Source Salon.com
When I called up Mel, my best friend of 15 years, to tell her I was pregnant, she replied with a whisper: “Can I hang up now?”
Throughout their years-long infertility journey, Mel and her partner spent upwards of $50,000, enduring five miscarriages and four failed in vitro fertilizations. I’d been one of the few friends Mel opened up to, and she’d been there for me when I miscarried six months earlier. Sometimes sharing pain is easier than sharing joy.
Source Metro
Fertility problems are hard to talk about. There is still an enormous amount of societal stigma and taboo when it comes to struggling to conceive.
This is even more true in certain black communities, particularly some Christian and traditional African families.
It just isn’t spoken about. And if it is, there is often the assumption that the problem is the fault of the woman.
Outdated and accusatory comments can lead to serious feelings of shame. Entreprenuer and infertility blogger Vanessa Haye, felt this keenly when she struggled to conceive. The lack of support and understanding was a struggle – and now she wants to normalise conversations around fertility and reproductive health in her own communities.
Source Womens Health
A survey by WomensHealthMag.com and OprahMag.com, in partnership with the Black Women’s Health Imperative and Celmatix, found that cost was the biggest factor that prevents women from seeking infertility care—regardless of their ethnic background.
It’s not uncommon for fundraisers who do decide to pursue treatments to make impassioned pleas for upward of $10,000 to use toward medical bills—but the reality is that invoices from the doctor’s office are just part of the cost that families incur when they seek treatment.
People who have limited or no paid time off may lose wages because of work they miss while sitting in waiting rooms—or because of the hours they spend driving to see specialists who are in-network. Hotel stays and flights can add up for those who pursue fertility treatment away from home. (I spoke with one woman who spent more than $100,000 total.)
Source Jurist
The French Court of Cassation announced on Friday its decision to request an advisory opinion from the European Court of Human Rights in a case that could have important consequences for couples who are unable to conceive naturally. At issue is a dispute involving a French family whose twin girls were born with the assistance of a gestational surrogate in the United States. Because surrogacy is illegal in France and the woman asserting parental rights over the children is not their biological mother, French authorities have refused to accept the American birth certificates bearing the woman’s name.
Source Body and Soul
On paper, Ally Hensley had everything she needed to have a baby. But did she want to…
On January 8 this year, I walked into an IVF clinic with my pregnant best friend. She had already conceived naturally twice, so we weren’t there for her. I had an appointment to explore egg retrieval for the purpose of egg freezing.
I kept telling myself, I was ‘creating options.’ However, it was much deeper than that – I was trying to explore how I really felt about motherhood.
It’s a strange situation when, for your entire adult life, you’ve known that you’re infertile but you’re also not sure if you’re even maternal. When, from the age of 16 you’ve been saving money for a surrogate but you’re not entirely sure if you’d want children, even if you can have them.
Source The West Australian
In this day and age you are sure to know someone that has struggled with fertility, perhaps a friend or family member, or you yourself have either been on — or are on — the harrowing journey yourself.
For those experiencing infertility, it can be an extremely isolating time says Genea Hollywood fertility specialist Dr Julia Barton.
“They’re often surrounded by friends starting their own families and asking why they aren’t pregnant and they can find themselves feeling resentful and even jealous. They don’t feel comfortable talking about what’s happening to them and in some cases patients tell me they avoid social events because they don’t want to be exposed to the questioning and have to watch others having happy family moments,” says Dr Barton.
Source Independent
Sometimes the cause of infertility is difficult to diagnose, writes Áilín Quinlan. But there are tests available and steps you can take if you are finding it difficult to conceive
You’ve been struggling to conceive, and your GP has now advised you to explore your options in terms of fertility treatment.
One of the first things you need to realise is that your age is crucial and time may be of the essence when it comes to pregnancy and birth emphasises Dr Hans Arce, Medical Director of the Repromed fertility clinic in Dublin.
“The main limiting factor in fertility is the age of the woman,” he says.
Source The Hans India
Nowadays, infertility is on a rise in both men and women. Studies say that one out of every seven couples in the world is unable to have a child. Dr Shruti Malvi, Director of Kbpn Malvi Hospital in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, has been extensively working on the problem of infertility. She gives us an insight into the world of infertility and the myths behind it.
The processes of ovulation and fertilisation need to happen correctly to get pregnant. Sometimes the issues that cause infertility in couples are present at birth, and sometimes they develop later in life. Dr Shruti defines Infertility as the failure to achieve clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse
Source The Gleaner
As the number of cases involving assisted reproductive technology continues to multiply across the world, and even as some of that same technology is being utilised with increased frequency in Jamaica, we still have no legislation that deals with any aspect of it.
In my legal practice, I have been consulted by clients who have trouble conceiving and are undergoing fertility treatment, including the harvesting and storage of eggs, sperm, and embryos, surrogacy agreements and artificial insemination. In all cases, I am asked to explain the legal position in Jamaica, which begins with the admission that it is uncertain.
Many of the questions surround the ultimate ownership of the embryos in the event the couple separates after undergoing treatment, the legal recourse that is available if the surrogate changes her mind and refuses to hand over the child after delivery, whether the surrogate can be paid and how to prevent a sperm donor from claiming paternal rights in relation to a child conceived through artificial insemination.
Under the leadership of Dr. Kumar, The Western Fertility Institute team and laboratory experts have helped thousands of people from over 20 countries achieve the dream of a family. Using cutting edge technology the staff at Western Fertility Institute is achieving some of the highest success rates in the field.
Dr. Kumar’s international following and tremendous success rates bringing twins into the world are making his patients famous! Four of Dr. Kumar’s miracle babies were recently featured in a Hollywood photoshoot for a magazine article called “The Fertility Revolution ” in The September Issues.
Source AbuDhabi World
We ask two doctors what you can do when you’re struggling to get your family started
According to a report by the United Nations, fertility across the UAE has been declining for a while. In fact, by the time we reach 2025, it’s projected to have declined by 75 percent of what it was in the 1970s. Another study found that men account for over 50 percent of cases of infertility thanks to lifestyle issues in the UAE. With that in mind, it’s time to talk about what all this means for your future of having a family.
From knowing the causes of infertility to finding the right clinic and procedures for you, we sit down with two Abu Dhabi experts to find out all you need to know about IVF and beyond.
Source: Newswire.net
Egg donation is an inspiring act where a female donor generously helps another woman to fulfill her dream to become a mother.
Barcelona , — Unfortunately, there are many couples who are unable to conceive and have children on their own. Studies show that about a third of infertility cases are due to female infertility, another third to male sterility, and the rest are due to issues affecting both partners, from which many cases simply remain an unresolved mystery. Everyday Health reports that infertility affects about 10 percent of women, with possible issues resulting from ovulatory disfunction, poorly functioning fallopian tubes and uterus abnormalities.
Source: Money.CNN
Time to think about family planning. You, your body, and … your employer?
Facebook made headlines when it first began comping employees for freezing their eggs, but now more companies are taking an active role in helping their workers plan and research their fertility.
Employers like Google and Apple offer full financial assistance for egg freezing. Spotify funds unlimited in-vitro fertilization. Patagonia offers childcare and family support services, opening the door for companies to take an active role in their employees’ children’s lives — from the (literal) very beginnings all the way through Pre-K and beyond.
Source: BioNews
Fertility treatment in the UK is more successful and safer than ever before, according to a report from the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority).
IVF is now 85 percent more likely to succeed than when records first began in 1991, said the regulator. Over 20,000 babies were born in 2016 as a result of more than 68,000 IVF treatments, an increase of four percent from 2015. The HFEA’s new report covers fertility treatment trends and success rates for the 2014-2016 period.
Source: Yahoo Finance
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), surrogacy refers to the arrangement where “a woman is artificially impregnated, whether for monetary compensation or not, with the intention that the child is to be the social child of some other person or couple”.
Commercial surrogacy often involves a fee paid to the surrogate mother. By hiring a surrogate mother, you are essentially hiring a woman to carry and deliver a child for you.
Source: Idaho Press-Tribune
Andrea Friesen of Nampa said three of the hardest phone calls she’s ever had to make were to call her younger sister, Kim Richardson, each time she got pregnant.
Friesen had three successful pregnancies. During those years, Richardson and her husband, Casey, longed to have children but faced painful infertility hurdles and miscarriages.
“It’s hard to see these guys want that so badly and try and not get that — when it has been so easy for me,” Friesen said.
So, Friesen and her husband, Dan, made a proposal: What if Andrea carried the baby for Kim and Casey?
Source: Newcastle Herald
BY the time Kristy and Craig Darken found out they were going to be parents, they had almost given up all hope of holding a child of their own in their arms.
It had been close to eight years of highs and lows, of hope and of devastation, as the Elermore Vale couple trod the testing track of having a baby via a surrogate.
But then, countless counselling sessions, IVF, two surrogates and 10 embryos later, a tearful late night phone call came from Kristy’s sister, Rebecca.
“She was crying her eyes out,” Kristy said.
“I thought she was crying because she knew it was our last try. I thought she was devastated. Then finally, she said, ‘I’m pregnant. It worked’.
Source: WINFertility
What You Need to Know
There are several reasons to consider using a surrogate to bear your child. Male same-sex couples who want to have a biological child often use a surrogate. Some women are unable to carry and bear a child due to cancer treatment, genetic conditions, having had a hysterectomy, or medical conditions that make it dangerous for them to get pregnant. Sometimes couples use a surrogate when other fertility treatments have not been successful for them or there are problems with the female partner’s uterus. You may have heard of celebrity couples who have used surrogates, such as Jimmy Fallon and his wife Nancy Juvonen, and Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Here are some facts you need to know before you start on your journey to a family with a surrogate.
Read more
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.
Source: Jewish Journal
A large chalkboard in the kitchen of the Sherman Oaks home of Sam and Rachel Simkin proclaims, “Please excuse the mess, we are making memories.” Those memories are being made with their children: Jonah, 9, Penina, 7, Vered, 4, and their 12-year-old golden retriever, Nagy.
Rachel, 38, is finishing pumping breast milk for the fourth baby she gave birth to in November. He was nicknamed “Baby G” while in utero. However, he is not the Simkins’ son. Rachel was a gestational surrogate, implanted with an embryo created via in vitro fertilization with Mr. and Mrs. G’s egg and sperm.
