Generation Cryo

Sunny B

Did anyone watch this on MTV?
Admittedly, I didn't- but I kinda hate the idea of it.
Curious to see what those who watched it thought?

HeatherHam10

I havent watched either but also hate the idea of it completely.

cachoque

Oh I actually was interested... But totally forgot! :-P I'm also interested in hearing opinions... Maybe I won't bother if it's horrible.

kjf114

I was interested in watching too hubby thinks its totally wrong needless to say it never made it to dvr

amcastord

Considering we just used DS, I'm completely against this...but will likely check it out just to see...I can't help it. I'm a sucker for all train-wreck reality tv!  This hits kind of close to home though...

Sunny B

Between this show and that new Vince Vaughn movie, donors are really in the limelight.

amcastord

Sunny B said:

Between this show and that new Vince Vaughn movie, donors are really in the limelight.

I know...I kind of cringe each time the commercial comes on for the VV movie, if DH is in the room. He is ok with it between us...so he says. But it has to be kind of rough on him. I'd NEVER ask him to see it or watch the MTV show. 

TaylorH84

I watched the first episode today....I think each episode will be the girl meeting another one of her siblings and then all of them working together to find their donor. It was kind of interesting I guess but also sad. I felt for the father of two of the children (the siblings she goes to meet) because You can see it brought up some tough times he had to go through trying to have children. They bring up some good points throughout and you're able to see how each person feels differently about the situation (the main girl, her moms, the two siblings and their parents)...I'm not sure the girl even knows why she is looking for the donor...she just "feels" like she needs to....a part of me feels like she seems so young dabbling in a much bigger situation and maybe doesn't truly understand how it can affect people and make them feel...donor included....I don't know...it's definitely a touchy subject

amcastord

TaylorH84 said:

I watched the first episode today....I think each episode will be the girl meeting another one of her siblings and then all of them working together to find their donor. It was kind of interesting I guess but also sad. I felt for the father of two of the children (the siblings she goes to meet) because I think it brought up some tough times he had to go through trying to have children. They bring up some good points throughout and you're able to see how each person feels about the situation (the main girl, her moms, the two siblings and their parents)...I'm not sure the girl even knows why she is looking for the donor...she just "feels" like she needs to....a part of me feels like she seems so young dabbling in a much bigger situation and maybe doesn't truly understand how it can affect people and make them feel...donor included....I don't know...it's definitely a touchy subject

Thanks for the recap! Interesting...I may go see if I can catch it on Demand. Clearly, this is a good time as DH is in the living room, eating our fresh batch of "puppy chow" and watching some kind of ballgame...it's basketball...I can hear the shoes squeaking on the floor!!! 

Sunny B

ThoseThreeWords said:

Sunny B said:

Between this show and that new Vince Vaughn movie, donors are really in the limelight.

That darn commercial for Delivery Man is on ALL THE TIME!  I can't stand that commercial.  Maybe it will introduce the public to DE/DS etc. and make it more mainstream??  Maybe.

The thing that aggravates me- is it seems like they're making a mockery of it. I know it has to be exaggerated to make it interesting  for a movie, but blah!

And the generation cryo... I'm afraid it will scare donors into not donating!

TaylorH84

Yeah I totally understand....I guess that's what I was trying to say too...to me she just seems too young and maybe naive?? It almost made me feel like its "no big deal" or something when to me, all of it is a big deal and so much more goes into it. I don't know, I can't seem to figure out what I'm trying to say. I too am worried that it'll scare away donors...I can't remember which parent said it to the girl but they said something like, "did it ever occur to you that it's called anonymous donor for a reason??"

poohniki

I hate when TV lines up with my life- it seems like it happens too often.. I don't want to see anything about donor sperm, IF, anything... When I finally get a chance to watch TV, I want to escape my problems. Here's hoping my life doesn't turn into an episode of Criminal Minds. 

O2girl

I found it to be heart wrenching. While it is at times a means to an end In respects to creating a family; I liken it to adoption. If you choose to let a child know that their DNA is part of someone that has nothing to do with one parent or the other, it seems to create a situation where the child seeks out the need to understand who they are and ultimately where they came from. It is a lot for everyone involved in the family that was created by the donors.

That being said.... My experience the other day while waiting to test for my BFN, I had the "privilege" of sitting across from two girls who talked and joked around about the journey they were embarking on. They were there to become egg donors. They acted as though it meant nothing to them. As they were trying to figure out seemingly benign questions about what is your gpa...To what kind of music do you listen to? These two girls had to have the coordinator lead them in answers to these questions... Questions I could answer for myself and take very serious. They were young, perhaps in their early twenties. They had no clue what gift they were providing and the gravity of the gift. It actually made me upset at their flipit attitudes and the coordinators attitude about the fact that they really didnt understand the gravity of where they were and why they were there and the reasons why most of us were sitting in that waiting room. I must have looked upset because the coordinator finally led them to the back to finish answering the questions; but not before it made me think long and hard about what it is to create life and how when people are young and not experiencing IF, not only do they take their fertility for granted.... But the donors don't always know what their contribution means to another couple and the hurdles they have to overcome to become parents.

I don't know if anyone else relates...but it breaks my heart.

TaylorH84

poohniki said:

I hate when TV lines up with my life- it seems like it happens too often.. I don't want to see anything about donor sperm, IF, anything... When I finally get a chance to watch TV, I want to escape my problems. Here's hoping my life doesn't turn into an episode of Criminal Minds. 

I hear ya!  I watched the true life I'm going through IVF when that came out too.  I have a love/hate relationship with criminal minds!  I absolutely love it but it's so freaking disturbing!!!  Definitely don't want to be a part of that lol.  I need more of a happy ending kind haha

cachoque

@o2girl, yeah I totally get what you're saying... Great observation. I can't believe the coordinator would do the survey out in the open! The interesting thing, I think, is how often does naivity lead people to do this great service... Like if those girls truly understood the full weight of it, would they still be there? Of course we don't know but I think this is why I agree with others... that shows like this, which examine the heavier (or maybe longterm?) effects - which also happen in probably <1% of scenarios - could scare people away, which would be truly sad.

O2girl

cachoque said:

@o2girl, yeah I totally get what you're saying... Great observation. I can't believe the coordinator would do the survey out in the open! The interesting thing, I think, is how often does naivity lead people to do this great service... Like if those girls truly understood the full weight of it, would they still be there? Of course we don't know but I think this is why I agree with others... that shows like this, which examine the heavier (or maybe longterm?) effects - which also happen in probably <1% of scenarios - could scare people away, which would be truly sad. </p>

I'm happy that the nativity of some individuals donating for a quick buck can and does bring couples an opportunity to have children. That is a huge contribution. What scares me is if and when those children created by the donors decide to perhaps seek out the donor in search of filling a void... That they may potentially be devastated by who their genetic link is. The outcome could go either way of course... But the potential for devastation on the child's end breaks my heart.

ETA: I couldn't believe the coordinator had them in the lobby doing the survey either.... I was shocked actually.

O2girl

weeklyplanner said:

O2girl said:

cachoque said:

@o2girl, yeah I totally get what you're saying... Great observation. I can't believe the coordinator would do the survey out in the open! The interesting thing, I think, is how often does naivity lead people to do this great service... Like if those girls truly understood the full weight of it, would they still be there? Of course we don't know but I think this is why I agree with others... that shows like this, which examine the heavier (or maybe longterm?) effects - which also happen in probably <1% of scenarios - could scare people away, which would be truly sad.

I'm happy that the nativity of some individuals donating for a quick buck can and does bring couples an opportunity to have children. That is a huge contribution. What scares me is if and when those children created by the donors decide to perhaps seek out the donor in search of filling a void... That they may potentially be devastated by who their genetic link is. The outcome could go either way of course... But the potential for devastation on the child's end breaks my heart.

ETA: I couldn't believe the coordinator had them in the lobby doing the survey either.... I was shocked actually.

Kind of off topic from the original post, but I've often thought about the fact that many of the women that can and do donate their eggs are young enough to, fortunately, have not experienced IF in their lives.  Most likely their friends, cousins, siblings are not going through IF.  This often made me wonder how many of them are doing it just for the money... 

I wish I could donate my eggs, but I don't think anyone would want them!  :P   I think your experience in the office is probably only one side of egg donors.  I know when I was in college and my early twenties, I would have never taken something like that so lightly.  And, *most* of my friends would have had the maturity to realize the wonderful gift they are
providing.  So, hopefully there are a lot more donors that are NOT
like those girls you saw!

I truly hope that the girls I saw are in the minority. I had thought about donating my eggs when I was younger because I come from a long line of women that apparently can mass produce (my grandmother had 6, my little sis has 5)... I viewed it as a gift to others and watched at least one friend struggle for 8 years with IVF alone not to mention the years TTC; But time caught up with me and I'm afraid I'm too old now. But if my RE asked for mine I would gladly go through OHSS again to give others a chance.