Posts Tagged ‘embryo’
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011
Sean and Carolyn Savage of Toledo, Ohio, introduced their twins Regan and Isabella to the world on NBC’s Today Show last week, bringing the Savages’ story of surrogacy and in-vitro fertilization full circle, with a happy ending — times two!
The Savages first made headlines in 2009 when, in a quest to expand their family of five to a family of six, Carolyn underwent IVF. But shortly after she became pregnant using the fertility treatment, they were shocked by the news that another couple’s embryo had been implanted — she was carrying someone else’s child. Carolyn decided to carry the baby, a healthy boy named Logan, to full term and return him to his biological parents. They wrote a book, “Inconceivable,” about their journey.
After Logan was born, Carolyn knew she couldn’t take her chances on another high-risk pregnancy (the couple has three older children) but still wanted to expand their family. So they turned to surrogacy to make their family dreams come true, and were blessed with twins, which their surrogate carried for them.
The Savages are an example of the miracle of modern medicine and what fertility treatments can do for a family. They are an inspiration and we wish them all the best with their five healthy children!
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Tags: biological parents, Carolyn Savage, Dr. Hearns, Dr. Munabi, embryo, Family Dreams, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, High Risk Pregnancy, Isabella, Logan, Miracle, Modern Medicine, Nbc, PA Infertility, Philadelphia Infertility, Reading, Regan, S Child, Savages, surrogacy, Surrogate, Today Show, Toledo Ohio, Vitro Fertilization, Wyomissing
Posted in surrogacy | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
Perhaps you can relate to this scenario: After a year or two or maybe more of trying to get pregnant, your doctor breaks the news that your most likely options for having a child are egg donation or surrogacy. You and your partner are devastated that your dream of raising a child has been dashed. It is perfectly normal and appropriate to grieve over this news.
However, you are not alone. First of all, there are counselors and fertility specialists who can help you walk through your decision. At RSI we treat every patient with compassion and carefully help them consider their options. It is our #1 priority to help you successfully become parents. Secondly, there are millions of other couples out there who have found themselves in your shoes and are now parents. Look through websites and agencies to read some testimonials of people who have started their families by way of egg donation, surrogacy and gestational carrier. You may appreciate knowing that the Reproductive Science Institute of Suburban Philadelphia, P.C. has excellent egg donor and surrogate programs.
If you are new to all of this, some things to think about before your first appointment with your chosen infertility doctor:
Egg Donation: A donated egg will often be fertilized by the male partner’s sperm and the resulting embryo will then be implanted via IVF either into the female partner’s uterus or that of a surrogate. Many egg donors choose to remain anonymous but every once in awhile you will have the option to know more about your egg donor. In rare, but not unusual, cases, an egg donor might be a family member or friend of the couple.
Surrogacy: A surrogate always is impregnated via IVF, either with an embryo created by the male partner’s sperm and a donor egg or by an embryo created by the sperm and egg of both partners in the couple hoping to be parents (in this case, the surrogate is referred to as a gestational carrier). Again, it is typical to choose a surrogate carrier by way of an agency or often through your fertility clinic but every once in awhile, a couple will have a known family member or friend carry their baby.
After you’ve taken some time to process your situation, schedule a consultation as a couple with a fertility clinic that you have found based on recommendations or based on its reputation. From that point on, the health professionals at your clinic will: see to it that each and every one of your questions is answered; help you assess all the options available to you based on your unique situation; carefully guide you through the screening and selection process of choosing either an egg donor or surrogate if that is the route you choose to take. We wish you the very best of luck!
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Tags: Counselors, Donor Egg, Dr. Munabi, Egg Donation, Egg Donor, Egg Donors, embryo, Family Member, Female Partner, fertility clinic, Fertility Specialists, Gestational Carrier, Infertility, Infertility Doctor, IVF, Male Partner, Reproductive Science Institute, Reproductive Science Institute of Suburban Philadelphia, Rsi, sperm donor, Suburban Philadelphia, surrogacy, Surrogate Programs, Uterus
Posted in Egg Donation, surrogacy | No Comments »
Monday, February 7th, 2011
A couple in Plano, Texas just celebrated the 1st birthday of their twin daughters. After years of facing infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, they finally achieved their dream of becoming parents through a somewhat unique method. They used a gestational carrier, which is like surrogacy in the sense that another woman carries a couple’s baby for the term of pregnancy for them. Gestational carriers differ from surrogacy in that the pregnant woman and the baby or babies she is carrying do not share any biological connection. A surrogate mother’s own eggs are contributed to the baby she carries. When a couple opts to use a gestational carrier, an embryo is created of his own sperm and her own egg(s) and the embryo(s) are then placed into the uterus of the gestational carrier by way of IVF.
This couple’s journey included five miscarriages of pregnancies achieved through intrauterine insemination (IUI). At the recommendation of their fertility doctor, they took the route of using a gestational carrier and have been overjoyed with the results! They took advantage of the laws in Texas that allowed them to utilize this method of assisted reproductive technology. The laws vary in every state regarding surrogacy and are even more strict when it comes to gestational carriers. We congratulate this Texas couple on their success and joy over their one-year-old daughters!
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Tags: Assisted Reproductive Technology, Becoming Parents, Biological Connection, embryo, Fertility Doctor, First Birthday, Gestational Carrier, Gestational Carriers, Infertility, Intrauterine Insemination Iui, IUI, IVF, Miscarriages, Plano Texas, Pregnancies, Pregnant Woman, recurrent pregnancy loss, surrogacy, Surrogate Mother, Texas Couple, Twin Daughters, Uterus
Posted in In the News, surrogacy | No Comments »
Friday, October 22nd, 2010
In news that pleasantly surprised fertility specialists around the globe and heartened would-be parents, an embryo that had been frozen for 20 years was used to fertilize a 42-year-old woman who could not conceive naturally. (The two-decade old embryo was from an unrelated donor.) The woman is a resident of the United States and gave birth in May to a healthy boy.
The news item raises some interesting questions, including how long an embryo can stay viable while frozen. Some fertility doctors speculate that 20 years isn’t even close to the length of time that’s potentially possible. One recent study even estimated that the passage of 40 years wouldn’t be a problem if the embryo had been stored correctly.
This gives great hope to women who decide to freeze their eggs at an early age if they know they are going to undergo a procedure such as radiation or chemotherapy which can rob them of their fertility. Using a surrogate, if necessary, they can use their own frozen embryos to create new life.
Tags: Chemotherapy, Decade, Eggs, embryo, Fertility Doctors, Fertility Specialists, Frozen Embryos, Globe, Interesting Questions, Length Of Time, Miracles, News Item, Old Woman, Parents, radiation, Surrogate, United States, Unrelated Donor
Posted in Egg Donation, In the News | No Comments »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Reuters has reported that a new test promises to predict how successful an IVF (in vitro fertilization) procedure is likely to be.
Using a special formula, researchers from America have determined a way to determine if IVF is likely to work for a female. This could be a huge breakthrough for women whose success is currently being predicted based on their chronological ages rather than including other factors.
As the article notes:
“[the team] decided to look at dozens of factors, including age but also looking at how well and how fast the embryos grow, a woman’s hormonal response to the treatment and the condition of her uterus when the embryo is implanted.”
Though the test isn’t available, one of the researchers, Dr. Yao, and his co-workers have started Univfy, a company that hopes to distribute a commercial version of the test.
If all goes well, couples and their reproductive health science professionals could have access to the test later in 2010.
Our question to you is whether you would pay for a test to determine how likely it was that IVF would work for you?
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Tags: Breakthrough, Co Workers, Couples, Dozens, embryo, Health Science Professionals, Hormonal Response, IVF, Miracles, New Test, Reproductive Health, Reuters, Success, Uterus, Vitro Fertilization Procedure, Yao
Posted in In the News, IVF treatments | No Comments »
Friday, August 21st, 2009
How long can an embryo that’s been frozen in preparation for in vitro fertilization attempts remain viable? In the case of Celine Dion, who just announced she was pregnant with the couple’s second child, quite a while.
In fact, Dion’s doctor has told the media that the embryo used for this pregnancy was frozen eight years ago. And that’s not the oldest embryo that’s remained viable after being frozen; others have survived for 10-15 years, according to medical reports.
Obviously, any couple who is considering in vitro fertilization should speak with their fertility specialists about the length that any embryos should remain in a frozen state.
However, as Dion’s experience shows, it’s now possible for a woman in her twenties to wait years for in vitro once an embryo has undergone the freezing process.
Tags: Celine Dion, Celine Dion pregnant, embryo, frozen embryo, in vitro, in vitro fertilization, IVF fertilization
Posted in Fertility Issues In the News, IVF treatments | No Comments »
