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Follow comedian and sperm donor baby Laura High as she dives into to the terrifying world of donor conception and the infertility industry. This unregulated unethical multi-billion industry has created an InsemiNATION. And we are going to fix it together.

Laura High


    • Jan 3, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 15m AVG DURATION
    • 47 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Insemination podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in learning about the fertility industry. This podcast dives deep into the subject matter, providing fascinating insights and discussing important points and issues that are often overlooked. The host, Laura, may take some time to find her footing in terms of interview style and sound quality, but as the podcast progresses, she becomes more professional and the sound balance improves. The subject matter stays consistently captivating throughout each episode and listeners are bound to learn something new with every installment.

    One of the best aspects of The Insemination podcast is its ability to shed light on the dark secrets of the infertility industry. Laura's humor helps to navigate through some sordid stories, while still maintaining a sense of seriousness when discussing deceit, gamete switching, and other untold horrors. It's truly wild to uncover these hidden crimes that have taken place within this industry. Moreover, Laura's passion for legislative changes is admirable and provides a sense of hope for those impacted by infertility.

    On the flip side, there may be initial annoyances with the host's presentation style and sound quality. However, as mentioned before, these issues do improve over time. Additionally, while it may not be a dealbreaker for everyone, some listeners might find that they need to start with episodes focusing on legislation before going back to earlier episodes in order to fully appreciate the content.

    In conclusion, The Insemination podcast is an informative and educational resource that tackles important issues within the fertility industry. Regardless of whether or not one has a personal connection to infertility, this podcast offers powerful and essential information that deserves widespread attention. With its mix of crucial information and lighthearted moments, The Insemination keeps listeners engaged from start to finish. Laura's work has the potential to change the world for donor-conceived individuals and her dedication shines through each episode. Overall, this podcast is highly recommended for those seeking an in-depth look at the stories and issues surrounding the fertility industry.



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    Latest episodes from Insemination

    Season 3 Triple Threat

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2025 76:41


    Freya is not only donor conceived, but she is also recipient parent and a known egg donor. She has such a unique perspective and brings so much nuance to the conversation. She is also born and raised in The Uk so we learn a little bit more about how that donor conception market functions

    Episode 44: Donor Conception and Comedy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2024 76:50


    Chelsea Devantez is not just donor conceived but also a renowned comedian. Her credits include being the head writer for ‘The Problem with Jon Stewart'. Today Chelsea is sharing her donor conception experience and her new book which you can find here: https://www.chelsearosedevantez.com/the-book

    Episode 43: Sperm Donor Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2024 51:40


    Meet Mark a sperm donor from Xytex who walks us through his experience working with the bank and then being available as a known donor.

    Episode 43: Sperm Donor Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 51:40


    Meet Mark a sperm donor from Xytex who walks us through his experience working with the bank and then being available as a known donor.

    Episode 43: Egg Whisperer

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 55:55


    Welcome Dr. Aimee aka the Egg Whisperer! Dr. Aimee is here to talk to us about egg donation, causes for infertility, what to look for in a doctor, infertility trauma, and the changes she would like to see happen to the fertility industry.

    Episode 42: Contracts with Known Donors

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2024 70:45


    Meet attorney Amanda Troxler from California who handles known donor agreements. Amanda is going to walk us through what is required to do a legally safe known donation.

    Episode 40: Racism and Eugenics

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2024 70:16


    FULL DISCLOSURE I filmed the intro a few weeks ago, I'm not about to go perform in Cleveland. I already did, it was wonderful. I apologize for the blooper, it's been a wild few weeks and I'm catching up. This episode is with a good friend and another DCP advocate Eric. Eric is a late discovery DCP who has been diving into the foundation of donor conception which is eugenics. Racism still heavily influences our current donor conception market, and until we acknowledge that to the fullest extent, we can't fix it. Eric runs a support group for BIPOC DCP to help others navigate those emotions and lived experiences.

    Episode 39: Fertility Negligence

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 71:18


    Meet Casey, a recipient parent who used North West Cryobank who is a victim of fertility negligence. Fertility negligence is when a bank, clinic, or physician accidentally gives you the sperm/egg that you initially picked out.

    Episode 38: Angela's Search

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2024 71:19


    Angela aka Sunny.in.season has gone viral for being a former egg donor and searching for the recipient parents who used her eggs to give them an updated medical history. Angela recently found out she has HHT which can be a very serious genetic illness, but the agency she initially went through has dissolved. Click here to sign up for DCP Data: https://www.dcpdata.org/signup?referrer=Laura-High

    Episode 37: Known Donors

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2024 67:26


    Today we have Danielle who is the co-founder of Seed Scout. Seed Scout is a known donor matching agency. In this episode Danielle shares her own experiences about using a known donor, the issues she faces while advocating for her clients, and why she feels more recipient parents should embrace known donors. https://www.theseedscout.com

    Episode 36: Victoria's Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 81:54


    Victoria and her Merrily are bravely joining us today. You may have seen their story recently published by CNN. Victoria is the first donor conceived person to come forward as a victim of accidental incest, and both her and her mom are victims of fertility fraud. Please know we recorded this episode in October 2023, but needed to wait till publish it once CNN came in the picture. Here is the article CNN did: https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/14/us/fertility-fraud-accidental-incest-invs/index.html

    Episode 35: Ward of the State

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2024 104:41


    Today we talk to Karlos Dillard aka Ward of the State. Karlos is a trans-racial adoptee and former foster care youth. Karlos is an advocate, educator, and author. We discuss adoption, foster care, and how the donor conceived community can be better allies to the adoptee and former foster care community. Pre-order Karlos's next book here: https://karlosdillard.com/books/abort-the-adoption-pre-sale

    Episode 34: Dr. Alissa

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 93:02


    Dr. Alissa it's not just a donor conceived person conceived through anonymous sperm donation, she is also a licensed therapist. Join us as we learn about her story, and talk about common emotional journeys and traumas that donor conceived people go through.

    Episode 33: Family Building Coaching

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 126:36


    We welcome on Kenzi a family building coach a licensed clinical social worker. Kenzi talks about her work by helping intended recipient parents get to a more child centered place when deciding how to build their family. Kenzi talks about dealing with the fertility industry, fertility trauma, and asking yourself tough questions. Please know that at 34:00-43:23 Kenzi shares some stories about parents who have gone through miscarriages and how they've been treated by the fertility industry. It's an incredibly important conversation, but if it isn't emotionally safe for you to listen to that part, just skip over that section.

    Episode 32: 100+ Sibling Pod

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2023 81:35


    Today we have four representatives of a 100+ person sibling pod. They are here to talk about what they have gone through individually as donor conceived people, but what it's also like being in a pod of 100+ siblings.

    Episode 31: Donor Conceived Hangout Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2023 127:00


    Welcome back to part 2 with Alex and Rachel!!! Alex tells us the story of how she was able to identify her and Rachel's genetic parent. If you can't find your donor on a DNA site, you need to hear how Alex did this.

    Episode 30: Donor Conceived Hangout Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 90:36


    Today Rachel is back and has brought along their sister Alex! Rachel is double donor conceived and Alex is their sister through their egg donation side. This episode we dive into feelings, weird thoughts, and Alex tells us the incredible story on how she found out she was donor conceived.

    Episode 29: Genetic Testing Part 3

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2023 64:37


    We are at the finale of my genetic testing! Join us as we listen to genetic counselor Dena tell me what has popped up on my panels. I've never had any genetic testing done, so I am excited to hear the results, but also really nervous!

    Episode 28: Nourishing Fertility

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2023 64:45


    We welcome on McKenzie Caldwell, registered dietitian who specializes in fertility and pregnancy. McKenzie shares a different perspective on the fertility industry and ways in which she would like to see them improve. In this episode, she talks about the rampant fat phobia that exists within the medical community, and specifically the fertility industry. She also shares lots of wonderful advice on how to nourish your body to get ready for pregnancy. Here are some of the links and resources she mentions: Website: www.feedyourzest.com Fueling Male Fertility by Lauren Manaker: https://www.nutritionnowcounseling.com/ebooks/fueling-male-fertility Fat positive fertility clinic list: https://nicolasalmon.co.uk/fat-positive-fertility-clinics-high-bmi/ Paper on BMI healthcare: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4184/2/2/11

    Episode 27: Adoptee DCP Alliance

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2023 100:19


    I'm so excited for you all to meet @OutspokenAdoptee. Outspoken and I started communicating over a year ago about donor conception and adoption. We quickly found that there are so many similarities on how the Fertility Industry and Adoption Industry is run. Since than we believe that in order to make the changes that adoptees and donor conceived people are calling for we are our best allies. It is important that our two communities understand each others struggles, and work hand in hand in supporting each other on what we all want, making these industries child centered.

    Episode 26: The Complete Picture

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 80:31


    Erin Maya is not just a Donor Conceived person, but also very musically accomplished. She has written the very first musical about donor conception. In this episode she talks about her donor conception story, struggling with how she should identify, and how she created this amazing new up-and-coming musical. The first concert preview of this musical will be January 8th. Tickets are available for in person and live stream here: www.thecompletepicturemusical.com @thecompletepicturemusical @theerinmaya

    Episode 25: Nurse Jess

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2023 65:53


    Everyone meet Nurse Jess! Jess is a registered nurse and former egg donor who had a terrifying and near fatal experience when she donated her eggs to a friend. Her story is very disturbing but important to hear to understand what some many egg donors are put through and how they are misled. Jess's handle is jes_ss2019

    Episode 24: Double Donor Conceived

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2023 93:48


    Today we are interviewing Rachel (they/them) who was conceived using both donor sperm and a donor egg. Their perspective, and lived experience is incredibly unique, even in the Donor Conceived community. Rachel and I both discovered our coping mechanism is humor, so please join us as we laugh our way through this episode.

    Episode 23: Genetic Testing Part 2

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2023 67:44


    We are back with Dena Dna! And we are going to start the process of getting genetic testing done to myself. In this episode, you were going to listen to how a genetic counselor interprets your family, medical history, what they need and what questions you need to be prepared for. In this episode, you'll hear Dena referring to different videos that she has already put out. Here are the clips. Genetic Discrimination: https://youtu.be/JmO6asTLZLc?si=vXHp0lHYj-Jf1yBw Genetic Mutation: https://youtu.be/uLgLws_flZk?si=wgvOajtru0ThhLbv

    Episode 22: Genetic Testing Part 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2023 60:19


    We welcome genetic counselor Dena Dna. This three part series will show all of us how genetic testing works. In this part we are going to learn about what genetic testing is, what we can test for, and terminology. This is a incredibly important episode to listen to, since there is so much miss information flying around about genetic testing.

    Episode 21: United States Donor Conceived Council

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2023 76:02


    Today we welcome Mel Bornico of the United States Donor Conceived Council. The USCDD is a non-profit group formed and led by donor conceived people to advance change that promote their health, welfare, and human rights. If you've been wondering how you can be more active to support dcp rights and legislation, this is the episode to listen to. Donate to the USDCC here: https://givebutter.com/USDCC23?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linktree&utm_campaign=donate%3A+send+usdcc+to+asrm+2023 T-shirt Link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1532164183/it-sucks-when-the-evidence-can-talk-tee?click_key=441bb25ab9205721fcf98b47b570163b098b1265%3A1532164183&click_sum=e5f70a65&ref=shop_home_active_1 Donate to Laura's DCP event: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donor-conceived-event?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

    Episode 20: Donor Dylan

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2023 117:05


    I'm so excited to introduce our first sperm donor to the podcast, Dylan. Dylan started donating at 20 years old, but unfortunately found out he was misled by the cryo-bank and now has over 90 children! Recently, an article was published about him and his recipient parents in which they all felt horribly miss characterized, so let's take some time to clear things up! Donation link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/donor-conceived-event?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer shirt link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1532164183/it-sucks-when-the-evidence-can-talk-tee?click_key=441bb25ab9205721fcf98b47b570163b098b1265%3A1532164183&click_sum=e5f70a65&ref=shop_home_active_1

    Episode 19: Egg Donation and Dr. Diane Tober

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2023 80:52


    We are consistently getting bombarded with egg donation recruitment ads on social media. They make it look like it's an easy side hustle that results in a huge amount of money. In walks Dr. Diane Tober. Dr. Tober is a Medical Anthropologist who is one of the very few people studying the side effects of egg donation, how the industry treats egg donors, and how egg donation in the USA compares to other countries. This is an incredible episode filled with horrifying statistics and very troubling data. Links that are cited in the episode: https://dianetober.com/ https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10815-023-02855-3 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405661820300149

    Episode 18: Ableism & Eugenics

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2023 73:33


    We are so lucky to have Devin Shuman as our guest today! Devin is a genetic counselor who works a lot with donor Conceived people. She leads us through what ableism is, and the history of Eugenics. And then talk about how they are woven into the Fertility Industry.

    Episode 17: DNAngels

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2023 83:29


    Meet DNAngels! A non-profit that helps NPEs, adoptees, and donor conceived people find their biological families using Ancestry. In this episode they break down how they do this investigation, share some incredible stories, and give some incredible advice on how you can find your family. There website: https://www.dnangels.org

    Episode 16: Recipient Experience

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2023 88:40


    It means so much to me to welcome Jess on, a recipient parent of triplet donor conceived children. Jess walks us through the process that she and her wife had of picking a clinic, selecting a donor, everything that they went through, and what eventually led to a perspective change on how to raise their donor conceived children. If you're a recipient parent, this is the one you've got to listen to. Jess shares all the things that she wished she knew when they first started the process.

    Episode 15: Dr. Morris Wortman (Part 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 88:05


    Continue listening to David Berry, one of the donor conceived children and products of fertility fraud, Dr. Morris Wortman. David talks about how he confirmed Wortman is his biological father, how this discovery impacted other siblings, and how you can help get the Fertility Fraud Legislation passed in the United States. Contact information: Russell Dye russell.dye@mail.house.gov Communications Director Rep. Jim Jordan R Ohio 2142 Rayburn House Office Building 202-225-6906 Find your representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative David Berry: berry@berrychronicles.com

    Episode 14: Dr. Morris Wortman (part 1)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 100:18


    We welcome David Berry on the podcast who is a donor conceived person and a product of fertility fraud from Dr. Wortman who recently deceased in a plane crash. David walks us through his complicated emotions over this sudden death and how he found out Dr. Wortman was his biological father.

    Episode 13: Trauma and Advocacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 108:45


    You need to meet Cassandra! Cassandra is a donor conceived person who didn't find out she was sperm donor conceived until she was 35. The lack of transparency her family had with her caused severe mental health issues through out her whole life. Now Cassandra is one of our most valued advocates.

    Episode 12: Late Diagnosis

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 66:59


    In today's episode, Laura is talking to fellow Donor Conceived Person Jamie! Jamie was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 13. Jamie goes into detail on how epilepsy greatly affected her life, and how an earlier diagnosis would have saved her years of anguish. But how could she have gotten an earlier diagnosis? Maybe we should ask the clinic that her donor came from...

    Episode 11: Dealing with trauma

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 45:15


    Welcome back to INSEMINATION! Today I interview Stef, the Donor Conceived Queen. Stef talks about how she was a late discovery and the trauma that was inflicted on her by her recipient parents. The manipulation and gaslighting that do many donor conceived people go through is horrifying and needs to be acknowledged and addressed.

    Episode 10: My Donor Story

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 64:02


    We welcome on our first Recipient Parent to the show! Sharon Leya is also the author of the ‘My Donor Story'. A series of inclusive books that explain the donor conception process for donor conceived children. Not only do we talk about the book when we start discussing some points of contention between the donor conceived community and recipient parents. Please understand that this conversation may be triggering for some donor conceived people. But I ask for you not to just focus on what or how Sharon asks a question, but listen to the full conversation and hear how she listens and responds to my perspective. This was a wonderful conversation that I hope can add to a healthy dialogue between recipient parents and donor conceived people, and I am so excited to share it. Please understand that a lot of the things that I say are my opinion, I'd love to hear other Donor Conceived opinions in the comment section. You can find her book here: https://www.mydonorstory.com/

    Episode 9: Barwin Babies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 87:01


    We are so excited to have our first Canadian guest on, Kat Palmer who now only is donor conceived, she's also a Barwin Baby. In the USA we have Dr. Klein, in Canada they have Barwin. Dr. Barwin was nicknamed the ‘Baby God' for how successful he was, but behind the scenes it was very different. Barwin not only committed fertility fraud by switch out the chosen donor dna for his own, but he also switched around the the dna in other pregnancies.

    Episode 8: The Donor Conceived Persons Protection Act

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2023 54:46


    We welcome Senator Gallivan and Assembly Women Paulin to the podcast. The Senator is the sponsor in the Senate for The Donor Conceived Persons Protection Act and the Assembly Women is the sponsor in the Assembly. This bill is getting introduced in New York and would require banks and clinics to verify the donor's medical history that they provide and to maintain that information for 25 years. Listen to these two legislatures talk about the bill, why it's important, how it works, and what you can do to support it. Find all of your elected officials here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials and let them know you support: NY State Senate Bill S2122A The Donor Conceived Persons Protection Act (Steven's Bill).

    Episode 7: Finding Siblings

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 88:15


    FIRST time ever, we have two Donor Conceived siblings on the podcast! Listen to how Anna and Brad found each other. They were both late discovery with incredible and shocking journeys on how they found out that they were donor conceived. And as promised, if you would like to help get the Donor Conceived Persons Protection Act passed please email: arivera@nysenate.gov and paulina@nyassembly.gov

    Episode 6: Counseling Recipient Parents

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 81:39


    If you are a recipient parent or are thinking about using donor conception this episode is a MUST. Our guest on this episode is therapist and author Jana Rupnow whose specialty is counseling recipient parents. In this episode we dive into infertility trauma, how to tell your child they're donor-conceived, and when. We also hear about the TERRIFYING events Jana has witnessed while working for the Infertility Industry.

    Episode 5: Fertility Fraud Legislation

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 78:16


    Our next guest really is the Captain America of Fertility Fraud Legislation, Eve Wiley! Eve spearheaded the Fertility Fraud Legislation which would make it illegal for a doctor to switch out the chosen donor gametes with their own or any other that they feel like. Right now in the USA this egregious act is only considered illegal in eleven states. The Fertility Fraud Legislation is now getting voted on federally. To support please call or email your local legislature and tell them as a constituent you want them to sponsor HR 451 the Fertility Fraud Legislation. Let's get this done!

    Episode 4: Cryo-bank Whistle Blower

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2023 41:25


    You NEED to hear whistler blower Michelle recount what it was like working for one of the largest cryo-banks worldwide. She talks about the red flags she witnessed and the incident that terrified her, and ultimately got her fired for not going along with it. Insemination audience please help us find the recipient parents of 'Grey' so we can properly warn those families.

    Episode 3: Traditional Surrogacy

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2023 59:27


    Our next guess has an incredibly unique story as someone who was conceived via traditional surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy is when someone is conceived using the intended father's sperm, which is then inseminated into the egg donor/surrogate's body. So Andi's egg donor, the surrogate is both her biological and birth mother. In Andi's words, "I was conceived to be sold." Listen to Andi talk about the complex emotional journey she has been going through to understand her roots, conception, and her healing.

    Episode 2: Jacoba Ballard from 'Our Father'

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2023 52:38


    We all met Jacoba Ballard when the whole nation watched and was shook by the documentary ‘Our Father' on Netflix that premiered in May 2022. On today's episode listen to Jacoba talk about things that were not included in the documentary, what Dr. Cline has been doing since the premiere, and how you can help Jacoba in her fight for justice. Get ready because this episode will leave you shocked and stunned!

    Episode 1: Egg Donor Health Scare

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2023 63:54


    Vanessa's story will leave you SHOCKED as she recounts her experience of being an egg donor and the absolute valid fear she has for her egg donor conceived children. This story must be heard by people thinking about becoming an egg or sperm donor, recipient parents, and donor conceived people to understand the potential life long risks. If you are someone or know someone who used egg donation from X and Y consulting in Arizona from 2002-2003 and used 'Vanessa Donor' or were conceived through these eggs please contact Laura directly here: https://www.laurahighfive.com/contact so we can get you your updated medical history from Vanessa.

    Insemination Preview

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 0:47


    Follow comedian and sperm donor baby Laura High as she dives into to the terrifying world of donor conception and the infertility industry. This unregulated unethical multi-billion industry has created an InsemiNATION. And we are going to fix it together.

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