Here's the deal...

My name is Shannon O'Rourke and I'm a documentary filmmaker. I wanted to create a website that helps women better understand fertility. You may be wondering, a filmmaker making a website about fertility makes no sense, right? While making a documentary for the past three years about single women in their thirties and forties trying to get pregnant called MAYBE BABY, I learned a lot about the challenges of getting pregnant, staying pregnant, sperm banks, RE's, fertility drugs, having a baby, and miscarriage. I also worked for two years as a field producer on a TV show about high-risk pregnancy for the Discovery Health Channel called BABIES: SPECIAL DELIVERY, filming in over 20 high-risk maternity wards across the country.

What fascinated me wasn't that so many of my friends (single, married, lesbian, and straight) in their late-thirties to mid-forties were trying to get pregnant, what really shocked me was how many were having problems. It seemed like everyone I knew or came into contact with was dealing with fertility, and most of the time, it's not fun. I talked wee into the night with girl friends, friends' sisters, and friends of friends during very difficult and emotional times, trying to help them through it by sharing what I'd learned "in the field." That's when I knew I had to create this website. There is so much about fertility that is still incredibly confusing and complex. How to Crack an Egg is a website that will help educate and enlighten millions of women going through fertility. And we're doing it in a brand new way. How to Crack an Egg shares the stories of 6 women in the documentary film I directed and produced called MAYBE BABY. These women have been incredibly gracious, generous, and courageous, allowing me to follow their every move with my camera. And, now, their stories are here to help millions of other women learn and grow. It's a very exciting time for women -- because of all the advances in fertility and communications -- giving us a new paradigm to share very personal experiences.