Complaint Review: Meryl Rosenberg - Potomac Maryland

Below is my experience as a potential egg donor with attorney Meryl Rosenberg and her business, Parenting Options Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Maryland.

I replied to an ad that Rosenberg placed. I have a somewhat unusual trait her clients--known in the industry as "intended parents"--were seeking. On the telephone I asked Rosenberg if this was an open donation and said that I would not consider anonymous donation.  She acknowledged this and sent the lengthy application; I completed and returned it immediately.  I noted in writing that I was interested only in open donation.

Oddly enough, I did not hear from Rosenberg for almost eight months.  When she did call, she did not explain why there had been a delay in contact. She just said that the couple was ready to proceed. I immediately asked her again about the openness of the donation and she said she would get back to me with information in that regard.

At her direction, I took unpaid time off work to undergo the medical and psychological screenings at a fertility center near my home.  The clinic confirmed that Rosenberg advised them that her agency would be responsible for payment.  After screening, another unexplained four months passed before she called to begin the process of arranging dates for my travel to the couples clinic for the egg retrieval.

I asked Rosenberg why I had not yet been contacted by the couple.  She replied, I knew you preferred contact, but I didnt know it was contingent. I confirmed it was contingent. She said the intended father was traveling internationally so she was unable to reach him immediately but shed get back to me soon. 

A few days later, she set up a time for me to speak to the intended father on the telephone.  The discussion with this man was peculiar. I asked him how he enjoyed his trip. He didnt answer and quickly changed the subject.  The conversation lasted less than 10 minutes and was very awkward, but he said that hed like to stay in contact.  He said he would ask Rosenberg to share his e-mail address with me, and I relayed this to her.

The dates for the donation were set, and a few weeks later Rosenberg set the appointments at the clinic near me to begin medications and monitoring.  Rosenberg sent me an e-mail to me regarding travel arrangements for the egg retrieval, and in my reply I reminded her about my receiving the intended fathers e-mail address.  A few days later, she sent an e-mail calling off the entire donation, which at that point didnt surprise me.  Obviously I was not paid the donor fee.

Soon afterward, I began receiving the unpaid medical bills. I called the clinic and told them to contact Rosenberg as indicated in my patient chart. I also called Rosenberg and she said shed contact them and take care it.  Nonetheless, the unpaid bills kept coming to me for months, so I began mailing them to Rosenberg.  Eventually the account was taken over by a medical collection agency and seriously harmed my credit. I also suspect now that the man to whom I spoke on the telephone may not have been the actual intended father when I recall some things about the conversation that seem odd.

In no way do I imply that Meryl Rosenberg and Parenting Options Through Assisted Reproductive Technologies handle every potential egg donor in this matter, but this was my experience.