In New Zealand one couple per week heads overseas for a baby

In the United States a woman can be paid for her time and effort to donate her eggs or to carry someone else's baby. That is not so in most parts of the world, where paying a woman for her work (and make no mistake about it, it's work) is illegal. That is exactly what Mellany and Simon have had to do as they live in New Zealand, where paying a woman for her services to donate her eggs is illegal. As a result, there are very few women who will donate for altruistic reasons, so many couples are forced to go abroad.

Can you imagine traveling to a foreign country to have your family? If you are from New Zealand at least you do not have to deal with the language barrier if you come to the US, but what about those from Spain? France?

Mellany and Simon have been trying for eight years and they say:

Nothing would be too great to realise the dream....You just expect that you're going to get older get married have a family and live happily ever after.

I was fortunate enough to only have to travel to another state where my children were born via surrogacy so I have great compassion for those who come halfway around the world to become a family.

However, bioethicist Professor Gareth Jones says:

Do we want to have markets of buying and selling for not only human tissue but also children, or babies? I think there are issues involved here ethically.

What say you? As always feel free to comment below.

Ontario Experts Recommend IVF for All Except Women Over 42

The expert panel recommended IVF for all including same-sex couples and singles, but not for women over the age of 42. I have a friend who is 42 years old and pregnant (yes, naturally) and we all know a friend or a friend of a friend who got pregnant at 42 or older so why would the Canadian panel pick that age?

It's simple, really. Egg donation is virtually non-existent in Canada because egg donors cannot be paid and they cannot be anonymous. That makes it very difficult for women to find a donor in their own country. And IVF is funded by the national health care system so the chances of IVF working for a 42 year old woman are not great.

I can hear you now: what about the women in their 40s who are in excellent health? They work out, take great care of themselves and look 10 years younger. It doesn't matter with eggs. Forty-two-year-old eggs are old, especially when you compare them to a 22 year old woman. It doesn't matter how many lunges you do.

What say you?

Extraordinary Conceptions extends a helping hand to Surrogenesis, Michael Charles Holding Company Clients

If you are an Intended Parent and you have lost money with the disappearance of the Michael Charles Holding Company and Surrogenesis, Extraordinary Conceptions, LLC would like to offer a helping hand by discounting your Egg Donation and Surrogacy Cycle. We know how hard you have worked and how many years you have suffered and to have a company like Surrogenesis give you false hope that your dreams of having a child will come true, only to steal your life savings blind is appalling.

In case you haven’t heard, escrow company Michael Charles Holding Company has shut its doors, affecting more that 30 Intended Parents and taking off with 1,000,000 in client trust funds. While MCHC stated on their website that they were licensed and bonded, it has now come to light that they might be neither. The FBI is investigating MCHC and if you have any information about MCHC or Surrogenesis, please contact Extraordinary Conceptions and we will get you in touch with Sterling Johnson, who is tirelessly working to see if any money can be recovered for all those affected. However, as Sterling pointed out, even if any money can be recovered, it will be too late to meet your immediate financial needs.

Tonya Collins, President and CEO of Surrogenesis, is also Agent for Service for Michael Charles Holding Company and it is unclear if she had an ownership interest in the company. However, we at Extraordinary Conceptions and others in the industry are extremely doubtful that Tonya will emerge from this heartbreaking mess as an inocent victim.

Please contact Mario Caballero, the Executive Director of Extraordinary Conceptions, at mario@extraconceptions.com, to speak to him about your cycle and the discount program for those affected by the Michael Charles Holding Company and Surrogenesis.

My heart goes out to all those affected. Dreams have been shattered and that is not an understatement. Surrogates are left without insurance while pregnant as bills were not paid. Donors have been left without payment after undergoing weeks of shots and an egg retrieval. And Intended Parents have lost their life savings, and in some cases, money they don’t have as most have to borrow money to afford treatment.

For those looking to work with an agency, please be careful and choose wisely. Speak to therapists in the industry and IVF physicians. Get personal recommendations. Do not rely on information online. You do not know who is posting that information and why. Anyone can say anything about an agency, and you can bet that Tonya Collins and Surrogenesis had a lot of people saying great things about her and her agency.

Children of Sperm and Egg Donors Seek Information

An article by Cheryl Miller posted today at www.reason.com raised questions on how the information should be handled, by whom and how much. In "Who's Your Daddy?" Cheryl discusses the plight of one young woman who has a rare stomach disorder. She is in her 20s when records were either destroyed or not kept at all. All she knows is that the sperm donor is of Scandinavian descent. She doesn't want to meet him, but she would desperately like medical information.

Today, most agencies and IVF centers that have their own in-house donor program keep detailed medical and biographical information on their donors. However, the industry is pressing for a national donor registry. I am a member of the American Bar Association's section on Reproduction and the Law and I can tell you that at the last meeting this issue was discussed. It is not going to go away, but I do believe that rather than have the government control and run it, those in the industry should create and control the registry, as the article proposed, with a board of directors as well as guidelines.

If not, we could have a situation like the UK, where couples wait two years, or longer, for a sperm or egg donor because donors cannot receive compensation and cannot be anonymous. One UK woman was able to work with a donor from the United States, but only on apeal from the government and only because her husband has ties to the United States.

I encourage you to read the article as it is in-depth, well-researched and proposes some solutions to this issue.

Parents Via Egg Donation or, “Marna’s Friends”

Marna Gatlin is without doubt a wonderful woman who generously gives her time for something she feels passionately about: egg donation. Because of her passion and devotion to the group she now runs, Parents Via Egg Donation, she was featured in today’s The Oregonian.

I met her this past fall in San Francisco at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and she was every bit the woman I imagined her to be: supportive, caring, bright, passionate and compassionate. Her organization is not affiliated with any agency, including this one, and she and her organization are a wealth of information for those going through egg donation, no matter where you are in the process.

I tried an egg donation cycle (which failed because I needed a surrogate not a donor, but that’s a whole other story) and I remember going through the transfer conflicted about what to tell the child if he or she was born. My cycle was in 1999 and there was nowhere I could turn to for support or guidance, just like Marna. Now men and woman have an organization and a support system for their many questions and concerns — and a shoulder to cry on when they learn the news that they will need a donor to have their child.

If you are going through egg donation or even if you have already gone through the process, I encourage you to seek out Marna and become one of her friends at Parents Via Egg Donation.

Economic Turmoil Fuels India's Fertility Business

I recently posted about how patients are canceling their IVF appointments for surrogacy and egg donation in India because of the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, but apparently that has not stopped the booming industry in India. In fact, with many women and men getting laid off from their well paying jobs, more educated women than ever before are becoming surrogates and egg donors.

In fact, one woman in the article was at the pharmacy looking to buy poison to kill herself because of her family's desperate financial situation when she saw an advertisement for egg donors. She applied, was accepted and is now receiving income for helping infertile couples who could not have a genetic child without her help. Another woman's husband was laid off and she knew it would be incredibly difficult for her to find employment, so she applied to become a surrogate and is now hoping to become pregnant for an American woman.

I do believe that India is not taking away the surrogacy business from any agency or attorney in this country. Those couples or individuals who are going to India would not have used a surrogate or an egg donor in the United States because they simply cannot afford it. For them, the United States was never an option.

AFA Responds to Vatican’s Dignitas Personae

Ken Mosesian, the executive director of the American Fertility Association and a practicing Catholic and an openly gay man in a committed relationship has commented about the Vatican’s Dignitas Personae, which was released on December 8, 2008, and is the Vatican’s newest “Instruction on Bioethics,” which includes IVF, surrogacy and egg donation.

While the Vatican is against using these technologies and treatments to create a child, Ken cautions that all life should be treated with dignity and that all people should treat the children created using these techniques with dignity and respect. As a mother of twins created with IVF and surrogacy, I applaud his approach and agree with it completely.

I would be horrified to be sitting in church and have a pastor or priest make my children feel “less” because of how they were created. My children are dearly, dearly loved and they know that. But, at Ken’s urging, I will have a discussion with them and continue to have talks with them on how some people could be deeply offended at their creation.

I will also help them understand and instill in them respect for human life and dignity for all. Like Ken, I was raised Catholic and I have been debating whether to return to the Catholic church and my hesitation has been because I disagree with many of their teachings; however, as Ken pointed out, complete agreement is not necessary to be a faithful member of any church.

The Vatican’s newest Instruction on Bioethics, is available on the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Surrogacy Tourism Down in India

The title of the article says it all: “Baby Dreams Take a Beating.” The recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai have dramatically affected the booming surrogacy business in India. All centers in the country have reported significant cancellations or postponements of the IVF procedures for international couples. Many countries have issued travel advisories, including the U.S. Department of State, because “the November 26 Mumbai terrorist attacks in part targeted American citizens and other westerners for the first time and tragically demonstrate that even in five-star luxury hotels, security is not equipped to deter such attacks. U.S. citizens should take this new reality into account and exercise caution when visiting India. ”

We know first-hand how expensive egg donor and surrogacy cycles can be, which is why we developed our www.altruisticangels.com discount program. We are also working hard to develop partnerships with you to make surrogacy and egg donation even more affordable. However, the need to have a family and create a child can be overwhelming and for some of you, surrogacy or egg donation in India is your only option to creating a family. While I cannot guarantee your safety, I do know know of a reputable agency in India who works with the finest centers so please contact me at stephanie@extraconceptions.com for a referral.

In Today's Wall Street Journal: Women Line Up To Donate Eggs -- for Money

Extraordinary Conceptions has seen an increase in both Donors and Surrogates applying in the past few months too. It is not surprising, since the economy is not doing well and it is tougher for these women to find work. But, no matter what is going on financially, both Donors and Surrogates still have to qualify and follow strict guidelines, including no smoking, drinking and sex and injecting themselves with medication for weeks -- and in the surrogate's case, months if she gets pregnant. Both Donors and surrogates also go through a medical screening, a psychological examination, background checks and a legal contract review.

As you can see it, it is work, but work that can be so rewarding. The link below will take you to the WSJ article on Women Donating their eggs for money: http://tinyurl.com/6nvyrv

Men Having Babies: Single Hollywood Power Gays

According to www.radaronline.com, the newest Hollywood accessory is the "Gaybie" as more gay single men are having children. While I do not like labeling children, I applaud men who have a strong desire to have a child and are not in a committed relationship. And like the article states, the men are coming to California where surrogacy is legal for gay or straight single men. Unlike Clay Aiken, who had a willing friend help him have his child, most men will need a surrogate and egg donor, which is expensive. But, like the article states, these men have the means -- and the desire to create a family.

Please find the complete article here: http://radaronline.com/features/2008/09/clay_aiken_ricky_martin_surrogate_mothers_babies_gaybies.php

59 Year Old Gives Birth To Triplets in France

How old is too old? I am not here to judge, but I do work with IVF physicians who are appalled when a 50-year-old woman wants to become a mother, let alone a 59-year-old woman.

Besides age and egg donation, this article also highlights France's strict laws regarding third-party parenting. It is illegal to provide fertility treatments to a woman past natural reproductive age. What is age is natural? While 59 is probably past "natural" woman in their early 50s have been known to naturally have children.

Complete article is at this link:

UK Sperm and Egg Donation Cycles Decline

While I can understand a child's need to know where they came from, I am not surprised the latest findings regarding the decline in sperm and egg donation since the government banned antonymous donations in 2005. The rates have declined by nearly 40% for egg donation, despite the government's insurance that the rates would not decline. Most couples are on a two-year waiting list for donors, denying treatment to thousands of couples. It is no surprise that couples look to the United States and other countries when seeking a donor.

The complete article can be found here: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4215440.ece

Circle Surrogacy to Host Surrogacy Seminar for Swedish Couples

I recently had the pleasure of meeting John Weltman, President of Circle Surrogacy, at the American Fertility Association's Families Matter meeting held in San Fransisco and I found him to be knowledgeable and caring, as well as an entertaining and informative speaker. I think what he is doing will help many couples who cannot have a child through surrogacy in their country due to the restrictive laws.

And I too have found an increase in international couples to both my law practice and agency, Extraordinary Conceptions. I think the weak economy in the U.S. does have something to do with it, but whose to say if that is the only reason why international couples are coming to the U.S. for surrogacy and egg donation now.

Perhaps the recent Newsweek article portraying surrogates in a positive light has something to do with the increase of international couples. It really is hard to say.

The laws in California have not changed in over 20 years and are still extremely favorable to all couples and individuals, whether you are gay or straight, married or single, so I can't say the law is a factor.

You can read the complete press release here.

Growing Generations in W Magazine

Kudos to Growing Generations, the surrogacy agency founded by Will Halm and Gail Taylor. While most agencies will work with the GLBT community, they were the first. They are a top-notch agency and this article reflects the care they have given to their clients.