In this episode of The Egg Whisperer Show, I am joined by Sherri McDonald Sawyerr – IVF mom, content creator, and author of the children’s book Love Grew Me – for a real, unfiltered conversation about donor egg conception. Sherri shares her multi-year fertility journey, from early IVF attempts with her own eggs to ultimately finding success with donor eggs after discovering she had adenomyosis, and how she navigated the process as a Black woman in her forties.
We go beyond the medical decision and explore the emotional terrain that so many women face but rarely talk about openly – the grief, the relief, the joy, and the identity questions that come with donor conception. Sherri also shares why she started telling her daughter her conception story from day one, what led her to write a children’s book about it, and how she’s using her platform to normalize donor egg IVF in communities where the conversation is often taboo.
In this episode, we cover:
- The emotional rollercoaster of transitioning from using your own eggs to choosing a donor and how to process those feelings before moving forward
- How to choose an egg donor, including why you should stop looking for your “twin” and what actually matters
- The unique challenges Black women face when navigating fertility treatment and finding donors who reflect their identity
- Why telling your child about their donor conception story early is so important and how to do it with love and confidence
- How adenomyosis went undiagnosed for years and how treating it finally led to a successful transfer
- Protecting your postpartum bubble and deciding when (and how) to share your donor conception story with family
- How Sherri found the courage to go public and write Love Grew Me to fill a representation gap in donor conception literature
Resources:
- Love Grew Me by Sherri McDonald Sawyerr: available on Amazon
- Sherri’s website: iamsherriyvette.com
- Sherri on Instagram: @iamsherriyvette
- Sherri on TikTok: @iamsherriyvette
- Sherri’s YouTube channel: Sherri Yvette
- The Cade Foundation (mentioned by Sherri): cadefoundation.org
