Researchers believe the increased threat may come from the body rejecting donated eggs or underlying health problems that may come to the fore during artificial conception.
They want increased vigilance so that the exact nature of the risk can be calculated.
"Women should be counselled and made aware of the risks they are taking and deaths should be properly reported," Professor Didi Braat at Radboud University in the Netherlands told the Sunday Times.
Prof Braat looked at the deaths between 1984 and 2008 in the Netherlands but believes they will apply to any developed country.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/akaNG3
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Friday, 23 July 2010
Scientists say more and more women are changing their sexuality in midlife
Beverli Rhodes was a divorced mum with four daughters from two marriages when she shared her first lesbian kiss.
She was 30 and says the experience was a revelation. 'It was as if a switch had been turned,' she says. Although she insists that she had hoped and intended that her two marriages would last for life, she says she also knew from that point on that she would only ever be sexually attracted to women. Beverli, now 49, went on to have several lesbian relationships before meeting her current female partner Crystyn Day, 50, a photographer with whom she lives in Ashford, Kent.
Remarkably Crystyn, too, had previously been living a heterosexual life and has a grown-up daughter from an 11-year marriage. Now, new research has identified Beverli and Crystyn as members of an intriguing group. A comprehensive study of female sexuality will be presented to the American Psychological Association's annual meeting next month and it has found a surprising growth in the numbers of so-called 'late-blooming lesbians' - women who have switched their sexuality once they've passed the age of 30. High-profile examples include Sex And The City actress Cynthia Nixon, now 43, who began a relationship with Christine Marinoni in 2004.
The findings raise fascinating questions over the long-held belief that sexual preferences may be partly genetic and are fixed early in life. They also suggest that female sexuality may be more 'fluid' than men's, accounting for the fact that some women sustain long and often fulfilling marriages before developing lesbian or bisexual tendencies in early middle age - often leaving behind them a devastated husband and utterly bewildered children.
While the phenomenon of married women falling in love with other women is nothing new, in the past it was generally only bohemian, upper class women who dared to be overt about their lesbian tendencies - women like the married writer Virginia Woolf, who was 40 when she began a long love affair with Vita Sackville-West, who was also middle-aged and married.
But the new research suggests that this could be changing. And while some have previously concealed their sexuality to keep their families together, many women have no prior inclination to change their sexual preference until their mid-life revelations.
The consequences can be traumatic.
Beverli Rhodes insists she had 'never entertained the thought of being in a gay relationship' when she was growing up. She married George, a company director seven years her senior, and quickly had three babies. When the marriage broke up after seven years, she says: 'I simply thought that we were too young when we'd married and had grown apart.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a0Ko7d
She was 30 and says the experience was a revelation. 'It was as if a switch had been turned,' she says. Although she insists that she had hoped and intended that her two marriages would last for life, she says she also knew from that point on that she would only ever be sexually attracted to women. Beverli, now 49, went on to have several lesbian relationships before meeting her current female partner Crystyn Day, 50, a photographer with whom she lives in Ashford, Kent.
Remarkably Crystyn, too, had previously been living a heterosexual life and has a grown-up daughter from an 11-year marriage. Now, new research has identified Beverli and Crystyn as members of an intriguing group. A comprehensive study of female sexuality will be presented to the American Psychological Association's annual meeting next month and it has found a surprising growth in the numbers of so-called 'late-blooming lesbians' - women who have switched their sexuality once they've passed the age of 30. High-profile examples include Sex And The City actress Cynthia Nixon, now 43, who began a relationship with Christine Marinoni in 2004.
The findings raise fascinating questions over the long-held belief that sexual preferences may be partly genetic and are fixed early in life. They also suggest that female sexuality may be more 'fluid' than men's, accounting for the fact that some women sustain long and often fulfilling marriages before developing lesbian or bisexual tendencies in early middle age - often leaving behind them a devastated husband and utterly bewildered children.
While the phenomenon of married women falling in love with other women is nothing new, in the past it was generally only bohemian, upper class women who dared to be overt about their lesbian tendencies - women like the married writer Virginia Woolf, who was 40 when she began a long love affair with Vita Sackville-West, who was also middle-aged and married.
But the new research suggests that this could be changing. And while some have previously concealed their sexuality to keep their families together, many women have no prior inclination to change their sexual preference until their mid-life revelations.
The consequences can be traumatic.
Beverli Rhodes insists she had 'never entertained the thought of being in a gay relationship' when she was growing up. She married George, a company director seven years her senior, and quickly had three babies. When the marriage broke up after seven years, she says: 'I simply thought that we were too young when we'd married and had grown apart.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a0Ko7d
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
My Weird and Wonderful Family - on TV tonight
MY WEIRD & WONDERFUL FAMILY
Wednesday 21st July 21:00 Channel 4
Cutting Edge goes behind the headlines to intimately portray how gay millionaires Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow's determination to have more children has affected them and their kids.
Barrie and Tony talk more to Channel 4 about how their family came about, and they offer advice to others in similar situations.
Channel 4: You've clearly been very honest and upfront with your children about how they were conceived. How important is it to be truthful?
Barrie and Tony: Yes we have been very honest with everyone; our kids know their own story. They have the facts and this is how we wanted it to be always. We knew that it would be hard to keep things secret and we didn't want to just do it on the QT. With the internet it's impossible to not let them know everything upfront which is what we have done. There would always be people or kids at school ready to tell them about what they have found. I don't think going into adulthood is going to be much of a problem for the kids. They are very well adjusted, normal kids.
Channel 4: Do you have advice for others, in a similar situation to yourselves, who might be considering the same route to starting a family?
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a6YUlL
Wednesday 21st July 21:00 Channel 4
Cutting Edge goes behind the headlines to intimately portray how gay millionaires Tony and Barrie Drewitt-Barlow's determination to have more children has affected them and their kids.
Barrie and Tony talk more to Channel 4 about how their family came about, and they offer advice to others in similar situations.
Channel 4: You've clearly been very honest and upfront with your children about how they were conceived. How important is it to be truthful?
Barrie and Tony: Yes we have been very honest with everyone; our kids know their own story. They have the facts and this is how we wanted it to be always. We knew that it would be hard to keep things secret and we didn't want to just do it on the QT. With the internet it's impossible to not let them know everything upfront which is what we have done. There would always be people or kids at school ready to tell them about what they have found. I don't think going into adulthood is going to be much of a problem for the kids. They are very well adjusted, normal kids.
Channel 4: Do you have advice for others, in a similar situation to yourselves, who might be considering the same route to starting a family?
To read more go to http://bit.ly/a6YUlL
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Alternative Families Show 2010
Demystifying the Process of Becoming a Parent for the Gay Community and Single People
Saturday 23rd October 2010 from 10am to 5pm
GRAND CONNAUGHT ROOMS, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
• Thinking of becoming a parent?
• Want to understand the options available to you?
• Are you considering IVF, adoption or surrogacy?
• Want to understand your rights as a parent?
• Need help deciding on known or anonymous donors?
• Want to find support networks for same-sex parents?
The alternative families show brings together all the information you need to make informed choices on parenthood. From conception, adoption, legal rights, to support networks the show will give you access to information from top UK advisors in their field. A one-stop shop for the lesbian and gay community, this is your opportunity to get some real facts surrounding same-sex parenting. For single people we present the options to becoming a parent.
Pride Angel will be attending the Alternative Families Show where they will be happy to answer any questions relating to donor conception and co-parenting.
Pride Angel is the 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. Specialising in health screening advice, fertility law support, along with artificial insemination and fertility products available to purchase. Registration is free at www.prideangel.com
Tickets to the show cost £5 and can be purchased on the alternative families show website.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dm2koV
Saturday 23rd October 2010 from 10am to 5pm
GRAND CONNAUGHT ROOMS, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
• Thinking of becoming a parent?
• Want to understand the options available to you?
• Are you considering IVF, adoption or surrogacy?
• Want to understand your rights as a parent?
• Need help deciding on known or anonymous donors?
• Want to find support networks for same-sex parents?
The alternative families show brings together all the information you need to make informed choices on parenthood. From conception, adoption, legal rights, to support networks the show will give you access to information from top UK advisors in their field. A one-stop shop for the lesbian and gay community, this is your opportunity to get some real facts surrounding same-sex parenting. For single people we present the options to becoming a parent.
Pride Angel will be attending the Alternative Families Show where they will be happy to answer any questions relating to donor conception and co-parenting.
Pride Angel is the 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. Specialising in health screening advice, fertility law support, along with artificial insemination and fertility products available to purchase. Registration is free at www.prideangel.com
Tickets to the show cost £5 and can be purchased on the alternative families show website.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dm2koV
Monday, 19 July 2010
Lesbian mum is not a 'parent' Judge rules
The High Court has decided that a lesbian (non birth) mother does not have to financially support the ten year old child she conceived together with her partner. In a landmark decision, the court has ruled that even though the mother was awarded ’parental responsibility’ for her child and the right to full involvement in her child’s care, she cannot be held financially responsible because, at law, she is not a ‘parent’.
The decision highlights the complexity of concepts of parenthood as they apply to same sex parenting, and the problems that arise when relationships break down.
It is not the first time that there have been difficulties over maintenance and financial responsibility. Sperm donor Andy Bathie (represented by G&G partner Natalie Gamble) was pursued for maintenance by the CSA after the lesbian couple he donated to split up, because (as a biological father who had donated outside a licensed clinic) the law treated him, rather than the lesbian non-birth mother, as the children’s other ‘parent’.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9FJsFw
The decision highlights the complexity of concepts of parenthood as they apply to same sex parenting, and the problems that arise when relationships break down.
It is not the first time that there have been difficulties over maintenance and financial responsibility. Sperm donor Andy Bathie (represented by G&G partner Natalie Gamble) was pursued for maintenance by the CSA after the lesbian couple he donated to split up, because (as a biological father who had donated outside a licensed clinic) the law treated him, rather than the lesbian non-birth mother, as the children’s other ‘parent’.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/9FJsFw
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Telling your child they were conceived through IVF
To Tell or Not to Tell: When Your Child Is Conceived Through In Vitro Fertilization: Author Helps Parents Explain the Process
For Claudia Santorelli-Bates it seemed like the obvious choice to talk to her own children about how they were conceived through the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Bates, who is the author of "I Can't Wait to Meet You," recommends the discussion for all families that have used IVF to conceive a child, but she says, "It seems that many families haven't thought about sharing their child's conception or are often adamantly opposed to speaking about it with them. It reminds me of adoption back when families made the choice to never tell their child that they were adopted."
Bates believes think that honesty is the best policy, especially when so much time and love went into families who use assisted reproduction. "I feel the world is opening up about the topic of IVF. When I share how my children were born I always hear things like, 'oh I didn't know that,'" she explained. This type of response is frequently viewed as being negative. "When discussing IVF, I am also met with other responses such as 'we did it the old fashioned way,'" explains Bates.
However, for many couples, doing it "the old fashioned way" isn't an option. But the end result is the same -- a child that is brought into the world for all the right reasons, nurtured and loved by parents. But what about telling your child that they were conceived through in vitro fertilization? Bates feels it is a necessary part of the process and when a child starts asking questions about how they were brought into the world she has some very real concerns and suggestions.
Explaining the birds and the bees used to be commonplace. Simple to understand from a child's perspective, but clearly it is not applicable in the case of children born through IVF. In these days of delayed parenthood and assisted reproduction, simply explaining the mechanics of intercourse doesn't always answer the question of "where did I come from?" Bates believes that parents who have turned to IVF to have a child need to guide children with informed information about the reproductive process when they're ready to listen and their curiosity has peaked. The process of telling a child that they were conceived through IVF involves guiding children through IVF, donor insemination, surrogacy, adoption and the question of why some children might have more than one set of parents.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/b3t81P
For Claudia Santorelli-Bates it seemed like the obvious choice to talk to her own children about how they were conceived through the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Bates, who is the author of "I Can't Wait to Meet You," recommends the discussion for all families that have used IVF to conceive a child, but she says, "It seems that many families haven't thought about sharing their child's conception or are often adamantly opposed to speaking about it with them. It reminds me of adoption back when families made the choice to never tell their child that they were adopted."
Bates believes think that honesty is the best policy, especially when so much time and love went into families who use assisted reproduction. "I feel the world is opening up about the topic of IVF. When I share how my children were born I always hear things like, 'oh I didn't know that,'" she explained. This type of response is frequently viewed as being negative. "When discussing IVF, I am also met with other responses such as 'we did it the old fashioned way,'" explains Bates.
However, for many couples, doing it "the old fashioned way" isn't an option. But the end result is the same -- a child that is brought into the world for all the right reasons, nurtured and loved by parents. But what about telling your child that they were conceived through in vitro fertilization? Bates feels it is a necessary part of the process and when a child starts asking questions about how they were brought into the world she has some very real concerns and suggestions.
Explaining the birds and the bees used to be commonplace. Simple to understand from a child's perspective, but clearly it is not applicable in the case of children born through IVF. In these days of delayed parenthood and assisted reproduction, simply explaining the mechanics of intercourse doesn't always answer the question of "where did I come from?" Bates believes that parents who have turned to IVF to have a child need to guide children with informed information about the reproductive process when they're ready to listen and their curiosity has peaked. The process of telling a child that they were conceived through IVF involves guiding children through IVF, donor insemination, surrogacy, adoption and the question of why some children might have more than one set of parents.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/b3t81P
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Couples forced to advertise for egg donors due to national shortage
Desperate women with fertility problems have been placing newspaper adverts in a bid to find egg donors due to a national shortage, it emerged today.
Egg donations have declined steadily in recent years, following a change in the law in 2005 that allows children to trace donor parents.
Now with waiting lists stretching to over a year for donor eggs, some women have been placing appeals in local newspapers in their efforts to conceive.
Diana Smith, 44, who has already had two failed pregnancies, placed an advertisement in her local Northamptonshire paper yesterday, detailing her plight.
'We have been trying for a family for a long time but now we need to find an egg donor,' it read. 'Could you be that special person to help our dreams of a family come true?'
Mrs Smith, who has struggled to stert a family after she had a fallopian tube removed, was faced with a year-long wait for eggs before she could begin IVF treatment at the CARE Fertility Clinic in Northampton.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dtm7n6
Egg donations have declined steadily in recent years, following a change in the law in 2005 that allows children to trace donor parents.
Now with waiting lists stretching to over a year for donor eggs, some women have been placing appeals in local newspapers in their efforts to conceive.
Diana Smith, 44, who has already had two failed pregnancies, placed an advertisement in her local Northamptonshire paper yesterday, detailing her plight.
'We have been trying for a family for a long time but now we need to find an egg donor,' it read. 'Could you be that special person to help our dreams of a family come true?'
Mrs Smith, who has struggled to stert a family after she had a fallopian tube removed, was faced with a year-long wait for eggs before she could begin IVF treatment at the CARE Fertility Clinic in Northampton.
To read more go to http://bit.ly/dtm7n6
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