A guest post by Eran Amir, proud father and founder of GoStork.
I always knew I wanted children.
Getting there was quite the fertility journey though, as for me it included surrogacy, egg donation and IVF. There were so many barriers to overcome, but I’m grateful for every single step that led me to my amazing daughters Ariel and Yael. I also learned so much throughout my experience, that I was then able to emerge as a new Father who wanted to help other intended parents start this demanding (yet highly rewarding) process themselves. This is what inspired GoStork, the first fertility marketplace where intended parents can find, compare and connect with top fertility providers much more easily.
But, first things first…
My Family Building Journey
My story began in 2016. I was the first among family and friends to pursue egg donation and surrogacy, so I was completely naive about what to expect. I spent weeks researching, completely losing track of the countless hours spent weeding through many different fertility and surrogacy websites; not to mention making a ton of phone calls, as well as back and forth emails, etc. with surrogacy agencies, just to get basic information (such as how long it would take or all the costs involved in surrogacy and egg donation).
I also found it very difficult to find an egg donor. I had specific criteria that I was looking for, but each egg donor agency has a limited inventory so it took four different agencies before I found ‘the one’ for me. I’ve now learned this is a common experience for many other intended parents - so if you’re going through it as well, I can relate!
Eventually, I found a well-established, full-service egg donor and surrogacy agency, with a strong track-record, great reviews, and a team I could trust. Three months later, I matched with a wonderful gestational carrier (surrogate). Everything then really fell into place in June of 2018, with the birth of my amazing little Ariel. This experience inspired me to leave my career and start working on GoStork, with a mission to bring transparency to the fertility industry and simplify the first steps in the family building journey.
We launched GoStork in 2020 and now feature over 50 top surrogacy agencies and, with over 10,000 egg donors (from different agencies combined), we’re the largest free-to-use online egg donor database. This resource helps so many find ‘the one’ for them. Intended parents who need help financing their journey can also apply for fertility loans directly through the platform.
For those who would like extra assistance as they begin their journey - we also offer 1-on-1 concierge services to help answer your questions, inform you of your options and help you consider the best providers for you - also completely free of charge. We’ll also soon be launching a Fertility Clinic Marketplace which will make it much easier to find clinics with the highest success rates as applicable to a patient’s/intended parent’s specific case.
As transparency is so important for us, we are also the only platform that lists all provider fees upfront (including detailed cost breakdowns), helping intended parents save both time and money as they map out their TTC journey.
As you research your own path to parenthood, we have a few helpful tips to share with you along the way, specifically on the factors you should consider when choosing an egg donor. Whilst these decisions are highly personal, knowing what to ask and what to look for will help you reach a more informed decision.
About Eran Amir
With more than 20 years of experience, Eran Amir has worked as both a software development and product management executive in Israel and the Greater New York Area. The development of GoStork combines his professional skill-set with a personal mission. After undergoing a long, difficult, and costly process to expand his family via surrogacy and egg donation, Amir vowed to help other intended parents avoid the complexity and confusion he experienced. His passion led to the creation of GoStork, which proudly names Amir’s two daughters as co-founders.