DWTS’s Julianne Hough to Undergo Surgery for Endometriosis

October 28, 2008

I just finished reading Julianne’s blog, and apparently she had a cyst on her ovary caused by endometriosis that ruptured last week instead of the stomach pain that she originally said. It looks like she is getting some good advice from her doctors and I am so pleased that she is open about her surgery and her endometriosis, which can be so helpful to others. He mother and sister both have the disease as well and her sister gave birth to 5 children, so it looks like it didn’t affect her fertility! Hopefully, it won’t affect Julianne’s as well.  So many women have it and don’t know it, like Julianne, but unlike her, they find out when it’s too late. Here’s to a speed recovery. We will miss you on DWTS!

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India to Tighten Surrogacy Laws

October 6, 2008

I have not read India’s draft law on surrogacy, but according to the article in The Economic Times the draft is complete. Surrogacy in India is extremely profitable for the centers that are participating. According to the article, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill went through numerous drafts over six years.

We know surrogacy is expensive and for some couples, it truly is impossible for them to afford. But when we’ve mentioned to couples who say to us that money is a big concern for them that they could go to India, they vehemently say “no.”

I know there are couples who have traveled to India to have their children and we would like to hear from them and their experiences.

India and surrogacy law http://tinyurl.com/4mlkz4

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Journey to Parenthood: A Donor, Surrogate and Triplets

October 6, 2008

The following post is written by a former Intended Parent who is now a very busy mother a four, including triplets

What an amazing journey we have been on!!! When I was told I had ovarian cancer, I truly never thought we would have any more children. Once I was cancer free and far enough out from my treatment, we decided to start exploring options to create the family we have always wanted. We looked at adoption but our preference was to have a child genetically linked to our family.

My husband started looking at surrogacy and to be perfectly honest, the only thing I knew about it was the horror stories you see on the lifetime movies. We live in the State of Washington and from what we were reading our state was not surrogate friendly, so we had to start looking at other states as options. After reviewing quite a few different states, we decided on California because they seemed to have the best protection for the intended parents, and not to mention it was much closer than some of the other options.

Once we decided on a state, we needed to find an agency to work with. We flew down to San Diego and met with a couple of agencies and the physician we ended up working with, but the agencies didn’t give us the sense of security we really needed to start on this journey. We left a sample in San Diego with the physician and he told us that we wouldn’t need to come back again unless we wanted to be present for the transfer.

After a couple more attempts at finding an agency, we finally found Extraordinary Conceptions. From the first time we talked to Mario and Stephanie, it was so apparent that they were doing this for all the right reasons and would help in any way they could to help us complete our family.

We found our egg donor and did a telephone interview with our surrogate and within 90 days of finding Extraordinary Conceptions, we were working through the contracts, setting up the escrow accounts and our donor and surrogate were starting their medications. The transfer happened on 12/17/07 and we have three beautiful babies who were born on 6/25/08.

I look back now and can’t believe everything that happened and there is no way I can even imagine going through this without the support of Extraordinary Conceptions. Thank you Extraordinary Conceptions for making our dreams come true!!!!

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Steve Rothaus’ Gay South Florida

September 29, 2008

Steve wrote about Clay Aiken and the fact that more Gay men are having children than ever before as well as the fact that the state of Floriday is the only state in the union to bar gay men from adopting children.  I just got off the phone with a two-time repeat surrogate (twins both times) who is in a same-sex relationship and she is as amazed as I am that with such a large population of gays and lesbians in Florida, they are still such a restrictive state when it comes to laws for same-sex couples and individuals.

Married with children and Gay: http://tinyurl.com/49ez7l

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Poor Sperm Quality Linked to Air Pollution?

September 26, 2008

Maybe is the answer. But the study conducted by Utah reproductive endocrinologist Ahmad Hammoud showed a drop in sperm’s motility two months after air pollution was at its worst.  It is intriguing enough to warrant further study. Hammoud would like to determine what in the fine particulate matter could be causing the drop in motility.

Air Pollution and Sperm http://tinyurl.com/4acjws

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What To Do with Frozen Embryos?

September 25, 2008

Thousands of individuals and couples face the dilemma of what to do with the unused frozen embryos after they have completed their family or either decided to stop IVF treatment and build their family using other means.  One couple I talked to has three children and 17 frozen embryos on ice. The couple do not want to destroy them or adopt them to another couple and they think they want to donate them to medical research, but two after after speaking with them on this subject, their embryos are on still on ice in the IVF physician’s office.

Like the mother in this article, I did not have to face those difficult decisions because I did not have any frozen embryos left. However, I worked with a couple who thought, like the couple in the article, that they would donate their embryos to another couple struggling with their fertility. Fast-forward 2 years and the couple panicked when the IVF center actually found a recipient couple who wanted their embryos. The donor couple was finished having their children (twins) but they couldn’t donate what they thought of as their children to another couple they didn’t know. They backed out of the program and the recipient couple found another couple that donated their embryos to them.

Frozen Embryo Dilemma http://tinyurl.com/45l4lz

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Male Infertility Linked to Cell Phones

September 24, 2008

I’d been seeing these stories for weeks now so I finally decided to click on one of them and it looks like it’s true! Apparently, it’s not good for a man to keep his cell phone in his pocket (or even close to the testes) and use a bluetooth headset as the phone emits harmful radiofrequency electromagnetic waves.  Cell phones were not in great use when I started seeking help from and IVF physician (tells you how long ago that was!), but by the time my children were born in 2001, they were, so I hope those who are struggling with their fertility pay attention to this report.

Male infertility linked ot cell phones http://tinyurl.com/3lnb2d

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Gay Dads Australia Surrogacy Forum Sept 30

September 23, 2008

Gay Dads Australia is holding a forum on September 30 in Victoria to answer questions on surrogacy in the U.S. The site provides a wealth of information and support for gay couples and singles who are considering surrogacy or other means to create their families.

Information can be found here Gay Dads Forum on Surrogacy http://www.gaydadsaustralia.com/

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Go for IVF Stay for the Spa Treatments

September 17, 2008

When the Cairns Fertility Centre in Western Australia opens its doors next year it will not only be the the largest IVF center in the world, but it will also be the first to have a five-star resort. Numerous studies have shown what stress can do to the body, and IVF treatments are incredibly stressful, so a patient attending this center can not only get a massage and a facial, but snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. In addition to spa treatments, patients can also get a “nip/tuck,” but I’m not sure how that would de-stress a woman trying to get pregnant?

Five-star Spa and Infertility: http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSS1735973220080917?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=10003

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Infertility Around the Globe

September 16, 2008

Newsweek has printed another article on infertility and this time focusing on women in developing countries and what it means for them and their families to be childless. While it is extremely difficult to go through infertility in the U.S., in some cases these women are completely shut off from society, with no one to turn to for help.

Women Suffering from Infertility: http://www.newsweek.com/id/158625/page/1

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