tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66970574802648509352024-02-08T05:33:59.773-08:00Nurture Egg Donor BlogSouth Africa's premier egg donor programTertiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17041136587660938690noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-59156824572547376692011-02-24T22:34:00.000-08:002011-02-25T00:41:29.500-08:00What Makes A Good Egg Donor Agency<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">When you’ve made the important decision to start or expand your family through <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nurture.co.za">egg donation</a>, the next vital step you need to take is to select a reputable <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nurture.co.za">egg donation agency</a>.</p><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4d6EQh2anNw/TWdpk_TGHbI/AAAAAAAAAH0/FFz0dEswquI/s200/bs241055.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577542747709382066" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">A great egg donation agency is a bit like a doctor with a great bedside manner.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>An understanding best friend who is always willing to listen and an attentive councillor, who can guide you through challenging times all rolled into one! Infertility is a tough, lonely place – you need all the help you can get, to keep your sanity and your sense of humour in tact.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">Not only will a <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nurture.co.za">good agency</a> provide you with a large database of wonderful and carefully pre-screened egg donors to choose from, but it will ensure that you receive excellent service from them as well as from the fertility clinic where you will be treated, every step of the way. This means that there will be constant interaction and intervention between the agency, the fertility clinic and the egg donor, and that you will be kept well informed at all times during the process.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">An <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nurture.co.za">egg donor program</a> that is managed and facilitated by a really good egg donation agency, will help donor recipients to better understand the process, answer any and all questions with patience and clarity. This will save prospective recipients from the trouble of having to wade through and trying to comprehend any medical or legal issues that they would like to clarify. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">In South Africa, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.nurture.co.za">egg donor agencies</a> are primarily located in the major cities such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. In some instances, donor agencies have donors who are willing to travel to other cities to participate in the program.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">When choosing a donor agency, prospective donor egg recipients need to explore important criteria such as the agency’s reputation, its affordability, efficiency, availability of egg donors, professionalism, the period of time it has been in existence, its association with top fertility clinics in the area and the quality of its service. <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph">Another aspect that makes an egg donation agency excellent is its commitment to continuously expand and keep fresh its database of profiled egg donors by recruiting new donors. A great agency will also offer immediate feedback to any queries pertaining to egg donation fertility treatment.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">A good egg donor agency doesn’t over promise and under-deliver. A good egg donor agency makes sure that all their donors that are listed as available, ARE available and meet the prescribed criteria. A good egg donor agency knows that by the time a recipient couple has reached the point of egg donation, they are tired, heartbroken and financially and emotionally depleted. </span></p><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3fiW7KyYxo/TWdnJGFMhVI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Hm_q-XsxO6k/s200/sbs011221.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577540069470537042" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">A good egg donor agency does their utmost to ensure that this is the last chapter of the journey that ends with the words <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>“….and they all lived happily ever after”</i>.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:black;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:#FF0066">Contact Details for Nurture Egg Donor Program<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:#FF0066">Contact Person:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:black"> Tertia Albertyn<br /></span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:#FF0066">Contact Number Local:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black"> 0824418639<br /></span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:#FF0066">Contact Number International:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black"> (+27824418639)<br /></span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:#FF0066">Website:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black"> </span><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">www.nurture.co.za</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri; color:black"> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-78670128064228923782011-02-10T13:14:00.000-08:002011-02-10T13:52:33.018-08:00Nurture Green...<div style="text-align: justify;"><img src="data:image/jpg;base64,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" />The very name of our company, <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture</a>, embodies caring, caretaking and cherishing. We proudly live up to our name, not only in the myriad of ways that we care about the well-being of our clients, but also in the proactive steps we take to extend that same kindness to the environment.</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Although Nurture is a small company, consisting of only six women, we s</span>trive to make an enormous difference in the world. That is why we also endeavour to be as eco-conscious as possible.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Being ‘green’ is the new black nowadays, but our </span>eco-conscious efforts are not about trying to be trendy or politically correct. It turns out the issue hits close to all of our hearts. In recent years, various studies conducted by researchers around the world have come to the disturbing conclusion that a range of environmental toxins, including traffic pollution, are responsible for an increase in male infertility.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">In an effort to minimise our own carbon footprint, all of us at Nurture work from home. Apart from the obvious perks this entail – such as being able to spend more precious time with our families and not having to deal with maddening traffic jams du</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">ring a daily commute – it also means that we are polluting less, since minimal driving translates into less harmful carbon fumes being released. Not to mention less personal fuming due</span> to road rage! Those are just as harmful to everyone’s general health and well-being.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><img src="data:image/jpg;base64,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" />By telecommuting, we also save money on fuel (score!) and we save paper (and by extension, trees) too, since we handle most of our correspondence online. All of our donor applications, consent forms , recipient applications and agreements, and proof of payment notifications are conveniently done online. We print documents only when absolutely necessary, such </span>as when a recipient requests a fully signed agreement, in which case the document is printed, signed and scanned, before once again being sent back as an online attachment.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US">By doing our part, we hope to preserve the planet for all o</span>f our and your children – present and future.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Contact Details for <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture Egg Donor Program</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">Contact Person</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;color:black;mso-fareast-language:EN-ZA">: Tertia Albertyn<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CVPSWGoaXYM/TVRcJyNv4hI/AAAAAAAAAG0/5bt5sXdFnL0/s200/prickly%2Bheart.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 173px; height: 166px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572179962132161042" /><b>Contact Number Local</b>: 0824418639<br /><b>Contact Number International</b>: (+27824418639)<br /><b>Website:</b> <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za">www.nurture.co.za</a></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-79675527374102507782011-02-07T10:04:00.000-08:002011-02-08T08:43:08.256-08:00A Nurture Egg Donor's story...<div align="justify">My experience as a <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture</a> Egg Donor…<br /><br />I am one of the lucky ones… my husband and I conceived easily and I had 2 healt<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVA3uOEuCqI/AAAAAAAAAFk/pIUTxX-JwEw/s1600/85540cor.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 124px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 151px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571014006248704674" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVA3uOEuCqI/AAAAAAAAAFk/pIUTxX-JwEw/s320/85540cor.jpg" /></a>hy, full-term pregnancies. I have been blessed with 2 beautiful, precious, extremely active boys. Many of my friends have not been as lucky, I have watched over the years as many of them struggled to fall pregnant and keep pregnancies. I have watched them go through IVF and even surrogacy and have always said to my husband ‘ I wish there was more I could do to help’.<br /></div>A few months ago, I went to a fundraising talk for a school in our area and the speaker happened to talk on her experience with surrogacy. I was blown away! Tertia and Kim from the <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture Eg</a><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">g Donor programme</a> also spoke and presented the egg donation process. They mentioned that they only accepted donors until they were 33. My birthday was a few months away and I was nearing the deadline! I discussed it with my husband and friends and decided that this was something I really wanted to do. I felt like I could finally help someone, even if it was not a close friend, and I knew that if I did not do it now, I would miss the opportunity.<br /><br /><div align="justify">I contacted Nurture, filled in the application form and so the process began. I met with Melany, who explained the entire procedure to me. She answered all my questions and dealt with all of my concerns. She also detailed the risks involved are and exactly what I would be committing to. I have spoken at length about my decision with friends and family. A lot of the questions that were posed to me, were ones that my husband and I discussed prior to making the decision to donate. We were obviously concerned about the hormones I would be injecting, about the actual retrieval procedure, and about the fact that in 20 years time, one of our sons could meet and potentially like a young lady who has half of their genetic make-up!!! My husband is a doctor and after getting all the information from Melany regarding the hormones and actual procedure, he was very comfortable that it was low-risk and well-managed. </div><div align="justify"><br />I got a phone call to say that my profile had been selected and then received a letter (via Melany) from my recipient. It was the most genuine, heartfelt, grateful letter I have ever received and after reading it and learning more about my recipient and her journey, I knew that I had made the right decision! I had to go for blood tests and a scan at the Cape Fertility Clinic. Dr Heylen and his staff were wonderful – very honest and professional and approachable. I felt extremely comfortable. </div><div align="justify"><br />I know that a lot of people have found it difficult to understand that my need to help someone actually overrides the 10 days of hormone treatment and the fear of a procedure. The anaesthetic is very light one and I was home the same day. I really feel that 12 days of my life is a small sacrifice to make, to give someone else such a life-changing gift! I can find out (if the recipient couple will allow) the sex of the baby when it is born. This will allow me to discuss things easier with my sons. Once they are old enough to understand, I will have the conversation with them and explain to them, what I chose to do and why. </div><div align="justify"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVFvqdxw0rI/AAAAAAAAAGE/fHX8b5fPjT0/s1600/community.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 232px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571356989372551858" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVFvqdxw0rI/AAAAAAAAAGE/fHX8b5fPjT0/s320/community.jpg" /></a><br />I have had the reactions I was expecting, like; <em>‘That is amazing, so selfless, what an awesome thing to do.’</em> I have also had some that I was not expecting; <em>‘You are mad! What if the kid comes looking for you in 18 years time?’</em> The way I look at it is that this is not ‘my’ child, I am not the Mother, I am merely giving potential…. I really feel that the recipient will carry the child and that the baby will be hers completely. I have also been asked; <em>‘wow, are you getting paid a fat sum of money for doing that?’</em> and have shut those people up, by explaining that I am not selling my eggs to some market! The money that I am being paid is for my time, travel costs and effort, which I have decided to donate to an NGO that has an awesome Mothers Programme. I want this to be a selfless act, with absolutely no financial gain! </div><div align="justify"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVFvS6H_0yI/AAAAAAAAAF8/81oGINe83yE/s1600/egg%2B2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 85px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 113px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571356584665142050" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVFvS6H_0yI/AAAAAAAAAF8/81oGINe83yE/s320/egg%2B2.jpg" /></a><br />I begin with the injections tomorrow and the retrieval date is booked for 12 days time. So, I will write after that to fill you all in on how that goes! I will certainly do everything I can and can only pray that this works for the recipient couple!!! I have found that it helps when I feel anxious, to put myself in their shoes…. They have far more at stake and put in perspective, I have nothing to be scared of and am inspired by their faith and perseverance. So far the experience has bee<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TVDtgezkniI/AAAAAAAAAF0/cGvRfQsH2-0/s1600/crbs0641531.jpg"></a>n a very positive, humbling one!!! </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">TBC…. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-38935444898108778232010-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:002010-11-29T11:46:06.721-08:00SURROGACY Q&A<div align="justify"><em>Nurture founder, Tertia Loebenberg answers questions around Surrogacy and IVF/Egg Donation and fertlity issues...</em><br /><br /><strong>It seems about 25% of surrogacies require donor eggs - under what circumstances do surrogate couples require donor eggs? </strong><br />When a woman is unable to get pregnant, or stay pregnant, and it has been established that female fertility issues are the cause. The reasons why, could be grouped into two main categories: the quality of her eggs could be inadequate to conceive (due to age, genetic reasons or other), or her womb is unable to sustain a pregnancy. In the majority of cases, her inability to conceive is due to egg factors, but sometimes both her eggs are of insufficient quality and her womb is unable to sustain a pregnancy. In that case, she would need an egg donor and a gestational surrogate.<br /><br /><strong>Could the egg donor be the surrogate mum? </strong><br />Theoretically yes, but it adds a layer of complexity that is best avoided. If the intended mother’s eggs are of insufficient quality, it is strongly recommended that she makes use of an egg donor as well.<br /><br /><strong>What does the law say wrt egg donation?<br /></strong>At this present time there are two laws which are relevant to donor eggs:<br /><br />1. The Human Tissue Act<br /><br />This law states that it is illegal to buy or sell any type of human tissue. Egg donors are not allowed to ‘sell’ their eggs. The donation must be done purely for altruistic reasons. However, they are entitled to compensation for travel expenses, time away from the work place, and discomfort from the injections and procedure.<br /><br />The Human tissue act also requires the donor and recipient to remain anonymous to each other.<br /><br />2. The Children’s Act</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">The surrogacy section of the new Children’s Act is still not yet enacted, although it is close to being signed off. Currently a standard adoption process must still take place between the surrogate and the commissioning couple.<br /><br />This law states that the birth mother is the legal mother of the child. This implies that once the donor has donated her eggs, she no longer has any legal rights or responsibilities toward the child born from the eggs. The reverse applies in the case of a surrogate carrying a child.<br /><br />Both recipient and donor are required to sign a consent form acknowledging that they have been informed and understand the legal aspects of egg donation.<br /><br /><strong>Are things the same if it is donor sperm required? </strong>Yes<br /><br /><strong>Is this market being abused? How so?</strong><br />It isn’t abused, although there is a perception, by a few people who like to sensationalize this type of thing, that egg donors are simple, uninformed young women who lured or enticed and submitted to the process without any idea of what they are getting themselves into. Firstly, our donors are all 21 and older, most of them are in their late 20’s. Secondly, these are educated, intelligent women who are making an informed decision. They get briefed thoroughly by ourselves, and then again by the medical professionals. They are carefully screened both by a qualified psychologist (who will go over all the issues with them once again), and then again by the doctors.<br /><br /><strong>How does payment for eggs get administered?<br /></strong>The egg donor is not paid for her eggs, she is however compensated for her travelling costs, time and inconvenience.<br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-37873890281984187642010-11-27T04:58:00.000-08:002010-11-27T05:30:42.364-08:00Egg Donation – A Truly Special Gift<div align="justify">Imagine if you could give the gift of life to somebody, if you could pu<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TPEFOdRwULI/AAAAAAAAAFM/eroFLyis5xQ/s1600/85540cor.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544218362205196466" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TPEFOdRwULI/AAAAAAAAAFM/eroFLyis5xQ/s320/85540cor.jpg" /></a>t an</div><div align="justify">end to a fellow human being’s heart ache. If you are a woman between 21 and 34, you can, simply by donating some of your eggs. This gift could give infertile mothers-in-waiting the chance to have what so many of us take for granted – a child.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture</a> is a South African egg donor and <a href="http://www.surrogacy.co.za/">surrogacy</a> programme set up in 2008 to respond to the increasing demand for donor eggs. The first successful egg donation in humans was achieved in 1984, but, while it represented a major breakthrough in modern reproductive treatment, egg donation was still out of reach for many desperate South African mothers-to-be.<br /><br />The brainchild of Tertia Albertyn, an infertility patient who conceived her twins on her 9th IVF, and Melany Bartok, a former egg donor, Nurture was set up make egg donation affordable and accessible to local couples. <em>“Infertility is something I am passionate about,”</em> explains Albertyn. <em>“There was such a need for a local player to come onto the scene, one run by people who really understand fertility. Helping others gives some kind of meaning and sense to all the pain and loss I went through.”<br /><br /></em>One in every six couples struggles to conceive. That is not an insignificant number. And of these, about 35 per cent of the cause for infertility rests with the woman. Vitalab Fertility Clinic’s Dr Merwyn Jacobsen says infertility in women can be attributed to a number of problems, including having poor quality eggs, or no eggs at all: <em>“Many women are unable to produce eggs from their own ovaries. The early onset of menopause leaves a woman with no hormones, and no eggs. Some women’s bodies fail to ovulate, while exposure to auto immune diseases and cancer treatments can kill or harm eggs. Some genetic diseases may also be carried over in the eggs, making it difficult to conceive.”</em><br /><br />To date, Nurture has recorded a success rate of over 65% per attempt(which includes eight sets of twins) which in itself is remarkable, as Albertyn explains: “<em>These are women who have been trying for years and years with no success and lots of losses. It gives such divine hope.”</em> Albertyn credits the top-class clinics Nurture deals with – including Vitalab – for much of their success. <em>“I have 100 percent faith in the clinics we use. This is their area of expertise and they are among the best in the world. We know that when we send our donors and our recipients to a clinic like Vitalab, they will be well looked after and have the best possible chance at success. We are also very strict about which donors to bring on board, which adds to our success.”</em><br /><br />Prospective donors can apply online (<a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a>) and complete an initial application which is screened by Nurture. Once screened and accepted, the prospective donor must complete a comprehensive application form which, when approved, is followed by a face-to-face interview. <em>“Perhaps one of our biggest strengths is our database of donors,”</em> says Albertyn. <em>“We like to offer each intended parent a large variety of good potential matches. Some parents-to-be focus more on the physical attributes of the donor (so that these match those of the intended mother) while others place more importance on the donor’s personality, her academic achievements or sporting abilities. As diverse as we are as individuals, is as different each of our decision-making process is. It is important to remember that all our donors are anonymous, and only baby pictures are shown to the potential recipient.”<br /></em><br />Unfortunately, while Nurture is justifiably proud of its donor database, there are certain categories of donors which do not have a strong presence. Donors of Indian and Asian descent do not feature much on the database, and Albertyn says there are not nearly enough Black donors. <em>“Infertility, and therefore things like egg donation, are not as readily acceptable or spoken about in certain cultures, which means that fewer Indian, Asian and Black potential donors know about the opportunity to become an egg donor. This is a great pity as there are so many recipients out there who are desperate for someone to help them.”<br /></em><br />“<em>Admittedly, becoming an egg donor is not a decision to take lightly. Donors should carefully consider the emotional, psychological and medical implications of becoming an egg donor. The medical procedure involves the removal of the eggs via vaginal aspiration, and the donors will be placed under conscious sedation – the same procedure as IVF. It is important to know that donating your eggs does not mean you are ‘using up’ your supply of eggs. Instead, the donated eggs are ones that would have normally gone to waste with your monthly cycle. Egg donation is a truly wonderful thing; it gives hope where there was previously none. There are an increasing number of women out there who can finally call themselves ‘mother’ because of the generosity of our donors.”<br /><br /></em>As for the recipient mother, the wonder of this gift of life is unbounded. According to Albertyn, while there is a definite sense of loss when she realises that her child won’t have her DNA, it helps enormously that she will still be playing an important role: that of carrying the baby. As one recipient mother wrote to Nurture: “<em>being on the other side…. I can’t believe how much it (where the egg came from) doesn’t matter. It isn’t possible for me to love this child any more. He’s 100% mine, no matter how he was conceived, or from whom. I know there are so many people struggling with this decision, some feeling that they just can’t go the donor egg route. I’m telling you, once they feel that baby kick, or hold that child in their arms - nothing else matters. I wish I could put them in my life for a day so they could truly see. I wish I could convince everyone who is sitting on the fence with this issue. I have no doubt that some people will miss out on this wonderful opportunity because of the fears they have about donor eggs…..”</em><br /><br />For more information on the egg donor program, please visit <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a>.<br /><br /><br />About <a href="http://www.vitalab.co.za/">Vitalab Fertility Clinic<br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TPEEeQjolqI/AAAAAAAAAFE/rHwEM4bMvrI/s1600/bs241007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 128px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544217534156805794" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TPEEeQjolqI/AAAAAAAAAFE/rHwEM4bMvrI/s320/bs241007.jpg" /></a><br />Vitalab is a unique fertility clinic in South Africa in that it is one of the country’s only comprehensive fertility facilities. Everything from counselling services, pathology facilities, a clinical hypno-fertility service, dietician and radiology department are located under the same roof as the fully licensed IVF operating theatre. All Vitalab’s practitioners are exclusively focused on infertility. The clinic is fast establishing itself as South Africa’s benchmark for assisted conception, combining the most recent advances in medical therapy with an open, holistic approach and the highest levels of patient care. For more information on fertility options, visit www.vitalab.com.<br /><br /><br />About <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture<br /></a>Nurture - South Africa’s premier Egg Donor and Surrogacy program is the creation of two fabulous South Africans who have experienced the heartbreak of infertility first hand - Melany as an egg donor, and Tertia as an infertility patient who went through 9 IVFs to achieve her dream. Joined by two other IVF veterans, Kim (17 IVFs) and Jacci (currently undergoing IVF), the girls at Nurture make a formidable team who combine the best of heart and soul to provide truly excellent service. For more information about egg donation and surrogacy, visit <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Issued on behalf of Vitalab Fertility Clinic by:<br />Jenni Newman Public Relations<br />Jenni Newman CEO<br />Tel: 27 (0) 11 772 1022<br />Cell: 27 (0) 82 882 8888<br />email: jenninewman@jnpr.co.za </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-18100695309063687822010-11-25T02:38:00.000-08:002010-11-25T02:46:25.281-08:00On-Line Fertility Mag<embed style="WIDTH: 420px; HEIGHT: 297px" name="flashticker" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=101104100251-f2c61ce7600949d6ab06652486173fd6&docName=issue_3&username=FertilityRoad&loadingInfoText=Fertility%20Road%20%C2%AD%20Issue%203&et=1290681411324&er=57"></embed> <div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left; WIDTH: 420px"><a href="http://issuu.com/FertilityRoad/docs/issue_3?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=pregnancy" target="_blank">More pregnancy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-24257094867448053512010-11-12T23:08:00.000-08:002010-11-12T23:30:51.274-08:00Would you become an egg donor?<div align="justify"><em>What makes a woman willing to give up her eggs? Two donors explain their thought processes.</em> </div><div align="justify"><br /> </div><div align="justify">Your best friend just broke the news that she can’t have a baby. You’d love to help but the question is whether you’re ready to part with your precious eggs. Are you ready to be an egg donor?<br /><br />An <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">egg donation</a> is the process by which a woman provides one or several (usually 10-15) eggs (ova, oocytes) for purposes of assisted reproduction or biomedical research. For assisted reproduction purposes, egg donation involves the process of in vitro fertilization as the eggs are fertilized in the laboratory.<br /><br />So scientific terms aside, many people wonder what makes a woman want to become an egg donor? Two donors explain. (Names have been kept anonymous for privacy reasons).<br /><br />Donor 1’s story<br /><br />“My best friend was conceived by egg donation and she decided to donate her eggs so someone out there could have a family, just like her mother was able to.<br /><br />“She spoke to me about it and at first I thought she was crazy but over time I understood her reasons and decided I would support her, I would go through the process with her.”<br /><br />Donor 2’s story<br /><br />“5 years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She had big brown eyes that stared across at me from the other end of the room, and I know she couldn't see, but I know in my heart she knew where Mummy was, she knew.<br /><br />“A year later, I found myself to be a single mum to this little angel who had done no wrong in her life. I feared that I would resent her as I could see her father in her, but that was not true. That little girl made me strong, she made me realize that my heart was bigger than I ever imagined, I loved her so much that I would move the world for her.<br /><br />“Life moved on and that little girl, as small as she was, always saw herself as being my protector, I thought it was meant to be the other way around. As the years have gone by, I realized that yes, I did want to have another baby, just like my daughter, but my situation in life did not permit. I still had so much to do in life.<br /><br />“One day I was on the internet and I saw an advert for egg donation, and that is when the thought crossed my mind: I want another baby but life does not permit me to have one now. There are women out there who are struggling to conceive and I could help them. I am young and healthy and I can help another woman experience the joy, the pleasure, the sheer magic of having a child. Another woman can have her dream fulfilled if I could but help.” <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TN48YDC6-hI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Eq1JiCW6D_k/s1600/85540cor.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 206px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538930975544375826" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TN48YDC6-hI/AAAAAAAAAE0/Eq1JiCW6D_k/s320/85540cor.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Research shows that donating your eggs is safe if it’s done correctly and with the correct professional medical care. However, the real concern isn’t a physical one but more an emotional one.<br /><br />It’s not just about giving up your eggs. It’s about giving up a piece of you. While some women feel they can do it and have no emotional attachment to it, others don’t. But those who do donate are giving an amazing gift.<br /><br />Read more on: <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a><br /><br />Article originally in <a href="http://www.parent24.com/Getting_pregnant/conception/Would-you-become-an-egg-donor-20101110">Parent24 </a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-30261629319916402982010-11-10T08:51:00.000-08:002010-11-10T11:25:31.253-08:00Gay Parenting – Navigating the Surrogacy Journey<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TNrQyBgevLI/AAAAAAAAAEc/4KgD5SzQwVM/s1600/g%2B%252811%2529.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537968249622150322" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TNrQyBgevLI/AAAAAAAAAEc/4KgD5SzQwVM/s320/g%2B%252811%2529.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div align="justify">Interestingly enough both my partner and I entered our relationship with no expectations of becoming parents. I think part of being gay is that you sort of accept that you may never be a parent and as such part of our ‘coming out’ process included the mourning of the loss of parenthood. Instead we envisaged a life where we would live vicariously through our siblings and friends who had become parents. Being uncles and God-parents seemed to be what was in store for us.<br /><br />Well, who says paradigms can’t shift? It was my sister who first planted the seed by saying ‘you two would make wonderful parents!’. Parents? Us? Why not? Books, films and various articles all paint an attractive picture of how easy it is to adopt. And so we began exploring the option of adoption. After all, here we are, both well educated, are successful in our careers and have a spacious house to share with a child. Having graduated from the University of Google with my PhD, my frame of reference said that it will be easy to find an adoption agency, we would be screened and voila – new parents within at least 3 months! Plan the baby shower, design a nursery and start screening potential nannies! Well, all of that went out of the window when we realised that there is very little information on adoption in this country, adoption agencies seem to be an urban myth and we were alarmed at the open prejudice by some organisations that will not work with same-sex couples. In addition, we felt that we did not want to explore an inter-racial adoption as the fact that the child would be raised by two dads was already, in our eyes, a unique situation. Eventually we sourced a wonderful social worker, who was willing to work us but after having gone through the screening process, home studies the waiting began. After a year of waiting, with no baby, I continued to research and came across an article about infertility featuring <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">NURTURE</a> who were an egg donation agency ( and at that time, had a <a href="http://www.surrogacy.co.za/">surrogacy programme</a>).<br /><br />As I reflect on the events leading up to this, in retrospect it is amazing how the pieces of the puzzle all slotted in. I recall picking up the phone for the first time and contacted <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/about-us/">Kim</a>. My heart was beating, my palms sweating and I held my breath when I asked the question if they would work with a same sex couple. I nearly collapsed when she nonchalantly said it was not an issue! And so we entered yet another paradigm shift, this time that we could possibly be the genetic parent to a child!<br /><br />Again we entered this surrogacy-IVF process rather naively, as there is so little information out there about surrogacy and in particular about same-sex couples choosing this option to parenthood. Those that have been through the process are reluctant to share their experiences with others and you find that you proceed using your own initiative. Our surrogacy experience has been one of learning, sharing and filled with disappointments and excitement. It has indeed been a roller-coaster ride! Our advice to any intended parents would be to look for the lessons learnt with each hurdle, to stay focused on the what you are wanting to achieve and to trust your instincts! At times we became so caught up in the ‘wanting to be parents’ that we missed some of the warning signs, which had we listened to may have saved us some heart ache. This said, the highs of surrogacy for us have far outweighed any of the disappointments. Some advice that we would suggest that is given some thought is:<br /><br />1. Choose your fertility clinic wisely and make sure that the IVF coordinator will have time to answer your questions and be there to answer your questions, without you feeling that you are imposing. We changed clinics and our second clinic is worlds apart from our first experience. </div><div align="justify"><br />2. Have clear expectations with your surrogate about expectations before, during pregnancy and after the birth. </div><div align="justify"><br />3. Find a lawyer and social worker that you can connect with as they play a vital role in the whole process. </div><div align="justify"><br />4. Be organized ahead of time, although the Child Act has recently changed, expect some confusion at government departments when you register the birth, apply for passport etc </div><div align="justify"><br />5. Choose a gynaecologist and hospital that understands your unique needs. Again we were fortunate to find a doctor and a hospital, that although had never dealt with a same-sex surrogacy before, were keen to help! They made the birth of our daughter a wonderful experience for our whole family and we will forever be grateful to them for this! </div><div align="justify"><br />6. Maintain a sense of humour!<br /><br />As part of the process of <a href="http://www.surrogacy.co.za/">surrogacy</a>, you <img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537968263765822626" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TNrQy2MmDKI/AAAAAAAAAEk/lm7HEPlj3K8/s320/g%2B%252812%2529.jpg" />may have to consider selecting an <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">egg-donor</a>. This is such a personal aspect of the whole process. Both my partner and I looked at the profiles individually and on two occasions chose the same donor and our criteria for our selection was different. It is amazing to think that although we both looked at many profiles, we both ended up with the same choice. Our beautiful daughter resembles both of us in different ways and as she gets older, we have both found ourselves commenting on how she looks like the other! Our view on this is that the right donor is out there for you and something in the profile will attract you to her. Trust that intuition! If you are considering doing the process for a second time, plan ahead and try to secure the same donor so that the children will be biological siblings.<br /><br />In terms of actual parenting it is surprising how often we are asked, “Who/where is the mummy?”. This question has so many implications for us. In terms of parenting, my partner was given 3 months ‘maternity’ leave so for practical purposes we consciously made a decision that he would be the one to stay in the hospital and to do all the things normally associated with a new mum. This does not in any way infer that I have not shared the role as parent. As in our relationship, we have not labelled or assign ourselves to specific roles, instead we chose to do those things that we feel comfortable and confident with. From the very beginning we had said that we need to be comfortable with ourselves and our relationship to answer such questions. Our philosophy is that we need to cultivate confidence from within our family unit in order to face the ‘outside world with its stereotypes’. When posed with this question, we have answered, “Her moms are angels and she has two dads!”. We will share information with people on the basis of what they need to know.<br /><br />Another interesting concept is that we get the question, “How much did it all cost?”. Our decision is that we will not put a price on what it cost to have our child or children. So we normally chose not to answer this question from both a moral and personal perspective. It is strange to think that these are the two most common questions but I expect that people take comfort in contextualising our family set up for themselves. After all, we have been ahead of the characters from ‘ Brothers and Sisters’ so for many people the concept of surrogacy is still new.<br /><br />How are we going to answer questions from our children? Again we had a lot of time to think about such things during our adoption screening. We had our surrogate and her family do a scrap book for our daughter, so that when the time comes, we can give it to her. This may help her process the steps we took to become parents. What we have decided is to explain things in an age appropriate manner – we have made no rules but are drawn to imagery that her mum is an angel and will deal with each situation in the best manner that we can. We expect some challenges along the way, it would be naive not to. Any parent will tell you same.<br /><br />We have been so blessed on our journey towards becoming parents and we are reminded each day as we look at our daughter of the special people we have met along the way. From the team at Nurture, the other professionals and naturally the egg donor and our selfless surrogate for whom the words “Thank You” do not seem enough.<br /><br />A final word of advice, do not enter this process thinking it is going to be a speedy process devoid of any emotion. Be realistic, don’t lose sight of the goal posts and take lessons from any of the set-backs you may encounter! As Kim said to us in the very beginning, “Fasten your seatbelt!”. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Enjoy and the best of luck with the journey that lies ahead. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-36927462113891810272010-11-06T01:47:00.000-07:002010-11-06T02:22:06.218-07:00Ricky Martin's Egg Donor Has a "Good Vibe"<div>Los Angeles - Ricky Martin used the internet to choose an <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/donor-application/">egg donor</a> for his twin sons. </div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TNUd4EaMf-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/o-ue_QMxOXA/s1600/ricky.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 337px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 163px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536364166015385570" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TNUd4EaMf-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/o-ue_QMxOXA/s320/ricky.jpg" /></a><br />The Puerto Rican singer – who is openly gay – chose both an egg donor and <a href="http://www.surrogacy.co.za/">surrogate</a> mother to carry his twins after spending hours poring over internet profiles.<br /><br />Explaining the process to US TV show Access Hollywood, he said: "I sat in front of the computer and I started searching. It definitely was a very beautiful journey.<br /><br />"I know what the donor looks like. Yeah, it's in the computer, you sit down for hours and look at different profiles."<br /><br />When asked by the interviewer what made him choose the particular donor he settled on, Ricky replied: "It's a vibe thing, you know. In this case, it was like, I feel something in her eyes and her smile. Then you read the profile and you read her letter, and where she goes to school and she's very beautiful. And she is smart as well."<br /><br />Ricky also described his nerves on the day of the birth, and his elation when he heard the first cries of his newborn twins Mateo and Valentino.<br /><br />He recalled: "I received a phone call 'You're gonna be a daddy today, OK?' I was not in the delivery room, but I was in the little room next to it so I could hear the first cry."<br /><br />The 38-year-old star hailed the twins' birth as a "miracle" and was astonished by the surge of emotion he felt when he held the babies for the first time.<br /><br />On his feelings at that moment, he said: "This is real. Woah! OK, perfect. So I want to hold them. I need to hold them.<br /><br />"I went to my room and the nurse gave them to me and I started holding them and I was like, 'This is amazing. I mean, it feels incredible. There is a God. This is miraculous and they do look like me."<br /><br />The Livin' La Vida Loca singer also revealed he is a very hands-on father, changing nappies, waking, bathing and feeding his children, putting them to sleep and singing to them. </div><div></div><br /><div>SOURCE: <a href="http://news.celebritywonder.com/2010/11/05/Ricky_Martin_Got_Good_Vibes_From_Egg_Donor.html">Celebrity Wonder.com</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-49631941347489674782010-10-29T07:36:00.000-07:002010-10-29T09:10:51.208-07:00Entrepreneurs SA with FNB and 567 Cape Talk<div align="justify">Infertility is a growing common problem. About 10 percent of women (6.1 million) in the United States ages 15-44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). </div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TMrx2vBgXRI/AAAAAAAAAEM/c1mwcyDgPGY/s1600/tertia+portrait+2+small.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533501014816087314" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TMrx2vBgXRI/AAAAAAAAAEM/c1mwcyDgPGY/s320/tertia+portrait+2+small.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="justify">Tertia Albertyn from <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture</a>, features as today's finalist in Entrepreneurs SA with FNB and 567 Cape Talk Radio. You can listen to the on air interview with Cape Talk held today <a href="http://www.capetalk.co.za/fnbentrepreneur/Comment.aspx?CompanyId=3f6f33ab-293a-4052-9f82-2d19d9fd7532">here</a>.<br /><br />Tertia Albertyn understands the importance of having children – she had to go through nine in-vitro fertilisation procedures before realising her own dream. Her experience with infertility led directly to the formation of the Nurture Egg Donor Programme, based in Durbanville. </div><br /><div align="justify">Tertia says Nurture is run by a fabulous group of women, who make a formidable team and put their hearts and souls into providing a truly excellent service for the would-be parents. She says that this is the best job in the world, as they help people to make babies! </div><div align="justify"><br />The organisation takes pride in providing the best care and support for the donors and the intended parents, facilitating the process from application through to donation and beyond. In a nutshell, says Tertia, we care, we call, we write, and ultimately, we rock! </div><div align="justify"><br />The company has a comprehensive database of quality <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">egg donors</a> from all ethnic groups and is associated with all the leading fertility clinics across SA. Discrimination is frowned upon and clients include single parents, gay couples and even straight, married couples.<br /></div><br /><div align="justify">SA is rated as one of the top 10 medical tourism destinations, so reproductive tourism offers a huge opportunity. Tertia is looking for mentorship to take the business to the next level and compete with international fertility destinations. This would include web development, entrepreneurial skills and a clever, cutting edge marketing and PR campaign. Nurture is also always looking for suitable donors. You can check out the requirements on <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a>. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-31191419051284591592010-10-27T07:27:00.000-07:002010-10-27T10:11:02.149-07:00Egg Donation - Giving the gift of life<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TMhcusxnIaI/AAAAAAAAAD8/TOh4kWypcok/s1600/mel+tertia+22+small.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532774099587637666" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TMhcusxnIaI/AAAAAAAAAD8/TOh4kWypcok/s320/mel+tertia+22+small.jpg" /></a><br /><div align="justify">For 85% of the population, making a baby requires little more than a kiss, a cuddle and a few meaningful moments (or longer if you are lucky). For some it requires even less. However for 15% of the population it requires a bit more than the kiss, cuddle and sex routine. For some it takes months and even years. And for the heartbroken few, no matter how many times they do the baby-making dance, absolutely nothing happens. That is when hopeful mothers-to-be turn their hopes to assistance of another kind – egg donation.<br /><br />The first successful <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">egg donation</a> in humans was achieved in 1984 and represented a major breakthrough in modern reproductive treatment. It gave hope to many women who were unable to conceive using their own eggs.<br /><br />As egg donation comes out of the closet and becomes more mainstream, and as infertility issues are steadily on the increase, the demand for egg donors is increasing.<br /><br />Although egg donation has been around for many years, it was previously aimed mostly at the international medical tourists who were among the few wealthy enough to afford it. But all that has changed with the launch of a new egg donor program in South Africa, one that is aimed specifically at local egg donors and future parents.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture Egg Donor Program</a> is the brainchild of two of the most passionate people in the world of infertility. Tertia Albertyn, an infertility patient who conceived her twins on her 9th IVF and Melany Bartok, an ex egg donor herself.<br /><br />“We wanted to create an egg donor program that was affordable and available to local couples”, says Tertia. “Infertility is something I am passionate about. Helping others gives some kind of meaning and sense to all the pain and loss I went through”.</div><div align="justify"><br />An egg donor is a healthy young woman who is between the ages of 20 and 34. These special young women donate a few of their eggs to a recipient who is unable to produce eggs from her own ovaries. Following their removal, the eggs are fertilized with the recipient’s male partner’s sperm or with donor sperm. The resulting embryos are then placed into the recipient’s uterus. She then has the amazing opportunity of becoming pregnant, carrying, and delivering a child to finally create the family she has so long hoped for. A donor gives one of the most beautiful gifts possible—the gift of potentially growing a family. </div><div align="justify"><br />The first step in the process is for the potential donors to complete an initial application (available online at <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a>), which is used to screen issues like weight (donors may not be either under weight nor overweight), health, menstrual cycle and contraception. If these criteria are met, donors then complete a comprehensive application with full medical history, genetic heritage, physical and personal characteristics of themselves and their genetic family, their reasons for wanting to donate etc. Once approved, a face to face information session is scheduled in which donor are fully informed of entire process involved – what to expect, what is involved, what, if any, the potential risks are. If the donor decides they want to go ahead with the process, their anonymous profile is made available to view by potential recipients.<br /><br />Once a donor has been chosen by the intended parents, she has to undergo a psychological assessment by a registered psychologist, as well as a full medical with the fertility clinic, including various blood tests etc. It is only after this process that the donation goes ahead. None of these costs are borne by the donor. </div><div align="justify"><br />As is evident by the description above, the application and selection process for becoming an egg donor is a fairly rigorous one. “We want to make sure these young women are mentally, emotionally and physically healthy enough to undergo egg donation”, says Melany. “It is not a decision to be taken lightly, but most of our donors return for a second and third donation because they realize what a meaningful gift they are giving”. </div><div align="justify"><br />Donors are compensated ZAR5,000 for their time, travelling costs and any inconveniences experienced during the donation process. This figure is guided by the South African Medical Ethics Committee and is not intended to pay for the eggs donated as donors donate their eggs as a gift of hope, not for monetary reward. The compensation also does not even begin to come close to reflecting the immense gratitude the Intended Parents feel. </div><div align="justify"><br />“Egg donation is a truly wonderful thing; it gives hope where there previously was none. There are an increasing number of women out there who can finally call themselves ‘mother’ because of the generosity of others. We are honoured to be part of this process”.</div><div align="justify"><br />For more information on the egg donor program, please visit <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za/</a><br /><br /><strong>Melany Bartok<br /></strong>Melany has unparalleled insight into the world of egg donation. Not only is she the country’s leading Egg Donor Director, but having donated twice herself, she intimately understands the thrill and privilege of a being chosen as an egg donor. Melany’s honest, passionate and dedicated relationship with her donors is at the heart of her success. Melany lives in Table View with her two charming huskies and equally charming husband. Contact Melany on <a href="mailto:melany@nurture.co.za">melany@nurture.co.za</a> or 0766 848489<br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Tertia Albertyn</strong><br />Tertia Albertyn is a recovering infertile and now mother to twins conceived on her 9th IVF. She has written extensively about her personal experience with infertility, both on her award winning blog (<a href="http://www.tertia.org/">http://www.tertia.org/</a>) and in her book ‘<a href="http://www.tertia.org/">So Close</a>’, detailing her five year battle to conceive. She is passionate about infertility, and has dedicated her time to assisting those who are still in the trenches. Tertia has a MBA from the University of Cape Town, and lives in Durbanville with her husband and two children. Contact Tertia on <a href="mailto:tertia@nurture.co.za">tertia@nurture.co.za</a> or 0824418639 </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-60010240308796393812010-10-19T03:02:00.000-07:002010-10-19T03:12:39.555-07:00Black women flock to be egg donors<div align="justify"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TL1uHEKjAcI/AAAAAAAAADs/0OuJ1KCawf4/s1600/small+african+reading.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 221px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529696985136955842" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TL1uHEKjAcI/AAAAAAAAADs/0OuJ1KCawf4/s320/small+african+reading.jpg" /></a><br /><strong>Fourfold increase seen in practice once regarded as 'culturally taboo' </strong></div><div align="justify"><br />Young black women in South Africa are "reaching out to desperate couples" like never before in an attempt to help them have children.<br /><br />The demand for <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">black female egg donors </a>has skyrocketed, with four times as many black women becoming donors - a far cry from recent years when it was considered "culturally taboo".<br /><br />Black women now make up half of all new egg donors in South Africa, representing a fourfold increase from previous years.<br /><br />A snap survey has revealed that women aged between 21 and 35 are flocking to egg donation agencies to help infertile women realise their dream of having their own babies.<br /><br />Four <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">fertility agencies </a>this week revealed that, on average, 80 new applications from potential donors were received each month.<br /><br />Tertia Albertyn, founder of <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">Nurture</a>, a donation agency in Cape Town, insisted that the women on her list genuinely wanted to help others and were not swayed by money - donors can expect to pocket about R5000 per egg cycle.<br /><br />She also said there was a great demand for black babies.<br /><br />"Black women, like their white counterparts, are now having children later in life, which often results in ovarian failure, particularly due to age.<br /><br />"And, from a demographic point of view, you're going to have more black people needing black egg donors."<br /><br />However, she said the issue of egg donation was still not openly discussed among black women.<br /><br />"Most (black recipients) choose not to talk about it. A women's fertility is integral to how she is perceived in society. Her worth as a woman or wife is tied up with her ability to conceive."<br /><br />Five-times donor and bank consultant Sibongile Quvane's first egg donation in 2006 resulted in a successful birth to a British couple.<br /><br />The 34-year-old single mother from Summer Greens in Cape Town said she felt "fulfilled" that she had been able to make "a positive difference to the lives of a couple who were desperate to have a baby".<br /><br />In the aftermath she also successfully requested a meeting with the recipient couple.<br /><br />"What touched me the most is the joy that the mother felt, the way she expressed herself and her emotions. She was so grateful and thanked me repeatedly," said Quvane.<br /><br />She said she had been emotionally prepared for the process and did not feel any attachment to the baby.<br /><br />"There never was any attachment. I'm not affected by it and I don't have days where I sit and think about the child.<br /><br />"I'm not the one who gave birth to the child and I believe that the one who gives birth to the child is the true mother."<br /><br />She said she felt a sense of pride knowing that she had played a role in giving something to those in need.<br /><br />"What I've done is priceless." Quvane has since donated her eggs four more times.<br /><br />Read more...... <a href="http://http//www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article710884.ece/Black-women-flock-to-be-egg-donors">Times Live</a>: By SUBASHNI NAIDOO </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-66329857561935379312010-10-18T04:47:00.000-07:002010-10-18T05:01:33.561-07:00Baby born from 20-year-old frozen embryo...<div align="justify">Cryopreservation was once the domain of sci-fi novels and B-rate movies. (Think Encino Man.) Frozen embryos are something of a new ethical frontier in IVF. Because of improved fertility drugs and lab techniques, the average IVF cycle now yields more embryos than it once did. Many of those end up in the freezer, where they keep remarkably well.<br /><br />It’s increasingly real, as the recent birth of a healthy boy from a frozen embryo created 20 years earlier shows. The birth, which is reported in a study in the online edition of the journal Fertility and Sterility, sets a record. Until now, no embryo frozen for this long has resulted in a live birth. Go science! <a href="http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/baby-born-20-year-old-frozen-embryo">[popularscience]</a> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-7538863944008591262010-10-14T13:25:00.000-07:002010-10-14T13:46:33.290-07:00Fertility Tourism, destination South Africa...<div align="left">Prohibitive laws surrounding egg donation, the lack of available egg donors and the high cost of health care in many countries has given rise to “fertility tourism” – where hopeful parents from around the world travel to a foreign country like South Africa to undergo fertility treatment. The internet has made it easy for couples to access such services online and to apply to receive treatment.<br /><br />One such reputable organization is <strong>Nurture</strong>, <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za</a> South Africa’s premier egg donor and surrogacy program that is at the forefront of first class egg donation in South Africa. <strong>Nurture</strong> has associations with many fertility clinics in South Africa and facilitates the process of finding, choosing and matching with the egg donor.<br /><br /><strong>Nurture’s</strong> database of donors is available online through a password-protected web site and contains details of our anonymous, rigorously screened donors from all ethnic groups. What makes Nurture unique is that there is no waiting list. The only wait involved is in choosing your donor and then waiting while she undergoes the various blood tests and medical examinations. Within 8-10 weeks of choosing a donor, the embryo transfer will happen.<br /><br />Egg donation in South Africa has been going since 1986 and has a success rate of over 70 percent. With some of the world’s top doctors and a high quality private health care system, South Africa is a prime destination for couples to undergo fertility treatment. Fertility treatment that might cost around $30,000 in the USA will cost a fraction of this in South Africa.<br /><br />Egg donation in South Africa is anonymous and the compensation to egg donors is strictly regulated, which means that donors donate for altruistic reasons rather than for financial gain. This ensures that our donors are donating for all the right reasons – to help others become parents.<br /><br />Why choose <strong>Nurture</strong> and South Africa for your egg donation holiday? Well, not only are we the most qualified bunch of women to assist you in your fertility journey, but we’re also an everything-friendly company: It doesn’t matter if you are in a same-sex relationship, a not-same sex relationship or even in a no-sex non-relationship, we believe that anyone who has the love and capacity to become a parent should be afforded the opportunity to realize their dream.<br /><br />The added bonus? Cape Town, where most of the medical tourism takes place has been declared one of the most ‘gay friendly’ cities in the world! <a href="http://www.southafrica.info/travel/cities/gaycapetown.htm.">http://www.southafrica.info/travel/cities/gaycapetown.htm.</a> What better place to create your fertility journey than in one of the world’s most beautiful cities that includes both natural beauty and first-world shopping havens?<br /><br />If you would like to find out more about us, browse our web site at <a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/">http://www.nurture.co.za</a>, or better yet, contact us personally: <strong>info@nurture.co.za<br /></strong><br />We would love to hear from you. </div><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/"></a><a href="http://www.nurture.co.za/"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-87086858385027152042010-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:002010-10-12T09:15:27.804-07:00Apparently, a new IVF method is 'more effective'<em><strong>Fertility and in vitro fertilization are well-served by professional clinics. Trying to get pregnant? Researching IVF? I found this interesting article, while reading the news today.....</strong></em><br /><br />Washington - Researchers using a microscope and time-lapse photography believe they have developed a method for predicting which test-tube embryos are the most likely to develop properly, and are licensing development of a commercial test.<br /><br />Their findings, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, also provide some new insights into the development of days-old embryos, such as how babies inherit some genes from the mother and some from the father.<br /><br />They said the new test could help fertility clinics pick the best embryo to implant in the womb.<br /><br />This would save mothers from having several treatments and help improve on the current method of implanting multiple embryos to try to get one pregnancy and risk multiple births in the process.<br /><br />"Our results shed light on human embryo development," wrote Renee Reijo Pera of Stanford University in California and colleagues. "Our methods and algorithms may provide an approach for early diagnosis of embryo potential in assisted reproduction."<br /><br /><strong>Success rate</strong><br /><br />So called test-tube babies are conceived by uniting egg and sperm in a lab dish and transferring the embryo into a woman's uterus to develop. Most do not develop properly and labs have been looking for ways to improve their success rate.<br /><br />Although it is not recommended, some IVF clinics will implant more than one embryo into the mother's womb - leading to the birth of triplets, quadruplets and even more. Such babies almost always are born too early and face lifelong health problems.<br /><br />All pregnancies are tenuous, even those achieved the old fashioned way. The March of Dimes, a charity founded to battle birth defects, estimates that as many as 50% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage - most often before a woman knows she is pregnant.<br /><br />For the new test the researchers watched embryos divide and develop from the time sperm met egg in a lab dish. As the embryos split and grew, they also tested gene expression - looking at which genes activated, and when.<br /><br />To their surprise, they found that almost from the very beginning some of the handful of cells had different sets of active genes.<br /><br />An embryo's fate - whether it would develop normally or not - seemed determined in many cases from the moment of conception and relied heavily on the mother's egg cell, they found. Embryos most likely to form a ball of cells called a blastocyst developed at a certain, measurable rate, they found.<br /><br /><strong>Prediction</strong><br /><br />Auxogyn, Inc, a privately held medical technology company, said in a statement it had acquired an exclusive license from Stanford University to develop products related to the findings.<br /><br />"Blastocyst formation is a critical time point in human embryo development and provides more objective criteria for selecting which embryo(s) to transfer," Lissa Goldenstein, president and CEO of Auxogyn, said in a statement.<br /><br />"For years, researchers have searched for ways to predict the embryos most likely to reach the blastocyst stage in order to enable earlier transfer and ultimately improve live birth rates for in vitro fertilisation procedures."<br /><br />The company estimates that there are 500 clinics in the US providing in vitro fertilisation or IVF services, with combined annual revenues of nearly $2bn.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/New-IVF-method-more-effective-20101004">http://www.news24.com/SciTech/News/New-IVF-method-more-effective-20101004</a><br /><br />- ReutersUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-46684979111748999402010-10-08T03:34:00.000-07:002010-10-08T05:49:07.883-07:00Choosing between Egg Donor and Surrogate<div align="justify">How to cope when they say,“I’m sorry…we’ve done all we can do apart from egg donation or surrogacy".<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Article sponsored by Souad Dreyfus of Open Arms Consultants</em><br /></span><br />You’ve tried so hard. You’re overwhelmed and emotionally bankrupt. You’ve spent endless amounts of energy and dollars in your longing to create your family. But tests, time and tears have not produced results, and now you are wondering…what’s next? Do I give up my dream? What about egg donation or surrogacy?<br /><br /><strong>You are not alone.</strong><br />Stop. Breathe. Step back and know that you are not alone. There are kind, caring professionals who can gently guide you toward your best decision. With your partner, talk to a counselor, find a support group or agency and process this difficult time in a healthy, open way.<br /><br /><strong>Take time out.</strong><br />Take time for yourself when you have exhausted traditional means of conceiving. Pause before moving to the next step. Pamper your body and soul with a healthy diet, gentle exercise, stress-busting rest and relaxation. Nurture your spirit with quiet prayer, meditation or readings according to your beliefs. Regroup.<br /><br /><strong>Do your homework.</strong><br />Choosing whether egg donation or surrogacy is right for you requires arming yourself with knowledge, but help is at hand. Websites, organizations and agencies offer information and consulting. Read testimonials of others who have created a family with the help of others. Learn.<br /><br /><strong>Considerations: choosing an egg donor.</strong><br />If your doctor reports that you need an egg donor, you may grieve about losing the genetic link to your child. Take time to process this loss. Many intended parents choose to focus on the joy of raising a child regardless of physical characteristics. This child will be your family’s treasure…chosen, planned for and delivered with great thoughtfulness.<br /><br />Working with a reputable egg donor agency or a fertility clinic can be critically important, as they can help find an ideal match from a broad spectrum of donors with various cultural backgrounds and physical characteristics. Egg Donor agencies and fertility clinics often pre-qualify donors with requirements relating to age, health, education and maturity.<br /><br />One of your biggest decisions will be whether to choose a donor who is anonymous, semi-known or known. An anonymous donor is one you will never meet. A semi-known donor is one who shares limited information. A known donor is friend, relative or even a stranger you have chosen through an agency, but one you will meet within agreed-upon boundaries.<br /><br /><strong>Considerations: choosing a surrogate.</strong><br />Surrogacy is the act of carrying a child for prospective parents. The child may be genetically theirs, or the egg and sperm may be obtained from donors. Many agencies offer online surrogate matching, and determining whether these agencies are authentic and qualified is the first step. Look for a real address and phone number. Ask if you can contact references.<br /><br />Once you’ve selected the surrogacy agency, choosing a particular surrogate mother requires careful review of their qualifications (criminal background check, previous delivery records, support system, age, healthy BMI... ) and motives (materialistic, empathy with the infertile wife, the drive to generate parenthood for others...). You’ll speak personally with the candidate. Agencies may arrange conference calls before an actual face-to-face meeting. Be patient, as finding the right surrogate mom is beyond important.<br /><br />“We were very skeptical,” shared one mother-to-be about her twins’ surrogate. “About 45 seconds into the conversation, we fell in love with her!” The parents soon realized that their surrogate shared values that meshed into their family’s culture. After meeting face-to-face, the mother-to-be said, “It was like it was meant to be! When we hugged, I felt like I was hugging my own sister.” Of course, not every surrogacy results in such kinship, but using a reputable agency’s selective matching process can significantly improve your results.<br /><br /><strong>Are you ready to take the next step?</strong><br />There’s so much to think about. Take time out. Learn all you can. Contact a reputable agency. And finally, reach deep inside and pull out your secret weapon: women’s intuition. If a voice inside insists on keeping the dream alive of starting your family, then there’s only one thing to do: chase your dreams!<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:78%;">Original Article found at: </span></em><a href="http://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/choosing-between-egg-donor-and-surrogate.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=179359402"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.resolve.org/family-building-options/choosing-between-egg-donor-and-surrogate.html?log-event=sp2f-view-item&nid=179359402</span></em></a><em> </em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-61321682657635590802010-10-06T02:43:00.000-07:002010-10-06T03:37:29.635-07:00Egg donation in Cape Town<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TKxQOfqOIEI/AAAAAAAAADk/bK-JCbCoNDg/s1600/4aff447a-00be-4e9c-8e85-054fb3a48808_337_X_1000.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 108px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524879052823732290" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8FYYMQaeJs8/TKxQOfqOIEI/AAAAAAAAADk/bK-JCbCoNDg/s320/4aff447a-00be-4e9c-8e85-054fb3a48808_337_X_1000.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div align="justify">Steeped in history and set against the stunning and world-famous backdrop of Table Mountain, the beautiful, sea-side city of <strong>Cape Town</strong> is regarded as one of the top holiday destinations in the world. </div><br /><div align="justify">Also affectionately known as the Mother City, South Africa’s oldest city is living up to that nickname in a rather literal way these days as an increasing amount of people from all over the world travel there to undergo fertility treatment. </div><br /><div align="justify">In recent years, Cape Town has built up a fantastic reputation as an <strong>IVF</strong> and <strong>egg donor</strong> hub. The city is home to world class fertility clinics that use state of the art technology to provide service and treatment equivalent to what is offered abroad, but at far more affordable rates – even after the cost of travel had been added. </div><div align="justify"><br />Not only is the treatment reasonably priced, but it is also highly successful, which is why <strong>Cape Town-based fertility clinics</strong> are rated among the best in the world. Another factor that makes Cape Town so desirable for <strong>egg donor fertility</strong> treatment is the instant access patients get to the large database of donors – there is no waiting list! The wait for a donor lasts only as long as it takes for prospective parents to choose a <strong>donor</strong> that meets all their requirements. Within three months of choosing a donor, future parents could already be back at home, with a <strong>baby</strong> on the way. </div><div align="justify"><br />Although donors in Cape Town – and South Africa as a whole – remain anonymous, future parents are able to view full information of the prospective donor, including her <strong>family </strong>history, education history, medical information, etc. as well as view photographs of the donor as a <strong>baby and toddler</strong>. </div><div align="justify"><br />The donors, who are healthy young female volunteers between 21 and 34 years of age, do receive reimbursement for their donation, but it essentially only covers incidentals they may have incurred while participating in the donor program, such as travelling to and from the clinic. The amount has been carefully regulated to ensure that donors participate for altruistic reasons only. South African <strong>egg donors</strong> are therefore not motivated by money, but are really doing this as an act of extreme kindness to make a genuine difference in someone else’s life. </div><div align="justify"><br />South Africa’s clear legislation and ethics surrounding egg donation are additional factors that set Cape Town apart as a favourite fertility destination. This ensures that not only are the rights of the future parents and their prospective children taken care of, but the well-being and safety of the <strong>donor</strong> always remain paramount as well. </div><br /><div align="justify">Excellent medical care, a wide range of available donors, similar cultures, the same language and a very favourable exchange rate make Cape Town the ideal destination to pursue <strong>donor egg IVF</strong> for both foreign and local fertility patients. </div><div align="justify"><br />Many patients who do travel to Cape Town for <strong>fertility treatment</strong> opt to combine the treatment with an unforgettable holiday in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. While they wait, they can relax on the city’s many gorgeous beaches, shop, dine out, take the cable car up to take in the spectacular view from the top of Table Mountain, and take a ferry to Robben Island to see where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for so many years. The comfort and beauty of the Mother City will definitely contribute to a stress-free, successful <strong>egg donation/IVF experience</strong>.</div><div align="justify"></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6697057480264850935.post-45532920610475018882010-09-23T21:37:00.000-07:002010-09-23T21:39:08.703-07:00Children conceived by IVF score well, often better than peers, on academic tests, study findsStory taken from <a href="http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-ivf-20100923,0,545011.story">LA Times</a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; "><div id="story-body" class="articlebody " style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><div id="story-body-text" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.43; position: relative; ">Doctors and scientists are still learning about what effects in vitro fertilization may have on the health of children. But a new study of children's test scores provides evidence that IVF conception "does not have any detrimental effects on a child's intelligence or cognitive development," the author says.<br /><br />Researchers looked at the academic test scores of 423 Iowa children ages 8 to 17 who were conceived by IVF and at the test scores of 372 matched peers from the same schools. They also analyzed data on the parents of the IVF children, including ethnicity, education, age and marital status. Most parents were white, had at least a college education and were married. The average age of mothers was 34.<br /><br />The IVF kids scored higher than their peers in all grades on tests for reading, language, math and vocabulary. Lower test scores, not considered significant, were seen among children of multiple birth. Methods of IVF, including the use of fresh or frozen embryos, did not affect the results.<br /><br /></div><div id="story-body-text" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.43; position: relative; ">The higher test scores among the IVF kids were linked to the higher socioeconomic status and age of the parents. However, researchers did not have information on the age, marital status and education of parents in the control group. The study was published in the Oct. 10 issue of the journal Human Reproduction.<br /><br />"Our findings are reassuring for clinicians and patients," as they suggest conception through IVF doesn't have negative developmental effects, said lead author Dr. Bradley Van Voorhis, in a news release.<br /><br />Van Voorhis, director of the <a href="http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/med/obgyn/clinics/reproductivecare/index.html" target="_blank" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(34, 98, 204); text-decoration: none; ">Center for Advanced Reproductive Care</a> at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics added, UI Hospitals and Clinics, added, "By using age- and gender-matched children from the same classrooms as a control group to compare to our study participants, we attempted to control for any socioeconomic or environmental differences between the children born by IVF and their peers. But there still may have been some differences between the IVF children and the controls that we could not see from our data."<br /><br /> -- Jeannine Stein / Los Angeles Times</div></div><p class="copyright" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; position: relative; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); clear: left; ">Copyright © 2010, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/" target="_blank" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none; ">Los Angeles Times</a></p><div><br /></div></span></div>Tertiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17041136587660938690noreply@blogger.com0