Welcome to Varta
Audio

The effect on a relationship

Fertility treatment
Fertility and infertility
IVF treatment imposes many demands on couples. Not the least of these is the strain it can place on the couple's relationship itself. The impact on Anne and her husband took many forms. So did IVF treatment affect their relationship?
Welcome to Varta
Audio

The benefit of hindsight

Fertility treatment
Fertility and infertility
Ben and Dinah talk about how they'd do things differently with the benefit of hindsight. Dinah and Ben's IVF treatment lasted four years until Dinah finally gave birth to their daughter Tallulah in 2010. In listening to this podcast series please bear in mind that Dinah and Ben's experience is not universal, it is their story. This podcast series is not intended to replace or replicate medical advice.
Welcome to Varta
Video

Telling their son about donor conception

Donor conception
Despite having their sons in the secretive era of donor conception in the1980’s, Kerry and her husband Greg had concerns that their story would come out later and so chose to be very open with their sons and their extended family from the start. They are so glad they did as a recent medical diagnosis requiring a bone marrow transplant would have revealed the secret at a very traumatic time.
Welcome to Varta
Video

Telling others about donor conception

Donor conception
Advice from an experienced mother of donor egg twins and clinical psychologist Kim Paleg. Kim stresses that there is a difference between privacy and secrecy. The more she told others; the easier it became. Over time it stopped being Kim’s story and became her twins’ story and it was they who could choose if and whom they would tell.
Welcome to Varta
Audio

Talking to young children about using a sperm donor to become a family

Donor conception
Jacqui and Sarah provide us with their thoughts and experiences in talking to young children about how they used a sperm donor to become a family. “It’s understandable to be apprehensive, of course it is. It can be quite a scary and challenging thing but in the end the important thing is tell kids early. I think that it’s really important; it’s something that they always know.”
Welcome to Varta
Feature

Talking to young adults about their conception

Donor conception
Barbara, after nearly quarter of a century of keeping the secret of her daughters' conceptions, tells them they are donor conceived. Lauren, who was 21 when she was told of her conception, tells us her experience of being on the receiving end of this news.
Welcome to Varta
Audio

Talking to children about being a donor

Donor conception
Listen to this interview with Stewart and his children talking about being a sperm donor. “My advice would be to tell. Certainly it’s never as bad as it seems to give this information to other members of your family. You know, I think, you couch it in as simple terms as possible, give as much information as you feel comfortable with and let them absorb it and let them if they want to come to you with anything else they will." Stewart.
Welcome to Varta
Video

Surrogacy perspectives

Surrogacy
Fertility and infertility
Donor conception
Mother, surrogate and child share their story The three videos below show different perspectives about surrogacy including those of an intended mother, a surrogate and one presenting a child’s outlook. Commissioning mother – Fiona After nine long years of infertility treatment failure and four miscarriages, Fiona’s sister, Laura, offered to be her “oven to cook her embryos”. After much discussion and a few glasses of red wine, they decided to proceed. Two years later, Pippy was born and she has brought more joy than Fiona could ever have imagined. Not many mothers get to cut their daughter’s umbilical cord but Fiona did!

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