Genetic screening can sound overwhelming, intimidating, and honestly… a little scary, especially when you’re already navigating the emotional and logistical complexities of building a family.

In this episode, genetic counselor Sarah Stueber from Natera breaks down what genetic carrier screening actually is, how the technology works, and why it plays such an important role in egg donation, IVF, and family building.

We also unpack some of the biggest misconceptions around genetic screening, including what these tests can and cannot tell intended parents, why “negative” results don’t guarantee perfect outcomes, and why genetic screening is about informed decision-making — not creating “designer babies.”

In this conversation, we discuss:

* what clinics and donor programs are actually screening for
* why family history still matters alongside genetic testing
* what happens when donors and sperm sources are genetic matches
* how genetic counselors help patients navigate anxiety and uncertainty
* the role of carrier screening in creating healthier outcomes
* why patients shouldn’t get lost in Google searches and information overload
* how genetic screening helps families move forward with more clarity and confidence

Whether you’re exploring egg donation, IVF, surrogacy, or simply trying to better understand the role of genetics in fertility care, this episode offers an approachable and grounded conversation about a topic that can often feel far more complicated than it needs to.

What Genetic Screening Actually Tells You

You've been a surrogate before. You know the appointments, the medications, and the embryo transfer process, so why can a new fertility clinic make your next surrogacy journey feel so different?

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with Dr. Armando Hernandez-Rey, reproductive endocrinologist, founder and medical director of Conceptions Florida, to talk about why fertility clinic protocols can vary from one surrogacy journey to the next.

From surrogate screening and mock transfers to IVF medications and embryo transfer protocols, Dr. Hernandez-Rey explains why fertility care isn't always one-size-fits-all, what a medical team can learn from a surrogate's previous journeys, and why "I've done this before" doesn't always mean the next journey will follow the same plan.

They also explore how fertility protocols evolve, why individual medical circumstances matter, and what experienced surrogates can ask when a recommendation looks different from what they've done before.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why fertility clinic protocols can differ

What previous surrogacy journeys can tell a medical team

Why experienced surrogates may have different screening or protocols

How IVF and embryo transfer recommendations can change over time

Questions surrogates can ask to better understand their medical care

#surrogacy #experiencedsurrogate #fertilityclinic #ivf #embryotransfer

CONNECT CONCEPTIONS FLORIDA
https://www.conceptionsflorida.com/
@conceptionsflorida [https://www.instagram.com/conceptionsflorida]

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [https://www.instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Why Is Surrogacy So Different This Time?

What is it really like for two dads to build their family through surrogacy?
In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with Will and Chris as they prepare to welcome their first child. They share how they found their way to surrogacy, what it’s been like building a relationship with their surrogate, Brie, and how they’ve stayed involved in the pregnancy while living in different states.

Their journey has brought exciting milestones, unexpected challenges, and plenty of moments when they’ve leaned on each other, their surrogate, and their team at Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions. But their circle of support has grown beyond the people directly involved in their journey.

What began as a way to document their experience for themselves and their son has grown into @twogaysandababy, where they share their journey as a gay couple building a family through surrogacy. While sharing their story has meant navigating difficult questions and comments, it has also opened the door to educating others about surrogacy and connecting with dads who understand their path to parenthood firsthand.

In this episode, we discuss:
- Choosing surrogacy as a path to fatherhood
- Building a relationship with a surrogate across the distance
- Navigating the surrogacy process with a trusted support team
- Sharing their family-building journey publicly
- Preparing to welcome their first child

#surrogacy #gaydadsviasurrogacy #intendedparents #lgbtqfamilybuilding #twogaysandababy

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Your Surrogate is Pregnant. Now What?

Are sibling surrogacy journeys easier?

It's easy to assume a second surrogacy journey with the same intended parents will be easier. But as Erika shares, the same family doesn't always mean the same journey.

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Erika shares what it was like to carry siblings for the same family, navigating pregnancy loss, anxiety, healing, and ultimately helping her intended parents welcome their second child. Along the way, she shares honest advice for surrogates and intended parents about communication, trust, and finding hope when the journey doesn't go as planned.

In this episode, we discuss:

Sibling surrogacy journeys
Pregnancy loss during surrogacy
Why every surrogacy journey is different
Building trust throughout the journey

Subscribe for more conversations about surrogacy, IVF, family building, intended parents, and reproductive medicine.

#surrogacy #gestationalsurrogate #ivf #familybuilding #intendedparents

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Are Sibling Surrogacy Journeys Easier?

What happens when IVF doesn't work?

After a failed IVF cycle, miscarriage, or difficult diagnosis, it's easy to feel like you've run out of options. But according to reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Leah Kaye, you're never just a diagnosis, and your story isn't over.

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Dr. Kaye shares how she helps patients navigate infertility with compassion, balance hope with realistic expectations, and explore the next steps in family building, including egg donation and surrogacy when appropriate.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Failed IVF cycles and pregnancy loss
• When to consider egg donation or surrogacy
• How fertility specialists approach complex cases
• Why feeling heard is medicine
• Supporting the whole person, not just the diagnosis

Content note: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and pregnancy loss. Please take care while listening if these topics are especially tender for you.

#ivf #infertility #fertilityjourney #surrogacy #familybuilding

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What Happens When IVF Doesn't Work?

What happens after a surrogate delivers and everyone goes home?

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with Barette Best, a licensed postpartum doula and Surrogacy Education & Engagement Specialist at Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, to talk about a part of the surrogacy journey that doesn't always get as much attention: the fourth trimester.

So much of a surrogacy journey is focused on getting to delivery. But once the baby is born and the journey everyone spent months preparing for is technically over, the surrogate begins a transition of her own—one that isn't always an obvious part of preparing for surrogacy.

Whitney and Barette talk about a surrogate's life after a surrogacy journey, why the fourth trimester deserves its own conversation, and the new Fourth Trimester Program created to provide Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions surrogates with an additional layer of support after delivery.

In this episode, we discuss:

The fourth trimester after surrogacy
A surrogate's life after a surrogacy journey
What can change after delivery
Postpartum support for surrogates
Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions' Fourth Trimester Program

#surrogacy #fourthtrimester #surrogatesupport #postpartum #lifeaftersurrogacy

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What Happens After a Surrogate Gives Birth?

Why do our family-building stories matter, even before we know how they'll end?

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney sits down with award-winning journalist, author, and host of the Infertile AF podcast Alison Prato to talk about the stories we tell about infertility, IVF, loss, and the many different ways families are built.

Ali shares how her own experience with secondary infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss led her to start sharing her story, and why, nearly 400 episodes of Infertile AF later, she continues making space for others to share theirs.

That belief in the importance of seeing our experiences represented extends to the stories we tell children, too. Whitney and Ali talk about her Work of ART book series and Petri Dish Princess, Ali's new book with Elizabeth Carr, the first person born through IVF in the United States, and what it means to bring a piece of IVF history to a new generation.

In this episode, we discuss:

Ali's experience with secondary infertility, pregnancy loss, and IVF
The story behind Infertile AF
Why family-building stories don't all need the same ending
Representation in family-building stories
Petri Dish Princess and Elizabeth Carr's IVF story

#Infertility #infertileaf #ivf #familybuilding #petridishprincess

Get your copy of Petri Dish Princess by heading to the link below! https://www.infertileafgroup.com/books

CONNECT WITH INFERTILE AF
https://www.infertileafgroup.com/

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

Why Do Infertility Stories Matter?

Egg donation may begin with a decision someone makes today but what could that decision mean years from now?

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, psychotherapists Kristin Maljean and Leslee Murphy join Whitney to talk about preparing egg donors for both the process in front of them and the future implications of their decision.

What does it mean to know there may be a person in the world who shares your genetics? What happens if that person wants contact someday? What might you tell a future partner or your own children? And in a world of consumer DNA testing, what does "anonymous" donation even mean anymore?

Kristin also shares her perspective as an intended parent who built her family through egg donation and why the donor's story can become a meaningful part of a child's own story.

In this episode, we discuss:

What happens during an egg donor psychological evaluation
Informed consent and donor readiness
Genetic and mental health history
Future contact and donor-conceived people
The changing meaning of anonymous egg donation
Talking with partners, family, and future children about donating
What intended parents should know about donor screening

Subscribe for more conversations about egg donation, donor conception, IVF, surrogacy, and family building.

#EggDonation #EggDonor #DonorConceived #DonorConception #FamilyBuilding

CONNECT WITH MEMORIAL WELLNESS & COUNSELING
https://memorialwell.com/

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What Should You Know Before Becoming an Egg Donor?

How do you find an LGBTQ-friendly fertility clinic?

Over three decades in reproductive medicine, fertility specialist Dr. Michael Guarnaccia has watched both fertility science and society's definition of family evolve. In this episode, he shares what LGBTQ individuals and couples should look for in a fertility clinic, and why personalized, relationship-centered care can make all the difference when building your family.

Whether you're just beginning to explore IVF, egg donation, surrogacy, or other family-building options, this conversation offers practical guidance on choosing a fertility team that understands the needs of LGBTQ families and supports you every step of the way.

In this episode, we discuss:

How to choose an LGBTQ-friendly fertility clinic
Why personalized fertility care matters
Building a fertility team you can trust
Egg donation and surrogacy for LGBTQ families
Finding support throughout your family-building journey

Subscribe for more conversations about IVF, egg donation, surrogacy, fertility, and family building.

#LGBTQfamilybuilding #fertility #IVF #surrogacy #eggdonation

CONNECT WITH NEW ENGLAND FERTILITY INSTITUTE
https://www.nefertility.com/
@nefertility [http://instagram.com/nefertility]

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://www.createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

How Do You Find an LGBTQ-Friendly Fertility Clinic?

What does ethical surrogacy actually look like, especially when something goes wrong?

Recent conversations surrounding the Baby Rumi case have raised difficult questions about surrogacy: Who protects the surrogate? Who protects the intended parents? And what happens when people disagree after a pregnancy has already begun?

In this episode of Create A Happy Family, Whitney is joined by Katy Encalade, President & CEO of Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, and Crystal Chaing, Vice President of Surrogacy Program & Client Content Development. But before leading and supporting families through surrogacy professionally, Katy was a surrogate herself, and Crystal built her own family as an intended parent through surrogacy.

Together, they move beyond one headline to explore what ethical surrogacy looks like in practice, and the safeguards that should be in place before a journey ever begins.

Because ethical surrogacy isn't defined by what happens when everything goes according to plan. It's revealed in what happens when it doesn't.

In this episode, we discuss:
- What ethical surrogacy actually means
- Thoughtful matching and hard conversations before pregnancy
- Surrogate autonomy and intended parent rights
- Independent legal counsel, screening, and professional support
- What happens when surrogates and intended parents disagree
- The role of an agency when a journey becomes complicated
- Red flags to look for when choosing a surrogacy agency

Subscribe for more conversations about surrogacy, IVF, egg donation, intended parenthood, and family building.

#EthicalSurrogacy #Surrogacy #GestationalSurrogacy #IntendedParents #FamilyBuilding

CONNECT WITH EGG DONOR & SURROGATE SOLUTIONS
https://createahappyfamily.com/
@createahappyfamily [http://instagram.com/createahappyfamily]

What Happens When Surrogacy Makes The Headlines?

Whitney Hall (@edssurrogatesolution) · Zencastr

Whitney Hall (@edssurrogatesolution)

Who knew it could take more than two people to have a baby? 

Create A Happy Family is a weekly podcast for anyone exploring surrogacy or egg donation — hopeful parents, surrogates, and egg donors alike.  

This show brings you real stories, expert insights, and honest conversations from people who’ve lived it.  

Hosted by Whitney Hall — a two-time surrogate and surrogacy coordinator with Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions — each episode offers the clarity, transparency, and support you need to explore your family-building options with confidence.  

You’ll hear from intended parents, surrogates, egg donors, and professionals, each sharing their unique perspective to help guide yours.  

Whether you’re just beginning or deep in the decision-making process, Create A Happy Family will equip you with the knowledge, encouragement, and reassurance to move forward — feeling truly informed and supported.  

💫 Creating Happy Families via Egg Donation & Surrogacy, one relationship at a time.

Please click -->  Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions [https://createahappyfamily.com/] to find out more!

Create A Happy Family

Whitney Hall hosts the podcast, and the purpose of the podcast is to provide education surrounding the egg donor and surrogacy process for intended parents, potential surrogates, and potential egg donors in the United States. The target age range of listeners is 21-42 and primarily female. The unique aspect of the podcast is the lived experience of the podcast host, who is passionate about helping create happy families. The podcast aims to educate listeners and potentially recruit egg donors and surrogates. 