Defenders examine business side of surrogacy, donors

By Myra Arthur, KSAT.com – February 5, 2015

SAN ANTONIO – The compensation paid to surrogates and donors who help otherwise childless couples conceive is often not set by state or federal law.

Instead, it is left to fertility clinics and surrogacy agencies to determine.

Geography and cost of living influence the pay a surrogate can receive, while the American Society of Reproductive Medicine sets guidelines for how much money a donor should receive.

“I’m often their final hope, their final resource,” said Cori Smelker, who runs Surrogate Angels of San Antonio.

Smelker has given birth to six children as a surrogate and five children of her own.

“A first-time surrogate could get as little at $15,000 or possibly as much as $25,000 to $30,000, depending on the agency and what she’s asking for and the couple she’s carrying for,” she said.

Surrogacy agencies will likely pay more for multiple births or lost wages if the surrogate is employed and must go on bed-rest.

A sperm-donor can make, on average, $4,000 over six months, according to www.beaspermdonor.com.

Compensation for egg-donation can also vary, according to Dr. Summer James, reproductive endocrinology & infertility specialist at Texas Fertility Center.

“Per ASRM guidelines, somewhere around $5,000 to $10,000,” James said. “We tend to offer egg-donors between $5,000 and $6,000 in our program.”

Most clinics self-govern, James said, by following the guidelines of the ASRM, which also sets guidelines on who can donate and how donors should be screened and selected.

The FDA has its own regulations.

ASRM recommends a woman not donate eggs more than six times.

James says violating ASRM guidelines doesn’t always come with a penalty, but such were the circumstances in the infamous “Octomom” case.

Dr. Randal Robinson, reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist at UT Medicine San Antonio, agrees that the majority of fertility clinics follow the same guidelines.

“I think that’s the thing we always have the concern about is to make sure we’re not inducing people that really don’t have that altruistic spirit,” Robinson said. “I think that, if anything, clinics are probably more conservative and follow the rules to an ever greater degree because of the concern that if something unusual happened, what negative publicity that would provide to the specialty and the clinic itself.”

The majority of donors contribute eggs anonymously, Robinson added.

“I really feel like its regulated well. It’s working medically. It’s working legally,” James said.

Those within the fertility field believe it is unlikely one could make a living off of the compensation surrogates or donors receive.

“The compensation is really going to be for time off work, for discomfort, for the surgical procedure she will have to undergo to have eggs removed,” said James.

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in Egg Donation / In the News / Legal / Surrogacy  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

Children born via surrogacy to gay dads share their stories – Part 2

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U.K. Parliament approves controversial three-parent mitochondrial gene therapy

ScienceMag.org By Gretchen Vogel Erik Stokstad – February 3, 2015

The United Kingdom’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly today to allow British researchers to pursue a new fertility treatment that could prevent certain kinds of genetic diseases. The technique, called mitochondrial DNA replacement therapy, could allow women who carry disease-causing mutations in their mitochondrial genes to give birth to genetically related children free of mitochondrial disease.

The measure, which passed 382 to 128, has been controversial, especially because it would alter the DNA of an embryo in a way that could be passed on to future generations. Some scientists and nongovernmental organizations have argued that not enough is known about possible side effects of the technique to go forward in human patients. “We believe the House of Commons has made a serious mistake, which we hope does not have dire consequences,” said Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society in Berkeley, California, in a statement.

Proponents of the measure quickly began to celebrate. “I am delighted that [members of Parliament] have voted to allow the introduction of mitochondrial transfer techniques into the clinic,” said John Tooke, president of the Academy of Medical Sciences in London, in a statement. Robert Meadowcroft, head of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in London, added: “We have finally reached a milestone in giving women an invaluable choice, the choice to become a mother without fear of passing on a lifetime under the shadow of mitochondrial disease to their child.”

Mitochondria are the energy-producing engines of a cell. These organelles contain their own set of genes, called mtDNA. When mitochondria don’t work properly, a variety of symptoms can result, which can make mitochondrial diseases difficult to recognize and diagnose. Some babies born with defective mitochondria die within months. Other people don’t show any symptoms until much later in life.

Researchers have developed ways to transfer the genetic material from an egg cell that carries faulty mitochondria into a donor egg that has healthy mitochondria. The resulting embryo carries nuclear DNA from the mother and father and mitochondrial DNA from the egg donor.

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in In the News / International / IVF / Religious / Science  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

How mitochondrial donation involved in three parent babies works

TheTelegraph.co.uk – by The Agency, February 3, 2015

MPs will tomorrow decide whether mitochondrial donation allowing IVF babies to be born with DNA from three different people should be made legal.

The technique involves replacing DNA in an egg in order to prevent devastating inherited mitochondrial diseases.

What are mitochondria?

Mitochondria are tiny rod-like structures in cells which act as power houses, generating the energy that allows our bodies to function. Unusually, they have their own DNA, distinct from the genetic material within the cell nucleus. Mitochondrial DNA (mDNA) makes up about 0.1% of a cell’s total DNA and does not affect individual characteristics such as appearance and personality.

What causes mitochondria disease?

Harmful mutations in mitochondrial DNA can prevent the mitochondria working properly, resulting in a number of diseases some of which can be serious and life threatening. They may affect major organs and cause conditions ranging from poor vision to diabetes and muscle wasting.

How are mitochondria diseases passed on?

Children may inherit mitochondrial DNA defects from their mothers, but not their fathers. People with faulty mDNA can develop symptoms or be carriers of the condition without experiencing ill-effects themselves.

What is mitochondria donation?

Defective mDNA from a mother’s egg can be replaced with healthy mDNA from a donor. This will then prevent the harmful mutations being inherited and passed onto future generations.

What are the techniques involved?

There are two different procedures, one carried out before fertilisation and the other after.

Maternal Spindle Transfer (MST) involves first removing the nuclear DNA from a donor egg whose mitochondria are healthy. The “spindle” of chromosomes containing the mother’s nuclear DNA is then taken from her egg and inserted into the donor egg. As a result, the donor egg is left with nuclear DNA from the mother and mDNA from the donor. This healthy egg is then fertilised and implanted into the mother’s womb.

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