Gay Couples One Step Closer to Having Their Own Babies After Stem Cell Breakthrough

by Dominic Preston, FrontiersMedia.com, February 25, 2015

A major breakthrough in stem cell research at the University of Cambridge and Israel’s Wiezmann Institute of Science has opened the door to the possibility of same-sex couples being able to have children together in the future.

The researchers used stem cells from embryos and skin cells from adults to create new, viable stem cells, using a technique that has previously been used to create live baby mice. Azim Surani, Wellcome Trust project leader and professor of physiology and reproduction at Cambridge, explained that this represented a significant milestone:

“We have succeeded in the first and most important step of this process, which is to show we can make these very early human stem cells in a dish.”

Perhaps most excitingly, the researchers admitted that it was possible to create stem cells from donors of the same gender, and that egg and sperm cells could also be created in the future. Jacob Hanna, the lead on the Israeli research team, explained that members of the gay community have already reached out to the researchers:

“It has already caused interest from gay groups because of the possibility of making egg and sperm cells from parents of the same sex.”

Click here to read the entire article.

in Egg Donation / IVF / Known Donor / Legal / Parenting / Science / Surrogacy  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

COLAGE creates survey for individuals born to LGBQ parent(s) through ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology)

via Mombian – February 20, 2015

Help COLAGE, the national organization for those with LGBTQ parents, create a guide for youth and young adults born through assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

COLAGE is asking children of LGBQ parents to complete a confidential survey to help them prepare the informational guide. They explain on their website:

It will include conversations addressing different experiences youth face when talking about their method of conception and other things that come up when talking to peers and in their communities. This survey focuses on LGB families and we will have another survey that focuses specifically on families with trans and gender queer parents.

The finished guide will be available on the COLAGE website in electronic format and will be inclusive of all ART methods that LGBTQ families are using to create families.

This survey is for gaining information to create the COLAGE Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) Guide in hopes of increasing awareness of and providing support and empowerment to people with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer parent(s). We are looking for parent(s) who have used ART or youth, young adults, and adults born through ART who would be comfortable sharing their experiences. We are interested in families who have used surrogacy, donor insemination, in vitro fertilization, and any other methods of ART. If you are a trans or gender queer parent or have a trans or gender queer parent, please contact Robin Marquis at robin@colage.org for a survey designed specifically for you and your family!

Click here to go to the survey page!

in Egg Donation / IVF / Parenting  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

Men Having Babies San Francisco Surrogacy Conference & Expo

By Jenae, allthingssurrogacy.com – February 16, 2015

Recently,  I had the opportunity to attend the Men Having Babies Surrogacy Conference and Expo in San Francisco, CA. I had heard of the Men Having Babies organization before, but until this recent event had not had a chance to attend one of the conferences. So, with three local SurroSisters in tow, we headed into the city for a day to focus on one of our favorite topics….Surrogacy!

My purpose for attending the MHB Conference, was an opportunity to see what the seminar was all about, the type of information they were sharing, resources they’re promoting, and to connect with other surrogacy professionals in attendance. Education is important to me and being the surrogacy advocate that I am, I couldn’t wait for the days activities!

We started the day by arriving at the LGBT Center early to attend the surrogacy professionals breakfast upstairs. It was such a treat to be able to meet so many wonderful organizations, agencies and fertility clinics! I am always up for meeting new agencies, clinics, and organizations as it gives me the chance to find out what they have to offer you all as surrogates and parents to be!

Armed with my camera in hand, and my SurroSisters taking notes, we made our way from the 4th floor (where the professionals and sponsors were set up as the Expo) down to the 2nd floor Rainbow Room where the seminars were being held. The room was close to packed as we entered, with a line of men still at the door checking in for the day’s event.

How great is that to see a room full of at least 200 men eager for knowledge and understanding of how the surrogacy process works?! All those men we shared a room with that day were there with the same goal in mind, to start their family. It was such a great vibe!

Ron Poole-Dayan and Anthony Brown, Esq., both of Men Having Babies, and Judy Appel of Our Family Coalition started things off with a warm welcome and introduction. After introductions and review of the agenda, they quickly went to business. They began with explaining the Surrogacy process (something they’re both familiar with as both Ron and Anthony had their children through surrogacy), information on egg donation, FAQ’s, agency information; as well as what it means to go “independent”. I feel that they did a great job explaining the process and appreciated that they left time for members in the audience to ask questions.

Click here to read the entire article.

in Education / Egg Donation / IVF / Legal / Parenting / Surrogacy  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

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.

Click here to read the entire article.

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

New Ruling: IRS Can Tax Payments To Egg Donors As Income

by Tony Nitti – Forbes Contributor – January 22, 2015

Among the many injustices life dishes out on a daily basis is the fact that many women who are actively trying to become pregnant cannot do so, while every teenager with more hormones and free time than common sense seemingly can’t keep from getting pregnant.

It’s a struggle I witnessed personally when my older sister tried unsuccessfully for years to conceive a child, her painful emotional battle reaching its nadir when an apathetic doctor explained to her that, “some women just aren’t meant to have children.”

Fourteen years and three beautiful girls later, my sister got the last laugh. But the process was far from easy, which is the reality for many women. And this is precisely why the fertility industry has become a billion dollar business.

There are no shortage of available alternatives for women struggling to get pregnant; unfortunately, they are typically intrusive and expensive. One option, which is the thrust of our discussion here, is “egg donation,” whereby a female donor is supplied with hormones that increase her egg production. The eggs are then removed, fertilized in a laboratory, and ultimately implanted in the intended recipient.

The term “egg donation” is a bit of a misnomer, however, because rarely is the egg “donated” in the traditional, altruistic sense. Rather, the donor is typically compensated, and compensated well. This, as you might imagine, has led to a rather big tax conundrum: do the amounts received by the donor in exchange for her eggs constitute taxable income?

The issue has been a huge topic of conversation on egg donor message boards (yes, there is such a thing) and in the fertility industry at large. And for good reason: because until today, there was no answer. Hours ago, however, that all changed, when the Tax Court concluded that amounts received by a donor represented taxable compensation income.

Click here to rear the entire article.

in Egg Donation / IVF / Legal / Legislation  by Anthony Brown 0 comments

The IVF egg donor: ‘I knew I didn’t want children. I’ve just found out I have three’

by Joanna Moorehead – The Guardian, December 20, 2014

Vanessa Traill has never had sex, but last week she discovered she has three children: two girls and a boy. One day she’d love to meet them, but that won’t be for 15 or 20 years and Traill, 36, couldn’t be happier about that. She’s never gone a bundle on babies, and much prefers children when they’re older: in fact it was her lack of maternal instinct that led her to where she is now.

Traill is an altruistic egg donor. She’s one of a growing number of women, according to figures just released by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), who are offering to go through the physically demanding process of having their ovaries stimulated, and the medically invasive procedure to retrieve their eggs, in order to help a woman or couple they’ve never met, and never will, to have a baby.

The new figures show that over the last five years the number of IVF cycles where fresh donated eggs are used is up by more than 50%. Among women over 45, more now use donated eggs than their own when using medical assistance to get pregnant. Other HFEA figures released at the end of October revealed that the number of women registering as altruistic donors has risen every year since 2006.

More than half of those who register are, like Traill, over 30. It was around six years ago that she first started to think about becoming a donor. “I’ve given blood all my life, and I carry an organ donor card,” she says. “So when I picked up a magazine and saw an article about egg donation I thought: ‘I could do that.’ I knew I didn’t want children, and I thought I was probably fertile – and I guess I thought, ‘I don’t want to use my eggs but if someone else can, why not?’”

Traill is gay, though she says she has never had a relationship she wanted to take to the sexual phase. But her celibate status was irrelevant to the egg donation process. When she contacted the Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine(GCRM), which she says she liked the idea of being associated with because it’s connected with Glasgow University where she works as an academic teaching medieval history, staff talked her through the complicated process of giving eggs. She also had extensive fertility tests – and they showed, as she had expected they would, that she had a good egg reserve and would make an excellent donor.

Click here to read the entire article.

in Egg Donation / Surrogacy  by Anthony Brown 0 comments