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Outdated and accusatory comments can lead to serious feelings of shame.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 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 Inforum
I was dismayed to read the rather closed-minded offering published March 17 from Ms. Salonen, who is the mother of five children. While I am not in a position, as a physician, to routinely determine what is right, and what is wrong, I am in a position as a reproductive endocrinologist to know that it is quite dangerous to lump things as important as creating families together.
To paint with a broad brush that it is not OK to use “third party reproduction” is hurtful and inappropriate. Does she disprove of helping single women who have a strong support network in place conceive using donor sperm? Should donor sperm be used in a heterosexual couple who choose this means of having a family?
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: 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: 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: HuffPost
Infertility sucks. If you haven’t lived through it, or experienced it vicariously through a friend, it’s hard to explain why it is soul-crushingly awful.
Before I was thrust into the dark underworld of nightly hormone injections, invasive vaginal ultrasounds and regular blood tests revealing to me just how crappy my eggs are, I was able to brush it off like most people.
“Why is she so upset about her miscarriage? She can just try again. It’s not as if a real baby was in there.” And, “Why would they spend that much money on in vitro fertilization when they can just adopt?”
Source: HindustanTimes
American actress Lena Dunham’s poignant article in the March issue of the US Vogue about her decision to have her womb surgically removed at 31 when many young women begin considering having a baby is not just about her ending her decade-long battle against endometriosis.
It’s about choice and taking control of her body, even if it means ending the option of carrying a child.
The night before the surgery, when the nurse asked her one last time: “Is there any chance you could be pregnant?” The star of the TV series, Girls, said: “‘Well, not after tomorrow,’ I say. I wish there were a word for when nobody likes your jokes but you make them anyway.”
Source: The Big Smoke
As more and more women are deciding to have children later, the method of freezing one’s eggs is the preferred method. But is it safe?
In recent times, more and more women are choosing to have children at a later age. Often this is a result of having decided to focus on career first, or from not finding the right partner. In fact, women today are having their first baby at an average age of 28.4 years, which is an all-time high, and as a result, there’s a growing demand for social egg freezing. Read more
Source: New Zealand Herald
Broadcaster Toni Street and her husband are expecting their third child – this time via a surrogate mother.
Street has opened up on the happy family news for her and husband Matt France and also spoken of the serious health battle that has required them to use a surrogate – Street’s best friend Sophie Braggins – to add to their current family of two young daughters.
Street – a co-host of the The Hits’ popular morning radio show – and France will welcome a baby boy into their family in August.
They have gone public as a rising number of Kiwi families face a range of fertility issues, with some looking at the option of investigating surrogacy.
