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Laura-Rose & Stacey

Tell us a bit more about your background. What do you do for a living? Are you in the U.S.? Overseas? Married? 

We live overseas in the UK, have been together 13 years & married 9 years.  I (Laura-Rose) am an Account Director & also Founder & owner of ‘The LGBT Mummies Tribe’ along with my wife Stacey who gave up her career  a few years ago to raise our children at home.

What year did you begin your Xytex search/ pregnancy journey? 

2012

Are you in a heterosexual couple, a same-sex couple, or are you a single mother by choice? 

Same-sex lesbian couple

What challenges did you face when trying to become pregnant, if any? How did you handle those challenges? 

Stacey carried our first born after 5 IUI attempts (including one miscarriage at 11 weeks)- Stacey has PCOS & Laura-Rose had natural IUI & fell with our second child on the second attempt. It was difficult as Stacey’s cycles were irregular so the wait was long & it felt like we were trying forever- even though compared to others who struggle for years, we were lucky it was relatively quick, but it never feels that way at the time!

Who supported you the most during your donor search/ pregnancy? 

We of course had our families & close friends- but to be honest we didn’t really have anyone that understood us or that was going through the same thing! After the birth of our second child I founded ‘The LGBT Mummies Tribe’ to ‘educate, share, celebrate’ LGBT+ women & support them on their journeys & it has grown exponentially over the past two years.

How did you hear about Xytex? How did you go about finding us? 

Through a woman we knew who had used them successfully- we wrote it down on a bit of paper & Googled & went from there!

Why did you choose Xytex? What did you like most? What did you like least?

Because of the woman we knew who’d used them- other than that we honestly didn’t have a clue how it all worked, or how to look for one! Even 8 years ago there were hardly any families like us around, so we didn’t have anyone to ask for advice.  There genuinely isn’t anything we didn’t like! The team was all so happy & kind & friendly & just made the process so easy!

How did Xytex compare to other sperm banks? 

Because we didn’t know where to look at the time, we came straight to Xytex on the recommendation of a woman who used them & didn’t look back!

What was most important to you when choosing a donor? What were you looking for? 

We wanted a donor who had similar personality traits, interests & values of both of us- we wanted a specific look in a donor & ethnicity & so that helped narrow the search down- Xytex had a large choice of donors, especially of ethnic minorities, so we had a lot to choose from!

What would you tell others looking for a donor? Any advice?

Make a list of what you’d like in a donor;  From features, to personality to interests- make a list of what you like about each other & how you’d like your children to have something in their little personalities similar to yours; whether it be an interest in sports, academic, good family values, or even down to a tall donor because one of you is tall!

Why would you recommend Xytex? 

Because they were so friendly & personable, & they made the process so easy; from choosing a donor, advice on how to use the website & even to getting the sperm to our chosen clinic- once we purchased our sperm we didn’t even have to do anything!

Was our website/resources helpful? 

Yes it was so easy to use- almost like online shopping but for something incredibly precious!

What would you like to have seen/ see more of on our website/ social media? 

Your website was great- maybe more LGBT+ couples & their stories? Back when we started looking recordings weren’t available so that would have been nice at the time. Also people like to hear others experiences within our community, it makes them feel more comfortable knowing other women have used a sperm bank & had a good experience & success.

After completing your purchase with Xytex, what happened from there? 

We didn’t have to do anything! They handled everything & even when we went back to order more vials they were so helpful-they made a stressful process calm & even got excited with us at the prospect of us becoming Mothers one day. The journey to Motherhood especially as a LGBT+ woman or couple can be an anxious time (& for any parent to be!) but Xytex made the process personalised & special- you’ll never make a bigger decision in your life than choosing to become a parent & choosing a donor for your future children is such a life-changing decision & Xytex made it feel that way!