Medical & embryos

Why Consider Genetic Testing Before Creating Embryos with an Egg Donor?

When it comes to starting a family through surrogacy and using an egg donor, there's a lot to think about. One important consideration is ge

Intended Parent Anxiety – Surviving a Pregnancy Happening 10,000 km Away

Everyone looks after the surrogate – but who looks after you? On intended-parent anxiety, and the three things that actually help.

Vaccinations – During Pregnancy and for Your Newborn in the U.S.: What Differs From Israel and What to Agree in Advance

What a newborn gets at a U.S. hospital by default, how the vaccine schedules differ, and what to put in the birth plan.

When the Pregnancy Doesn't Hold – On Loss in a Surrogacy Journey, and the Way Forward

On failed transfers and pregnancy loss – the grief you're allowed to feel, the one message to send your surrogate, and the way forward.

Medical Decisions From Afar – You're in Israel, the Doctor Is in Ohio. Who Decides?

Who decides in a pregnancy an ocean away? The principle to understand before signing, and the form most parents don't know exists.

PGT-A Embryo Testing – What It Really Delivers, and When It Matters Less

The test that became almost the default in U.S. surrogacy – what PGT-A checks, what it promises, and when you can actually skip it.

When Your Surrogate Fails Screening – The Restart You Didn't Plan For

The match is cancelled because she didn't pass medical screening? One of the most common scenarios nobody prepares you for – and what to do next.

Transfer One Embryo or Two? The Dilemma Every Couple Faces

When the exciting moment of scheduling the transfer arrives, up pops the question that divides couples, doctors and surrogates: transfer one embryo – or two? On paper, two sounds like a deal: double the odds, maybe even win twins and "complete" the family in one journey. In reality, the picture is very different, and worth knowing before the conversation with your doctor.

How Many Embryos Do You Need Before You Start? The Math of the Odds

One of the hardest questions to get a straight answer to: "We have X embryos – is that enough?" The clinic answers cautiously, the agency says "it depends", and in the groups everyone tells a different story. So let's bring some order to the math – no promises, but with logic.

AI in Embryo Selection – Revolution or Marketing Gimmick?

In my post about embryo grading I described how an embryologist looks at an embryo and gives it a "score" – those mysterious letters and numbers like 4AA that we all learned to decipher during sleepless nights. But in recent years a new player has entered the lab: artificial intelligence. More and more U.S. clinics offer (and sometimes charge extra for) AI systems that scan and rank embryos. So is it a game changer – or mostly an invoice changer?

What does an embryo grading mean?

Warren Buffet’s tip to finding an egg donor

Cord blood - To save or not to save?

One twin pregnancy from two different fathers

How important is the geographical location of the clinic?

Storing embryos and sperm at the clinic

Transporting embryos between clinics or switching fertility clinics

What’s the difference between working directly with US providers vs. a local broker agency?

Living with HIV and surrogacy

Medical tests before embarking on the process

A surrogate who is also the egg donor

An egg donor and a surrogate - why both and what are the differences?

American agency versus a clinic - what’s the difference and do you need them both?

Preliminary sperm tests

Is there a chance that the embryo won’t implant after transfer? What do you do if that happens?

Will we have contact with the egg donor? Will she have any connection to the child?

Can you create more embryos with the donor from the first process?

Genetic tests - what do they test for and how do they compare it with the egg donor?

First meeting with the egg donor or surrogate