With the recent good news that Elton John and David Furnish are celebrating the birth of their baby son, it brings to the attention same-sex families and how children who grow up to become young adults view their gay family upbringing.
Research has shown that same-sex parenting does not affect a child’s self esteem or well being, although it would be lovely to hear first hand, about people’s views and experiences. We would love to hear any feedback from any older children, young adults or adults regarding their views about how it has felt growing up as part of a gay family, the ups and downs or reactions from friends or family.
The Telegraph would like to run a news article about this subject area and would like any help regarding the views of adults raised by same-sex parents. They would treat any information received in a confidential and sensitive manner.
If you are able to help in any way, please contact Erika at Pride Angel for further information.
Go to http://bit.ly/hjkDGK
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Elton John a dad on Christmas day after using a surrogate
Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become parents to a son born to a surrogate mother in California.
Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born on Christmas Day, the UK musician and Canadian filmmaker told the Usmagazine.com website.
"Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents," said the couple.
They provided no details about the surrogacy arrangement.
"We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," the couple told the website in a statement.
They said the boy weighed 7lb15oz (3.6kg).
A representative for the couple said they intended to protect and respect the privacy of the surrogate mother, and would not be discussing any details relating to the surrogacy arrangements.
Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker and her actor husband Matthew Broderick had twin girls by a surrogate mother in June last year and in 2008, pop star Ricky Martin also used a surrogate to have twin boys.
Sir Elton and former advertising executive Mr Furnish met in 1993 and were joined in a civil ceremony in 2005.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hV91AD
Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born on Christmas Day, the UK musician and Canadian filmmaker told the Usmagazine.com website.
"Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents," said the couple.
They provided no details about the surrogacy arrangement.
"We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," the couple told the website in a statement.
They said the boy weighed 7lb15oz (3.6kg).
A representative for the couple said they intended to protect and respect the privacy of the surrogate mother, and would not be discussing any details relating to the surrogacy arrangements.
Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker and her actor husband Matthew Broderick had twin girls by a surrogate mother in June last year and in 2008, pop star Ricky Martin also used a surrogate to have twin boys.
Sir Elton and former advertising executive Mr Furnish met in 1993 and were joined in a civil ceremony in 2005.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hV91AD
Sunday 26 December 2010
IVF single embryo transfer best for baby
Women who have one embryo transferred during IVF treatment are five times more likely to give birth to a healthy baby than those who receive two embryos, research shows today.
Those who have two embryos are more likely to get pregnant but are at greater risk of delivering a premature or low-weight child, researchers found.
The findings, in the British Medical Journal, will increase the pressure for double embryo transfer (DET), which is already discouraged, to be ended because it risks pregnancies involving twins or triplets. UK fertility clinics should halt the practice as multiple pregnancies put mother and child at risk, the researchers say.
Twin and triplet pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of miscarriage, as well as prematurity and low birthweight. But some fertility experts say the widespread lack of IVF treatment on the NHS, which is meant to offer three free cycles to all, means some women seek two embryos.
An international research team, led by Aberdeen University scientists, studied data on 1,367 women who had taken part in eight previous trials who had either had elective single embryo transfer (eSET) or DET.
A full-term birth, at least 37 weeks, after eSET was nearly five times more likely than with DET, they found. Women were 87% more likely to avoid a premature birth after eSET, while their chance of having a low-weight baby was only a third of those who had DET.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fXtjiA
Those who have two embryos are more likely to get pregnant but are at greater risk of delivering a premature or low-weight child, researchers found.
The findings, in the British Medical Journal, will increase the pressure for double embryo transfer (DET), which is already discouraged, to be ended because it risks pregnancies involving twins or triplets. UK fertility clinics should halt the practice as multiple pregnancies put mother and child at risk, the researchers say.
Twin and triplet pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of miscarriage, as well as prematurity and low birthweight. But some fertility experts say the widespread lack of IVF treatment on the NHS, which is meant to offer three free cycles to all, means some women seek two embryos.
An international research team, led by Aberdeen University scientists, studied data on 1,367 women who had taken part in eight previous trials who had either had elective single embryo transfer (eSET) or DET.
A full-term birth, at least 37 weeks, after eSET was nearly five times more likely than with DET, they found. Women were 87% more likely to avoid a premature birth after eSET, while their chance of having a low-weight baby was only a third of those who had DET.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fXtjiA
Friday 24 December 2010
Wishing you a Merry Christmas from Pride Angel
From all the team at Pride Angel, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Thank you for all your wonderful stories and good news about your recent pregnancies. We always love to hear from our members and we look forward to hearing about all the miracles and new babies in 2011, so please keep sending in your good news stories. For all those starting on the path to parenthood, we send our best wishes, and wish you happiness along your journey.
Here’s to a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year ahead!
Best wishes Pride Angel
Contact us at: contact us form
Read our recent testimonials
To read more go to http://bit.ly/eJtWor
Here’s to a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year ahead!
Best wishes Pride Angel
Contact us at: contact us form
Read our recent testimonials
To read more go to http://bit.ly/eJtWor
Wednesday 22 December 2010
IVF treatments for lesbian couples double since 2007
IVF treatment's popularity has soard this decade.
The number of lesbian couples undergoing IVF treatment leapt from 176 in 2007 to 350 in 2009, according to figures reportd by Mail Online.
In 2008, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act allowed for the first time two mothers or fathers to be named on a child’s birth certificate.
It also removed the requirement of a father figure in the child’s life in favour of “supportive” parenting without regard to gender.
Gary Nunn, of Stonewall, said: “Now the law has changed it has made it fairer and easier for them to get treatment.”
Norman Wells, the director of the Family Education Trust, who disagreed with removing the requirement of a male figure, said: “It was always inevitable that removing the legal requirement to consider the need of a child for a father would result in a rise in fatherless families.
“The change in the law had nothing to do with the welfare of children and everything to do with the desires of adults to subvert the natural order and redefine the family to suit themselves.”
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hT4JI6
The number of lesbian couples undergoing IVF treatment leapt from 176 in 2007 to 350 in 2009, according to figures reportd by Mail Online.
In 2008, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act allowed for the first time two mothers or fathers to be named on a child’s birth certificate.
It also removed the requirement of a father figure in the child’s life in favour of “supportive” parenting without regard to gender.
Gary Nunn, of Stonewall, said: “Now the law has changed it has made it fairer and easier for them to get treatment.”
Norman Wells, the director of the Family Education Trust, who disagreed with removing the requirement of a male figure, said: “It was always inevitable that removing the legal requirement to consider the need of a child for a father would result in a rise in fatherless families.
“The change in the law had nothing to do with the welfare of children and everything to do with the desires of adults to subvert the natural order and redefine the family to suit themselves.”
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hT4JI6
Monday 20 December 2010
Sperm donors deserve more praise
A FRIEND recently revealed he had fathered a baby. No cigars though, just a carefully worded statement. "I have been told there is a pregnancy, but I don't know the mother, or when the baby will be born."
Say again? My friend explained that after 20 years of thinking about it, he had become a sperm donor. Which made the whole thing a bit tricky. Is a pregnancy something a donor also gets to celebrate?
My friend saw my dilemma and said he wasn't going to have children of his own and at least now he would have the satisfaction of knowing he had helped a family achieve its dream.
That is a generosity of spirit I hadn't considered before. We often sing the praises of organ donors, but who gives thanks to the sperm donors?
My friend said the journey wasn't easy and there were the doubts: "Am I up to the job fertility-wise? Will I feel too old if a child seeks contact 20 years later? What would my partner and family think about it?"
He admitted it was a tug on the heartstrings knowing that he would never be more than a donor number and that another man would be the father of any children.
But just the same, he gained a lot of satisfaction from the thought that any parent who went down the track of IVF was "OK in my books".
"Full marks to any man who consents to accept donor sperm as part of his efforts to become a father. And praise to his partner for helping him through such a time," he said.
I was so touched by his motivation and how deeply he had considered all the factors and yet I think most of us take the whole process of sperm donation for something to even snigger about, to our shame. The fact is many IVF clinics desperately need more donors.
You need to be altruistic -- as there is no payment -- and committed, because new laws now require a lot more effort. And, disappointingly, all accessing IVF must now have criminal record checks and counselling sessions
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fhX5hn
Say again? My friend explained that after 20 years of thinking about it, he had become a sperm donor. Which made the whole thing a bit tricky. Is a pregnancy something a donor also gets to celebrate?
My friend saw my dilemma and said he wasn't going to have children of his own and at least now he would have the satisfaction of knowing he had helped a family achieve its dream.
That is a generosity of spirit I hadn't considered before. We often sing the praises of organ donors, but who gives thanks to the sperm donors?
My friend said the journey wasn't easy and there were the doubts: "Am I up to the job fertility-wise? Will I feel too old if a child seeks contact 20 years later? What would my partner and family think about it?"
He admitted it was a tug on the heartstrings knowing that he would never be more than a donor number and that another man would be the father of any children.
But just the same, he gained a lot of satisfaction from the thought that any parent who went down the track of IVF was "OK in my books".
"Full marks to any man who consents to accept donor sperm as part of his efforts to become a father. And praise to his partner for helping him through such a time," he said.
I was so touched by his motivation and how deeply he had considered all the factors and yet I think most of us take the whole process of sperm donation for something to even snigger about, to our shame. The fact is many IVF clinics desperately need more donors.
You need to be altruistic -- as there is no payment -- and committed, because new laws now require a lot more effort. And, disappointingly, all accessing IVF must now have criminal record checks and counselling sessions
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fhX5hn
Saturday 18 December 2010
Fertility tourism' clinics urged to partner across borders abroad
European fertility clinics are being encouraged to collaborate and ensure fertility patients receive safe and fair access to treatment abroad, according to guidelines approved this month by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
The ESHRE code of practice generally supports cross border care as a means to provide people with fertility problems more options for treatment. But it says clinicians must share information to maintain recommended safety and ethical standards.
Among the recommendations, the guidance emphasises transparency and open communication between foreign and home clinicians in order to ensure complete medical record information is made available for long-term follow up of treatment. Collaboration may also save expense through avoiding unnecessary or repetitive tests.
The code of practice also addresses the issue of multiple births, which carries health risks to mother and child. It recognises how some people who travel abroad for treatment may be reluctant to accept single embryo transfer for fear of incurring additional expenses of further treatment and travel.
In an effort to reduce multiple births, the guidelines recommend single embryo transfer for surrogacy arrangements but stopped short of extending the principle to non-surrogate fertility treatments. It felt women may choose to assume the risk of transferring up to two embryos pregnancies themselves but that the risks were not acceptable for surrogates.
The guidance also encourages fertility clinics to adopt policies to prioritise home needs over foreign demand for certain reproductive services that face scarce resources, such as those requiring donated eggs. The code of practice recommends home clinics should meet resident fertility patient needs first before turning to international care.
The varying reproductive laws and clinical standards among European countries raise particular concerns for patients seeking fertility treatment abroad. The Progress Educational Trust dedicated its 2010 annual conference in November to cross border fertility care at which was discussed ESHRE findings, recommendations and future investigations.
ESHRE will publish the guidelines on its website this week or early in the New Year
To read more go to http://bit.ly/h6Y2tX
The ESHRE code of practice generally supports cross border care as a means to provide people with fertility problems more options for treatment. But it says clinicians must share information to maintain recommended safety and ethical standards.
Among the recommendations, the guidance emphasises transparency and open communication between foreign and home clinicians in order to ensure complete medical record information is made available for long-term follow up of treatment. Collaboration may also save expense through avoiding unnecessary or repetitive tests.
The code of practice also addresses the issue of multiple births, which carries health risks to mother and child. It recognises how some people who travel abroad for treatment may be reluctant to accept single embryo transfer for fear of incurring additional expenses of further treatment and travel.
In an effort to reduce multiple births, the guidelines recommend single embryo transfer for surrogacy arrangements but stopped short of extending the principle to non-surrogate fertility treatments. It felt women may choose to assume the risk of transferring up to two embryos pregnancies themselves but that the risks were not acceptable for surrogates.
The guidance also encourages fertility clinics to adopt policies to prioritise home needs over foreign demand for certain reproductive services that face scarce resources, such as those requiring donated eggs. The code of practice recommends home clinics should meet resident fertility patient needs first before turning to international care.
The varying reproductive laws and clinical standards among European countries raise particular concerns for patients seeking fertility treatment abroad. The Progress Educational Trust dedicated its 2010 annual conference in November to cross border fertility care at which was discussed ESHRE findings, recommendations and future investigations.
ESHRE will publish the guidelines on its website this week or early in the New Year
To read more go to http://bit.ly/h6Y2tX
Thursday 16 December 2010
Egg donors abroad - exploitation and risks of donation
How desperate women around the world are risking their lives to feed a booming - and deeply disturbing - trade in donor eggs.
Somewhere in the world, Nastya Kanatova has three children. She doesn’t know if they’re boys or girls, she has no idea if they have her blue eyes and button nose — and she never will. Five years ago, the Russian was so poverty stricken that she cashed in on the one commodity she had left of any real value — her fertility.
Her husband had left her, she had two young children to feed and little income. In desperation she sold her eggs, on six occasions, receiving £200 a time from a local IVF clinic. The resulting embryos were implanted in British, German and Russian women.
‘I was told three babies were born,’ she says of the transaction. ‘At the time, I had no special feelings towards them — I was giving my genetic material, nothing else.
'I was happy to know that my eggs would help someone who was desperate to have the joy I get from my own children. But, as time went on, I found myself tormented by questions. ‘In dark moments, I feel a sense of loss about them, an emptiness. I have children I will never know. I ask myself: “Are these children OK? Are they happy? Will they ever feel deprived by not knowing fully about themselves, never knowing their biological mum?” Because, in the end it’s not just biology, is it? It’s human emotion, too. I gave them life, yet I feel consumed by guilt.’
Her emotions are not unusual. Around the world, demand for human eggs far outstrips supply — a situation that can lead to women such as Nastya being exploited and then left to deal with the mental and physical consequences. And with the global market booming, things are unlikely to change.
Kylie Minogue recently announced that egg donation was an option she and her partner, Spanish model Andres Velencoso, were now considering, fearing that treatment for breast cancer will have affected her ability to conceive naturally. And only last week the Mail revealed how Carole Hobson, a single 58-year-old former barrister, is expecting twins after becoming pregnant with eggs donated by a 24-year-old Indian woman.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/ij9SWa
Somewhere in the world, Nastya Kanatova has three children. She doesn’t know if they’re boys or girls, she has no idea if they have her blue eyes and button nose — and she never will. Five years ago, the Russian was so poverty stricken that she cashed in on the one commodity she had left of any real value — her fertility.
Her husband had left her, she had two young children to feed and little income. In desperation she sold her eggs, on six occasions, receiving £200 a time from a local IVF clinic. The resulting embryos were implanted in British, German and Russian women.
‘I was told three babies were born,’ she says of the transaction. ‘At the time, I had no special feelings towards them — I was giving my genetic material, nothing else.
'I was happy to know that my eggs would help someone who was desperate to have the joy I get from my own children. But, as time went on, I found myself tormented by questions. ‘In dark moments, I feel a sense of loss about them, an emptiness. I have children I will never know. I ask myself: “Are these children OK? Are they happy? Will they ever feel deprived by not knowing fully about themselves, never knowing their biological mum?” Because, in the end it’s not just biology, is it? It’s human emotion, too. I gave them life, yet I feel consumed by guilt.’
Her emotions are not unusual. Around the world, demand for human eggs far outstrips supply — a situation that can lead to women such as Nastya being exploited and then left to deal with the mental and physical consequences. And with the global market booming, things are unlikely to change.
Kylie Minogue recently announced that egg donation was an option she and her partner, Spanish model Andres Velencoso, were now considering, fearing that treatment for breast cancer will have affected her ability to conceive naturally. And only last week the Mail revealed how Carole Hobson, a single 58-year-old former barrister, is expecting twins after becoming pregnant with eggs donated by a 24-year-old Indian woman.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/ij9SWa
Monday 13 December 2010
Surrogacy couple in UK win legal right to pay a surrogate mother in the US
A British couple who won the legal right to pay a “commercial” rate to a surrogate mother in the US have said that the act was their last chance to have a child - and disclosed that the woman is now "firmly part of our family".
In a rare legal case, a senior family court judge allowed the couple to keep their newborn child, even though they had payed more than the “reasonable expenses” permitted under English law to the birth mother in Illinois.
Speaking publicly for the first time about their decision, the couple said they had suffered years of fruitless fertility treatment, several miscarriages and had no choice but to seek help abroad.
Their case is one of only three such arrangements ever to have emerged. It attracted condemnation from Christian lawyers, who warned that allowing surrogate mothers to make a profit turned children into “commodities”.
Other family law experts and childless couples said the High Court was right to put the needs of the child first and called for reforms to allow commercial surrogacy in the UK.
In a statement to The Daily Telegraph, the couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed their joy at their newborn child, who is known only as “L”.
“We entered into this surrogacy arrangement after a great deal of thought and research, having exhausted all our other options for having a family, and following years of fertility treatment and several miscarriages," they said.
“Our surrogate is a wonderful person who is now very firmly part of our family and will be part of our – and our child’s – lives going forwards. She gave us the most incredible life-changing gift which we will be ever grateful for.”
An estimated 70 children each year are born to surrogate mothers in Britain but hundreds of couples are thought to be so desperate that they are travelling abroad to countries such as India and the USA, where costs can be £25,000 or more.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hQ3qAs
In a rare legal case, a senior family court judge allowed the couple to keep their newborn child, even though they had payed more than the “reasonable expenses” permitted under English law to the birth mother in Illinois.
Speaking publicly for the first time about their decision, the couple said they had suffered years of fruitless fertility treatment, several miscarriages and had no choice but to seek help abroad.
Their case is one of only three such arrangements ever to have emerged. It attracted condemnation from Christian lawyers, who warned that allowing surrogate mothers to make a profit turned children into “commodities”.
Other family law experts and childless couples said the High Court was right to put the needs of the child first and called for reforms to allow commercial surrogacy in the UK.
In a statement to The Daily Telegraph, the couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, expressed their joy at their newborn child, who is known only as “L”.
“We entered into this surrogacy arrangement after a great deal of thought and research, having exhausted all our other options for having a family, and following years of fertility treatment and several miscarriages," they said.
“Our surrogate is a wonderful person who is now very firmly part of our family and will be part of our – and our child’s – lives going forwards. She gave us the most incredible life-changing gift which we will be ever grateful for.”
An estimated 70 children each year are born to surrogate mothers in Britain but hundreds of couples are thought to be so desperate that they are travelling abroad to countries such as India and the USA, where costs can be £25,000 or more.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hQ3qAs
Saturday 11 December 2010
Pink Singers - London's community LGBT choir performances
Welcome to a new era in the life of the Pink Singers.
For the first time in 15 years, they have a new Musical Director — Murray Hipkin from English National Opera (ENO). Pink Singers want to tell you about their forthcoming events:
· ‘A Burst of Song’, our New Year concert
· Your chance to win a Fauré or a Gershwin CD
· Our forthcoming participation in the Joel Kafetz Radio Show
· Singing Christmas carols in Trafalgar Square for Marie Curie
For the very latest news, go to the Pink Singers website. Recent additions include a video of The Vigil Against hate Crime and their contribution to the It Gets Better Project aimed at young people. It’s a response to the terrible tragedies that have followed the bullying of gay teenagers.
Anthony news@pinksingers.co.uk.
Countdown to ‘A Burst of Song’, Saturday 8 January
There’s a frisson surging through the Pink Singers as we enter the countdown to ‘A Burst of Song’, their New Year concert at 7.30 pm, Saturday 8 January 2011, Cadogan Hall. It’s not just the repertoire — including classical, jazz and pop — pumping the adrenalin. There’s the anticipation of performing with our new musical director Murray Hipkin — whose most recent work was on the critically acclaimed ENO production A Dog’s Heart at London’s Coliseum. There’s the new choreography devised by Karin, Rachel and Oli. And there’s the prospect of linking up again with Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus, with whom they enjoyed a sell–out concert in the capital of the North back in November.
Join them!
Tickets cost from £10 to £30 — with a range of discounts Groups save £3 on every ticket. Just order five or more full price tickets in one lot. Buy five tickets with friends and family and you save £15. A group of eight saves £24.
Are you 60 or over, or 16 or under? You can save £3 on every full price ticket. Full-time students (with student ID) and the unemployed can get the same £3 discount.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/eimfCG
For the first time in 15 years, they have a new Musical Director — Murray Hipkin from English National Opera (ENO). Pink Singers want to tell you about their forthcoming events:
· ‘A Burst of Song’, our New Year concert
· Your chance to win a Fauré or a Gershwin CD
· Our forthcoming participation in the Joel Kafetz Radio Show
· Singing Christmas carols in Trafalgar Square for Marie Curie
For the very latest news, go to the Pink Singers website. Recent additions include a video of The Vigil Against hate Crime and their contribution to the It Gets Better Project aimed at young people. It’s a response to the terrible tragedies that have followed the bullying of gay teenagers.
Anthony news@pinksingers.co.uk.
Countdown to ‘A Burst of Song’, Saturday 8 January
There’s a frisson surging through the Pink Singers as we enter the countdown to ‘A Burst of Song’, their New Year concert at 7.30 pm, Saturday 8 January 2011, Cadogan Hall. It’s not just the repertoire — including classical, jazz and pop — pumping the adrenalin. There’s the anticipation of performing with our new musical director Murray Hipkin — whose most recent work was on the critically acclaimed ENO production A Dog’s Heart at London’s Coliseum. There’s the new choreography devised by Karin, Rachel and Oli. And there’s the prospect of linking up again with Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus, with whom they enjoyed a sell–out concert in the capital of the North back in November.
Join them!
Tickets cost from £10 to £30 — with a range of discounts Groups save £3 on every ticket. Just order five or more full price tickets in one lot. Buy five tickets with friends and family and you save £15. A group of eight saves £24.
Are you 60 or over, or 16 or under? You can save £3 on every full price ticket. Full-time students (with student ID) and the unemployed can get the same £3 discount.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/eimfCG
Thursday 9 December 2010
Mothers blood test could be used to detect genetic risk to disorders in unborn child
A blood test that could predict an unborn baby's risk of numerous disorders has been devised by scientists.
Using a tiny sample of the mother's blood, researchers can piece together the child's entire genetic code and search its DNA for the flaws behind conditions such as Down' s syndrome and autism. The technique would remove the risk of miscarriage associated with current invasive tests, saving the lives of hundreds of unborn babies each year.
But there are fears that it could be exploited to predict an unborn child's risk of problems from Alzheimer's to cancer and heart attacks, creating worry for parents before their baby has even entered the world.
There are also concerns that parents could abuse the technology to select the 'perfect child', with those not fitting the bill in terms of looks, health or even personality being aborted. Currently, pregnant women thought to be at high risk of having a baby with a condition such as Down's syndrome have the choice of two procedures, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Both involve putting a needle into the womb and raise the risk of miscarriage.
To remove the risk, research teams around the world are trying to find a way of gleaning genetic information from tiny pieces of foetal DNA that have worked their way into the mother's blood. For instance, NHS-funded researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital are developing a blood test for Down's syndrome. But the new technique, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine would allow multiple conditions to be picked up at once.
Using a sample of blood taken from a woman who was 12 weeks pregnant, researchers led by Dr Dennis Lo painstakingly pieced together the entire genetic code of her unborn child and then scanned it for key genetic flaws. They already knew that the child's parents were both carriers of beta-thalassaemia, a life-threatening blood disorder, raising the possibility that the child would have it.
By studying the child's genome, or entire cache of DNA, the researchers were able to reassure the parents that their child would merely carry the illness, rather than suffer from it.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/e1liOk
Using a tiny sample of the mother's blood, researchers can piece together the child's entire genetic code and search its DNA for the flaws behind conditions such as Down' s syndrome and autism. The technique would remove the risk of miscarriage associated with current invasive tests, saving the lives of hundreds of unborn babies each year.
But there are fears that it could be exploited to predict an unborn child's risk of problems from Alzheimer's to cancer and heart attacks, creating worry for parents before their baby has even entered the world.
There are also concerns that parents could abuse the technology to select the 'perfect child', with those not fitting the bill in terms of looks, health or even personality being aborted. Currently, pregnant women thought to be at high risk of having a baby with a condition such as Down's syndrome have the choice of two procedures, amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Both involve putting a needle into the womb and raise the risk of miscarriage.
To remove the risk, research teams around the world are trying to find a way of gleaning genetic information from tiny pieces of foetal DNA that have worked their way into the mother's blood. For instance, NHS-funded researchers at Great Ormond Street Hospital are developing a blood test for Down's syndrome. But the new technique, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine would allow multiple conditions to be picked up at once.
Using a sample of blood taken from a woman who was 12 weeks pregnant, researchers led by Dr Dennis Lo painstakingly pieced together the entire genetic code of her unborn child and then scanned it for key genetic flaws. They already knew that the child's parents were both carriers of beta-thalassaemia, a life-threatening blood disorder, raising the possibility that the child would have it.
By studying the child's genome, or entire cache of DNA, the researchers were able to reassure the parents that their child would merely carry the illness, rather than suffer from it.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/e1liOk
Tuesday 7 December 2010
I may have an egg donor baby, says Kylie Minogue
It was feared that her gruelling battle with breast cancer may have cost her the dream of becoming a mother.
But Kylie Minogue has revealed that she has ‘thought about’ egg donation as a way of starting a family.
The 42-year-old singer, who was diagnosed with the disease five years ago, told how she looks ‘wistfully’ at her baby nephew Ethan, the son of younger sister Dannii.
And talking about her own attempt to have a child, the singer reveals: ‘I’ve looked into various options.
‘I don’t know if I’m going to go down any of those roads yet, but I do need to look at what might be potential paths that lead to a family. They can do incredible things now, especially in America.’ Despite this, Miss Minogue said that if motherhood does not happen, she is ‘content’ with her life and finally feels that she is getting back to her pre-cancer best.
‘I don’t want to lose any more weight,’ she told Glamour magazine. I just need to get my fitness up. I do feel that then I’ll almost be back in my own body, which would be great.
‘I felt for such a long time that I was in a stranger’s body.’
To read more go to http://bit.ly/htM4vl
But Kylie Minogue has revealed that she has ‘thought about’ egg donation as a way of starting a family.
The 42-year-old singer, who was diagnosed with the disease five years ago, told how she looks ‘wistfully’ at her baby nephew Ethan, the son of younger sister Dannii.
And talking about her own attempt to have a child, the singer reveals: ‘I’ve looked into various options.
‘I don’t know if I’m going to go down any of those roads yet, but I do need to look at what might be potential paths that lead to a family. They can do incredible things now, especially in America.’ Despite this, Miss Minogue said that if motherhood does not happen, she is ‘content’ with her life and finally feels that she is getting back to her pre-cancer best.
‘I don’t want to lose any more weight,’ she told Glamour magazine. I just need to get my fitness up. I do feel that then I’ll almost be back in my own body, which would be great.
‘I felt for such a long time that I was in a stranger’s body.’
To read more go to http://bit.ly/htM4vl
Sunday 5 December 2010
IVF treatment being suspended or axed as NHS cut costs
Couples are being told their IVF treatment is being suspended or axed completely as NHS trusts battle to cut costs, it emerged today. Primary care trusts are also making patients wait months longer for common operations in an attempt to slash their budgets.
A shortage of funding has hit thousands of patients waiting for operations such as hip and knee operations. NHS trusts are planing to save £20billion by 2014 to cope with an aging population, and overall health funding is receiving limited increases.
Groups have attacked the plans, calling the cuts 'desperate' and 'appalling' but figures show that many PCTs are facing a cash crisis.
At least nine PCTs have culled IVF treatment, despite guidance that infertile women should be given three cycles of treatment.
Susan Seenan of the Infertility Network said she was angry about the cutting of IVF treatment.
'Infertility is an illness, people who cannot have children have no cloice over the matter...They deserve medical treatment the same way anyone suffering from any other illness does,' she says. Katherine Murphy, head of the Patient's Association told the Sunday Telegraph: 'These decisions will absolutely ruin the quality of life for people.
'For years the NHS has wasted money paying managers over-inflated salaries. Now times are getting tight, and it's not the bureaucrats who suffer, but the most vulnerable groups of patients.'
She says the Patient's Association has been contacted by several elderly people worried about the cancellation of their operations, with many reporting long delays in seeing specialists at pain management clinics. Other areas which could be affected include non-urgent diabetes, rheumatology and oral treatment. Reviews of other non-urgent specialist procedures are also taking place.
The Health Service Journal reports that many trusts have changed the rules to reduce the number of patients who are allowed surgery.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/f64N46
A shortage of funding has hit thousands of patients waiting for operations such as hip and knee operations. NHS trusts are planing to save £20billion by 2014 to cope with an aging population, and overall health funding is receiving limited increases.
Groups have attacked the plans, calling the cuts 'desperate' and 'appalling' but figures show that many PCTs are facing a cash crisis.
At least nine PCTs have culled IVF treatment, despite guidance that infertile women should be given three cycles of treatment.
Susan Seenan of the Infertility Network said she was angry about the cutting of IVF treatment.
'Infertility is an illness, people who cannot have children have no cloice over the matter...They deserve medical treatment the same way anyone suffering from any other illness does,' she says. Katherine Murphy, head of the Patient's Association told the Sunday Telegraph: 'These decisions will absolutely ruin the quality of life for people.
'For years the NHS has wasted money paying managers over-inflated salaries. Now times are getting tight, and it's not the bureaucrats who suffer, but the most vulnerable groups of patients.'
She says the Patient's Association has been contacted by several elderly people worried about the cancellation of their operations, with many reporting long delays in seeing specialists at pain management clinics. Other areas which could be affected include non-urgent diabetes, rheumatology and oral treatment. Reviews of other non-urgent specialist procedures are also taking place.
The Health Service Journal reports that many trusts have changed the rules to reduce the number of patients who are allowed surgery.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/f64N46
Friday 3 December 2010
Is Wi-Fi harming humans and affecting reproduction?
As winter arrives with a vengeance, the last of this year’s glorious autumn leaves are falling in our parks and woodlands.
But this week came worrying evidence that Mother Nature is not the only force denuding our trees of their foliage. Research in the Netherlands suggested that outbreaks of bleeding bark and dying leaves which have blighted the country’s urban trees may be caused by radiation from the Wi-Fi networks now so integral to life in offices, schools and homes.
As a qualified electronics engineer, I am not surprised by such findings. I have long been concerned about the harmful effects of the electro-magnetic radiation emitted not only by Wi-Fi devices but many other common modern gadgets, including mobile and cordless phones, wireless games consoles and microwave ovens.
Much though I love trees, and worrying though I find this research, what really unnerves me is the effect these electro-magnetic fields (or EMFs) are having on humans, surrounding us as they do with a constant cloud of ‘electrosmog’.
I am no Luddite. When I started work in the 1960s, I was involved in building walkie-talkies. I thought they were just brilliant and that electronic technology would save the world. But over the decades since, my scientific background has made it impossible for me to ignore the overwhelming evidence about the damage wreaked by this electrosmog.
It is not the existence of these radio waves that is the problem so much as the use we make of them. Rather than being emitted at a constant rate, technology demands they are ‘pulsed’ in short and frequent bursts which appear to be far more biologically harmful.
Not the least is their impact on our ability to reproduce. It is well documented that average male sperm counts are falling by two per cent a year. Many causes have been suggested, from stressful lifestyles to poor diet and hormones in our water supplies. But studies in infertility clinics show problems with sperm dying off or not moving properly are most common in men who use mobiles extensively. This has also been demonstrated in the laboratory.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fTvcqs
But this week came worrying evidence that Mother Nature is not the only force denuding our trees of their foliage. Research in the Netherlands suggested that outbreaks of bleeding bark and dying leaves which have blighted the country’s urban trees may be caused by radiation from the Wi-Fi networks now so integral to life in offices, schools and homes.
As a qualified electronics engineer, I am not surprised by such findings. I have long been concerned about the harmful effects of the electro-magnetic radiation emitted not only by Wi-Fi devices but many other common modern gadgets, including mobile and cordless phones, wireless games consoles and microwave ovens.
Much though I love trees, and worrying though I find this research, what really unnerves me is the effect these electro-magnetic fields (or EMFs) are having on humans, surrounding us as they do with a constant cloud of ‘electrosmog’.
I am no Luddite. When I started work in the 1960s, I was involved in building walkie-talkies. I thought they were just brilliant and that electronic technology would save the world. But over the decades since, my scientific background has made it impossible for me to ignore the overwhelming evidence about the damage wreaked by this electrosmog.
It is not the existence of these radio waves that is the problem so much as the use we make of them. Rather than being emitted at a constant rate, technology demands they are ‘pulsed’ in short and frequent bursts which appear to be far more biologically harmful.
Not the least is their impact on our ability to reproduce. It is well documented that average male sperm counts are falling by two per cent a year. Many causes have been suggested, from stressful lifestyles to poor diet and hormones in our water supplies. But studies in infertility clinics show problems with sperm dying off or not moving properly are most common in men who use mobiles extensively. This has also been demonstrated in the laboratory.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/fTvcqs
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Couple have baby boy after being first to conceive using 'DuoFertility' monitor
A delighted couple revealed today they were the first to conceive with an IVF alternative dubbed the 'fertility sat nav'.
Marie and Mirco Martinelli believed they would never be able to have children after suffering three miscarriages in just two years.
They signed up for IVF but were told there was a two-year waiting list for treatment. So they took part in a trial for DuoFertility, a ground-breaking temperature measuring device that promised pregnancy within 12 months.
They began using the £495 device in January 2009 and were delighted when Marie became pregnant after just seven months.
Baby Alec was born on March 20 this year and is the first baby to be born through the device - which claims to be statistically as good as IVF.
Secretary Marie, 29, who lives in Italy with Mirco, 37, and little Alec, now seven months, said she was "so happy" they had used the device.
She said: 'I was very worried and sad when I kept having miscarriages. The whole world was pregnant and had babies and I struggled to get pregnant and couldn't stay pregnant.
'DuoFertility stopped me thinking of myself as having a problem, and suddenly I was able to sleep more normally and feel a great deal calmer.
'Where the product calculates your fertile days after a few months, it was impossible for me to have been able to do that properly without proper scientific approaches, because my cycle was different all the time.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/glXngj
Marie and Mirco Martinelli believed they would never be able to have children after suffering three miscarriages in just two years.
They signed up for IVF but were told there was a two-year waiting list for treatment. So they took part in a trial for DuoFertility, a ground-breaking temperature measuring device that promised pregnancy within 12 months.
They began using the £495 device in January 2009 and were delighted when Marie became pregnant after just seven months.
Baby Alec was born on March 20 this year and is the first baby to be born through the device - which claims to be statistically as good as IVF.
Secretary Marie, 29, who lives in Italy with Mirco, 37, and little Alec, now seven months, said she was "so happy" they had used the device.
She said: 'I was very worried and sad when I kept having miscarriages. The whole world was pregnant and had babies and I struggled to get pregnant and couldn't stay pregnant.
'DuoFertility stopped me thinking of myself as having a problem, and suddenly I was able to sleep more normally and feel a great deal calmer.
'Where the product calculates your fertile days after a few months, it was impossible for me to have been able to do that properly without proper scientific approaches, because my cycle was different all the time.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/glXngj
Tuesday 30 November 2010
Television production company seeking individuals considering assisted conception
A television production company has contacted Pride Angel. They are keen to talk to anyone considering any method of assisted conception for the first time.
They are currently researching the subject for a new documentary and would like to speak to anyone who is willing to discuss their situation, their hopes and their fears.
If you are interested and would like further information, contact Influential Media via email at info@influential.tv. or alternatively contact Erika at info@prideangel.com
Go to http://bit.ly/f2hA5r
They are currently researching the subject for a new documentary and would like to speak to anyone who is willing to discuss their situation, their hopes and their fears.
If you are interested and would like further information, contact Influential Media via email at info@influential.tv. or alternatively contact Erika at info@prideangel.com
Go to http://bit.ly/f2hA5r
Monday 29 November 2010
Low sperm counts making it harder for couples to conceive
Low sperm counts and reduced male fertility may be making it even harder for couples to conceive and be contributing to low birth rates in many countries, reveals a new European Science Foundation (ESF) report launching at a meeting in Paris.
More than 10% of couples worldwide are infertile, contributing to the growing demand for assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for which Robert G. Edwards won the Nobel Prize in Medicine last month.
Sperm counts have dropped significantly in the last 50 years in developed countries. Today, at least one in five 18-25 year old men in Europe have semen quality in subfertile range. Testosterone levels are also declining. This is mirrored by increasing testicular cancer in most industrialised countries and more developmental abnormalities such as undescended testes. All of these factors are linked to reduced fertility and may have common origins during foetal development.
“The important impact of men’s reproductive health on a couple’s fertility is often overlooked,” said Professor Niels Skakkebæk from the University of Copenhagen, who co-authored the report. “Women postponing motherhood have reduced fertility, and we now see that poor sperm may be making it even harder to conceive. While poor sperm may be part of the reason more couples are using IVF it may also be making those therapies less successful.”
Skakkebæk continues: “We need a common strategy in Europe to target research so we can address the poor state of men’s reproductive health. That this decrease in male reproductive health has occurred in just a few decades suggests it’s caused by environmental and lifestyle factors rather than genetics. So it is preventable if we correctly identify the causes.”
In men some lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking can affect sperm counts, but the effects are small. In contrast, if women smoke heavily in pregnancy, a much larger fall in sperm count is likely in their sons when they grow up. Testosterone levels naturally drop as men age, which may predispose men to cardiovascular and metabolic health problems that pose large financial and healthcare issues for national governments. Low sperm counts and low testosterone levels are both associated with increased risk of early death for men.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dUnZKH
More than 10% of couples worldwide are infertile, contributing to the growing demand for assisted reproduction techniques such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for which Robert G. Edwards won the Nobel Prize in Medicine last month.
Sperm counts have dropped significantly in the last 50 years in developed countries. Today, at least one in five 18-25 year old men in Europe have semen quality in subfertile range. Testosterone levels are also declining. This is mirrored by increasing testicular cancer in most industrialised countries and more developmental abnormalities such as undescended testes. All of these factors are linked to reduced fertility and may have common origins during foetal development.
“The important impact of men’s reproductive health on a couple’s fertility is often overlooked,” said Professor Niels Skakkebæk from the University of Copenhagen, who co-authored the report. “Women postponing motherhood have reduced fertility, and we now see that poor sperm may be making it even harder to conceive. While poor sperm may be part of the reason more couples are using IVF it may also be making those therapies less successful.”
Skakkebæk continues: “We need a common strategy in Europe to target research so we can address the poor state of men’s reproductive health. That this decrease in male reproductive health has occurred in just a few decades suggests it’s caused by environmental and lifestyle factors rather than genetics. So it is preventable if we correctly identify the causes.”
In men some lifestyle factors such as obesity and smoking can affect sperm counts, but the effects are small. In contrast, if women smoke heavily in pregnancy, a much larger fall in sperm count is likely in their sons when they grow up. Testosterone levels naturally drop as men age, which may predispose men to cardiovascular and metabolic health problems that pose large financial and healthcare issues for national governments. Low sperm counts and low testosterone levels are both associated with increased risk of early death for men.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dUnZKH
Saturday 27 November 2010
IVF loan adverts spark fury in New Zealand
Kiwis who've struggled to conceive are up in arms over ASB's new ad offering loans for IVF treatment. But why do would-be parents have to pay in the first place? Adam Dudding reports.
WHEN HE first saw the slickly sentimental new ad from ASB bank offering loans for fertility treatment, Roger Gray was ironing his work shirts. He was so shocked he almost dropped the iron.
"I thought it was disgusting," says the Auckland father-of-three, two of whose children were born with the help of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). "To me, it was exploitative of people who are in a desperate situation."
Gray and his wife went through their fertility treatment in Australia, where couples receive government subsidies that slash the cost of IVF to around $2000 per "cycle" for an unlimited number of cycles. In New Zealand would-be parents are fully funded for just one or two attempts, the waiting lists can be long, and eligibility depends on a stringent set of criteria. And outside the public system, they face spending $10,000-$12,000 of their own money per attempt. Private health insurers don't cover IVF (except, curiously, through one scheme offered only to employees of NZ Police).
"The government system here of restricting the number of opportunities to publicly fund IVF is not good," said Gray. "And then ASB is taking advantage of this to make money out of desperate people. I think it showed the worst side of banking."
Gray was just one of several parents with an insider's knowledge of fertility treatment who told the Sunday Star-Times they were uneasy, or even angry, about the 60-second IVF ad, in which a photogenically mopey couple struggling to conceive sell their vintage car to fund IVF, and then when that fails borrow ASB money for another cycle which culminates in triplets. The ad, which ASB says is based on the "real life" experiences of customers, is part of a major rebranding of the bank that seems set on portraying ASB not so much as a large Australian bank that lends and borrows money in exchange for interest, but as a quasi-benevolent organisation focused on "creating futures", and perhaps creating the odd set of triplets.
By Thursday afternoon, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) had received seven complaints about the ad, which first screened last Sunday, on the grounds that it was socially irresponsible, exploited a vulnerable audience or encouraged an unrealistic expectation of a successful outcome to fertility treatment.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hRVs4A
WHEN HE first saw the slickly sentimental new ad from ASB bank offering loans for fertility treatment, Roger Gray was ironing his work shirts. He was so shocked he almost dropped the iron.
"I thought it was disgusting," says the Auckland father-of-three, two of whose children were born with the help of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). "To me, it was exploitative of people who are in a desperate situation."
Gray and his wife went through their fertility treatment in Australia, where couples receive government subsidies that slash the cost of IVF to around $2000 per "cycle" for an unlimited number of cycles. In New Zealand would-be parents are fully funded for just one or two attempts, the waiting lists can be long, and eligibility depends on a stringent set of criteria. And outside the public system, they face spending $10,000-$12,000 of their own money per attempt. Private health insurers don't cover IVF (except, curiously, through one scheme offered only to employees of NZ Police).
"The government system here of restricting the number of opportunities to publicly fund IVF is not good," said Gray. "And then ASB is taking advantage of this to make money out of desperate people. I think it showed the worst side of banking."
Gray was just one of several parents with an insider's knowledge of fertility treatment who told the Sunday Star-Times they were uneasy, or even angry, about the 60-second IVF ad, in which a photogenically mopey couple struggling to conceive sell their vintage car to fund IVF, and then when that fails borrow ASB money for another cycle which culminates in triplets. The ad, which ASB says is based on the "real life" experiences of customers, is part of a major rebranding of the bank that seems set on portraying ASB not so much as a large Australian bank that lends and borrows money in exchange for interest, but as a quasi-benevolent organisation focused on "creating futures", and perhaps creating the odd set of triplets.
By Thursday afternoon, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) had received seven complaints about the ad, which first screened last Sunday, on the grounds that it was socially irresponsible, exploited a vulnerable audience or encouraged an unrealistic expectation of a successful outcome to fertility treatment.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/hRVs4A
Thursday 25 November 2010
Treating testes early may prevent male infertility
Infertility is probably the last thing on teenage boys' minds. However, a new study out of Brazil suggests that early treatment of a common testicular condition could preserve future fatherhood potential for some adolescents.
A varicocele is a widening of the veins in the scrotum, which house the testicles. While frequently harmless, varicoceles can cause pain, testicular shrinkage and, over time, can potentially lead to lower sperm counts and quality.
The condition, which is similar to varicose veins, is estimated to affect 15 percent of men over 15. But it is found in more than a third of men being assessed for primary infertility -- an inability to biologically father a child -- and 80 percent of secondary infertility cases -- men who were once able to father a child but are not able to do so anymore.
Although varicoceles may not be the sole cause of infertility in all those cases, the close association with infertility and apparent worsening of the effect over time suggest early surgical correction of the flawed veins could have important benefits later on, the authors note.
"Because varicocele is a progressive disease, we want to know how soon we can intervene, especially because it does not cause infertility in all men," researcher Paula Toni Del Giudice of Sao Paulo Federal University, in Brazil, told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "Surgical intervention is not for everyone."
Del Giudice and her colleagues studied 21 boys between the ages of 15 and 19. They collected two semen samples before surgical correction of the varicoceles and another two samples at least three months after the varicocelectomy.
The team reports in the journal Fertility and Sterility that two important indicators of the sperm's functional health -- the integrity of the sperm cells' DNA and the activity of internal energy generators called mitochondria -- significantly improved after the surgery.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/griU2u
A varicocele is a widening of the veins in the scrotum, which house the testicles. While frequently harmless, varicoceles can cause pain, testicular shrinkage and, over time, can potentially lead to lower sperm counts and quality.
The condition, which is similar to varicose veins, is estimated to affect 15 percent of men over 15. But it is found in more than a third of men being assessed for primary infertility -- an inability to biologically father a child -- and 80 percent of secondary infertility cases -- men who were once able to father a child but are not able to do so anymore.
Although varicoceles may not be the sole cause of infertility in all those cases, the close association with infertility and apparent worsening of the effect over time suggest early surgical correction of the flawed veins could have important benefits later on, the authors note.
"Because varicocele is a progressive disease, we want to know how soon we can intervene, especially because it does not cause infertility in all men," researcher Paula Toni Del Giudice of Sao Paulo Federal University, in Brazil, told Reuters Health in an e-mail. "Surgical intervention is not for everyone."
Del Giudice and her colleagues studied 21 boys between the ages of 15 and 19. They collected two semen samples before surgical correction of the varicoceles and another two samples at least three months after the varicocelectomy.
The team reports in the journal Fertility and Sterility that two important indicators of the sperm's functional health -- the integrity of the sperm cells' DNA and the activity of internal energy generators called mitochondria -- significantly improved after the surgery.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/griU2u
Tuesday 23 November 2010
When to give up on IVF treatment?
More than five dozen shots a month, lots of heartbreak, and a devastating miscarriage. That's what E! News host Giuliana Rancic, 36, has endured so far in her quest to become a mother.
Rancic told UsMagazine.com that her IVF fertility treatments include 63 injections per month.
Is there some point at which a couple should be told that enough's enough, and the IVF treatments called off?
"There's no set formula," says Dr. Helen Kim, director of in vitro fertilization at the University of Chicago. "It's very individual, but success does seem to taper off, and if a woman hasn't gotten pregnant after her third cycle, she's certainly less likely to get pregnant with IVF."
In the Rancics' case, which the couple has chronicled on their reality show, "Giuliana & Bill," the miscarriage came after they had been trying to conceive for a year.
Rancic had been eight weeks pregnant when she miscarried back in September.
"Both of us were in shock," Bill, 39, told People magazine. "Failure wasn't an option!"
Giuliana revealed that she was devastated and discouraged by the news. "It's not like some kinds of medicine where there is a definite end point," says Dr. Mark Sauer, professor and chief of reproductive endocrinology at Columbia University, where he also directs the IVF program. "There's an assumption that there is always something you can do for a patient, another treatment. It's hard for doctors to say they just don't know why someone is not getting pregnant."
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dKsFG1
Rancic told UsMagazine.com that her IVF fertility treatments include 63 injections per month.
Is there some point at which a couple should be told that enough's enough, and the IVF treatments called off?
"There's no set formula," says Dr. Helen Kim, director of in vitro fertilization at the University of Chicago. "It's very individual, but success does seem to taper off, and if a woman hasn't gotten pregnant after her third cycle, she's certainly less likely to get pregnant with IVF."
In the Rancics' case, which the couple has chronicled on their reality show, "Giuliana & Bill," the miscarriage came after they had been trying to conceive for a year.
Rancic had been eight weeks pregnant when she miscarried back in September.
"Both of us were in shock," Bill, 39, told People magazine. "Failure wasn't an option!"
Giuliana revealed that she was devastated and discouraged by the news. "It's not like some kinds of medicine where there is a definite end point," says Dr. Mark Sauer, professor and chief of reproductive endocrinology at Columbia University, where he also directs the IVF program. "There's an assumption that there is always something you can do for a patient, another treatment. It's hard for doctors to say they just don't know why someone is not getting pregnant."
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dKsFG1
Sunday 21 November 2010
Sister to become surrogate for her gay brother
The London Women's Clinic (LWC) has reportedly received an application for fertility treatment by two gay men wanting to raise a child who wish to use one of the couple's sister as a surrogate.
Up to 30 percent of LWC's clients are lesbian couples, representing an increase of about ten percent from ten years ago, but the applications to the clinic made this week are the first to be received from a male same-sex couple. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Dr Kamal Ahuja, scientific director at LWC confirmed that the clinic's ethics committee was considering the application alongside another received from a gay couple who have also applied for treatment using a surrogate.
The LWC was one of the first clinics to admit lesbian's for donor insemination and has carried out studies demonstrating that the wellbeing of children is not compromised by the absence of a 'father figure'.
Dr Ahuja said: 'The definition of a traditional family is progressively fading. Though we had concerns some years ago, the evidence now is that we need not worry in terms of same-sex parenting'. He added: 'Families of the future may combine up to five parents. Regardless of culture, the evidence is that children adapt well and it's the quality of the nurturing environment which is important'.
The surrogacy application made to LWC is not unique in the UK. Last year it was reported that Lorna Bradley had acted as a surrogate for her brother and his partner but until recently gay couples have been said to be more likely to travel to the United States to enter into surrogacy arrangements where there is less regulation. If the application is accepted by LWC and the attempted surrogacy is successful, the couple will be among the first gay men in the UK who will both be entitled to be a named parent on the child's birth certificate since changes were made to the law in April 2010.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aZdCOm
Up to 30 percent of LWC's clients are lesbian couples, representing an increase of about ten percent from ten years ago, but the applications to the clinic made this week are the first to be received from a male same-sex couple. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Dr Kamal Ahuja, scientific director at LWC confirmed that the clinic's ethics committee was considering the application alongside another received from a gay couple who have also applied for treatment using a surrogate.
The LWC was one of the first clinics to admit lesbian's for donor insemination and has carried out studies demonstrating that the wellbeing of children is not compromised by the absence of a 'father figure'.
Dr Ahuja said: 'The definition of a traditional family is progressively fading. Though we had concerns some years ago, the evidence now is that we need not worry in terms of same-sex parenting'. He added: 'Families of the future may combine up to five parents. Regardless of culture, the evidence is that children adapt well and it's the quality of the nurturing environment which is important'.
The surrogacy application made to LWC is not unique in the UK. Last year it was reported that Lorna Bradley had acted as a surrogate for her brother and his partner but until recently gay couples have been said to be more likely to travel to the United States to enter into surrogacy arrangements where there is less regulation. If the application is accepted by LWC and the attempted surrogacy is successful, the couple will be among the first gay men in the UK who will both be entitled to be a named parent on the child's birth certificate since changes were made to the law in April 2010.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aZdCOm
Friday 19 November 2010
Children in need appeal 2010
Children in need's mission is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK. Their vision is a society where each and every child and young person is supported to realise their potential.
In 2009, The BBC Children in Need Appeal raised over £39 million which will be used to support projects across the UK and for every penny you gave the charity, a penny will go towards projects helping disadvantaged children in the UK. Children in need are able to make this promise because the charity uses its investment income and Gift Aid to cover all running costs. Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and their corporate partners, they are able to provide support to thousands of youngsters aged 18 and under.
Children in need provide this support in the form of grants to organisations working with children who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.
The size and scale of the BBC Children in Need Appeal means that they are able to give grants to hundreds of different organisations, some of which are very small and don't have the resources to fundraise for themselves.
The charity operates all year round, not just the months leading up to Appeal night, and their staff around the UK process thousands of applications for funding. Every year the funding requests exceed the amount of money raised so 'Children in need' carefully assess all applications to ensure that grants are targeted on areas of real need. Voluntary committee members, based in each region, draw on their expertise and local knowledge to advise our board of Trustees which projects should receive grants, and funds are allocated geographically to ensure that all corners of the UK get a share of the money raised.
Donations can be made by credit card, at your local post office, by post, bank, building society or simply using PayPal
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bux9Gl
In 2009, The BBC Children in Need Appeal raised over £39 million which will be used to support projects across the UK and for every penny you gave the charity, a penny will go towards projects helping disadvantaged children in the UK. Children in need are able to make this promise because the charity uses its investment income and Gift Aid to cover all running costs. Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and their corporate partners, they are able to provide support to thousands of youngsters aged 18 and under.
Children in need provide this support in the form of grants to organisations working with children who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.
The size and scale of the BBC Children in Need Appeal means that they are able to give grants to hundreds of different organisations, some of which are very small and don't have the resources to fundraise for themselves.
The charity operates all year round, not just the months leading up to Appeal night, and their staff around the UK process thousands of applications for funding. Every year the funding requests exceed the amount of money raised so 'Children in need' carefully assess all applications to ensure that grants are targeted on areas of real need. Voluntary committee members, based in each region, draw on their expertise and local knowledge to advise our board of Trustees which projects should receive grants, and funds are allocated geographically to ensure that all corners of the UK get a share of the money raised.
Donations can be made by credit card, at your local post office, by post, bank, building society or simply using PayPal
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bux9Gl
Thursday 18 November 2010
IVF hormones and stress linked to postnatal depression
Between 20 and 30 percent of women who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures suffer from significant symptoms of depression. Many practitioners believe that the hormone therapy involved in IVF procedures is primarily responsible for this. But new research from Tel Aviv University shows that, while this is true, other factors are even more influential.
According to Dr. Miki Bloch of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, stress, pre-existing depression, and anxiety are more likely than hormone therapy to impact a woman's depression levels when undergoing IVF. Combined, these factors may also affect IVF success rates - so diagnosis and treatment of this depression is very important.
Recently reported in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility, Dr. Bloch's research clarifies the involvement of different hormonal states as triggers for depression during IVF, both for long- and short-term protocols.
The long and short stories
In the long-term IVF protocol, explains Dr. Bloch, women receive injections which block ovulation, resulting in a sharp decline in estrogen and progesterone levels. This state continues for a two-week period before the patient is injected with hormones to stimulate ovulation, at which point the eggs are harvested and fertilized before being replanted into the womb. The short-term IVF protocol, on the other hand, does not include the initial two-week period of induction of a low hormonal state.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dCM7Y6
According to Dr. Miki Bloch of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, stress, pre-existing depression, and anxiety are more likely than hormone therapy to impact a woman's depression levels when undergoing IVF. Combined, these factors may also affect IVF success rates - so diagnosis and treatment of this depression is very important.
Recently reported in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility, Dr. Bloch's research clarifies the involvement of different hormonal states as triggers for depression during IVF, both for long- and short-term protocols.
The long and short stories
In the long-term IVF protocol, explains Dr. Bloch, women receive injections which block ovulation, resulting in a sharp decline in estrogen and progesterone levels. This state continues for a two-week period before the patient is injected with hormones to stimulate ovulation, at which point the eggs are harvested and fertilized before being replanted into the womb. The short-term IVF protocol, on the other hand, does not include the initial two-week period of induction of a low hormonal state.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dCM7Y6
Monday 15 November 2010
Gay sperm donors in high demand
Many more women are turning to sperm donor websites to find donors or co-parents, fuelled by the shortage of donors within the UK, along with many NHS authorities cutting back on IVF treatment. Pride Angel reports on the increasing demand by both lesbian couples and single women for ‘gay sperm donors’.
Their study looked at the number of recipients looking for gay men from their database of over 4500 members. Of the 4500 members 64% are women looking for ‘sperm donors’, with only 16% registered as ‘sperm donors’. This shows a huge shortage in the number of willing donors, compared to the demand. They found that of those recipients who requested ‘looking for’ in their profile, 51% are looking for a ‘gay single man’, with 31% looking for a ‘gay couple’. In contrast, of the registered sperm donors only 23% record themselves as ‘gay’ within their profiles. 53% of sperm donors request ‘looking for’ a single woman, with 33% ‘looking for’ a lesbian couple to donate to.
Why are lesbian and single women looking for gay donors rather than heterosexual men? There may be many reasons for this preference. Erika co-founder of Pride Angel says ‘Many women are wishing to find genuine gay men, either single or in a couple, who are willing to co-parent or donate sperm with some form of on-going contact’ ‘This may be because they feel that gay men may be more sensitive or caring, or easier to co-parent with’. ‘We would really like to see far more gay men coming forward to donate sperm.’
Pride Angel also looked at data received from a questionnaire undertaken by people attending the Manchester Pride’s Lifestyle Expo in August 2010. The questionnaire was completed by 150 people and requested individual views on ‘the level of contact’ they felt the donor should have with any child conceived from known donor conception. The results were very interesting and showed that the vast majority of people did wish for their child to have some form of ongoing contact with their donor, only 26% of women and 20% of men thought that any donation should be anonymous. 27% of women wanted some kind of active involvement from their donor, be it regular or occasional contact. In contrast 51% of men wished to have regular or occasional contact with their donor child. A significant number of women 31%, wanted for their child to be able to contact their donor if needed while growing up
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bwxrEH
Their study looked at the number of recipients looking for gay men from their database of over 4500 members. Of the 4500 members 64% are women looking for ‘sperm donors’, with only 16% registered as ‘sperm donors’. This shows a huge shortage in the number of willing donors, compared to the demand. They found that of those recipients who requested ‘looking for’ in their profile, 51% are looking for a ‘gay single man’, with 31% looking for a ‘gay couple’. In contrast, of the registered sperm donors only 23% record themselves as ‘gay’ within their profiles. 53% of sperm donors request ‘looking for’ a single woman, with 33% ‘looking for’ a lesbian couple to donate to.
Why are lesbian and single women looking for gay donors rather than heterosexual men? There may be many reasons for this preference. Erika co-founder of Pride Angel says ‘Many women are wishing to find genuine gay men, either single or in a couple, who are willing to co-parent or donate sperm with some form of on-going contact’ ‘This may be because they feel that gay men may be more sensitive or caring, or easier to co-parent with’. ‘We would really like to see far more gay men coming forward to donate sperm.’
Pride Angel also looked at data received from a questionnaire undertaken by people attending the Manchester Pride’s Lifestyle Expo in August 2010. The questionnaire was completed by 150 people and requested individual views on ‘the level of contact’ they felt the donor should have with any child conceived from known donor conception. The results were very interesting and showed that the vast majority of people did wish for their child to have some form of ongoing contact with their donor, only 26% of women and 20% of men thought that any donation should be anonymous. 27% of women wanted some kind of active involvement from their donor, be it regular or occasional contact. In contrast 51% of men wished to have regular or occasional contact with their donor child. A significant number of women 31%, wanted for their child to be able to contact their donor if needed while growing up
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bwxrEH
Saturday 13 November 2010
Lesbian mums in dispute: fertility law, child maintenance and what makes a parent
A lesbian couple who had conceived a child together through donor insemination at a UK clinic recently ended up in the High Court after their relationship broke down. Their dispute involved a ten-year-old child, and the issue was whether the non-birth mother (who the court had already given legal decision-making status as a parent) should be ordered to make financial provision for her child.
The story itself of course isn't that unusual - parents separate and divorce all the time and many end up in court arguing over contact or finances. What makes this case interesting is the family was created through fertility treatment and the partner pursued for maintenance was not the biological mother.
The court had to ask whether the lesbian non-birth mother was legally a 'parent' and - specifically - whether her full hands-on parenting involvement in her child's life was enough to make her financially responsible, even though she was not the biological mother.
The answer seems pretty straightforward from a moral perspective. The non-birth mother had been fully involved in her child's care and upbringing, had regular contact with her child, and had successfully (and not long before) applied to court for joint residence and parental responsibility. The law recognised her as a parent for the purposes of decision making and there was no legal father since the child was conceived with anonymous donor sperm.
The child would have only one parent (the birth mother) and considerably less financial security if the non-birth mother was not financially responsible. As the birth mother's lawyers argued in court, it would be 'grotesque' for the court to decide the non-birth mother should not have to maintain a child she had helped bring into the world and was actively parenting.
The law is not always fair. The rules on financial responsibility say explicitly only a legal 'parent' can be ordered to pay. These rules are more black and white than those on matters of contact and parental decision-making, where the family courts often have discretion to act in the best interests of a child.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dBcOte
The story itself of course isn't that unusual - parents separate and divorce all the time and many end up in court arguing over contact or finances. What makes this case interesting is the family was created through fertility treatment and the partner pursued for maintenance was not the biological mother.
The court had to ask whether the lesbian non-birth mother was legally a 'parent' and - specifically - whether her full hands-on parenting involvement in her child's life was enough to make her financially responsible, even though she was not the biological mother.
The answer seems pretty straightforward from a moral perspective. The non-birth mother had been fully involved in her child's care and upbringing, had regular contact with her child, and had successfully (and not long before) applied to court for joint residence and parental responsibility. The law recognised her as a parent for the purposes of decision making and there was no legal father since the child was conceived with anonymous donor sperm.
The child would have only one parent (the birth mother) and considerably less financial security if the non-birth mother was not financially responsible. As the birth mother's lawyers argued in court, it would be 'grotesque' for the court to decide the non-birth mother should not have to maintain a child she had helped bring into the world and was actively parenting.
The law is not always fair. The rules on financial responsibility say explicitly only a legal 'parent' can be ordered to pay. These rules are more black and white than those on matters of contact and parental decision-making, where the family courts often have discretion to act in the best interests of a child.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dBcOte
Gay sperm donor fights lesbian mother over access to children
The woman in her 40s, and her civil partner, took the case to the Court of Appeal to try to overturn an earlier ruling that the children should spend almost half the year living with their father.
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accusing the father of trying to “marginalise” her partner and “overpower” them both with his forceful personality.
But the father, a wealthy man in a long-term relationship, now in his 50s, claims it is his right to see his children and they should divide their time between him and their mother.
The case began in 1999 when the man placed an advert in Gay Times in the hope of finding a lesbian couple to have his children. Looking for a similar female couple who wants to have kids. I require little involvement. I have a lot to offer.”
After a long-term lesbian couple answered the advert, he twice donated sperm and a boy and girl, now aged nine and seven, were born.
Earlier this year a county court judge awarded "shared residency" orders to the mother and father and directed that the children should spend almost half the year with him.
June Venters QC, representing the mother and her partner, said the children were “aware of the difficulties between mummy and daddy” and were at risk of being emotionally harmed by the dispute.
She accepted that the youngsters had a meaningful relationship with their father and said it was in no way suggested that he should lose all contact rights.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/atdgHW
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accusing the father of trying to “marginalise” her partner and “overpower” them both with his forceful personality.
But the father, a wealthy man in a long-term relationship, now in his 50s, claims it is his right to see his children and they should divide their time between him and their mother.
The case began in 1999 when the man placed an advert in Gay Times in the hope of finding a lesbian couple to have his children. Looking for a similar female couple who wants to have kids. I require little involvement. I have a lot to offer.”
After a long-term lesbian couple answered the advert, he twice donated sperm and a boy and girl, now aged nine and seven, were born.
Earlier this year a county court judge awarded "shared residency" orders to the mother and father and directed that the children should spend almost half the year with him.
June Venters QC, representing the mother and her partner, said the children were “aware of the difficulties between mummy and daddy” and were at risk of being emotionally harmed by the dispute.
She accepted that the youngsters had a meaningful relationship with their father and said it was in no way suggested that he should lose all contact rights.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/atdgHW
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Men who use laptop computers on their knees may harm their 'sperm'
Millions of men are putting their reproductive health at risk by balancing their laptops on their knees, experts have warned.
Researchers from the State University of New York asked 29 young men to work on computers placed on their laps. They then measured the change in temperature in their genital area. Study leader, Professor Yelim Sheynkin, said: 'Millions and millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive age range.
'Within 10 or 15 minutes their scrotal temperature is already above what we consider safe, but they don't feel it.' Around one in seven couples in the UK have trouble conceiving and male infertility plays a part in around half of these cases.
Under normal circumstances, the position of the testicles outside the body keeps them a few degrees cooler than the inside of the body, which is necessary for sperm production.
No studies have yet researched how laptops affect male fertility, but earlier research has showed that warming the scrotum even more than one degree Celsius is enough to damage sperm.
The latest study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, found the mens' testicle temperature had risen by up to 2.5 C after holding a laptop on their knees for an hour.
Professor Sheynkin said: 'I wouldn't say that if someone starts to use laptops they will become infertile.' However, he warned that frequent use might contribute to reproductive problems because 'the scrotum doesn't have time to cool down.'
The team found when the men sat with their legs spread wide with a large lap pad under the computer they could keep their testicles cooler. But it still took less than 30 minutes before they began overheating.
'No matter what you do, even with the legs spread wide apart, the temperature is still going to be higher than what we call safe,' Professor Sheynkin said.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a6G765
Researchers from the State University of New York asked 29 young men to work on computers placed on their laps. They then measured the change in temperature in their genital area. Study leader, Professor Yelim Sheynkin, said: 'Millions and millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive age range.
'Within 10 or 15 minutes their scrotal temperature is already above what we consider safe, but they don't feel it.' Around one in seven couples in the UK have trouble conceiving and male infertility plays a part in around half of these cases.
Under normal circumstances, the position of the testicles outside the body keeps them a few degrees cooler than the inside of the body, which is necessary for sperm production.
No studies have yet researched how laptops affect male fertility, but earlier research has showed that warming the scrotum even more than one degree Celsius is enough to damage sperm.
The latest study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, found the mens' testicle temperature had risen by up to 2.5 C after holding a laptop on their knees for an hour.
Professor Sheynkin said: 'I wouldn't say that if someone starts to use laptops they will become infertile.' However, he warned that frequent use might contribute to reproductive problems because 'the scrotum doesn't have time to cool down.'
The team found when the men sat with their legs spread wide with a large lap pad under the computer they could keep their testicles cooler. But it still took less than 30 minutes before they began overheating.
'No matter what you do, even with the legs spread wide apart, the temperature is still going to be higher than what we call safe,' Professor Sheynkin said.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a6G765
Sunday 7 November 2010
Fertility forced abroad as NHS cuts back on IVF treatment
Nicosia looks nice. The clinic website shows pictures of boats bobbing on blue-green Cypriot waters. Spain feels more familiar, but the Ukraine is cheaper. Or what about Mexico, where you can choose whether to have a boy or a girl?
The fertility business is global and booming. As the NHS cuts back on free treatment for the childless, lumping IVF with tattoo removal as an act of kindness rather than treatment for a disease, the competitive prices of private clinics overseas compared with their UK rivals will look ever more tempting. This weekend a number of them will be touting for business at the Fertility Show, now in its second year, at London's Olympia.
Their websites are in English, their blandishments are soothing and the success rates they advertise are eye-popping to those unversed in the complexities of such data. You can get an instant email quote (in sterling) – I was offered IVF using donor eggs (difficult to obtain in the UK) in Kiev for £5,277, in Nicosia for £3,945 (including six days in a hotel and airport transfer) and in Mexico for £4,316 – or £5,091 if I wanted to choose the sex of my child. The UK has some of the best and safest IVF clinics in the world. It is the home of the pioneers – Bob Edwards, responsible for the world's first IVF baby, Louise Brown, recently won a Nobel prize, putting reproductive medicine firmly in the category of humane treatments that have advanced us as a species. But the government's yearning towards the free market and its dislike of red tape are threatening the quango which keeps standards high and clinics safe. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), this week celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Act that set it up, is down for abolition. Its various roles are to be picked apart and handed to other bodies.
These are rocky times for the unhappy childless. North Yorkshire and York, Bury, South West Essex and West Kent have already cut back or suspended NHS fertility treatment. IVF, in a cash-strapped health service, is one of the first things to go. Funders know that desperate people will do it anyway. Houses will be re-mortgaged.
"Couples know they can't wait for the recession to be over," says Clare Lewis-Jones, chief executive of Infertility Network. "There won't be as much NHS IVF, but patients will find the money at least for one cycle. They have had to in the past and they will do it again."
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dtrGLy
The fertility business is global and booming. As the NHS cuts back on free treatment for the childless, lumping IVF with tattoo removal as an act of kindness rather than treatment for a disease, the competitive prices of private clinics overseas compared with their UK rivals will look ever more tempting. This weekend a number of them will be touting for business at the Fertility Show, now in its second year, at London's Olympia.
Their websites are in English, their blandishments are soothing and the success rates they advertise are eye-popping to those unversed in the complexities of such data. You can get an instant email quote (in sterling) – I was offered IVF using donor eggs (difficult to obtain in the UK) in Kiev for £5,277, in Nicosia for £3,945 (including six days in a hotel and airport transfer) and in Mexico for £4,316 – or £5,091 if I wanted to choose the sex of my child. The UK has some of the best and safest IVF clinics in the world. It is the home of the pioneers – Bob Edwards, responsible for the world's first IVF baby, Louise Brown, recently won a Nobel prize, putting reproductive medicine firmly in the category of humane treatments that have advanced us as a species. But the government's yearning towards the free market and its dislike of red tape are threatening the quango which keeps standards high and clinics safe. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), this week celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Act that set it up, is down for abolition. Its various roles are to be picked apart and handed to other bodies.
These are rocky times for the unhappy childless. North Yorkshire and York, Bury, South West Essex and West Kent have already cut back or suspended NHS fertility treatment. IVF, in a cash-strapped health service, is one of the first things to go. Funders know that desperate people will do it anyway. Houses will be re-mortgaged.
"Couples know they can't wait for the recession to be over," says Clare Lewis-Jones, chief executive of Infertility Network. "There won't be as much NHS IVF, but patients will find the money at least for one cycle. They have had to in the past and they will do it again."
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dtrGLy
Friday 5 November 2010
Fertility Show London 5th-6th November, Olympia, London.
Considering IVF? Looking for some answers?
Whether you’re just thinking about starting a family or have been trying for ages, find out what you need to know at The Fertility Show.
- 100 exhibitors
- 60 talks from experts
- Medical and complementary alternatives
- Leading UK and overseas clinics
- Fertility assessments and treatments
- Advice for everyone including single women and same sex parents
- A successful and proven event, now in its 2nd year
For those just thinking of having a baby:
- Zita West on how to get pregnant
- Marilyn Glenville on fertility-boosting nutrition
- Dr Zhai on Chinese medicine
- Charles Kingsland on preparing for pregnancy
For people finding it difficult to get pregnant:
- Carole Gilling-Smith on testing your ovarian reserve
- Sue Avery on the main approaches to treatment
- Paul Serhal on the fertility rollercoaster
- Allan Pacey on what men need to know about their fertility
- Raj Rai on recurrent miscarriage
For those considering IVF:
- Kate Brian on how to choose a clinic
- Natalie Gamble on treatment abroad
- Clare Lewis-Jones on what the NHS will pay for
- Anthony Rutherford on avoiding twins
- Mohamed Taranissi on immunology
Britain's leading fertility specialists:
- PCOS, endometriosis, secondary infertility
- Egg freezing, reproductive surgery, alternative medicine, mild IVF
- Specific advice for single women, older women and alternative parenting
- International surrogacy and donors abroad
- Coping strategies and managing relationships through treatment
The Fertility Show is backed by Britain's leading fertility support group, Infertility Network UK. It is a dedicated and discreet environment where you can learn about your fertility, explore your options with experienced and sympathetic professionals and find out how to give yourself the best chance of conceiving.
Looking for a sperm donor, egg donor or co-parent? visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/cek5Wk
Whether you’re just thinking about starting a family or have been trying for ages, find out what you need to know at The Fertility Show.
- 100 exhibitors
- 60 talks from experts
- Medical and complementary alternatives
- Leading UK and overseas clinics
- Fertility assessments and treatments
- Advice for everyone including single women and same sex parents
- A successful and proven event, now in its 2nd year
For those just thinking of having a baby:
- Zita West on how to get pregnant
- Marilyn Glenville on fertility-boosting nutrition
- Dr Zhai on Chinese medicine
- Charles Kingsland on preparing for pregnancy
For people finding it difficult to get pregnant:
- Carole Gilling-Smith on testing your ovarian reserve
- Sue Avery on the main approaches to treatment
- Paul Serhal on the fertility rollercoaster
- Allan Pacey on what men need to know about their fertility
- Raj Rai on recurrent miscarriage
For those considering IVF:
- Kate Brian on how to choose a clinic
- Natalie Gamble on treatment abroad
- Clare Lewis-Jones on what the NHS will pay for
- Anthony Rutherford on avoiding twins
- Mohamed Taranissi on immunology
Britain's leading fertility specialists:
- PCOS, endometriosis, secondary infertility
- Egg freezing, reproductive surgery, alternative medicine, mild IVF
- Specific advice for single women, older women and alternative parenting
- International surrogacy and donors abroad
- Coping strategies and managing relationships through treatment
The Fertility Show is backed by Britain's leading fertility support group, Infertility Network UK. It is a dedicated and discreet environment where you can learn about your fertility, explore your options with experienced and sympathetic professionals and find out how to give yourself the best chance of conceiving.
Looking for a sperm donor, egg donor or co-parent? visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/cek5Wk
Wednesday 3 November 2010
IVF could double risk of 'Cerebral Palsy'
IVF could double the risk of cerebral palsy, according to a study of more than 90,000 children.
Several studies have shown that rates of the neurological condition, which can result in speech problems, muscular stiffness and curvature of the spine, are higher in couples who have undergone in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
But this is the first to suggest that the process of IVF itself could increase the risk, rather than it being a consequence of the parents' impaired fertility
Researchers at the University of Aarhus in Denmark found that babies born by IVF were more than twice as likely to have cerebral palsy as those conceived naturally.
The result held up even after adjusting for factors like the age of the mother, if she smoked, and whether the baby was premature or a twin.
Dr Jin Lieang Zhu, an epidemiologist, and his team concluded that IVF was probably the underlying cause by looking at how rates of cerebral palsy changed depending on how long it took the mother to conceive naturally. This is considered a good measure of underlying fertility.
They found no statistically significant difference in rates between those whose mothers took less than two months to conceive, and those who took more than a year.
However, there was a much bigger difference between those who took over a year to conceive and those who only got pregnant thanks to IVF.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aVAN51
Several studies have shown that rates of the neurological condition, which can result in speech problems, muscular stiffness and curvature of the spine, are higher in couples who have undergone in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
But this is the first to suggest that the process of IVF itself could increase the risk, rather than it being a consequence of the parents' impaired fertility
Researchers at the University of Aarhus in Denmark found that babies born by IVF were more than twice as likely to have cerebral palsy as those conceived naturally.
The result held up even after adjusting for factors like the age of the mother, if she smoked, and whether the baby was premature or a twin.
Dr Jin Lieang Zhu, an epidemiologist, and his team concluded that IVF was probably the underlying cause by looking at how rates of cerebral palsy changed depending on how long it took the mother to conceive naturally. This is considered a good measure of underlying fertility.
They found no statistically significant difference in rates between those whose mothers took less than two months to conceive, and those who took more than a year.
However, there was a much bigger difference between those who took over a year to conceive and those who only got pregnant thanks to IVF.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aVAN51
Monday 1 November 2010
NHS cuts back costs by suspending IVF treatment in Yorkshire
NHS North Yorkshire and York is to suspend IVF procedures in the final quarter of this financial year as part of measures to reduce costs. The trust said it would honour its current IVF waiting list but, from 1 November 2010, no new patients would be added other than in exceptional clinical circumstances. NHS North Yorkshire and York budgets £1 million for up to 250 IVF patients per year and offers one cycle to patients below its sub-fertility criteria.
Dr David Geddes, Medical Director of NHS North Yorkshire and York, said: 'We fully appreciate that infertility is a highly emotive issue but, due to considerable financial pressure, NHS North Yorkshire and York has taken the difficult decision to not routinely commission assisted conception services for the final quarter of the financial year'.
He added: 'This decision affects IVF and other assisted conception procedures. However, it does not affect couples experiencing fertility problems having access to non-surgical treatments, such as drug treatments that may result in successful conception'.
The funding cut has prompted concern from Susan Seenan from the Infertility Network UK. She told BBC Radio York: 'I don't think we can actually express how angry and let down we feel about this decision to suspend funding for IVF treatments'. She added: 'On behalf of patients in Yorkshire, it's appalling that the trust has taken this decision'.
Chief Executive of NHS North Yorkshire and York, Jayne Brown, said: 'We have a statutory obligation to achieve financial balance and our priority is to achieve significant short-term savings whilst maintaining essential services for patients in North Yorkshire and York'. She added: 'We fully appreciate that the decisions we have taken will be unpalatable'.
To read more go to
Dr David Geddes, Medical Director of NHS North Yorkshire and York, said: 'We fully appreciate that infertility is a highly emotive issue but, due to considerable financial pressure, NHS North Yorkshire and York has taken the difficult decision to not routinely commission assisted conception services for the final quarter of the financial year'.
He added: 'This decision affects IVF and other assisted conception procedures. However, it does not affect couples experiencing fertility problems having access to non-surgical treatments, such as drug treatments that may result in successful conception'.
The funding cut has prompted concern from Susan Seenan from the Infertility Network UK. She told BBC Radio York: 'I don't think we can actually express how angry and let down we feel about this decision to suspend funding for IVF treatments'. She added: 'On behalf of patients in Yorkshire, it's appalling that the trust has taken this decision'.
Chief Executive of NHS North Yorkshire and York, Jayne Brown, said: 'We have a statutory obligation to achieve financial balance and our priority is to achieve significant short-term savings whilst maintaining essential services for patients in North Yorkshire and York'. She added: 'We fully appreciate that the decisions we have taken will be unpalatable'.
To read more go to
Saturday 30 October 2010
A Guide for Gay Dads - launched by Stonewall
Stonewall has launched this week 'A Guide for Gay Dads', giving gay men practical advice in plain English on how to become a dad.
The guide is the brother publication to Pregnant Pause, released earlier this year. It guides prospective gay dads through all their options including adoption, co-parenting, surrogacy, sperm donation and fostering. It includes a handy glossary and spells out all the recent legal changes in plain English to help demystify the process.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘There’s never been a better time for gay men to start a family in Britain. The law is now on their side. And this comprehensive new guide – the first of its kind specifically aimed at gay men – outlines all options, with handy tips and places to go for further support. We hope it’ll convince some gay men who might have otherwise written off the prospect of raising children to re-consider.’
Stonewall we have worked hard to ensure that gay people can have and raise children like everyone else. While our lobbying has helped changed the law – allowing gay couples to adopt, removing barriers to fertility treatment for lesbians and outlawing discrimination in goods and services, including organisations offering social and family services – there is still lots to do.
Not only does the 'Guide for Gay Dads' give vitally useful legal advice on what parenting rights you may have in different situations but it gives you an overview of what you can expect from each route to becoming a dad. Given the recent changes to the law it is a must-read for any gay men considering starting a family.
Cambridge University research for Stonewall published earlier this year demonstrated how children with same-sex parents have the exact same quality of upbringing as other children. Alice, 7, who was interviewed for the research said: ‘I’ve got two parents who love me. It doesn’t matter if they’re a boy or a girl.’
Stonewall’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/stonewalluk currently includes an interview with Jess Sweeney, 17, whose dad is gay. She told us: ‘Every girl wants a gay best friend, but mine is my dad, too.’
If you would like a free hardcopy of the guide, email Stonewall at info@stonewall.org.uk
or Click here to download A Guide for Gay Dads
It’s the latest in a programme of recent work to ensure lesbian and gay people can start families and bring up children free from homophobia. Earlier this year Stonewall published their groundbreaking (Different Families) research which for the first time allowed the overwhelmingly illuminating voices of children with gay parents to be heard and last year they published (Pregnant Pause), a guide for lesbians on how to get pregnant.
Read more about the guide at www.stonewall.org.uk
For more information about gay parenting, becoming a sperm donor or co-parenting visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/94M2AZ
The guide is the brother publication to Pregnant Pause, released earlier this year. It guides prospective gay dads through all their options including adoption, co-parenting, surrogacy, sperm donation and fostering. It includes a handy glossary and spells out all the recent legal changes in plain English to help demystify the process.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘There’s never been a better time for gay men to start a family in Britain. The law is now on their side. And this comprehensive new guide – the first of its kind specifically aimed at gay men – outlines all options, with handy tips and places to go for further support. We hope it’ll convince some gay men who might have otherwise written off the prospect of raising children to re-consider.’
Stonewall we have worked hard to ensure that gay people can have and raise children like everyone else. While our lobbying has helped changed the law – allowing gay couples to adopt, removing barriers to fertility treatment for lesbians and outlawing discrimination in goods and services, including organisations offering social and family services – there is still lots to do.
Not only does the 'Guide for Gay Dads' give vitally useful legal advice on what parenting rights you may have in different situations but it gives you an overview of what you can expect from each route to becoming a dad. Given the recent changes to the law it is a must-read for any gay men considering starting a family.
Cambridge University research for Stonewall published earlier this year demonstrated how children with same-sex parents have the exact same quality of upbringing as other children. Alice, 7, who was interviewed for the research said: ‘I’ve got two parents who love me. It doesn’t matter if they’re a boy or a girl.’
Stonewall’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/stonewalluk currently includes an interview with Jess Sweeney, 17, whose dad is gay. She told us: ‘Every girl wants a gay best friend, but mine is my dad, too.’
If you would like a free hardcopy of the guide, email Stonewall at info@stonewall.org.uk
or Click here to download A Guide for Gay Dads
It’s the latest in a programme of recent work to ensure lesbian and gay people can start families and bring up children free from homophobia. Earlier this year Stonewall published their groundbreaking (Different Families) research which for the first time allowed the overwhelmingly illuminating voices of children with gay parents to be heard and last year they published (Pregnant Pause), a guide for lesbians on how to get pregnant.
Read more about the guide at www.stonewall.org.uk
For more information about gay parenting, becoming a sperm donor or co-parenting visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/94M2AZ
Thursday 28 October 2010
Donating sperm - Why do men choose to donate?
It takes just minutes, but the emotional consequences of donating sperm can last for years. So what makes men do it? By Alice-Azania Jarvis, The Independent.
Sperm is a hot commodity in 21st-century Britain. Women will travel miles to find it and pay thousands to access it. Obtaining a donation from the European Sperm Bank – which is to say pursuing the standard, NHS-endorsed option of licensed donation – can cost upwards of £2,500. That's before diagnostic testing, treatment costs, and "pregnancy slot" bookings are taken into account. That's £2,500 for three, thumb-sized vials of frozen semen – and it might not be enough.
Treatment could be unsuccessful, at least the first time around. It might be a one-off, or it might a recurring problem. It might not even be possible to buy a donation. Demand for those frozen vials dwarfs availability, and the result is a system in which eligibility is strictly regulated.
Mark Jackson first learned of the sperm shortage six years ago. Sitting at his computer, reading news of the Boxing Day tsunami, he was made aware of his own mortality. “I realised that you could be wiped off the earth without having left any impact,” he reflects. “My eye was caught by a ticker running across the screen. It said that there was a shortage of gamete donations. I didn’t even know what that was, but I clicked on the link. I realised that maybe I could make a difference after all.”
Since then, his sperm has been used to “help” two families and Jackson has become a trustee of the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT). He is one of almost 500 registered donors in the UK, sharing his sperm via the 138 licensed clinics around the country. In 2005, when British law changed to allow donors’ offspring to learn, on turning 18, the identity of their father, that number was widely predicted to drop off. Suddenly, the prospect was raised of biological sons or daughters rocking up on donors’ doorsteps. It’s a scenario soon to be played out on the big screen, thanks to US comedy The Kids Are All Right, and it would be enough – sceptics reasoned – to turn many men off their trips to the fertility clinic.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bP4xJ2
Sperm is a hot commodity in 21st-century Britain. Women will travel miles to find it and pay thousands to access it. Obtaining a donation from the European Sperm Bank – which is to say pursuing the standard, NHS-endorsed option of licensed donation – can cost upwards of £2,500. That's before diagnostic testing, treatment costs, and "pregnancy slot" bookings are taken into account. That's £2,500 for three, thumb-sized vials of frozen semen – and it might not be enough.
Treatment could be unsuccessful, at least the first time around. It might be a one-off, or it might a recurring problem. It might not even be possible to buy a donation. Demand for those frozen vials dwarfs availability, and the result is a system in which eligibility is strictly regulated.
Mark Jackson first learned of the sperm shortage six years ago. Sitting at his computer, reading news of the Boxing Day tsunami, he was made aware of his own mortality. “I realised that you could be wiped off the earth without having left any impact,” he reflects. “My eye was caught by a ticker running across the screen. It said that there was a shortage of gamete donations. I didn’t even know what that was, but I clicked on the link. I realised that maybe I could make a difference after all.”
Since then, his sperm has been used to “help” two families and Jackson has become a trustee of the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT). He is one of almost 500 registered donors in the UK, sharing his sperm via the 138 licensed clinics around the country. In 2005, when British law changed to allow donors’ offspring to learn, on turning 18, the identity of their father, that number was widely predicted to drop off. Suddenly, the prospect was raised of biological sons or daughters rocking up on donors’ doorsteps. It’s a scenario soon to be played out on the big screen, thanks to US comedy The Kids Are All Right, and it would be enough – sceptics reasoned – to turn many men off their trips to the fertility clinic.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bP4xJ2
Tuesday 26 October 2010
Sperm and egg donors should be paid more, experts claim
Two experts have indicated their support for paying sperm and egg donors more money. Two panelists in a debate last Wednesday, organised by the Progress Educational Trust in partnership with the Royal Society of Medicine, on the ethics of egg donation and payment said in the press they want to raise the maximum payment above today's £250 per cycle.
Speaking to the Guardian, Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said about egg donation: '£1,500 seems to be reasonable compensation for the physical rigours that these women need to undergo. They need to have injections of drugs, invasive internal scans and then a small operative procedure to collect the eggs. They may also possibly need to have time off work to attend appointments spread over three to four weeks'.
Mr Rutherford said the fees paid should match the financial benefit gained by those taking part in egg-sharing schemes, where a woman donates some of her eggs in return for free or cheaper fertility treatment. He added: 'Compensation should not be so high that it acts as a financial inducement'.
The debate also extended to payment to sperm donors - also subject to the £250 cap. Laura Witjens, chairwoman of the National Gamete Donation Trust, wrote in a BBC news health column: 'Sperm donors deserve at least the same payment if not more than egg donors do'. She argued the process they go through is difficult, lengthy and requires a serious commitment.
The debate was held as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) prepares to launch a public consultation on the donation of eggs, sperm and embryos in January 2011, which will look at issues including payment.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9A62Xs
Speaking to the Guardian, Tony Rutherford, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said about egg donation: '£1,500 seems to be reasonable compensation for the physical rigours that these women need to undergo. They need to have injections of drugs, invasive internal scans and then a small operative procedure to collect the eggs. They may also possibly need to have time off work to attend appointments spread over three to four weeks'.
Mr Rutherford said the fees paid should match the financial benefit gained by those taking part in egg-sharing schemes, where a woman donates some of her eggs in return for free or cheaper fertility treatment. He added: 'Compensation should not be so high that it acts as a financial inducement'.
The debate also extended to payment to sperm donors - also subject to the £250 cap. Laura Witjens, chairwoman of the National Gamete Donation Trust, wrote in a BBC news health column: 'Sperm donors deserve at least the same payment if not more than egg donors do'. She argued the process they go through is difficult, lengthy and requires a serious commitment.
The debate was held as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) prepares to launch a public consultation on the donation of eggs, sperm and embryos in January 2011, which will look at issues including payment.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9A62Xs
Sunday 24 October 2010
Becoming a parent for the gay community 'The Alternative Families Show'
The first ever event aiming to demystify the process of becoming a parent for the gay community and single people, ‘The Alternative Families Show’ was held yesterday, Saturday 23rd October 2010, within the Grand Connaught rooms, London. The show was organised by Littlepink, social network and Square Peg Media, in partnership with Stonewall, the gay, lesbian and bisexual charity. Square Peg Media is the publisher of G3 magazine, Out in the City magazine and Proud magazine.
The organisers said ‘We are really pleased with the response we have had, with over a thousand people attending. It has been a huge success and is something we will definitely be continuing to run next year’
The event brought expert advisors together from fertility clinics, adoption and fostering agencies to co-parenting websites to include Pride Angel which is now the leading connection service for gay, lesbian, single and infertile couples wishing to find known sperm donors and co-parents.
Pride Angel said ‘It was fantastic to hear all the positive comments about our service. Many lesbian women really liked the idea of having a ‘dad’ involved in their children’s lives. Many gay couples who had previously believed that surrogacy or adoption was the only method of starting a family, where extremely interested in potential co-parenting arrangements‘.
The show also ran several seminars throughout the day giving advice about fostering and adoption, using a known sperm donor, the legal side of co-parenting, using nutrition to boost fertility and help prevent miscarriage, surrogacy – the law and choosing surrogacy abroad. Stonewall presented a seminar regarding children from different families, about gay families and schools. Lastly but not least, Littlepink, a network for same sex parents and children spoke about the importance of support networks and the value behind a community.
For more information about parenting options for lesbian, gay, single and infertile couple visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9hJgYG
The organisers said ‘We are really pleased with the response we have had, with over a thousand people attending. It has been a huge success and is something we will definitely be continuing to run next year’
The event brought expert advisors together from fertility clinics, adoption and fostering agencies to co-parenting websites to include Pride Angel which is now the leading connection service for gay, lesbian, single and infertile couples wishing to find known sperm donors and co-parents.
Pride Angel said ‘It was fantastic to hear all the positive comments about our service. Many lesbian women really liked the idea of having a ‘dad’ involved in their children’s lives. Many gay couples who had previously believed that surrogacy or adoption was the only method of starting a family, where extremely interested in potential co-parenting arrangements‘.
The show also ran several seminars throughout the day giving advice about fostering and adoption, using a known sperm donor, the legal side of co-parenting, using nutrition to boost fertility and help prevent miscarriage, surrogacy – the law and choosing surrogacy abroad. Stonewall presented a seminar regarding children from different families, about gay families and schools. Lastly but not least, Littlepink, a network for same sex parents and children spoke about the importance of support networks and the value behind a community.
For more information about parenting options for lesbian, gay, single and infertile couple visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9hJgYG
Friday 22 October 2010
Exhibitors at the Alternative Families Show London
Exhibitors at the Alternative Families Show London
October 22, 2010 10:00 by PrideAngelAdmin
The Alternative Families Show is taking place this Saturday 23rd October 2010 - 10am to 5pm, Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London. Tickets are now available on the day priced £10.
The Alternative Families Show is for would be parents and for families already set up. For those people looking to start a family there are experts on hand to discuss all the options available to a same-sex, male or female couple and to single people wanting to become a parent. Informative seminars will be running throughout the day from conception to schooling.
The show is also for families we have legal advice, opportunities to meet support networks, other parents, and to hear about research findings from Stonewall on children. There will be free children's entertainment throughout the day, allowing parents to speak to the experts in the same room.
Exhibitors at the Alternative Familes Show include:
Pride Angel
Pride Angel is a leading worldwide connection site, fertility forum and blog for lesbian, gay, single and infertile couples, wishing to become parents through co-parenting and donor conception. www.prideangel.com
London Women's Clinic
The LWC provides IVF and fertility treatments to assist couples and individuals overcome their difficulties in conception and pregnancy. They have over 20 years’ experience and operate one of the most successful programmes in the world. www.lwclinic.co.uk
London Sperm Bank
The UK's premier sperm bank. Giving women in the U.K. maximum choice without having to undertake expensive travel abroad. The LSB is licensed by the HFEA. www.londonspermbank.com
Stonewall
The lesbian, gay and bisexual charity. Stonewall played a key role in lobbying for important legislative changes for gay and lesbian parents. www.stonewall.org.uk
Time for children
Time for Children is a child-centred fostering agency specialising in the provision for sibling groups - hence our motto, 'enabling brothers and sisters to stay together'. www.timeforchildren.org
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aBmrPm
October 22, 2010 10:00 by PrideAngelAdmin
The Alternative Families Show is taking place this Saturday 23rd October 2010 - 10am to 5pm, Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden, London. Tickets are now available on the day priced £10.
The Alternative Families Show is for would be parents and for families already set up. For those people looking to start a family there are experts on hand to discuss all the options available to a same-sex, male or female couple and to single people wanting to become a parent. Informative seminars will be running throughout the day from conception to schooling.
The show is also for families we have legal advice, opportunities to meet support networks, other parents, and to hear about research findings from Stonewall on children. There will be free children's entertainment throughout the day, allowing parents to speak to the experts in the same room.
Exhibitors at the Alternative Familes Show include:
Pride Angel
Pride Angel is a leading worldwide connection site, fertility forum and blog for lesbian, gay, single and infertile couples, wishing to become parents through co-parenting and donor conception. www.prideangel.com
London Women's Clinic
The LWC provides IVF and fertility treatments to assist couples and individuals overcome their difficulties in conception and pregnancy. They have over 20 years’ experience and operate one of the most successful programmes in the world. www.lwclinic.co.uk
London Sperm Bank
The UK's premier sperm bank. Giving women in the U.K. maximum choice without having to undertake expensive travel abroad. The LSB is licensed by the HFEA. www.londonspermbank.com
Stonewall
The lesbian, gay and bisexual charity. Stonewall played a key role in lobbying for important legislative changes for gay and lesbian parents. www.stonewall.org.uk
Time for children
Time for Children is a child-centred fostering agency specialising in the provision for sibling groups - hence our motto, 'enabling brothers and sisters to stay together'. www.timeforchildren.org
To read more go to http://bit.ly/aBmrPm
Wednesday 20 October 2010
Fertility test could predict a woman's menopause
Women may soon be able to plan better how long to wait to start a family thanks to a simple test.
By reading clues hidden in a woman’s genes, it could give her odds of going through an early menopause, scientists say.
Those deemed to be at risk could try for a baby earlier than they otherwise might.
Lead scientist Dr Anna Murray said: ‘It is estimated that a woman’s ability to conceive decreases on average ten years before she starts the menopause.
‘Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.’
They compared the DNA of 2,000 women who suffered it with that of those who had stopped their periods at the normal age.
In the UK, the average age for the menopause – defined as the time when a woman’s periods have stopped for 12 months – is 52.
However, 1 per cent of women go through the menopause before they hit 40. Timing is largely genetic, although weight and the age that periods start have an effect.
The researchers found that the four genes all affected early menopause in their own ways, and much more so when they were all present. They added that their findings help explain why some females go into menopause early.
Women who enter the menopause early have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, infertility and osteoporosis, and a lower risk of getting breast cancer.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/c2ui3d
By reading clues hidden in a woman’s genes, it could give her odds of going through an early menopause, scientists say.
Those deemed to be at risk could try for a baby earlier than they otherwise might.
Lead scientist Dr Anna Murray said: ‘It is estimated that a woman’s ability to conceive decreases on average ten years before she starts the menopause.
‘Therefore, those who are destined to have an early menopause and delay childbearing until their 30s are more likely to have problems conceiving.’
They compared the DNA of 2,000 women who suffered it with that of those who had stopped their periods at the normal age.
In the UK, the average age for the menopause – defined as the time when a woman’s periods have stopped for 12 months – is 52.
However, 1 per cent of women go through the menopause before they hit 40. Timing is largely genetic, although weight and the age that periods start have an effect.
The researchers found that the four genes all affected early menopause in their own ways, and much more so when they were all present. They added that their findings help explain why some females go into menopause early.
Women who enter the menopause early have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, infertility and osteoporosis, and a lower risk of getting breast cancer.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/c2ui3d
Sunday 17 October 2010
Sperm donor and co-parent website: How does Pride Angel work?
You are one step closer to starting your family or helping others achieve their dream. Find out more about how Pride Angel works, whether you are a wishing to become a sperm donor, egg donor, co-parent, or recipient looking for a donor.
Getting information
Donors
Choosing to donate sperm or eggs is a wonderful gift, giving others the opportunity of becoming parents. It can be a big decision to become a donor, whether or not you wish to be involved in the upbringing of the child, it is worth considering what level of contact you wish to maintain. Getting plenty of information regarding your legal rights and what health screening is required is really important.
Recipients
Are you looking for a sperm donor to complete your family? It is a big decision and you will want to choose the right person, as ultimately they will be giving 50% of your future child’s genes. It is also really important to find a like minded person, especially when there is an intention that the donor will play a part in the child’s life, such as an ‘uncle type figure’. Even if your intention is for your child to have no contact with the donor, children need to have the ability to trace their identity as they become adults. Therefore keeping a record of the donor’s identification is important to enable them to trace at age 18 years if they wish to. Receiving treatment through a fertility clinic will ensure that these details are kept on file. If you are a lesbian couple, it is worth considering whether you will be entering into a civil partnership before starting fertility treatment or home insemination. If you are civil partners at the time you conceive, the non-birth mother is your child's legal parent if you conceive artificially (which covers IUI or IVF at a licensed clinic, and artificial insemination at home) If you are a single woman and you conceive outside a fertility clinic (home insemination) your donor would be treated as the child’s legal parent in the eyes of the law.
Co-parents
Choosing to co-parent as a single person or couple is a real commitment, but an arrangement which works, can be really beneficial to a child, gaining input from both biological parents and the extra support from extended family members. As a co-parent you would be sharing parental responsibility and also any financial responsibility too. Members wishing to co-parent are advised to take their time choosing the right kind of person who has similar parenting styles and values to you. Getting to know your co-parent over a period of a year can enables a greater understanding of whether you would both be able to co-parent effectively.
Involving your partner
If you are looking for a sperm donor as part of a couple, such as a lesbian couple, or heterosexual couples, it is important to involve your partner as much as possible in the process. The partner who is not the birth mother can sometimes feel left out and may be concerned about whether they will bond with the child. It is important to keep communication open at all times and to both talk about ways in which you could make each other feel secure and happier in the decision to start a family together. Share your thoughts and feelings, maybe have counselling together before starting your journey to parenthood.
If you are a donor looking to donate or co-parent as part of a couple it is also necessary to consider the feeling of your partner and to be open and honest about your donations. Many children wish for the option of contacting their donor later in life, even if simply to see what their ‘biological father or mother’ is like. How you would feel and how your partner would feel, when a’ biological child’ makes contact in the future must be a serious consideration when choosing to donate.
Viewing profiles
Pride Angel allows you to search basic profiles of sperm donors, egg donors, co-parents and recipients without the need to register, searching by country and county. However to view another member’s full profile and any image/picture you are required to register with us. Becoming a member also allows you to do ‘advanced searches’ allowing you to search specific criteria such as eye colour, hair colour and race, to name but a few.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9mvqof
Getting information
Donors
Choosing to donate sperm or eggs is a wonderful gift, giving others the opportunity of becoming parents. It can be a big decision to become a donor, whether or not you wish to be involved in the upbringing of the child, it is worth considering what level of contact you wish to maintain. Getting plenty of information regarding your legal rights and what health screening is required is really important.
Recipients
Are you looking for a sperm donor to complete your family? It is a big decision and you will want to choose the right person, as ultimately they will be giving 50% of your future child’s genes. It is also really important to find a like minded person, especially when there is an intention that the donor will play a part in the child’s life, such as an ‘uncle type figure’. Even if your intention is for your child to have no contact with the donor, children need to have the ability to trace their identity as they become adults. Therefore keeping a record of the donor’s identification is important to enable them to trace at age 18 years if they wish to. Receiving treatment through a fertility clinic will ensure that these details are kept on file. If you are a lesbian couple, it is worth considering whether you will be entering into a civil partnership before starting fertility treatment or home insemination. If you are civil partners at the time you conceive, the non-birth mother is your child's legal parent if you conceive artificially (which covers IUI or IVF at a licensed clinic, and artificial insemination at home) If you are a single woman and you conceive outside a fertility clinic (home insemination) your donor would be treated as the child’s legal parent in the eyes of the law.
Co-parents
Choosing to co-parent as a single person or couple is a real commitment, but an arrangement which works, can be really beneficial to a child, gaining input from both biological parents and the extra support from extended family members. As a co-parent you would be sharing parental responsibility and also any financial responsibility too. Members wishing to co-parent are advised to take their time choosing the right kind of person who has similar parenting styles and values to you. Getting to know your co-parent over a period of a year can enables a greater understanding of whether you would both be able to co-parent effectively.
Involving your partner
If you are looking for a sperm donor as part of a couple, such as a lesbian couple, or heterosexual couples, it is important to involve your partner as much as possible in the process. The partner who is not the birth mother can sometimes feel left out and may be concerned about whether they will bond with the child. It is important to keep communication open at all times and to both talk about ways in which you could make each other feel secure and happier in the decision to start a family together. Share your thoughts and feelings, maybe have counselling together before starting your journey to parenthood.
If you are a donor looking to donate or co-parent as part of a couple it is also necessary to consider the feeling of your partner and to be open and honest about your donations. Many children wish for the option of contacting their donor later in life, even if simply to see what their ‘biological father or mother’ is like. How you would feel and how your partner would feel, when a’ biological child’ makes contact in the future must be a serious consideration when choosing to donate.
Viewing profiles
Pride Angel allows you to search basic profiles of sperm donors, egg donors, co-parents and recipients without the need to register, searching by country and county. However to view another member’s full profile and any image/picture you are required to register with us. Becoming a member also allows you to do ‘advanced searches’ allowing you to search specific criteria such as eye colour, hair colour and race, to name but a few.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9mvqof
Saturday 16 October 2010
Healthy babies born using new genetic egg screening technique
Four women have given birth to healthy babies after having their eggs genetically screened using a technique that offers new hope to childless couples.
The success could help women who have failed to conceive with the help of IVF to have babies. All were taking part in a pilot study testing a new method of looking for chromosomal abnormalities in eggs.
The technique, called comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) by microarray, could also make it easier for women to give birth later in life when there is less chance of becoming pregnant.
But doctors involved in the trial stress that the technique can only help them identify viable eggs - it does nothing to improve the chances of producing high quality eggs in the first place.
The European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (Eshre) today announced that women at two centres in Bonn, Germany, and Bologna, Italy, had given birth to healthy babies after undergoing array CGH.
The German patient, aged 34, gave birth to twin girls in June. Three months later the 39-year-old woman in Italy gave birth to a baby boy. Later it was revealed that two more women aged 37 at the Bonn centre had given birth to singleton babies in August. A number of other women from the total of 41 taking part in the study are said to be at advanced stages of pregnancy.
Unlike other screening methods, CGH tests all 23 pairs of chromosomes in a cell, not just a limited number. It looks at the two polar bodies - incomplete daughter cells produced during cell division containing unwanted copies of a woman's chromosomes.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bc7B1F
The success could help women who have failed to conceive with the help of IVF to have babies. All were taking part in a pilot study testing a new method of looking for chromosomal abnormalities in eggs.
The technique, called comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) by microarray, could also make it easier for women to give birth later in life when there is less chance of becoming pregnant.
But doctors involved in the trial stress that the technique can only help them identify viable eggs - it does nothing to improve the chances of producing high quality eggs in the first place.
The European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (Eshre) today announced that women at two centres in Bonn, Germany, and Bologna, Italy, had given birth to healthy babies after undergoing array CGH.
The German patient, aged 34, gave birth to twin girls in June. Three months later the 39-year-old woman in Italy gave birth to a baby boy. Later it was revealed that two more women aged 37 at the Bonn centre had given birth to singleton babies in August. A number of other women from the total of 41 taking part in the study are said to be at advanced stages of pregnancy.
Unlike other screening methods, CGH tests all 23 pairs of chromosomes in a cell, not just a limited number. It looks at the two polar bodies - incomplete daughter cells produced during cell division containing unwanted copies of a woman's chromosomes.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bc7B1F
Thursday 14 October 2010
The Times are looking to speak with lesbian and gay co-parenting families
The Times Weekend section are doing a piece on the Alternative Families Show, taking place Saturday 23rd October 2010 - 10am to 5pm GRAND CONNAUGHT ROOMS, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
The Times are looking for a compelling case study to lead the piece, of people who have successfully started a family through co-parenting.
Would any of our members be interested in a photo shoot and an interview with them, talking about your experience of finding someone to start a family with, who you are not in a relationship with?
Any interested members would need to be photographed, but this could be done in an anonymous way if necessary. If both co-parents are willing to speak that would also be fantastic. The Times are interested in Lesbian couples who have used a known sperm donor or gay and lesbian singles or couples who have made co-parenting arrangements.
The piece would be sensitive and non-sensationalist, highlighting the growing number of people who realise their dream of starting a family using alternative means.
The Times would like to speak with anyone interested, as soon as possible.
Please contact Pride Angel for further information contact us
Pride Angel will be exhibiting at the Alternative Families Show and we are happy to help answer any questions you may have regarding:
Choosing to use a known donor
Co-parenting arrangements
Health screening
Fertility law
Home insemination
We look forward to seeing you there. Pride Angel
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9GlgwM
The Times are looking for a compelling case study to lead the piece, of people who have successfully started a family through co-parenting.
Would any of our members be interested in a photo shoot and an interview with them, talking about your experience of finding someone to start a family with, who you are not in a relationship with?
Any interested members would need to be photographed, but this could be done in an anonymous way if necessary. If both co-parents are willing to speak that would also be fantastic. The Times are interested in Lesbian couples who have used a known sperm donor or gay and lesbian singles or couples who have made co-parenting arrangements.
The piece would be sensitive and non-sensationalist, highlighting the growing number of people who realise their dream of starting a family using alternative means.
The Times would like to speak with anyone interested, as soon as possible.
Please contact Pride Angel for further information contact us
Pride Angel will be exhibiting at the Alternative Families Show and we are happy to help answer any questions you may have regarding:
Choosing to use a known donor
Co-parenting arrangements
Health screening
Fertility law
Home insemination
We look forward to seeing you there. Pride Angel
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9GlgwM
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Acupuncture enabled us to have a baby after three years of trying
After three years of trying to have a baby, Dawn Paddock was desperate.
As a nurse in gynaecology, she had naturally relied on western medicine to help treat a blocked fallopian tube and other problems.
But, with no sign of motherhood looming, she and her husband Chris were about to embark on IVF when a friend came up with another idea - acupuncture.
And Mrs Paddock reckons the following three half-hour sessions of the ancient Chinese practice helped her conceive their long-awaited son, Shay.
The 31-year-old, who described the treatment as 'the best £60 I have ever spent', admitted: 'I was sceptical. As a nurse you rely heavily on western medicine, rather than alternative methods.
'But I thought if nothing else it would help me to relax and destress.'
Mrs Paddock, of Wrexham in North Wales, added: 'My husband and I just stared at Shay for what felt like hours after he was born.
To read more go to
As a nurse in gynaecology, she had naturally relied on western medicine to help treat a blocked fallopian tube and other problems.
But, with no sign of motherhood looming, she and her husband Chris were about to embark on IVF when a friend came up with another idea - acupuncture.
And Mrs Paddock reckons the following three half-hour sessions of the ancient Chinese practice helped her conceive their long-awaited son, Shay.
The 31-year-old, who described the treatment as 'the best £60 I have ever spent', admitted: 'I was sceptical. As a nurse you rely heavily on western medicine, rather than alternative methods.
'But I thought if nothing else it would help me to relax and destress.'
Mrs Paddock, of Wrexham in North Wales, added: 'My husband and I just stared at Shay for what felt like hours after he was born.
To read more go to
Monday 11 October 2010
Baby boy born from embryo frozen 20 years ago
Preserving embryos by freezing has become commonplace in fertility treatment to allow women to attempt multiple cycles without repeatedly creating new embryos.
Now scientists have announced that a baby boy was born in May to a 42-year-old woman after being adopted as an embryo from a couple who created it 20 years ago.
Previously the oldest successful frozen embryo was 13 years old.
The couple who created the embryo had completed their own family through IVF and anonymously offered their remaining frozen embryos to other couples.
The children are all biological siblings although born 20 years apart.
The case was written by doctors from the Eastern Virginia medical school up in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Dr Sergio Oehninger told the Sunday Times: “We do not want to be thinking about having 40-year-old embryos in the freezer. We would have a new generation using embryos of the older generation.”
Embryo freezing is another method by which women can preserve their fertility for years alongside egg freezing and a newly emerging technique of freezing ovarian tissue.
Inter-generational donation has already been raised as a possibility.
In 2007 a mother froze some of her own eggs so they could be used by her then-seven-year-old daughter who was likely to be infertile because of a medical condition.
To read more go to
Now scientists have announced that a baby boy was born in May to a 42-year-old woman after being adopted as an embryo from a couple who created it 20 years ago.
Previously the oldest successful frozen embryo was 13 years old.
The couple who created the embryo had completed their own family through IVF and anonymously offered their remaining frozen embryos to other couples.
The children are all biological siblings although born 20 years apart.
The case was written by doctors from the Eastern Virginia medical school up in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
Dr Sergio Oehninger told the Sunday Times: “We do not want to be thinking about having 40-year-old embryos in the freezer. We would have a new generation using embryos of the older generation.”
Embryo freezing is another method by which women can preserve their fertility for years alongside egg freezing and a newly emerging technique of freezing ovarian tissue.
Inter-generational donation has already been raised as a possibility.
In 2007 a mother froze some of her own eggs so they could be used by her then-seven-year-old daughter who was likely to be infertile because of a medical condition.
To read more go to
Friday 8 October 2010
Cause of pre-eclampsia discovered, could lead to a new treatment
The root cause of a medical problem that endangers the lives of thousands of pregnant women and their babies in Britain each year has been discovered.
Researchers at Cambridge University have worked out what leads to pre-eclampsia, a condition that causes dangerously high blood pressure in women, often in the later stages of pregnancy.
The findings raise hope for treatments that can prevent the complication found in 2-7% of all pregnancies, which typically kills several hundred babies and six women in the UK each year. Milder forms of pre-eclampsia affect about one in 10 first-time pregnancies.
A team led by Aiwu Zhou at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research used intense x-ray beams at the Diamond Light Source facility in Oxfordshire to study the structure of angiotensinogen, a protein linked to high blood pressure.
Scientists knew the protein triggered the release of hormones called angiotensins that cause blood vessels to constrict, but how this happened was not clear. When veins and arteries constrict, blood pressure rises in the same way that squeezing a garden hose increases the pressure of water running through it.
Zhou's team found that angiotensinogen changes shape when it is oxidised by reactive molecules in the blood. The oxidised protein bends in such a way that a common enzyme can cut it in two, releasing angiotensin. The study appears in the journal, Nature. In a follow up experiment, the researchers analysed blood samples taken from volunteers. They showed that in healthy people, a steady 60% of angiotensinogen was oxidised, but in women with pre-eclampsia the level was much higher. "When we looked at the blood samples, we were immediately able to identify eight of 12 women with pre-eclampsia," said Robin Carrell, a co-author of the study.
Professor Carrell said changes in the placenta during pregnancy alter how much oxygen the growing baby receives, but this can trigger the release of free radicals that oxidise angiotensinogen and cause blood pressure to rise.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9Tz0Xw
Researchers at Cambridge University have worked out what leads to pre-eclampsia, a condition that causes dangerously high blood pressure in women, often in the later stages of pregnancy.
The findings raise hope for treatments that can prevent the complication found in 2-7% of all pregnancies, which typically kills several hundred babies and six women in the UK each year. Milder forms of pre-eclampsia affect about one in 10 first-time pregnancies.
A team led by Aiwu Zhou at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research used intense x-ray beams at the Diamond Light Source facility in Oxfordshire to study the structure of angiotensinogen, a protein linked to high blood pressure.
Scientists knew the protein triggered the release of hormones called angiotensins that cause blood vessels to constrict, but how this happened was not clear. When veins and arteries constrict, blood pressure rises in the same way that squeezing a garden hose increases the pressure of water running through it.
Zhou's team found that angiotensinogen changes shape when it is oxidised by reactive molecules in the blood. The oxidised protein bends in such a way that a common enzyme can cut it in two, releasing angiotensin. The study appears in the journal, Nature. In a follow up experiment, the researchers analysed blood samples taken from volunteers. They showed that in healthy people, a steady 60% of angiotensinogen was oxidised, but in women with pre-eclampsia the level was much higher. "When we looked at the blood samples, we were immediately able to identify eight of 12 women with pre-eclampsia," said Robin Carrell, a co-author of the study.
Professor Carrell said changes in the placenta during pregnancy alter how much oxygen the growing baby receives, but this can trigger the release of free radicals that oxidise angiotensinogen and cause blood pressure to rise.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9Tz0Xw
Lesbian couple from Australia conceive quintuplets, that's five babies
Two Australian women living together have spoken of their joy after revealing they are expecting quintuplets together. Melissa Keevers, 27, and her partner Rosemary Nolan, 21, who already share a child born to Melissa through donor insemination, were stunned to Melissa was carrying five babies at odds of one in sixty million.
'I was in shock for weeks,' Melissa told Australia's Woman's Day magazine.
'It took me a long time to get my head around what was happening. But now I've come to terms with it, I'm excited.' While conceiving quintuplets is rare, Melissa's babies are even more remarkable because she had no treatment to increase her fertility.
'During the scan the doctor asked us if we wanted the news, but as he looked pale, we were worried something was wrong,' Melissa told the magazine.
'He then told us he'd found five gestational sacs meaning, if all went well, we'd have five babies. We can't repeat what we said next!' The two women, who live in Brisbane, decided to use the same U.S. company and the same donor as the person who fathered their daughter, Lilly, now aged one.
They had been given 30 donor profiles to choose from and in the end they narrowed the person down to a 27-year-old dark-haired law student with good teeth and eyesight and a high IQ, although his identity remains a secret.
Rosemary, who is from Ireland, had left home in 2008 and was travelling around Australia, having fun, when she met Melissa and settled down with her.
When Melissa became pregnant with Lilly they decided to travel to Ireland so that Rosemary could tell her family that she was gay.
To read more got to
'I was in shock for weeks,' Melissa told Australia's Woman's Day magazine.
'It took me a long time to get my head around what was happening. But now I've come to terms with it, I'm excited.' While conceiving quintuplets is rare, Melissa's babies are even more remarkable because she had no treatment to increase her fertility.
'During the scan the doctor asked us if we wanted the news, but as he looked pale, we were worried something was wrong,' Melissa told the magazine.
'He then told us he'd found five gestational sacs meaning, if all went well, we'd have five babies. We can't repeat what we said next!' The two women, who live in Brisbane, decided to use the same U.S. company and the same donor as the person who fathered their daughter, Lilly, now aged one.
They had been given 30 donor profiles to choose from and in the end they narrowed the person down to a 27-year-old dark-haired law student with good teeth and eyesight and a high IQ, although his identity remains a secret.
Rosemary, who is from Ireland, had left home in 2008 and was travelling around Australia, having fun, when she met Melissa and settled down with her.
When Melissa became pregnant with Lilly they decided to travel to Ireland so that Rosemary could tell her family that she was gay.
To read more got to
Monday 4 October 2010
Sperm donors online - over the Internet
The internet has revolutionised the way we do many things and perhaps it’s most enduring and significant impact has been on how we communicate with one another. For some single women, it has even changed the way they can get pregnant. The Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) last week announced that it plans to launch an investigation into the legality of websites set up to put women in contact with sperm donors. This follows the recent conviction of two businessmen who acted as “sperm brokers”. They ran a website that couriered fresh samples from donors to women for home insemination.
Most of these websites, however, simply provide a facility for women to make contact with potential donors and the individuals make their own arrangements. But the HFEA claims that the websites are putting women’s health at risk because they are unregulated and there is no official way of screening the donors for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Instead it is the sole responsibility of the individuals involved to make arrangements to be screened and ensure that the donor is disease free.
In contrast, fertility clinics operate within specific safeguards, which include screening donors prior to donation and storing samples for six months before use to ensure the male donor is negative for HIV. It is therefore true that there is a risk associated with DIY insemination.
But the HFEA’s objections smack of little more than nanny-stateism. I can’t help but feel they are reacting in this way because their nose had been put out of joint at the thought of people taking fertility into their own hands and undermining their authority. They have helped create an industry around getting pregnant and don’t like the idea that there are some aspects of it that they cannot regulate or control.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/cieOSO
Most of these websites, however, simply provide a facility for women to make contact with potential donors and the individuals make their own arrangements. But the HFEA claims that the websites are putting women’s health at risk because they are unregulated and there is no official way of screening the donors for sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Instead it is the sole responsibility of the individuals involved to make arrangements to be screened and ensure that the donor is disease free.
In contrast, fertility clinics operate within specific safeguards, which include screening donors prior to donation and storing samples for six months before use to ensure the male donor is negative for HIV. It is therefore true that there is a risk associated with DIY insemination.
But the HFEA’s objections smack of little more than nanny-stateism. I can’t help but feel they are reacting in this way because their nose had been put out of joint at the thought of people taking fertility into their own hands and undermining their authority. They have helped create an industry around getting pregnant and don’t like the idea that there are some aspects of it that they cannot regulate or control.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/cieOSO
Saturday 2 October 2010
A cup of coffee may prevent IVF complication
Researchers today suggested a life-threatening complication of fertility treatment could be prevented by a cup of coffee, after a study identified a possible cause.
In vitro fertilisation has resulted in the birth of many babies since the first 'test tube' baby in 1978. But around 5 per cent to 10 per cent of women undergoing IVF experience a condition known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Although the majority of cases are mild, with symptoms including abdominal bloating, nausea and weight gain, in its most serious form it can cause blood clotting disorders, kidney damage and chest pain.
Scientists from Middlesex University and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry who analysed fluid around the human egg reported finding surprisingly high levels of the chemical adenosine.
They believe OHSS is caused when IVF drug stimulation creates high levels of adenosine, causing the blood vessels to dilate and blood fluid to leak into tissue.
The authors of the study, published in Metabolism Journal, wrote: 'Although adenosine has been detected in follicular fluid before, we were surprised at the extremely high levels detected in this study.'
They described the chemical as a 'significant contender as the molecular cause of OHSS'. To detect adenosine in blood samples, the scientists used a technique called metabolomics, which involves the study of chemical evidence of cellular processes.
The researchers said a solution could lie in caffeine, which acts as a block to adenosine. Ray Iles, professor of biomedical science at Middlesex University, said: 'It may be that a cup of strong coffee with every IVF cycle could reduce the chances of OHSS.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bw1Kri
In vitro fertilisation has resulted in the birth of many babies since the first 'test tube' baby in 1978. But around 5 per cent to 10 per cent of women undergoing IVF experience a condition known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).
Although the majority of cases are mild, with symptoms including abdominal bloating, nausea and weight gain, in its most serious form it can cause blood clotting disorders, kidney damage and chest pain.
Scientists from Middlesex University and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry who analysed fluid around the human egg reported finding surprisingly high levels of the chemical adenosine.
They believe OHSS is caused when IVF drug stimulation creates high levels of adenosine, causing the blood vessels to dilate and blood fluid to leak into tissue.
The authors of the study, published in Metabolism Journal, wrote: 'Although adenosine has been detected in follicular fluid before, we were surprised at the extremely high levels detected in this study.'
They described the chemical as a 'significant contender as the molecular cause of OHSS'. To detect adenosine in blood samples, the scientists used a technique called metabolomics, which involves the study of chemical evidence of cellular processes.
The researchers said a solution could lie in caffeine, which acts as a block to adenosine. Ray Iles, professor of biomedical science at Middlesex University, said: 'It may be that a cup of strong coffee with every IVF cycle could reduce the chances of OHSS.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/bw1Kri
Thursday 30 September 2010
Sperm donor websites: a personal fertility choice?
Sperm donor websites are increasing in popularity with many people searching for a sperm donor or co-parent online. Are they a health risk or a personal choice which could benefit the future of any future children?
There has been a lot of bad press recently in light of the two businessmen Nigel Woodforth and Ricky Gage, charged for not having a licence to procure gametes. The pair acted as ‘sperm brokers’ aiding in the transport and testing of sperm. They enabled anonymous donation and put women’s health at risk by organising health screening. This has brought to the attention the increased popularity of sperm donor websites which effectively connect donors and recipients looking for sperm.
Sperm donor or co-parenting websites are not required by law to be regulated, as long as they are simply bringing people together, not acting as intermediaries in the way that the two recently convicted were doing. When a site is purely a connection service a women is able to make her own choice about whether she wishes to protect her heath and legal rights by taking the donor to a regulated fertility clinic, or whether she feels that there is a level of trust sufficient for them to obtain the necessary health screening tests themselves, through a clinic, GP or GUM service. After which recipients may decide to choose home insemination as a method of conception. This later option is more applicable to co-parenting situations whereby the donor and recipient have got to know each other over a period of time and there are legal co-parenting agreements in place before proceeding.
Women wish to have choices about how they will conceive and should they not have the freedom to make those choices without regulatory constraints. The emphasis should therefore not be about removing such choices, but instead about educating individuals so that they are fully informed about any risks they are taking, enabling them to make better informed decisions, which are right for their personal circumstances and their potential child.
There has been a social and cultural shift in recent times, towards women wishing to meet a known donor. Some may say this is because of high fertility costs, or maybe the ‘shortage of donors’ or could it be that women are actually thinking of their children’s future and that they would far rather personally meet a like minded individual, who is happy to stay in touch as an ‘uncle type’ figure, rather than for their child to always long to meet an unknown donor as they grow up. There has been much research and evidence which has shown that children who know the identity of their donor and know the truth about their conception from an early age are more secure with their identity as they become adults.
The change to the anonymity law, is a good thing for donor conceived children allowing them to trace the identity of their donor at age 18, however we are still to really discover the effect this will have on the thousands of children who may be wanting to meet their biological father in the future. They may find that the donor is simply not interested in being contacted. There is also the worry that the donor may not be the kind of person the mother would wish for their child to meet, after all, she may have only received basic details such as height and eye colour, by which to choose her donor originally. There is also the real concern of genetic attraction which especially affects parents and children who have never met before adulthood. The effect of this could be potentially catastrophic.
When these effects do come to the forefront in the year 2023, 18 years after the new law was introduced in 2005, will it be decided that children where better off not really getting this information? Would it not therefore be far better for donor conceived children to have known of their donor from the beginning?
So what is the answer, surely to give people the option of finding a known donor or co-parent and for the authorities to work together with sperm donor websites to ensure that enough information is available to their users regarding health screening and the legal implications allowing the ability for them to source accessible and affordable fertility treatment?
A spokesman for the HFEA has pointed out that it is the health risks of not using a fertility clinic which concerns them most. Therefore they are advising people to only use sperm donor websites which direct their users to a licensed clinic, ensuring that complete health screening is completed and that a record of the donor’s name is kept on file.
Pride Angel the leading worldwide connection site primarily aimed at the gay and lesbian community is the only website dedicated to providing quality information regarding health screening and fertility law. Erika co-founder of Pride Angel stated ’all our profiles are continually screening to ensure users are not offering ‘natural insemination’ or requesting an ‘anonymous’ donor. Nor is payment for donations allowed to be offered or requested.’ ‘We also offer email support for users requiring help and further information.’ ‘Users should never consider using a donor who offers natural insemination, even if they offer artificial insemination as well. The health risks of such ‘promiscuous’ donors is too great’.
‘We have had so many people thank us for the service we provide, without which co-parenting arrangements would not happen and many lesbian couples and gay men would not have the chance to experience the joys of parenthood.’ says Erika
For more information regarding finding a co-parent, health screening and fertility law visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9aF997
There has been a lot of bad press recently in light of the two businessmen Nigel Woodforth and Ricky Gage, charged for not having a licence to procure gametes. The pair acted as ‘sperm brokers’ aiding in the transport and testing of sperm. They enabled anonymous donation and put women’s health at risk by organising health screening. This has brought to the attention the increased popularity of sperm donor websites which effectively connect donors and recipients looking for sperm.
Sperm donor or co-parenting websites are not required by law to be regulated, as long as they are simply bringing people together, not acting as intermediaries in the way that the two recently convicted were doing. When a site is purely a connection service a women is able to make her own choice about whether she wishes to protect her heath and legal rights by taking the donor to a regulated fertility clinic, or whether she feels that there is a level of trust sufficient for them to obtain the necessary health screening tests themselves, through a clinic, GP or GUM service. After which recipients may decide to choose home insemination as a method of conception. This later option is more applicable to co-parenting situations whereby the donor and recipient have got to know each other over a period of time and there are legal co-parenting agreements in place before proceeding.
Women wish to have choices about how they will conceive and should they not have the freedom to make those choices without regulatory constraints. The emphasis should therefore not be about removing such choices, but instead about educating individuals so that they are fully informed about any risks they are taking, enabling them to make better informed decisions, which are right for their personal circumstances and their potential child.
There has been a social and cultural shift in recent times, towards women wishing to meet a known donor. Some may say this is because of high fertility costs, or maybe the ‘shortage of donors’ or could it be that women are actually thinking of their children’s future and that they would far rather personally meet a like minded individual, who is happy to stay in touch as an ‘uncle type’ figure, rather than for their child to always long to meet an unknown donor as they grow up. There has been much research and evidence which has shown that children who know the identity of their donor and know the truth about their conception from an early age are more secure with their identity as they become adults.
The change to the anonymity law, is a good thing for donor conceived children allowing them to trace the identity of their donor at age 18, however we are still to really discover the effect this will have on the thousands of children who may be wanting to meet their biological father in the future. They may find that the donor is simply not interested in being contacted. There is also the worry that the donor may not be the kind of person the mother would wish for their child to meet, after all, she may have only received basic details such as height and eye colour, by which to choose her donor originally. There is also the real concern of genetic attraction which especially affects parents and children who have never met before adulthood. The effect of this could be potentially catastrophic.
When these effects do come to the forefront in the year 2023, 18 years after the new law was introduced in 2005, will it be decided that children where better off not really getting this information? Would it not therefore be far better for donor conceived children to have known of their donor from the beginning?
So what is the answer, surely to give people the option of finding a known donor or co-parent and for the authorities to work together with sperm donor websites to ensure that enough information is available to their users regarding health screening and the legal implications allowing the ability for them to source accessible and affordable fertility treatment?
A spokesman for the HFEA has pointed out that it is the health risks of not using a fertility clinic which concerns them most. Therefore they are advising people to only use sperm donor websites which direct their users to a licensed clinic, ensuring that complete health screening is completed and that a record of the donor’s name is kept on file.
Pride Angel the leading worldwide connection site primarily aimed at the gay and lesbian community is the only website dedicated to providing quality information regarding health screening and fertility law. Erika co-founder of Pride Angel stated ’all our profiles are continually screening to ensure users are not offering ‘natural insemination’ or requesting an ‘anonymous’ donor. Nor is payment for donations allowed to be offered or requested.’ ‘We also offer email support for users requiring help and further information.’ ‘Users should never consider using a donor who offers natural insemination, even if they offer artificial insemination as well. The health risks of such ‘promiscuous’ donors is too great’.
‘We have had so many people thank us for the service we provide, without which co-parenting arrangements would not happen and many lesbian couples and gay men would not have the chance to experience the joys of parenthood.’ says Erika
For more information regarding finding a co-parent, health screening and fertility law visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9aF997
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Breastfeeding for 6 months protects babies against infections
Breastfeeding children for six months can ward off common infections during infancy, further evidence suggests.
The findings showed babies brought up exclusively on their mother's milk were significantly more healthy than those given substitute formula feeds.
But the study found the positive effects - fewer and less severe infections - were not felt by children who were only partially breastfed.
Researchers from the University of Crete monitored the health of just under 1,000 infants for a period of 12 months. They recorded any common infections they had at one, three, six, nine and 12 months, which included respiratory and urinary infections, ear infections, stomach upsets, conjunctivitis and thrush.
The infants, drawn from a total of 6,878 births in 2004 in Crete, were routinely vaccinated and had access to a high standard of healthcare.
Researchers found the longer an infant was exclusively breastfed - with no substitute formula feeds - the lower the rate of infection.
Any infections they did pick up were less severe than those experienced by their peers who were either partially breastfed or not breastfed at all.
Factors such as parental age and education, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, ethnicity and number of siblings influenced the frequency of infections, the findings showed.
Meanwhile, researchers concluded that antibodies passed on through the mother's milk, as well as nutritional and immunological factors, accounted for some of the differences observed
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9bFFT6
The findings showed babies brought up exclusively on their mother's milk were significantly more healthy than those given substitute formula feeds.
But the study found the positive effects - fewer and less severe infections - were not felt by children who were only partially breastfed.
Researchers from the University of Crete monitored the health of just under 1,000 infants for a period of 12 months. They recorded any common infections they had at one, three, six, nine and 12 months, which included respiratory and urinary infections, ear infections, stomach upsets, conjunctivitis and thrush.
The infants, drawn from a total of 6,878 births in 2004 in Crete, were routinely vaccinated and had access to a high standard of healthcare.
Researchers found the longer an infant was exclusively breastfed - with no substitute formula feeds - the lower the rate of infection.
Any infections they did pick up were less severe than those experienced by their peers who were either partially breastfed or not breastfed at all.
Factors such as parental age and education, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, ethnicity and number of siblings influenced the frequency of infections, the findings showed.
Meanwhile, researchers concluded that antibodies passed on through the mother's milk, as well as nutritional and immunological factors, accounted for some of the differences observed
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9bFFT6
Monday 27 September 2010
Want to be a Dad? men have ticking biological clocks too
After much soul-searching, I have finally come out of the closet. It was pointless denying it any longer. Judging by the sniggers and knowing looks, everyone probably knew already. So I just came out with it: ‘I want a baby.’
I want to cradle the little mite in my arms. I want sleepless nights and afternoons in the park. I want to spend a small fortune every Christmas and moan about house prices in school catchment areas. In short, I’m broody.
I’ve felt this way for a few years — even before my two-year-old niece Ruby came along and melted my heart — but it’s not something I felt comfortable talking about beyond my close circle of friends.
In fact, for a long time I didn’t even admit it to myself. The sad truth is, there’s still a social taboo against men expressing their longing for parenthood.
It’s fine for us to say we’d love to have children ‘some time in the future’ and it’s perfectly acceptable, even cool, to be a doting dad once they’re born, but it’s somehow unmanly for us actively to yearn for a child of our own.
But when little Ruby was born, I found her so adorable that I had to confess to my brother that I wanted one as well. And I had to choose my words carefully when I discussed my feelings with my 32-year-old girlfriend Jennie. We’ve only been together for eight months, so it’s a bit early for a full-on baby conversation. Luckily, she didn’t scarper when I told her about my broodiness. She is keen to have kids one day, too.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/ctlJ8d
I want to cradle the little mite in my arms. I want sleepless nights and afternoons in the park. I want to spend a small fortune every Christmas and moan about house prices in school catchment areas. In short, I’m broody.
I’ve felt this way for a few years — even before my two-year-old niece Ruby came along and melted my heart — but it’s not something I felt comfortable talking about beyond my close circle of friends.
In fact, for a long time I didn’t even admit it to myself. The sad truth is, there’s still a social taboo against men expressing their longing for parenthood.
It’s fine for us to say we’d love to have children ‘some time in the future’ and it’s perfectly acceptable, even cool, to be a doting dad once they’re born, but it’s somehow unmanly for us actively to yearn for a child of our own.
But when little Ruby was born, I found her so adorable that I had to confess to my brother that I wanted one as well. And I had to choose my words carefully when I discussed my feelings with my 32-year-old girlfriend Jennie. We’ve only been together for eight months, so it’s a bit early for a full-on baby conversation. Luckily, she didn’t scarper when I told her about my broodiness. She is keen to have kids one day, too.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/ctlJ8d
Saturday 25 September 2010
HFEA the UK's fertility regulator is on a Government 'Hitlist'
The UK's fertility regulator is on a Government 'hitlist' of quangos facing abolition, according to a letter leaked this week. The letter, dated 26 August, supposedly from Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude to other ministers lists the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) among 177 quangos due to be axed.
BioNews reported two months ago that the HFEA could be split up following the publication of a Government review of health Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs). 'There isn't anything new in this news story compared to two months ago and we'd like to reassure patients that they will continue to receive regulation', a HFEA spokesperson told BioNews.
Baroness Deech, former HFEA Chair, reiterated that the leaked letter was no surprise on Friday morning's BBC Today programme. 'It was trailed and it's aroused great dismay', she said.
HFEA Chair Lisa Jardine responded to news of the leaked letter on BBC News this afternoon saying the HFEA would 'hold the line' until someone took over its functions. 'We will keep doing that work until someone else takes over. Without that you're going to have things that the government fears and the public fears - things like human admixed embryos, which have human material in as well as animal material'.
The HFEA's functions will be split three ways when it's finally 'dismantled', Lisa Jardine told the BBC. 'It is proposed that our regulatory functions will go to a beefed-up Care Quality Commission (the health and social care regulator) and there should be a new regulatory body for science research', she said.
'The work we do on regulating licensing research based on embryonic tissue - anything that's based on human tissue - might go into this new body, but that would require primary legislation so we're looking at two, three years on that. Our information might go to the big government information bank, but I think that's a red herring because our information is so sensitive - parenting of donor-conceived children and all that'.
To read more http://bit.ly/anfTKt
BioNews reported two months ago that the HFEA could be split up following the publication of a Government review of health Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs). 'There isn't anything new in this news story compared to two months ago and we'd like to reassure patients that they will continue to receive regulation', a HFEA spokesperson told BioNews.
Baroness Deech, former HFEA Chair, reiterated that the leaked letter was no surprise on Friday morning's BBC Today programme. 'It was trailed and it's aroused great dismay', she said.
HFEA Chair Lisa Jardine responded to news of the leaked letter on BBC News this afternoon saying the HFEA would 'hold the line' until someone took over its functions. 'We will keep doing that work until someone else takes over. Without that you're going to have things that the government fears and the public fears - things like human admixed embryos, which have human material in as well as animal material'.
The HFEA's functions will be split three ways when it's finally 'dismantled', Lisa Jardine told the BBC. 'It is proposed that our regulatory functions will go to a beefed-up Care Quality Commission (the health and social care regulator) and there should be a new regulatory body for science research', she said.
'The work we do on regulating licensing research based on embryonic tissue - anything that's based on human tissue - might go into this new body, but that would require primary legislation so we're looking at two, three years on that. Our information might go to the big government information bank, but I think that's a red herring because our information is so sensitive - parenting of donor-conceived children and all that'.
To read more http://bit.ly/anfTKt
Women are having fewer children and later in life
Some are having children almost two years beyond the point they anticipated while an intended family size of at least two children has not, on average, proved a reality.
The effective baby gap was last night attributed to increasing numbers of women taking on careers, households not being able to afford large families or just not being able to find the right partner.
The average childbearing age in Britain now stands at 29.3 years, the highest level since records began in 1938, a study for the Office for National Statistics said.
Between 1991 and 2007, the research asked women how many children they intended to have and found they consistently gave a higher rate than the actual average fertility rate throughout that period.
The intended family size ranged between 2.0 and 2.16 children per woman when the actual fertility rate was around 0.3-0.4 children per woman lower until 2001, after which the gap narrowed slightly.
Women also expected, on average, to have their first child at a younger age than actually proved to be the case.
Those aged 22-25 in 1991/94 expected to give birth within 3.9 years – the actual average wait was 4.5 years.
For women aged 30-33, the anticipated two-year wait for a first child became 3.5 years on average.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/8XE8rM
The effective baby gap was last night attributed to increasing numbers of women taking on careers, households not being able to afford large families or just not being able to find the right partner.
The average childbearing age in Britain now stands at 29.3 years, the highest level since records began in 1938, a study for the Office for National Statistics said.
Between 1991 and 2007, the research asked women how many children they intended to have and found they consistently gave a higher rate than the actual average fertility rate throughout that period.
The intended family size ranged between 2.0 and 2.16 children per woman when the actual fertility rate was around 0.3-0.4 children per woman lower until 2001, after which the gap narrowed slightly.
Women also expected, on average, to have their first child at a younger age than actually proved to be the case.
Those aged 22-25 in 1991/94 expected to give birth within 3.9 years – the actual average wait was 4.5 years.
For women aged 30-33, the anticipated two-year wait for a first child became 3.5 years on average.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/8XE8rM
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