Posts Tagged ‘Surrogate’
Monday, December 5th, 2011
If you’re considering surrogacy as a potential option for expanding your family due to issues of infertility, there are some things you should consider before moving forward. Gestational surrogacy — where a woman agrees to carry embryos that were formed using in vitro fertilization using the eggs and sperm of the intended parents — is a unique and relatively new process that comes with a number of emotional issues.
For women who cannot carry their own baby, the opportunity to still have a child that is biologically their own is a dream come true. But the connection between the surrogate and the child is a unique one. The surrogate, also known as the gestational carrier, may not believe it will be difficult for her to hand over your baby to you after giving birth, there already have been legal actions taken in some cases that underscore the reality that it can be difficult for a woman to relinquish all ties to the baby they carried in their womb.
Sometimes the gestational carrier is a sibling or close friend to one of the intended parents. While this can bring an even deeper meaning and joy to the process, it also means there will be an ongoing social connection between everyone involved, including the surrogate and the child.
Gestational surrogacy is a beautiful, amazing possibility in one’s fertility journey, but it is one that should be carefully considered by all involved beforehand. Talk to your partner about all your concerns, and keep in mind that we have counseling services available to help you and your partner work through some of the emotional issues that comes with such a decision.
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Tags: Counseling Services, Deeper Meaning, Eggs, Embryos, Emotional Issues, Fertility Treatment, Gestational Carrier, Gestational Surrogacy, Giving Birth, Infertility, Journey, Legal Actions, Nbsp, Partner Work, Sibling, sperm, Surrogate, Ties, Vitro Fertilization, womb
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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
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Monday, November 14th, 2011
If you’ve ever seen TLC’s “The Little Couple, you know stars Bill Klein and Jen Arnold have been working with a surrogate to help them have a baby. In the season finale this spring, the couple found out the surrogate was pregnant.
Well last week the couple received bad news — the surrogate has had a miscarriage. It is a devastating turn of events for the couple, as they were using a surrogate to increase their chances for a healthy baby. Because of Arnold’s health issues, carrying a pregnancy is a serious health risk; in fact it could even threaten her life. Also, the use of IVF technology can help them avoid passing on the genetic cause of their skeletal dysplasia, a disease that can be deadly for their baby. Using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, doctors are able to identify which embryos carry the genetic disease. Then, they can transfer healthy embryos to the surrogate’s uterus.
Time will tell if the couple opts to try again with their current fertility plan of using IVF technology and a surrogate. We certainly wish them well, and view them as an inspiration and an example of just what is possible with technological advancements in fertility treatments and surrogacy.
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Tags: Arnold, Bad News, Bill Klein, Dr. Hearns, Dr. Munabi, Embryos, Fertility Treatment, Fertility Treatments, Genetic Cause, Genetic Diagnosis, Genetic Disease, Health Issues, Health Risk, Implantation, IVF technology, Miscarriage, PA Infertility, Philadelphia Infertility, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, Reading PA Infer, Reproductive Science Institute of Suburban Philadelphia, Rsi, Season Finale, Serious Health, Setback, Skeletal Dysplasia, Surrogacy Journey, Surrogate, Technological Advancements, Tlc, Uterus, Wyomissing
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Friday, January 21st, 2011
Maybe you’ve re-married and you and/or your spouse have children from a prior relationship. Or perhaps you’re experiencing “secondary infertility” after having one or more kids naturally. Whatever the case may be, if you decide to choose a surrogate to help you have another child (or children), you’ll likely be asked plenty of questions from the kids already in the picture.
To help you have the conversation with them, we’ve designed a few ground rules to follow. These will enable you to avoid too much confusion or awkwardness as you move forward with your decision to use a surrogate.
Rules to Help You Explain Surrogacy to Your Current Children:
- Don’t lie. If you’ve decided to go with a surrogate, be honest about it.
- Be age-appropriate. If your children are young enough, they don’t really need to know the details. If they are older, they’ll require more information.
- Understand that they might not like your decision. Your children may be hesitant to embrace new siblings, regardless of whether you use a surrogate or not. Afford them the opportunity to express themselves without rebuke.
- Allow your children to process this information. Unless they’ve heard of surrogacy before, it might be an unknown and/or confusing idea. Give them time.
- If it seems to be appropriate given your circumstances, invite the child (or children) to come to a fertility appointment. (Be aware that it may not be a good idea for them to meet the surrogate; you will want to discuss that kind of approach with a counselor initially.)
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Tags: Appointment, Awkwardness, Circumstances, Confusion, Counselor, Current, Express, Fertility, Infertility, Opportunity, Relationship, Secondary Infertility, Siblings, Surrogate
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Thursday, November 11th, 2010
If you’ve ever watched Trading Spaces, the phenomenal program that aired on TLC several years ago, you were no doubt mesmerized by the abilities of Vern Yip. And now he’s about to become a daddy… for the second time!
Yip and his partner worked with a surrogate to allow them to become parents again. And (through their media reps) it appears that they couldn’t be happier!
Of course, you don’t have to be a Hollywood star or a household name to consider surrogacy; in fact, it’s becoming more and more acceptable in America as the facts (rather than myths) of fertility issues begin to filter into the mainstream.
If you’re considering surrogacy or would just like to know more about the process, feel free to visit RSI at our Philadelphia area office. We’ll be happy to give you a consultation and help you determine if working with a surrogate is the best solution for you (and/or your partner.)
And, as we always say when we mention a “happy ending” for any person… we wish Yip and his family all the joys that parenthood can bring!
Tags: Best Solution, Consultation, Fertility Issues, Hollywood, Hollywood Star, Household Name, Mainstream, Miracles, Myths, No Doubt, Parenthood, Parents, Partner, Philadelphia Area, Rsi, Second Time, surrogacy, Surrogate, Trading Spaces, Vern Yip
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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
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Friday, August 20th, 2010
Neil Patrick Harris, star of the 1990′s “Doogie Houser, M.D.”, will soon be bouncing twins on his knee.
Harris (who officially identified himself as a homosexual several years ago) and his partner, David Burtka, chose to use a surrogate over adopting a child. The surrogate’s identity has not been revealed (which is typical during the surrogacy process), but Harris has confirmed that the twins are due this autumn.
We wish Harris and Burtka much joy as their family doubles!
If you’re interested in learning more about surrogacy as an option OR if you wish to become a surrogate to a family struggling with fertility issues, contact the fertility specialists at RSI.
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Tags: 1990s, Adopting A Child, Autumn, David Burtka, Doogie Houser, Fertility Issues, Fertility Specialists, List Of Stars, Miracles, Neil Patrick Harris, Parents, Partner David, Patrick Star, Surrogate, Twins
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Friday, July 9th, 2010
As we’ve blogged about before, Celine Dion recently announced that she was pregnant with twins after undergoing six rounds of IVF treatment.
A few days ago, 19-weeks pregnant Dion announced the gender of her twins, and it’s baby blue all the way! Two boys will be joining the family (mom, dad and 9-year-old big brother who was also conceived after fertility treatments) at the end of the year.
Reportedly, Dion is thrilled with the outcome of her IVF journey, which she has admitted in the past hasn’t been simple.
A Little Bit of Info about IVF…
IVFstands for in vitro fertilization, a medical process whereby a human egg (ova) is fertilized by a human sperm outside the womb. The fertilized egg is then transferred to the womb of the mother (or, in cases where a woman cannot carry a child to term because of complications, an approved surrogate.)
The rate of success during IVF varies widely depending on a number of factors, including the age of the mother, the ability of the reproductive health specialist, the health of the parents, etc. However, thanks to medical improvements, live birth rates continue to increase around the world.
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Tags: Baby Blue, Big Brother, Birth Rates, Celine Dion, Family Mom, Fertility Treatments, Few Days, Hasn, Health Specialist, Human Egg, Human Sperm, IVF treatment, Little Bit, Miracles, Mom Dad, Reproductive Health, Surrogate, Two Boys, Vitro Fertilization, womb
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
The hit show “Brothers and Sisters” is tackling the topics of surrogacy and egg donation head-on this season.
Characters Kevin and Scotty, a gay couple looking to have a child together, will go through what storyline officials are calling the “ups and downs” of surrogacy. Though the pair has already chosen a surrogate, they have yet to begin the process of finding an egg donor.
It will be fascinating to see the way the drama unfolds throughout the coming months. And it will be equally interesting to evaluate how true-to-life the script’s representation of surrogacy and egg donation is.
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Tags: Brothers And Sisters, Egg Donation, Egg Donor, Egg Head, Fall Newsletter, Gay Child, Gay Couple, Miracles, Rsi, surrogacy, Surrogate, True To Life, Tv Show, Ups, ups and downs
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Friday, November 6th, 2009
It’s always interesting when a famous individual speaks out on a topic related to fertility, as it offers us an opportunity to have a dialogue.
This week, Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex in the City”) talked candidly about surrogacy. (She and husband Matthew Broderick became parents in June thanks to the help of a surrogate who gave birth to the couple’s twins.)
We recommend that you look over the article because it contains some very honest thoughts on the topic of surrogacy. It also dispels the myth that Parker was somehow looking to a surrogate to avoid changing her body shape (as would occur in a natural pregnancy.)
If, after you read the piece, you’re still filled with more questions than answers, feel free to contact our offices for a consultation. That way, you can learn more about how surrogacy might work in your situation.
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Tags: Body Shape, Consultation, Dialogue, Fall Newsletter, Fertility, Honest Thoughts, Husband Matthew, Matthew Broderick, Miracles, Myth, Natural Pregnancy, Parents, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex In The City, Surrogate, Twins
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