We sit down with Fiona O’Neill to trace a complex fertility journey that moves through endometriosis, repeated IVF failure, donor pathways, and finally embryo donation that leads to motherhood and an open donor family relationship. We talk honestly about the anxiety and fertility trauma that can follow you into pregnancy and parenting, plus the boundaries and support that make the road feel less isolating.
• Fiona’s path through IVF, missed endometriosis, and the turning point to stop retrievals
• Donor eggs, donor sperm, overseas treatment, miscarriage, and ectopic pregnancy realities
• Embryo donation explained, plus why many people do not learn it exists
• The case for open donor relationships and early age-appropriate disclosure
• Meeting donor siblings and building a healthy ongoing connection between families
• Expectations, guilt, and pressure around pregnancy, birth, bonding, and feeding
• Boundaries that protect mental health, including baby events and social media
• Fertility trauma and why support can still matter years later

Ten IVF cycles. No embryos to transfer. A stage four endometriosis diagnosis that arrives far too late. Then a private-number phone call with words Fiona O’Neill never thought she’d hear: you’ve been matched, and there are 11 embryos. Liz Walton sits with Fiona, founder of The Fertility Framework, to tell the full story of a long fertility journey that includes pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, donor eggs, donor sperm, and ultimately embryo donation that leads to the birth of her son.

We get practical about what people wish clinics explained sooner, including Fiona’s “menu of options” idea and the delicate balance between being informed and being overwhelmed. We also go deeper into donor conception and what an open donor family relationship can look like when everyone leans in with care. Fiona shares why early, age-appropriate disclosure matters, how identity questions can shape decisions around anonymous versus open donation, and what it was like for her son to meet his donor siblings.

Then we talk about the part that rarely gets airtime: what happens emotionally after success. Anxiety during pregnancy after infertility, pressure to be “perfect,” fear about bonding, and the ongoing patterns of bracing for bad news. We break down supportive boundaries, why the “stress causes infertility” myth can be so damaging, and how lived-experience support can change the day-to-day reality of IVF, endometriosis, and fertility trauma.

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Fiona O,Neil's details -

Founder, Fertility Coach & Workplace Educator

Email - fiona@thefertilityframework.com.au

Website - www.thefertilityframework.com.au

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-o-neil-864971172/

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