A failed IVF cycle takes a toll emotionally and physically. Dealing with these issues may come easier if the intended parents are fully aware of the risks and are prepared to deal with possible failure.

The first thing that should happen after a failed IVF attempt is to take a week or more if needed to cope with the news that your cycle did not succeed. Take it one-step at a time. Make sure the surrogate is dealing well with the news too. It’s not easy on her either. Then the IVF physician should review the cycle carefully. They may learn something from the results of the IVF ovarian stimulation process, possible issues with egg retrieval, egg quality and/or quantity, embryo development, or problems with the embryo transfer procedure.

According to the Time Magazine article, “Researchers Question When to Stop Trying With IVF” by Meredith Melnick, a team of researchers found that women’s success rates using in vitro fertilization (IVF) did not improve much after the first three cycles. About one in three women had a baby after their first attempt with IVF, and nearly half carried a child to term the second time. However by the third attempt, the success rate did not significantly increase.

Statistically speaking, a woman under 40 years of age, having selected a good IVF program is likely to have a better than 70% chance of having a baby within three completed attempts – provided that she has a normal and receptive uterus capable of developing an “adequate” uterine lining. Women 39-43 years of age, who meet the same criteria, will likely have about half that chance (35% – 40%).

Repeated IVF failures can become counterproductive and destructive on relationships. The comforting words of loved ones always help the intended parents through this difficult time. It’s wise to not start another cycle unless you’re ready. Seeking encouragement from a medical professional or spiritual advisor is also recommended.

Starting the surrogacy process is an exciting time. Egg retrieval is a major part of the process and the intended mother should be prepared.

Before beginning the process of egg retrieval several screenings are required. These include:

• Ovarian reserve testing (blood tests to determine the quantity and quality of your eggs and how your ovaries will respond to fertility medication)
• Mock embryo transfer (determines the depth of your uterine cavity and the technique that is needed to most likely result in a successful embryo transfer)
• Infectious disease screening (HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C).

The intended mother undergoes a process very similar to in-vitro fertilization. The egg-retrieval process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks to complete and includes: 2-to-4 weeks of self-administered hormone injections and birth control pills to temporarily turn off natural hormones and 10-to-14 days of hormone injections to stimulate the ovaries and ripen multiple eggs.

Once the eggs have matured, a needle under ultrasound guidance removes them while the intended mother is under sedation. After retrieval, the eggs are fertilized and transferred to the surrogate. Sometimes they are immediately frozen until the intended mother has found a surrogate and is ready to attempt pregnancy.

Afterwards, a series of medications are prescribed, which may include an antibiotic to prevent infection, a steroid to reduce any inflammation in the reproductive organs, and hormonal supplements to provide extra support to theendometrial lining. It is important to take these medications exactly as prescribed. Also, refraining from sexual intercourse for a period of time, avoiding submerging yourself in water (bubble baths), and using a pad instead of tampons are advised.

 

As an employer, asking questions to potential employees is essential. However, what if you are searching for a surrogate? The following are a few essential things you must ask before selecting anyone:

What made her want to be a surrogate? – This is a great way to get to know your surrogate and to see (besides money) what motivates her to want to give you this great gift.

• What were her other pregnancies (if any) like? – This would help you know if she had easy pregnancies or complications. Also it would provide great insight to see what could be included in a possible care package for her.
• What is her support system like? Are friends and/or family involved? – Pregnancy is physically and emotionally demanding. Make sure she has people who care about her and who appreciate what an amazing thing she’s doing. This is especially important for same- sex intended parents.
• Are you comfortable with me/us being in doctor’s appointments and the delivery room? Surrogates will expect your participation in the process. However, asking is OK for clarification.
• How many fetuses are you willing to carry? Are you willing to selectively reduce or terminate for an abnormality? – Some surrogates won’t reduce or terminate for religious reasons and some feel like it is the parents that are the ones ones that need to make those decisions because it is their baby. There is no right or wrong answer; everyone just needs to be in agreement with this extremely important point. 
• What kind of communication would you like to maintain after the birth? – There is no right answer to this either. Just make sure your views align so that there are no hurt feelings in the end.

The questions you can ask are endless. The most important thing is that you get to know each other and make sure your personalities mesh. What are some questions you would ask?

It is a critical to have a contract no matter how close or agreeable intended parents and surrogates are. The following six topics are essential for a smoother surrogacy journey:

• Outline local laws: Make sure there is at least an overview of the surrogacy laws in the state where the baby will be delivered. It also should include and overview of the laws of where the intended parents live.
• Financial Obligations: This should outline how much payment is and how often they are to be paid. In addition, it is great to consider whether or not the funds will be in an escrow account or directly to the surrogate.
• Medical Decisions: With any pregnancy there are risks. Intended parents and the surrogate should be on the same page in regards to selective reduction, the number of embryos transferred, how many transfers will take place if they are unsuccessful, and whether the intended parents will attend appointments and the birth.
• Medical Bills: Some surrogates have health insurance that can be used to cover maternity costs. Other times, intended parents purchase insurance for the surrogate . The contract should outline how these bills will be handled.
• Time and Travel: Intended parents and surrogates need to coordinate how many times intended parents will travel to see the surrogate and when.
• Privacy: The contract should outline what kind of relationship the intended parents will have with the surrogate after the birth. Also, it is a great idea to have the HIPPA medical privacy act briefed.

Every contract should be reviewed by an attorney well versed in surrogacy laws to make sure there are no loopholes and everything runs smoothly.

 States such as California are making new strides in making some people’s dreams come true. They are offering surrogacy to HIV positive intended parents.

Participants in the HIV program go through the same process as other clients with the addition of an extensive health screening and preparation process for the sperm which virtually eliminates any risk of exposure to the surrogate or embryo. This process is called sperm washing. (Sperm washing rests on the premise that HIV-infected material is carried primarily in the seminal fluid rather than in the sperm itself. The technique involves separating sperm from seminal fluid. Many men with the disease show no material trace of the virus in their sperm. Therefore it is viable to use for implantation.

The program in California sponsored by Growing Generations is now available not only to citizens of the U.S. but to international clients as well due to the Obama administration’s lifting of the restriction on visas for HIV-positive foreigners. Over 10 babies have been born to HIV positive parents in California. Surrogacy Abroad Inc. has just created a program for HIV parents to receive a surrogate in India. So far eleven babies have been born to HIV positive parents under this program. The babies nor the surrogates were infected. Thailand is another country that has also recently opened its doors to positive intended parents for surrogacy.

Do you agree with the new direction surrogacy is taking to help those with HIV to become parents?

Recently, many intended parents have opted for expensive screening processes known as Preimplantation Genetics Diagnosis (PGD) or Preimplantation Genetics Screening (PGS).

These two methods are similar in that the retrieved eggs must be fertilized with sperm in a dish, and then the resulting embryos must be grown in culture. Once the embryos reach a particular stage of its development (around day three), a small hole is made in the outer membrane of each embryo and a bit of the interior is removed for a biopsy. After biopsy, the IVF laboratory will send the cells to a genetics lab for analysis for PGD or PGS.

PGD is a way to determine whether an embryo is carrying the genetic material associated with a specific genetic disease, such as breast cancer. PGS can tell how many of each chromosome are in the cells of an embryo. Patients with some type of chromosomal problem or ones who are interested in selecting the gender of the child are good candidates for PGS.

There is the potential that none of the embryos may be normal or that the results are inaccurate depending on when the embryos are biopsied. There is also a chance that the procedure itself may have an adverse effect on the embryos. These procedures are also costly and are often not covered by insurance. Biopsy and analysis can cost somewhere in between $5,000 to $6,000 on top of the cost of an IVF cycle.

These screenings could potentially give intended parents an idea of what possible medical issues their children could have. However, if the results aren’t always viable, do you think it is worth the costs?

For many same-sex and single parents, choosing a surrogate mother outside the country is a popular route. However, new regulations in India may cause them to seek elsewhere.

India’s Home Ministry circulated late last year to Indian missions abroad, and stipulated that gay couples, single men and women, unmarried couples and couples from countries where surrogacy is illegal be prohibited from hiring a commercial surrogate in India. The new rule states foreigners must be a man and woman that have been married for at least two years.

While the new rules are claimed to benefit India by keeping their citizens out of foreign government entanglements and limiting exploitation of young females, it also puts a damper on those who really want to start a family.

Surrogacy is less expensive in Indiawith the out of pocket costsrunning from $18,000 to $30,000 resulting in their $2.5 billion surrogacy industry. Each year, an estimated 25,000 foreign couples visit India for surrogacy services.

However, the distance and the length of time for traveling (at least twice) is a hassle, especially for intended parents from other continents. There are also potential language barriers and the possibility of international legal problems.

It is understandable to want to put children in stable homes. However, the family dynamic shouldn’t matter. Everyone knows that not every family is the same. No one should judge stability based off of someone’s opinion of “traditional” families. People, from single parents to married gay couples, or otherwise, should be allowed the freedoms to choose how they want to bring their child in this world. As long as it is loved and cared for, what else matters?

Texas is globally known to be one of the most surrogacy friendly regions for intended parents. Why you ask?

Texas enacted a surrogacy statute, which specifically allows gestational surrogacy agreements to be validated by the court. Texas law only requires either the intended parents or surrogate to be a resident of Texas; but not both.

Here at Shared Conceptions, we have clients from all over the United States and overseas. As long as they are matched with a Texas surrogate, the law applies.

Awesome right? This amazing act has provided a parents with a large amount of peace of mind when it comes to their new additions.

Dr. Al Rodriguez, a Plano fertility specialist, said these changes in legislature put Texas on the list of surrogacy-friendly states here at home and internationally.

“This enables the couple to have their name on the birth certificate –the intended parents, that is, and not the gestational mother who delivers the baby,” says Rodriguez (NBC)

Although the Texas surrogacy statute is a great stride in history, it does not protect “traditional” arrangements in which the gestational mother carries and relinquishes custody of her own biological child to the intended parents. It also does not apply to single intended parents or same sex parents.

Texas has come so far in advancing the outlook on surrogacy legally and from a familial standpoint. If the view on sharing the process of conception continues to grow, hopefully Texas will have no choice but to extend the law to protect single parents, homosexuals, and even HIV positive parents as seen in California.

The times are changing and hopefully we will evolve with it for the sake of surrogacy.

 

http://www.ssa-agency.com/default.aspx/MenuItemID/106/MenuGroup/Home+2.htm
http://texassurrogacyandlegalcenter.com/legal/

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/International-Surrogacy-Ripening-in-Texas-93688734.html

When parents determine they want to start or expand a family, they often seek certain methods to help expedite the conception process.

Acupuncture, relaxation therapies, and diet are touted as an alternative to costly medical treatments. But do they really work?

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese practice that involves placing tiny needles into areas of the body, has served to treat some causes of infertility for centuries. In 2006, a study published in the journalFertility and Sterilityshowed that 36 percent of women who had acupuncture before and after embryo transfer during IVF got pregnant, versus 22 percent of those who didn’t have the treatment.

It’s hard to believe deep breathing and meditating can help aid in fertility, but the research is promising. According to a recent study done by Dr. Alice Domar from The Domar Center for Mind/Body Health in Waltham, Massachusetts, 52 percent of the women receiving IVF treatments and attending mind/body sessions involving breathing exercises and positive thinking were pregnant after two IVF cycles, versus just 20 percent of those who didn’t attend.

The phrase “you are what you eat” holds true even in fertility. Eating seafood before pregnancy is essential due to their rich omega-3 fatty acid content, which increase fertility. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that women trying to conceive can safely eat up to 12 ounces a week of low-mercury fish. Loading up on other vitamins such as iron and folic acid are a must. Of course, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables go along with readying the body for pregnancy. Even fathers-to-be should take a daily multivitamin that contains zinc and selenium for at least three months before conception. Limiting intake on alcohol and caffeine is advised for both parents for optimum results.

Would you consider trying one of these options?

http://www.babycenter.com/0_fertility-diet-the-nutrients-you-need-to-conceive_1460692.bc

 

A surge of single men, gay and straight, have recently opted for surrogacy to fulfill their paternal dreams.

The Williams Institute, a think-tank on same-sex issues at the University of California – Los Angeles, finds there were more than one million never-married men raising children in 2010. A great portion of that was due to adoption and surrogacy.

While in some states adoption by a single father is frowned upon and even outlawed if that father is homosexual, surrogacy provides a window of opportunity to thousands of potential fathers without a mate.

The process of becoming a single parent is not an easy one. Fathers have to first pick donor eggs to fertilize with their sperm. Many use a gestational carrier, who is different from the original donor, to carry and deliver the baby. This is said to decrease legal liability and further limit the personal connection between the surrogate and child for a smoother transition for the new parent.

Brian Tessier, a homosexual adoptive parent, recently started 411-4-DAD, a hotline for prospective single fathers. Here he counsels both gay and straight men on the stigmas of single male parenting from suspicion to sexism in the workplace.

Now is the time that men are redefining the idea of traditional family. While others may be in doubt, musical icons Ricky Martin and Clay Aiken are two out of thousands of happy single fathers thanks to the gift of surrogacy. Aiken told People Magazine in an 2008 year interview that “if [the child] is raised in a loving environment, that’s the most important thing.”

Do you agree with Clay Aiken?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/straight-single-men-wanting-kids-turn-surrogacy/story?id=16520916
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/19/154860588/single-dads-by-choice-more-men-going-it-alone