1050| How a Rare Disease Diagnosis Led to Reimagining the Egg Donation Experience -Lauren Makler

Lauren Makler shares her powerful journey from a rare abdominal disease diagnosis that threatened her fertility to becoming the CEO and co-founder of Cofertility, a company reimagining egg donation through a shared egg freezing model. Diagnosed with a condition affecting only 154 people worldwide, Lauren faced the potential loss of her ovaries and was told egg donation might be her only path to motherhood. Shocked by the inequities in the egg donation industry—where compensation varied by race, education, and appearance—she was inspired by her sister’s selfless act of donating eggs to her. This experience led her to create Cofertility, where women can freeze their eggs for free when they donate half to intended parents, creating a mutually beneficial, ethical alternative. Lauren also reflects on her challenging births, including a traumatic placental retention and postpartum nursing struggles, which deepened her commitment to helping others navigate fertility and parenting with dignity. She highlights the growing but under-discussed reality of secondary infertility and the importance of accessible, transparent reproductive options for all.