Embryo Freezing, gamete donation, Malta

Embryo Freezing And Gamete Donation: Malta’s Laws On Assisted Reproduction Have Just Changed, And Here’s What That Means

Source Lovin Malta

You may have blinked and missed it, but yesterday heralded a not-unsubstantial change in the way all things fertility-related are to be regulated in Malta. The amended law on assisted reproduction was approved and passed and started being implemented as of 1st October.

What I will attempt to do is give you a little summary of what can and can’t be done in Malta from this point on, and what has actually changed. Once again, I’ll refrain from rhetoric and judgement. You’re all grown-ups and capable of forming your own opinions, however, the unfortunate (or fortunate) thing is, the die has been cast and this is the law that Maltese residents must abide by for the future.

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Embryo Freezing, Frozen Eggs, UK

UK – ‘There are no guarantees’: Experts warn women of social egg freezing risks

Source Sky News

Women who freeze their eggs to extend their fertility run the risk of spending a lot of money for a treatment with a small chance of success.

So-called social egg freezing (SEF) can be used to put off childbearing or because a woman has not yet found a partner.

But the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCog) has warned that egg freezing does not guarantee future live births and there are storage limits for how long eggs can be kept frozen, currently 10 years in the UK.
Egg freezing is not available on the NHS apart from in certain circumstances, for example a woman undergoing medical treatment that may affect fertility.

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Embryo Freezing, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Malta – IVF – two simple principles – Jason Zammit

Source Times Of Malta

Much is being said, and will be said, about the current IVF Bill being proposed. From the very outset of assisted fertilisation, two simple sacrosanct rights should always be maintained.

These are the principle of being pro-life and the principle of protecting the rights of the child – born or unborn.

Pro-life points to a mentality that seeks to create life and not destroy it. The rights of the child include primarily the right to know his identity and also to be given an upbringing by a parent/parents who strive to give the child what is best.

Any decision affecting reproduction/fertilisation needs to respect these two principles to the full.

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Embryo Freezing, Malta

Malta – Embryo freezing will be linked to adoption

Source Malta Today

Embryo freezing and gamete donation are included in the changes being proposed by the government for the Embryo Protection Act • The first reading of the Bill will be held tonight

Changes to the law regulating in-vitro fertilisation will allow embryo freezing on condition that prospective parents agree to give up unclaimed embryos for adoption, MaltaToday has learnt.

Prospective parents will be issued with a ‘permit’ by the regulator to have their embryos frozen, which can then be extended every five years until the woman is 43.

Sources said this will give the couple ample time to use any frozen embryos but if they decide not to extend the permit, or the woman reaches 43, the Embryo Protection Authority will be able to give the embryos up for adoption.

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Embryo Freezing, Malta, Surrogacy

Malta – New bill will make IVF available to same-sex couples and single women, allow voluntary surrogacy

Source Times of Malta

The introduction of embryo freezing and adoption, access to IVF for same-sex couples and single persons, as well as a public consultation on surrogacy are the highlights of a new IVF bill presented this afternoon, by Health Minister Chris Fearne.

Addressing a news conference at Parliament, the deputy prime minister said the bill had been unanimously approved by the Labour Party.
He said that until the final few months of the Gonzi administration in 2012, there was no regulation of IVF.

“The 2012 law was a good move, but time is ripe to move further ahead,” he said.
He explained that between 18 to 20 per cent of couples faced infertility problems.

Under this bill IVF will be also be offered to same sex couples as well as single women.

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cryogenic cold storage, Egg Freezing, Embryo Freezing, Sperm Freezing

Fertility clinic failure worse than thought

Source Francais Express

Wendy and Rick Penniman and their children Beau and Mary KateWendy and Rick Penniman and their children Beau and Mary Kate. Wendy had three embryos frozen after IVF that were stored at the University Hospitals fertility center.

Nearly 1,000 patients of the University Hospitals Fertility Center are being sent letters apologizing once more and acknowledging some of the reasons a storage tank failed. The hospital is now blaming human error for the loss of those frozen eggs and embryos, some of which had been stored for decades.

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Cryobank, cryogenic cold storage, Embryo Freezing, Embryo Storage Failure, Frozen Eggs, frozen embryos, Frozen Sperm, Sperm Freezing

Families Are Heartbroken After Losing Embryos in IVF Clinic’s Freezer Failure: “I Don’t Think You Can Fix This”

Source TimeInc.net

Betty Jacobs first heard about the freezer problem on Thursday, March 8, when she scrolled through her Facebook news feed. That day, a local Ohio paper had published an articleabout temperature changes at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, where Jacobs underwent IVF and had her twins in 2016. Because of these temperature changes — which had occurred the previous Saturday — more than 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos were potentially damaged and unviable.

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cryogenic cold storage, Egg Freezing, Embryo Freezing, Frozen Eggs, intended parents

What Fertility Patients Should Know About Egg Freezing

Source: The New York Times

Dr. Julie Lamb, director of fertility preservation at Pacific NW Fertility in Seattle, has been fielding calls from concerned patients after two unrelated incidents at fertility clinics in San Francisco and Cleveland raised concerns about egg storage.CreditRuth Fremson/The New York Times

The failure of systems used to store frozen eggs and embryos at two fertility clinics has rattled people who count on such clinics to help them realize their hopes of having children. But the breakdowns at clinics in Cleveland and San Francisco, each apparently involving the temperature or level of liquid nitrogen in one storage tank, have damaged at least some eggs and embryos belonging to potentially hundreds of people.

At a time when egg freezing is increasing swiftly — some Silicon Valley companies now tout it as a perk for their employees — the incidents raise questions about what to look for and ask if you are considering taking that step. Here is a basic guide:

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Cancer, Embryo Freezing, Gestational surrogacy, Infertility, Surrogate Mother, UK

Selfless surrogate delivers her own niece after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer months after dream wedding despite having no symptoms

Source: Daily Mail

Randi Fishman was 28, newly married, and ready to start a family when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2011.

The crushing news was made all the more painful when her Maryland doctors said that, even if she overcame the disease, carrying children could be a risk that could cost Randi her life.

She immediately got her eggs frozen, and along with husband Zach, then also 28, started the lengthy and expensive process to find a surrogate to carry their embryos fertilized by IVF.

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Egg Donation, Embryo Freezing, Frozen Eggs, ICSI, Infertility, UK

UK – Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Centre moving to new home

Source: Shropshire Star
For more than a quarter of a century, it has been helping thousands of couples realise their dreams of becoming parents.

An embryologist at The Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility

The Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Centre is one of the top IVF clinics in the UK.

But it has outgrown its current home at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and is now set to move to a new facility on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

From this summer, the centre will be operating from Severn Fields Health Village in Sundorne.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the facility, says it will mean better facilities for patients and the multi-professional fertility team.
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Cancer, Egg Freezing, Embryo Freezing, Frozen Eggs, India

India – Fertility preservation methods offer hope for cancer patients

Source:  Deccan Chronicle

Fertility preservation methods Fertility preservation methods offer hope for cancer patients. (Photo: Pixabay)

New Delhi: Many cancer treatments affect the ability to become pregnant, temporarily or permanently.

Fertility preservation (FP) is an effort to retain the fertility of cancer patients, thereby improving their quality of life.

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Cancer, Donor Eggs, Donor Embryos, Embryo, Embryo Freezing, India

India – Fertility preservation techniques offer ray of hope to young cancer survivors

Source:  ANI

New Delhi [India], Feb 3 (ANI): About 50% of the cancer patients in India are under the age of 50. Apart from other things, this alarming rate of young cancer victims has also created concerns about preservation of their fertility.

However, experts indicate that the recent technologies and advancements in the IVF sector can help cancer patients to keep the fertility window open for a longer time. Today, cancer victims not only have a better rate of survival but can also think about raising a child and starting a family.

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Embryo, Embryo Freezing, UK

UK – Man ends bid to fulfil late wife’s dream for a child

Source: BBC

A man who lost his wife to cancer said he is ending their bid to have a child through a surrogate.

Emmy Coates died in June, aged 31, just 18 months after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

She and husband Jake, 32, had planned to use embryos, frozen after her cancer spread, in order to have a baby.

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Embryo, Embryo Freezing

Woman Has Baby From Embryo Almost As Old As Her

Source: Vital Updates

Tina and Benjamin Gibson, 26 and 33 respectively, weren’t able to have children. That is, until Tina gave birth to their daughter, Emma Wren Gibson, who was frozen as an embryo for 24 years.

Tina said she remembers thinking that she simply wanted a baby. Whether that baby was record-setting or not, wasn’t in Tina’s thoughts.

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