Cofertility for Clinic Partners

At Cofertility, our team makes all the difference in how we support our members. Each month, we'll introduce you to one of the dedicated people working behind the scenes to make your experience better.

This month, we're sitting down with Coco Searcy, our Clinical Operations Manager. With over nine years of experience in fertility care, Coco brings valuable insights from her time at leading New York City fertility clinics. Her work coordinating treatment cycles and helping patients understand their reproductive health options has given her a unique perspective on supporting members through their fertility experiences.

Let's get to know Coco better:

Q: What drew you to working at Cofertility?

I had previously donated my eggs before joining Cofertility, and it was such a special experience. I loved being an egg donor, and it showed me that I wanted to shift gears in my career to help others learn about egg donation and understand what the experience could be like.

I first heard about Cofertility from the amazing and lovely Member Advocate, Rachel, and I felt a strong connection to the Split Program. I loved that it allows our members to freeze their own eggs while helping others grow their families.

I’ve worked with both intended parents who struggled to conceive and young people who wanted to freeze their eggs for their own future fertility. These experiences gave me a firsthand look at the unique challenges each person faces. I also heard many stories of egg donors feeling like just a number rather than a patient at a clinic, which really stuck with me.

I wanted to change that narrative. I wanted to use my knowledge to empower our Split members, helping them navigate the donation and freezing process with confidence and agency over their fertility journey.

Q: Can you walk us through what a typical day looks like for you?

A typical day starts with me snoozing my alarm for no less than 2 times. I’m not the biggest morning person but there are a limited number of things that can get me up early like my Pilates classes and my morning matcha. I’m in my Pilates Princess era so I go 2-3 times a week and it helps me get out of the house in the winter time. Twice a week, I work West Coast hours so I have a little more free time to run errands in the morning and in the Spring, I’ll usually walk through Central Park. Once I’m back home, I’ll hop online to  check my emails and Slack messages to prioritize any immediate follow-ups with Split members or our clinic partners. From there, I’m hopping in and out of meetings, taking calls from Split members who are setting up their cycle or currently in cycle, scheduling outside monitoring appointments, completing Split Program consent calls with new members, and answering any questions from the team about all things IVF and egg freezing.

Every day is different, but the one constant is that I’m always connecting with and supporting our members on their fertility journey.

Q: What's the most rewarding part of supporting members through their family-building process?

The most rewarding part is when a Split member talks to me after their cycle and shares that they learned something new about their body or felt comfortable coming to me with any questions or concerns—even if it’s about a hardship they faced during the process. Just like my teammate Pomi always says—“feedback is a gift.” When a member trusts me enough to share their experiences, whether positive or challenging, it means they feel truly supported and understood.

Building that level of trust and connection allows me to not only help them address any concerns but also empower them to better advocate for themselves throughout their journey. It’s an incredible feeling to know I’ve made a positive impact in their experience.

Q: Is there a particular member story that has stuck with you?

Honestly, so many of our members’ stories stick with me. Everyone’s journey is so personal, and they all have different reasons for wanting to preserve their fertility. What really stands out to me, though, is just how generous and kind our Split members are. Their willingness to help others grow their families while planning for their own future is honestly inspiring. It’s a beautiful reminder of how selfless people can be. I feel lucky to be a small part of their journey, and they inspire me every day.

Q: How do you approach supporting members who might be feeling anxious or uncertain?

I think a lot of anxiety or uncertainty around egg freezing, donation, or anything medical is due to a lack of information. I try to remember that much of the knowledge I have about the egg freezing and fertility process comes from years of working in this field, and many of the members I work with don’t have that background. 

I often ask what their most pressing questions are. If I don't know the answer, I make sure to find the right information or connect them with someone who does. This could mean searching through our learn article database to share relevant resources, encouraging them to join our online community, or reaching out to our medical advisors for expert guidance. By building that foundation of trust and showing them that they can lean on me for support, we can start to ease their anxieties and empower them through the process.

Q: What's one thing you wish more people knew about egg donation?

I wish people knew that they have control over how much or how little they share with the intended parents they match with. Disclosure is truly a spectrum, and there is a right match out there for both Split members and intended parents.

Personally, I’ve loved having a disclosed match because it allowed me to build a meaningful connection with the intended parents. We share a common goal of ensuring their future child has the support and information they need, but we also maintain mutual respect for each other’s boundaries.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone just starting their family-building process, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to ask questions—no question is too big or too small. You deserve to feel empowered and informed every step of the way. And if you’re someone who feels hesitant to speak up, lean on a trusted friend or family member who can advocate for you.

Q: Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing?

Outside of work, you can find me diving into a new fantasy series, building Legos (shout out to Erin & Emily @Co for our Lego-building Slack channel!), exploring new omakase spots, or spending time with friends.

Q: How do you practice self-care while supporting members through emotional moments?

Supporting members through their emotional journeys can be challenging, so I prioritize my mental well-being to show up as my best self for them. If I’m feeling overwhelmed, I take a quick walk to clear my head or reach out to one of my fellow member advocates for a fresh perspective.

I remind myself that I can’t pour from an empty cup, so taking those moments to recharge helps me continue to provide compassionate support to our members.

Q: What's one of your proudest moments as a Member Advocate?

I had a member recently who was dealing with a lot of personal hardships while trying to schedule her cycle. It was clear that everything was becoming too much for her, so I had an honest conversation where I encouraged her to pause and take a break.

We often focus on moving things along as quickly and smoothly as possible, but in her case, rushing might have caused more harm than good. I encouraged her to consider what she could immediately handle and what was most important for her at that moment, which was being there for herself and her family.

Once we established that, we made a plan to check in a month later to see if the timing would be better suited for her cycle once she had a little breathing room. During our check-in call, she became emotional and told me that my approach made her feel seen. She said that beyond being her Member Advocate, she considered me a friend, which is the highest compliment I could receive from any member.

What made this connection even more special was that we bonded over our shared love of books. We exchanged recommendations and connected on a personal level beyond her cycle planning. It was a reminder that sometimes the best support isn’t just about solving a problem—it’s about showing up as a whole person and meeting someone where they are.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with members not just as an advocate but as a human being who genuinely cares about their well-being. Moments like these remind me why I love what I do.

As we celebrate Women's History Month, we're highlighting eight remarkable women who spent their lifetimes breaking through the “glass ceiling” to revolutionize reproductive medicine and fertility care. From pioneering physicians who broke racial barriers and brought crucial healthcare to underserved communities, to brilliant scientists who developed groundbreaking IVF techniques, to advocates who changed public perception of fertility treatment - these women have transformed countless lives through their dedication and innovation.

Each of these trailblazers faced unique challenges. Some overcame discrimination as women of color in medicine during the civil rights era. Others fought for recognition of their scientific contributions in male-dominated fields. Together, their work spans nearly a century of progress in reproductive medicine, from the development of early screening tools for women's health to the birth of the first IVF baby in America.

Today, millions of families exist because of the foundations these women built. Their legacy lives on not only in the medical techniques they pioneered, but in their dedication to making fertility care more accessible, equitable, and accepted. Here are eight women whose contributions to reproductive medicine deserve to be celebrated and remembered:

Dr. Helen Octavia Dickens (1909-2001) 

A pioneering Black physician who broke numerous racial barriers in medicine. She was the first Black woman to receive board certification in obstetrics and gynecology and became director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Douglass Hospital in Philadelphia. She was instrumental in popularizing Pap smear screenings among Black women, driving an American Cancer Society van to provide free screenings at local churches. She established innovative teen pregnancy and sexual health education programs, worked extensively on cervical cancer prevention in underserved communities, and as associate dean for minority affairs at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, significantly increased minority student enrollment.

Dr. Georgeanna Seegar Jones (1912-2005) 

A groundbreaking reproductive endocrinologist who made multiple fundamental discoveries in fertility medicine. As a medical student in 1936, she was the first to prove that pregnancy hormone (hCG) originated from the placenta rather than the pituitary. She became the first full-time reproductive endocrinologist at a medical school and, with her husband Howard Jones, established the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at Johns Hopkins in 1939. Her research led to crucial discoveries including the "luteal phase defect" in infertility (1949) and "ovarian resistance syndrome" (1969). In 1978, she and Howard established one of the first IVF clinics in the U.S. at Eastern Virginia Medical School, achieving the nation's first IVF birth in 1981. As director of the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, her work laid crucial foundations for modern fertility treatment.

Lillian Lincoln Howell (1920-2014) 

Lillian Lincoln Howell was a philanthropist who made IVF possible through her early funding. After experiencing fertility challenges herself, she anonymously donated money to fund Dr. Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe, and Jean Purdy's groundbreaking IVF research when they were denied traditional funding. Her support led directly to the birth of Louise Brown, the world's first IVF baby in 1978. While maintaining anonymity during her lifetime, she built a successful media empire founding KTSF, a groundbreaking TV station serving Chinese and Japanese American communities in San Francisco.

Dr. Anne McLaren (1927-2007)

A developmental biologist whose research in the 1950s led to a landmark paper in the journal Nature, laying important groundwork for human IVF. She had successfully grown mouse embryos in the lab that were then transferred into the wombs of female mice, where they grew into healthy mice. Her lab proved it was possible to mix sperm and eggs outside of the body to create a healthy embryo which could then be transferred to the womb. After IVF became more common, she played a major role in shaping fertility policy and frequently spoke out in the media on issues of ethics in IVF.

Dr. Jean Purdy (1945-1985) 

A brilliant embryologist and pioneering researcher who was instrumental in the world's first successful IVF birth, yet was often overlooked in historical accounts. As the world's first IVF nurse and embryologist, she worked alongside Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe to develop the techniques that made IVF possible. She meticulously developed the culture media used to grow embryos outside the body, and was the first to observe cell division in the embryo that would become Louise Brown. She co-founded the world's first IVF clinic, Bourn Hall, and co-authored 26 papers on IVF development between 1970-1985. Despite being an equal partner in developing IVF technology and making numerous crucial scientific contributions, her role was frequently minimized or omitted from historical records, leading Edwards to later state that "her contribution was equal to that of himself and Steptoe."

Dr. PonJola Coney (born 1951) 

A pioneering reproductive endocrinologist who broke multiple barriers in medicine and IVF treatment. As one of the only Black American IVF pioneers in the early 1980s, she completed her fellowship at Pennsylvania Hospital during its first successful IVF births. She went on to establish the first IVF program in Oklahoma and created groundbreaking infertility programs at multiple universities including the University of Nebraska and University of Arizona, leading to over 500 births. In 1994, she became the first African American woman to serve as a medical school dean in the U.S. at Southern Illinois University. Her work has focused on addressing health disparities and advancing women's health, leading to her election to the National Academy of Medicine.

“Patient 38”

Only known as “Patient 38,” this woman underwent ten attempts at IVF between 1969-1978 when it was still experimental. At a time when infertility was heavily stigmatized and IVF was experimental, she and other early patients showed remarkable courage in pursuing treatment. Despite not achieving a successful pregnancy herself, her persistence and willingness to undergo multiple procedures helped pave the way for the development of IVF technology that would eventually help millions of families.

Elizabeth Carr (born 1981)  

The first IVF baby born in the United States, she has become a powerful advocate for fertility treatment accessibility and reproductive medicine. As a journalist and public speaker, she helps educate the public about IVF and has been instrumental in reducing stigma around fertility treatments. Her healthy birth and subsequent natural pregnancy of her own child helped demonstrate the safety and success of IVF technology.

We're proud to be recognized by numerous leaders in the fertility space as one of the best egg donor programs. From major publications to trusted organizations like Egg Donor Connect—who has honored us as a top program every year since our founding—this recognition validates our mission to create meaningful change in the fertility industry. But more importantly, it reflects the trust that families, donors, and medical professionals have placed in us.

When we started Cofertility, we saw an industry needing better options. Traditional egg donation often felt transactional, overlooking the human elements involved. We believed there had to be a better way - one that honored the experiences of egg donors, supported the hopes of intended parents, and prioritized the future well-being of donor-conceived people. This belief led us to create a human-centered approach that has redefined what egg donation can be.

As we share the ten reasons behind this recognition, we want to acknowledge that our success comes from listening to our community. The insights of donors, intended parents, donor-conceived individuals, and medical professionals have shaped every aspect of our program. Here's what makes Cofertility different:

1. We've scaled egg sharing globally

While egg sharing isn't new - it's been helping build families for decades - Cofertility has brought this concept to a national, and even global, scale. We work with over 75 clinics across the United States, making egg-sharing accessible to more families than ever before. In this model, women freeze their eggs for free when they donate half to a family that can’t otherwise conceive. This creates a meaningful connection between donor and recipient from the start.

Our ability to scale egg sharing means more options for intended parents and more opportunities for women to preserve their own fertility while helping others. By partnering with clinics nationwide, we ensure high-quality care and consistent protocols while maintaining the personal touch that makes egg-sharing special.

2. We prioritize donor well-being

Unlike other agencies that encourage donors to complete multiple cycles (sometimes more than 5 or 6) to maximize profit, Cofertility takes a different approach. Most of our egg donors complete at most two cycles - one to donate and one for their own future use. This not only reduces the physical and emotional impact on donors but also limits the number of potential half-siblings, an important consideration for donor-conceived people.

Our focus on donor well-being extends beyond cycle limits. We provide comprehensive medical and psychological screening, ongoing support throughout the process, and clear information about what to expect. This approach leads to better donor experiences and, ultimately, better outcomes for recipient families.

3. We are the first and only to offer a baby guarantee

Our baby guarantee reflects our commitment to family-building success. Unlike other programs that charge premium fees for guarantees, or nothing at all, we include this protection in our base pricing because we believe it's the right thing to do. This program helps ensure intended parents can continue their family-building journey even if unexpected challenges arise.

The program covers various scenarios throughout the donation process. If a donor doesn't meet medical clearance requirements, if the cycle yields insufficient viable eggs, or if other clinical milestones aren't met, we provide options for continuing with a new match or, in some cases a refund. We've structured this program thoughtfully to align with clinical best practices while providing intended parents with clarity and peace of mind. Learn more about our Baby Guarantee. 

4. We pioneered mutual matching

Our introduction of mutual matching represented a significant shift in egg donation. Instead of donors being passive participants selected from a database, they actively opt into each match. While this approach requires more resources and coordination, we believe giving donors more autonomy leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

This two-way matching process creates a foundation of mutual respect and shared purpose. Donors feel empowered in their decision-making, and intended parents know their donor has specifically chosen to help their family. Though it's more complex than traditional matching, we've found that this approach leads to more positive experiences and strengthens the ethical framework of egg donation.

5. We're transparent about who we are

In an industry where many organizations operate behind closed doors, we believe transparency builds trust. Something as simple as having a team page, which is normal for most businesses, sets us apart in this industry. This openness isn't just about putting faces to names - it's about accountability and showing that real people are dedicated to supporting our members.

When you're making such significant decisions about becoming an egg donor or working with an egg donor to build your family, you deserve to know who's guiding you through the process. Our team is incredible and everyone has their own stories and motivations for working in fertility, creating genuine connections with the families and donors we serve. This transparency extends to our policies, pricing, and processes, ensuring you have all the information needed to make informed decisions.

6. We offer relationship options

The traditional anonymous-only model of egg donation doesn't serve everyone's needs. We recognize that donor conception creates lifelong connections, and different people have different comfort levels with contact. That's why we offer various relationship options, allowing families and donors to choose the level of communication that feels right for them.

This flexibility extends throughout the lifetime of the relationship. We provide tools and support for managing these connections, whether our members prefer occasional updates or more regular contact. Our approach acknowledges that needs and comfort levels may change over time, and we help navigate these evolving relationships with sensitivity and care.

7. We center donor-conceived children

The needs and experiences of donor-conceived people guide every aspect of our program. Through extensive consultation with adult donor-conceived individuals and ongoing research, we've developed practices that prioritize the future well-being of the children born through our program.

This commitment manifests in multiple ways. We encourage disclosed donations. We provide parents with evidence-based guidance for talking about donor conception from an early age. Our communication tools help families maintain appropriate connections with donors, ensuring children have access to their genetic history if they choose. We also limit the number of families each donor can help, considering the impact of genetic siblings on donor-conceived people's experiences.

8. We have both fresh and frozen egg donation options

Our program offers both fresh donation cycles and frozen donor eggs, allowing donors, clinics, and intended parents to select the most appropriate clinical approach. Each option maintains consistent screening standards and quality controls while accommodating different medical circumstances and timing requirements.

Both programs operate under strict protocols, with our team coordinating closely with fertility clinics to ensure smooth implementation. This flexibility in treatment approaches, combined with standardized processes, supports optimal clinical decision-making.

9. We maintain rigorous screening protocols 

Our screening process exceeds industry requirements, integrating comprehensive medical, genetic, and psychological evaluations. These protocols prioritize both donor safety and the well-being of future donor-conceived children. Each evaluation is standardized across our clinic network, ensuring consistent quality regardless of location or program type.

We work closely with fertility clinics to coordinate thorough screening processes while maintaining strict standards. This includes detailed genetic carrier screening, psychological assessments, and comprehensive medical history reviews that look beyond immediate health factors to consider long-term implications for all parties. Our systematic approach helps protect donor health while providing intended parents and healthcare providers with detailed information to support informed medical decisions.

10. We offer lifetime support

Egg donation isn't a one-time event - it's the beginning of a lifelong journey. That's why our support extends far beyond the matching process. We provide comprehensive educational modules, connect you with experienced professionals, and facilitate support groups where you can share experiences with others who understand your path.

Our commitment to lifetime support includes practical tools for navigating various stages of family building. From guidance on talking to children about their origins to resources for managing family dynamics, we're here for the long haul. We regularly update our educational materials based on new research and feedback from our community, ensuring you have access to the most current information and support.

Our commitment to excellence

Being named one of the Best Egg Donor Programs validates our approach, but we're not resting on our laurels. We continuously seek feedback from our community, stay current with research in the field, and look for ways to improve our services. The fertility industry continues to evolve, and we're committed to leading positive change while maintaining the highest standards of care and support.

Looking ahead, we'll continue to innovate while staying true to our core values of transparency, ethical practice, and human-centered care. Whether you're considering becoming an egg donor or using donor eggs to build your family, we invite you to learn more about how our approach can support your goals. Our team is here to answer your questions and help you understand all your options.

At Cofertility, we believe that everyone deserves support in building their family, and we're honored to be recognized for our work in making that possible. We look forward to continuing to serve our community with the same dedication and care that earned us this recognition.