) has extensive resources on assisted family building and open-identity donation.
- DI Dads One of the first support networks for fathers. Private Facebook group.
- Letter from Walter to Would-be DI Dads. Merricks, Walter. UK Donor Conception Network, 2003. A letter designed to help men think though difficult issues related to parenting through donor conception. Available free from www.dcnetwork.org
- Madeleine Katz, Psy D provides consultations, education, and resources to help individuals and couples considering and/or doing family building through assisted conception. Support groups available. American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s Mental Health Professional Group member. San Francisco 415-937-0425
- Sperm Bank Directory This national directory site includes information on why and how to bank your sperm.
- Testicular Cancer Information and Support An informational and support site with online chat forums dedicated to educating and supporting patients with testicular cancer.
- Testicular Cancer Resource Center Information and support related to testicular cancer, the most common cancer for those between the ages of 15 and 35.
- The Turek Clinic dedicated to treating and solving the unique conditions and needs of reproductive age men.
- Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) has extensive resources on assisted family building.
- The Cade Foundation provides education, support, and financial assistance for adoption and infertility treatment.
- Ami Jaeger, Attorney Private practice. Works with parents, donors, and surrogates. Santa Fe, NM (505) 466-4642
- The Law Office of Amira Hasenbush, Esq. Private practice. Provides legal assistance for assisted reproduction, adoption, co-parenting agreements, parentage orders and guardianship. (323) 813-1199
- Colleen M. Quinn, Esq. President, American Academy of Adoption Attorneys & American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorney, Adoption & Surrogacy Law Center (804) 285-6253
- Deborah Wald, Attorney Private practice in San Francisco. Over ten years experience in lesbian and gay family issues, including sperm and egg donor agreements.
- Diane Michelsen, MSW, Attorney Family formation law group. Twenty years experience with adoption and assisted reproduction. Lafayette, CA (925) 945-1880
- Emily Doskow, Attorney and Mediator Private practice. Fifteen years offering family services to the LGBT community, including donor agreements and adoption. Oakland (510) 698-4902
- GLAD, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders work to protect LGBTQ+ rights to form, parent and live as a family using cutting-edge legal strategies for the last 45 years.
- Jane Hindman, Attorney Private practice. Experienced in alternative methods of family building. Cupertino (408) 777-8457
- Jerner Law Group. Their goal was – and remains – to meet the need for quality legal representation with a particular focus on, and experience with, legal issues facing the LGBTQ community.
- Lambda Legal: A nonprofit, national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
- Lederman & Beach, Attorneys. Lesbian-owned private practice in San Francisco. Services include co-parent agreements, sperm donor and recipient contracts, powers of attorney, and adoption.
- National Center for Lesbian Rights National legal and advocacy organization for lesbians and their families offering phone counseling, education, and publications.
- Comprehensive LGBTQ guide to legal issues post 2016 election
- Protect your family: NCLR recommends the NY Times’ LGBTQ parenting guide
- Nolo Press Free legal information on key issues affecting same-sex couples.
- Adoption Connection Non-profit Northern California agency that facilitates open adoptions.
- Family Builders by Adoption Non-profit SF Bay Area agency that trains prospective parents for special needs children
- Independent Adoption Center Non-profit agency that facilitates open adoptions.
- Pact, An Adoption Alliance Non-profit Bat Area organization that facilitates open adoptions of US-born children of color and creates resources and publications related to race and adoption.
- Adams, Romer, Stoeckenius & Wotherspoon LLP, Pioneers in open adoption. San Francisco, CA (415) 643-4523
- The Cade Foundation provides education, support, and financial assistance for adoption and infertility treatment.
Recommended reading and videos
- LGBTQ Family Building : A Guide for Prospective Parents. Goldberg, Abbie. American Psychological Association (APA) 2022. This book provides LGBTQ+ parents and prospective parents with the detailed, evidence‑based knowledge they need to navigate the transition to parenthood, and help their children thrive.
- Queer Conception : The Complete Fertility Guide for Queer and Trans Parents-To-Be. Kali, Kristin L. Sasquatch Books, 2022. Fertility guide for LGBTQ+ and single people interested in creating family through pregnancy. Evidence-based, written by an experienced health care provider.
- Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement and Reproductive Health. Weschler, Toni. William Morrow, 2015. This is an accessible guide to understanding your body and fertility signs–it gets our highest recommendation!
- Love Song For Baby X: How I Stayed (Almost) Sane on the Rocky Road to Parenthood. Dumesnil, Cheryl. IG Publishing, 2013. A couple’s journey through the ups and downs of trying to conceive using donor sperm. The author also wrote this helpful article: Five Ways to Maintain Your Humanity During ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology.
- Single Mothers by Choice: A guidebook for Single Women who are considering or have chosen Motherhood. Mattes, Jane. Random House, 2013. Comprehensive guide
- Making Babies the Hard Way: Living with Infertility and Treatment. Gallup, Caroline. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2007. Caroline and Bruce discover that Bruce does not appear to produce sperm. Written with candor, humor and an eye for detail
- The New Essential Guide to Lesbian Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth. Brill, Stephanie. Alyson Publications, 2006. A thorough, practical guide to the physical and emotional stages of pre-conception, pregnancy, and delivery.
- The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Preconception Through Birth. Pepper, Rachel. Cleis Press, 2005. A humorous and insightful guide written by a single lesbian mother who used donor sperm to conceive.
- Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman’s Guide. Morrissette, Mikki. Be-Mondo Publishing, 2005. A comprehensive resource book for women who have chosen, or are thinking of choosing, single motherhood. Morrissette is founder of the invaluable resource: Choice Moms.
- Building a Family with the Assistance of Donor Insemination. Daniels, Ken. Dunmore Press, 2004. For those heterosexual couples considering or who have built their families through donor conception. Discusses “when and how” to share this information with children.
- Experiences of Donor Conception: Parents, Offspring, and Donors through the Years. Lorbach, Caroline. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2003. Lorbach takes the reader through the decision to use donor conception, choosing a donor, and discussing with others. Includes the experiences of married heterosexual, single, and lesbian parents and sperm donors.
- Let’s Talk about Egg Donation: Real Stories from Real People. Gaitlin, Marna and LieberWilkins, Carole. Archway Publishing, 2019. Covers from infertility diagnosis, to pregnancy, to how to talk to your child about egg donation, as well as insight from young adults who grew up knowing about their family’s donor origins. Accurate information and good advice.
- Single by Chance, Mothers by Choice: How Women are Choosing Parenthood without Marriage and Creating the New American Family. Hertz, Rosanna. Oxford University Press, 2006. Interviews with 65 mothers, straight and lesbian who speak candidly about managing their lives as single mothers.
- Queer Conception : The Complete Fertility Guide for Queer and Trans Parents-To-Be. Kali, Kristin L. Sasquatch Books, 2022. Fertility guide for LGBTQ+ and single people interested in creating family through pregnancy. Evidence-based, written by an experienced health care provider.
- LGBTQ Family Building : A Guide for Prospective Parents. Goldberg, Abbie. American Psychological Association (APA) 2022. Authoritative, comprehensive, and easy-to-read guide to parenthood and family building for LGBTQ+ people.
- A Donor Insemination Guide: Written By and For Lesbian Women. Mohler, Marie and Frazer, Lacy. Harrington Park Press, 2002. Partners, parents, and children conceived through donor insemination share their experiences and offer detailed advice.
- Confessions of the Other Mother: Non-Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All. Aizely, Harlyn. Beacon Press, 2006.
- She Looks Just Like You: A Memoir of (Nonbiological Lesbian) Motherhood. Miller, Amie. Beacon Press, 2011.
- And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families. Goldberg, Susan L. and Brushwood Rose, Chloe. Insomniac Press, 2010. Author’s website.
For additional legal resources, see Helpful Websites above.
- Nolo’s Gay & Lesbian Adoption and Parenting to learn more about the legal rights of same-sex parents, from adoption to co-parenting to second parent rights.
- Building a Family with the Assistance of Donor Insemination. Daniels, Ken. Dunmore Press, 2004. For those heterosexual couples considering or who have built their families through donor conception. Discusses “when and how” to share this information with children.
- Choosing Single Motherhood: The Thinking Woman’s Guide. Morrissette, Mikki. Be-Mondo Publishing, 2005. A comprehensive resource book for women who have chosen, or are thinking of choosing, single motherhood. Morrissette is founder of the invaluable resource: Choice Moms.
- The Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy for Lesbians: How to Stay Sane and Care for Yourself from Preconception Through Birth. Pepper, Rachel. Cleis Press, 2005. A humorous and insightful guide written by a lesbian mother who herself used donor sperm to conceive.
- The Queer Parent’s Primer: A Lesbian and Gay Families’ Guide to Navigating the Straight World. Brill, Stephanie. New Harbinger Publications, 2001. Practical suggestions for dealing with the challenges of defining, protecting, and celebrating queer families
- The Lesbian Parenting Handbook: A guide to Creating Families and Raising Children. Clunis, D Merilee. HarperCollins, 2003. Chapter-by-chapter information on each stage of parenthood and child development. An affirming guide for lesbian families.
- Donor Insemination Guide. Degroot, Jeffery. Available from COLAGE, 2010. Hear the voices of donor-conceived children, youth and adults. The Guide provides advice for parents, schools, and the professionals in your child’s life. Worried about your children’s questions about the donor? “While parents’ fears are legitimate, they often turn out to be based on a false sense of their children’s motivations. As [donor-conceived people] stress over and over, their desire to meet their donor is driven by a motivation to discover more about their genetic origins, not to find an additional parent. “I know that the little that I know about my donor has helped me so much in terms of figuring out who I am as a person”” – from the DI Guide
- Donor Family Matters. Kramer, Wendy. Donor Sibling Registry, 2020. Kramer’s memoir of raising her donor-conceived child, Ryan, co-founding the invaluable DonorSiblingRegistry.com with him, and her journey into changing the assisted reproductive world.
- Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is. Garner, Abigail. Harper Collins, 2005. Interviews with more than fifty adult sons and daughters of LGBT parents. Addresses such topics as coming out to children, facing homophobia at school, co-parenting with ex-partners, and the children’s own sexuality.
- Helping the Stork: The Choices and Challenges of Donor Insemination. Vercollone, Carol Frost, Moss, Heidi, and Moss, Robert. Macmillan, 1997. A practical guide to the issues of DI for heterosexual couples struggling with male infertility.
- Lesbian and Gay Parents: Research on the Family Life Cycle. Goldberg, Abbie E. APA Books, 2010. An up-to-date summary of research on same-sex parents and their children.
- Lesbian and Gay Voices: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide to Literature for Children and Young Adults. Day, Frances Ann. Greenwood Press, 2000.
- Mommies, Daddies, Donors, Surrogates: Answering Tough Questions and Building Strong Families. Ehrensaft, Diane. Guilford Press, 2005. A down-to-earth manual addressing the issues raised by assisted reproduction, written by a therapist with twenty years experience in the field.
- Raising Boys Without Men: How Maverick Moms Are Creating the Next Generation of Exceptional Men. Drexler, Peggy with Linden Gross. Rodale Press, 2006. Based on interviews with single mothers, lesbian mothers, and their sons, Drexler offers up anecdotes and tips that are useful and validating to any mother trying to raise a strong and compassionate man.
- Choosing to be Open about Donor Conception. Pettle, Sharon and Burns, Jan. UK Donor Conception Network, 2002. A parenting guide based on interviews with 52 heterosexual, single, and lesbian parents about their experiences being open about their children’s donor origins.
- Donor Insemination Guide COLAGE. A comprehensive resource written by and for donor-conceived individuals raised by one or more lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) parents. Also a great resource for parents, teachers, and medical professionals. Covers many difficult topics including broaching the topic of the donor with your parents, approaching relationships with others who have the same sperm donor without excluding your own siblings, and more generally dealing with everyday challenges of answering the question ‘who’s your father?’ Beautifully written, easy to read.
- It’s So Amazing: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families. Harris, Robie. Candlewick, 1999. An upbeat, comprehensive sex education book for kids. (Ages 7-10)
- It Takes Love (and Other Stuff) To Make A Baby. Bird, LL. Catadon Press, 2014. A book for kids in two-mom families born via donor insemination. Using bright illustrations and simple language, this book explains the basics of reproduction and introduces the concept of the donor.
- Let’s Talk about Egg Donation: Real Stories from Real People. Gaitlin, Marna & LieberWilkins Carole. Archway Publishing, 2019. Covers from infertility diagnosis, to pregnancy, to how to talk to your child about egg donation, as well as insight from young adults who grew up knowing about their family’s donor origins. Accurate information and good advice.
- One in Many Millions. Miles, Rebecca Jayne and Tortop Anil, 2018. Beautifully explains the process of making a baby to children who have two Mums. (Ages 3+)
- Our Story. Baxter, Nicola. UK Donor Conception Network, 2002. Are told with kid-like drawings and simple words. The language will refer to parents as mum and dad since they are from England. The books allow you to create your own story. Excellent guides to donor conception for young children, conceived through DI to lesbian parents, through DI to single mothers and through DI for heterosexual couples families. Available from the UK Donor Conception Network. (Ages 3-6)
- Telling and Talking about Donor Conception: A Guide for Parents. Montuschi, Olivia. UK Donor Conception Network, 2006. Four booklets to help parents decide whether and how to tell their children about their donor origins. Available from www.dcnetwork.org Each booklet is geared toward a different age group, from birth to adulthood.
- What Makes a Baby. Silverberg, Cory and Smyth, Fiona. Triangle Square, 2013. Completely gender neutral story of how babies are made, works for all family configurations and gender identities.
- Zak’s Safari. Tyner, Christy and Ciaee. CreativeSpace, 2014. A boy tells the story of how his multi-ethnic family with two moms came to be. Includes a forward with tips on how to talk to children about donor conception written by TSBC’s Executive Director, Alice Ruby.(Ages 5 and up)
- Talking with Children about their Conception: A Parent’s Perspective. LieberWilkins, Carole, MFT. Help for parents on the whens, hows and whys of talking to children about the family’s origins. First presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 1995 meeting. Still timely and relevant in the 2020s.
Didn’t find what you’re looking for below? See invaluable Assisted Reproduction: Books for Children compiled and maintained by librarian, Patricia Sarles, MA, MLS.
LGBTQ+ families
- Asha’s Mums. Elwin, Rosamund and Paulse, Michele. Women’s Press, Ontario, Canada, 1990. Thoughtful story showing how a young girl and her two moms deal positively with homophobia at school. Characters of all different ethnic backgrounds. (Ages 6 and up)
- Emma and Meesha My Boy: a Two Mom Story. Considine, Kaitlyn. Twomombooks.com, 2005. Two moms teach their daughter to be nice to her cat. (Ages 3-6)
- Heather Has Two Mommies. Newman, Leslea. Candlewick Press, 2015. The important thing about a family is that all the people love each other. Updated version of a classic. (Ages 4 and up)
Single parents
- Little Treasure: Natalie sets off on a journey, and with the help of a few nice people, brings a smiley baby into the world, with the help of a donor. Georgy, A. CreateSpace publishing, 2011. Written by a single choice mom
- Nan’s Donut Dilemma. Ryan, Mary E. Keen Editions, 2011. A lovely book in which a mother explains to her child that she got help from a man and a doctor to have a baby; later moves into how Nan deals with Father’s Day at school.
- One, Two, Family; Keidar, Michal. CreateSpace Publishing, 2015. It tells the story of one family comprised of a mother, a girl and a boy. Written by a single choice mother. (Toddlers and children)
- Our Story. Baxter, Nicola. UK Donor Conception Network, 2002. Are told with kid-like drawings and simple words. The language will refer to parents as mum and dad since they are from England. The books allow you to create your own story. Excellent guides to donor conception for young children, conceived through DI to lesbian parents, through DI to single mothers and through DI for heterosexual couples families. Available from the UK Donor Conception Network. (Ages 3-6)
- The Pea That Was Me: A Single Mom’s/Sperm Donation Children’s Story. Kluger-Bell, Kim. CreateSpace Publishing, 2013. Emphasizes how much the child was wanted, and how grateful mommy is to the “very kind donor” who helped make it all possible. (Ages 3 and up)
- What Makes a Baby. Silverberg, Cory and Smyth, Fiona. Triangle Square, 2013. Completely gender neutral story of how babies are made, works for all family configurations and gender identities.
Heterosexual couples
- It Takes Love (and Other Stuff) To Make A Baby. Bird, LL. Catadon Press, 2014. A book for kids in two-mom families born via donor insemination. Using bright illustrations and simple, language, this book explains the basics of reproduction and introduces the concept of the donor.
Double gamete and embryo donation
- Training Wheels: How Did I Get Here? Barrett, Chris and Hunter, Sally (Tyler Garrison (Illustrator)). Knoxville, National Embryo Donation Center, 2011.Explanation of how Miles came to be through embryo donation, as well as considering the donors’ family. (Pre-schoolers and older)
- Coming soon: More books for families conceived with the assistance of embryo donation or both sperm and egg donation. Until then, see the devoted section in Assisted Reproduction: Books for Children – librarian Patricia Sarles’ extensive listing and description of children’s books.