The author of the X, Y, and Me Book Series has worked in the IVF clinic at a major midwestern University for the last 4 years and has undergone IVF herself at another facility. Therefore, she has seen infertility from the perspective of both patient and caregiver.

During that period of time, we at X, Y, and Me became interested in the moral and ethical issues of disclosure to children conceived through alternative methods. We believe that it is a child’s right to know their genetic origins. The number of children conceived by alternative methods is staggering and we believe these numbers will continue to increase as women continue to put pregnancy “on hold” to pursue their careers and as same sex couples become more open and wish to have families. The most current statistics from the CDC show that 40,687 IVF children were born in the United States as the result of IVF cycles carried out in 2001.

X, Y, and Me began researching the issue of disclosure, specifically to see if couples are telling their children about their alternative conception. Some psychological professionals believe that a child should be told of their origin from the very beginning, just as adopted children should be told they are adopted at an early age. This prevents the emotional upset that could occur if a child accidentally discovers, or is told later in life that he was conceived in an alternative way. Although professionals tell the parents it is best to disclose, very few tools are available to help them with this issue. This demand and the desire to help IVF patients nurture their child are the motivations for our business and the reasons that we publish these books.