Author: Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

About the Author Jana M. Rupnow, MA, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor and consultant specializing in fertility and family building. Jana has helped hundreds of people facing the challenges of infertility as well as those preparing for third-party family building and adoption. Jana works independently in private practice in Dallas, Texas. She has built relationships with fertility doctors across the country to help their patients with the psychological challenges of donation conception prior to medical intervention. She works with couples, parents, donors, agencies, and endocrinologists across the nation in her Dallas offices and via Skype or FaceTime. Jana also helps parents learn to communicate with their children about donor conception and serves as a liaison for communication between donor-conceived or adoptive families and genetic or birth parents. She is a speaker and a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s Mental Health Group and a professional member of the National Infertility Association, Resolve. Jana has a clinical background in physiology and has published articles through Baylor University Medical Center. Jana is also an adoptee and adoptive mom. She and her husband, Scott, live in Dallas with their son, Caden, and daughter, Jade, and two goldendoodles, Oliver and Chloe. For consultation, counseling, training for professionals, or a speaking engagement, email Jana@JanaRupnow.com or learn more on JanaRupnow.com. Follow Jana Rupnow on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @janarupnowlpc.
Three Makes Baby Podcast

Did Nikita Find Her Donor?

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-camj6-fd7345

Nikita was my very first guest on the podcast. She came on to spread the word about her search to find her sperm donor in 30 days. Nikita was raised by a single mom who chose sperm donation to have her. The donation was out of the ordinary: a 50-year-old anonymous man donated sperm in the UK before 1997. 

Nikita shares what she has discovered in the last 16 months. Her search led to an unexpected surprise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to see if you can help her find the man that helped conceive her. If you have any information to share, email nikitatrue1997@gmail.com.

 

Music: Half Mystery by Kevin Macleod

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Dr. Diane Tober Conducts the First Long-term Research on Egg Donors

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-qurb9-f77e0c

Dr. Tober is an assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco Institute for Health and Aging. She’s also faculty at Bixby Center for Reproductive Health in the Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine.

Dr. Tober is conducting the largest mixed method study on egg donors, with over 500 egg donors from all over the world. It began eight years ago with a call from an egg donor with a group called, We Are Egg Donors. Many of the members of her group had complications and they felt it was important wanted to collaborate to follow up with donors.

 
Three Makes Baby Podcast

Hannah’s Resilency After Learning She Was Donor Conceived in a Hurtful Way

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-6kbg7-f54c55

Hannah’s resiliency after learning she was donor conceived in a hurtful way

Her parents waited too long to tell her the truth. Hannah’s parents intended to tell her about her donor conception but never found the right moment. Then it was too late. Someone else who knew the secret, revealed the secret to Hannah in a hurtful way. By this time, Hannah’s dad had developed Alzheimer’s and she could no longer talk to him about it.

Hannah speaks about how she used to be fundamentally opposed to donor conception but her viewpoint is shifting. She shows resiliency and depth in this new episode of Three Makes Baby podcast.

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Eric Shares His Experience Raising His Donor Conceived Children into Teen Years

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-9i89i-f45140

Eric is a father to two teenagers who were donor conceived and started a blog 15 years ago called “Life as Dad to Donor Insemination (DI) Kids.”  His experience is invaluable to younger parents just starting their journey.

Eric has a child-centered focus and shares his experience with dc feelings, including anger and ambivalence. He saddresses the challenges that dc adults have faced with banks and consequences of dishonesty. Eric shares with host, Jana Rupnow, how parents can cope with feelings of guilt and how to have an ongoing conversation with your kids as they grow. 

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Kyle, Raised by a Single Mom Always Knew about his Donor Conception

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-t7i5r-f17827

Kyle’s perspective is fantastic! He shares his experiences being sperm donor conceived and raised by a single mom and we do a deep dive into several important topics around the topic, like, telling your child about their conception and avoiding the learned shame that a stigma can cause in family life.

Parents commonly tell me they want to wait to tell their child until they are teenagers but Kyle has advice for parents. (You’ll have to listen to hear it.) 😉

Kyle also explains how uncovering previously unknown genetic information added value to life and explored the reasons that tracking half-siblings are important. Listen to @threemakesbaby podcast on Apple podcast or your favorite podcast platform.

#spermdonation #podcast #singlemom #solomom #dcadult #donorconceived #dcperspective

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Vince Speaks Openly About Male Infertility & Lead a Support Group for Other Men

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ihkdz-eb0f6d

Fifteen years ago, Vince received news from a doctor  that he had “complete azoospermia” and he describes how confusing and shocking that moment was. 

He openly speaks about infertility to help other men with issues that impacts men with male factor infertility like masculinity, passing on the family name, and how society impacts a man with infertility, especially the imposed shame. 

He also leads a support group in Ontario, Canada and is involved with Donor Conception Canada. Vince (@vincelondini). 

#spermdonation #mfi #malefactorinfertility #azoospermia #infertility #fertility 

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Brittany’s Discovers Her Donor Keeps Donating

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-8rmbk-ea98a8

Brittany used an egg donor to conceive and bravely shared her feelings about letting go of the biological child she couldn’t have.  She’s back to share an update and some frustrating information about the egg donation process that she learned during her pregnancy.


Donors are supposed to be limited to a certain number of donations both for health risks and long-term family management issues. In other words, to avoid the complications that come with having an unmanageable amount of half-siblings.  Unfortunately, this limit is not enforceable and intended parents must rely on the ethics of agencies, clinics and banks.

#eggdonation #eggdonor #ethics #deivf #spermdonation #donorconception

Three Makes Baby Podcast

Gail, a Mom Via Sperm Donation, Advocates for Change in the Field

Jana M. Rupnow, LPC

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-95bgm-e6091b

Gail, a mom through sperm donation, advocates for regulation and legislation in donor conception. Gail lives in Australia and was appalled to find out her daughter has over 100 half-siblings. She shares her daughter’s feelings about donor conception as well as some unpleasant truths about the practices that occur in the field.