Tertia Albertyn - Founder of Nurture Egg Donor Programme

Tertia Albertyn is the founder of Nurture Egg Donor Programme, a South African egg donor programme that supports intended parents, egg donors and fertility clinics through the donor egg IVF process.

She is also a published author, infertility advocate and speaker whose work is shaped by both lived infertility experience and many years of practical involvement in egg donation in South Africa.

Tertia’s role at Nurture is not to provide medical treatment or replace the guidance of fertility specialists. Her focus is on education, support, ethics, donor care, intended parent support and helping people understand the practical and emotional realities of donor egg IVF.

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Founder of Nurture Egg Donors

Tertia founded Nurture Egg Donors in 2008 after her own long and difficult infertility journey.

Her experience of infertility gave her a deep understanding of how overwhelming fertility treatment can be, especially when intended parents reach the point of needing donor eggs. That experience shaped the way Nurture was built: as a programme focused on clear information, ethical donor recruitment, reliable coordination and compassionate support.

Nurture works with intended parents, egg donors and fertility clinics across South Africa. The agency’s role is to help make the egg donation process more understandable, better supported and more carefully coordinated for everyone involved.

Published author

Tertia is the author of So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope, a memoir about her infertility journey. The book grew out of her early infertility blog and tells the story of repeated IVF treatment, loss, hope and the emotional reality of trying to build a family through fertility treatment.

The book was published after her writing reached a wide online audience and became an important part of South Africa’s early infertility blogging community.

Read more about So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope

Awards and recognition

Tertia’s writing and infertility advocacy have received both South African and international recognition.

Her memoir, So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope, received the 2011 Hope Award for Best Book from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. The award was presented during RESOLVE’s annual Night of Hope Gala, held on 13 September 2011 at Guastavino’s in New York City.

Her blog, So Close, also received recognition in South Africa’s early blogging community. Bizcommunity reported that So Close won Blog of the Year at the South African Weblog Awards, after a period in which the blog had led to a book deal and reached the finals of the Blooker Awards, an international award for books based on blogs.

These recognitions are relevant because they show the role Tertia’s writing played in making infertility more visible, more openly discussed and less isolating for people going through fertility treatment.

• RESOLVE Hope Award for Best Book
• So Close tops SA Blog Awards - Bizcommunity

Infertility advocacy and community building

Before fertility support communities were widely available on social media, Tertia’s blog, So Close, became an important online space for people navigating infertility, IVF, pregnancy loss and the emotional uncertainty of fertility treatment.

Her writing gave public voice to an experience that many people were still facing privately. Over time, this personal advocacy developed into wider fertility-sector involvement, including public speaking, infertility education and the founding of Nurture Egg Donors.

In 2007, Tertia co-founded Fertilicare, an online infertility support community in South Africa. Fertilicare was created to provide information, education, support and awareness for people facing fertility issues and considering options such as fertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy.

• Tertia’s Infertility Story - IFAASA
• Fertilicare

Egg donation and fertility-sector involvement

Tertia’s work in egg donation sits at the intersection of fertility treatment, donor care, intended parent support, ethics, informed consent and clinic coordination.

She has contributed to public and professional conversations about egg donation in South Africa, including the role of egg donor agencies and the importance of ethical, well-supported donor programmes.

One of Tertia’s important sector contributions was her involvement in the development of the SASREG guidelines for egg donation agencies, which continue to form part of SASREG’s published guidance for egg donation agencies in South Africa.

These guidelines address important areas such as responsible advertising, donor information and briefing, psychological assessment, donor limits, anonymity, transparency, financial transactions and travelling donors.

In 2024, Tertia was listed in a SASREG Congress session introducing discussion on the role of egg donor agencies in South Africa. SASREG, the Southern African Society of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Endoscopy, is a professional body representing practitioners and professionals involved in reproductive medicine in Southern Africa.

• SASREG Guidelines for Egg Donation Agencies
• SASREG Congress 2024 - The Role of Egg Donor Agencies in South Africa
• SASREG

Selected media and industry mentions

Tertia’s work has been referenced across South African media, fertility-sector platforms and broader discussions about infertility, blogging and online support communities.

• Daily Maverick - quoted Tertia in coverage of surrogacy and egg donation in South Africa, where she commented on donor eggs, fertility treatment logistics and international interest in South African fertility services. Read the Daily Maverick article
• The New Atlantis - discussed Tertia’s role in the early infertility blogging community and referenced So Close in the context of infertility blogging and online support. Read Blogging Infertility
• Moneyweb - listed Tertia among South Africa’s ten most influential bloggers in 2008, noting the reach of her blog and its transition into a published book. Read the Moneyweb feature
• IOL - reviewed So Close, describing it as a compelling and humorous account of infertility that grew out of Tertia’s blog. Read the IOL review
• IFAASA - featured Tertia’s infertility story and noted her work as a writer, speaker, Nurture co-founder and infertility advocate. Read the IFAASA profile
• Fertility Show Africa - featured Tertia in fertility-sector discussions, including donor disclosure and transparency. View the Fertility Show Africa programme

Areas of experience

Tertia writes and contributes to Nurture content on topics including:

• Egg donation in South Africa
• Donor egg IVF
• Intended parent support
• Egg donor education
• Donor recruitment and donor readiness
• Donor anonymity and identity-release donation
• Egg donor agency ethics
• The practical coordination between donors, intended parents and fertility clinics
• The emotional experience of infertility and donor egg treatment

Her perspective is informed by lived experience, long-term involvement in fertility-sector support, and the operational realities of running an egg donor programme in South Africa.

Editorial approach

Content written or reviewed by Tertia is intended to be clear, practical and responsible.

Nurture’s educational content is written to help people understand the egg donation process, ask better questions and feel more prepared for the decisions ahead. It does not replace medical advice from a fertility specialist.

Where content relates to medical screening, medication, treatment plans, egg retrieval, embryo development or embryo transfer, the relevant medical guidance must come from the treating fertility clinic or fertility specialist.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Tertia Albertyn?

Tertia Albertyn is the founder of Nurture Egg Donors in South Africa. She is also a published author, infertility advocate and speaker with extensive experience in egg donation, donor egg IVF, donor support and intended parent support.

What is Tertia Albertyn known for?

Tertia is known for founding Nurture Egg Donors, writing openly about infertility, building early online infertility support communities, and contributing to public and professional conversations about egg donation in South Africa.

What book did Tertia Albertyn write?

Tertia wrote So Close: Infertile and Addicted to Hope, a memoir about her infertility journey. The book received the 2011 Hope Award for Best Book from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

Is Tertia Albertyn a fertility doctor?

No. Tertia is not a fertility doctor. She is the founder of an egg donor agency and contributes practical, educational and support-based expertise. Medical diagnosis, screening, treatment plans and clinical decisions are handled by qualified fertility specialists.

Why does Tertia’s background matter?

Egg donation is not only a medical process. It also involves emotional, ethical, practical and legal considerations. Tertia’s background in infertility advocacy, donor support, intended parent support and egg donation programme leadership helps Nurture provide clear information and structured support to people navigating donor egg IVF.

Read articles by Tertia Albertyn

Explore Nurture’s blog for articles and resources on egg donation, donor egg IVF, intended parent support and egg donor education.

Visit the Nurture Blog

Contact Nurture

For questions about egg donation, donor egg IVF or working with Nurture Egg Donors, please contact the Nurture team.

Email: info@nurture.co.za
Website: www.nurture.co.za