Press Release - Infographic

Press Release - Infographic for Parenting After Infertility

Husband-and-Wife Authors of 'How We Became a Family' Release Infographic in Honor of National Infertility Awareness Week Infertile couples who have to use fertility treatments to get pregnant usually don't need to go to the extent of using a third party donor - but some do

Phoenix, April 8, 2014 - Because of infertility awareness and the advances of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) the number of donor conceived births are increasing worldwide. The climate for openness on this topic has also been increasing with the number of support groups and networks for parents and their children (i.e. RESOLVE.org and Donor Sibling Registry, and Donor Conception Network UK).

Parents of donor conceived children are not alone. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approximately 12% of fertility patients use donor eggs and embryos. And an estimated 30,000-60,000 children born in this country via artificial insemination are from donor sperm. Those are only two of the findings included in a new infographic published by children's book authors Teresa and Bernard Villegas MD on their HowWeBecameaFamily website and blog today.

This infographic advocates the importance for parents to tell their donor conceived children about their unique beginnings. Parents who used an egg donor, or a sperm donor go through quite a different process in order to conceive, but are similar in that one of the child's parents is not genetically related. This is where the crux of disclosure becomes important. Factual genetic information is something you want your child(ren) to be aware of. Not just for a physical and medical awareness, but also as an opportunity for parents to present "honesty and trust" early on as the foundation of their own family culture" say the Villegas'.

When a child is conceived this way, parents must decide whether to tell their child or keep this information private. This may be a difficult choice to make for various reasons and sometimes parents do not know where to begin. Parents may ask "why" and "how" and "when?" At first, the thought of telling your child about their donor origins may seem like a difficult topic to broach, but it doesn't have to be.

"In our experience raising our own donor conceived children, along with research, data and inquiry from professional family psychologists have all concluded, that telling your child about their genetic origins at an early age, is best for the child, " say the Villages'. "That is what inspired us to write and illustrate our own children's book "How We Became a Family" (for ages 2-10). We wanted to write a book that we could read to our children that included the facts of nature, science, the help of a donor and the possibility of of a multiple birth. We want to help other parents like us, to struggle less, and to be at ease with telling their child early on, one step at a time. Our children's book "How We Became a Family" is a tool that helps parents begin the process of telling in an easy way."