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
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