As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday, at ConceiveAbilities we’re once again reminded of the many amazing women who help make this day a possibility. Thanks to the selfless gifts from egg donors and gestational surrogates, hundreds of women are now able to call themselves “Mom.” It’s impossible to truly repay such a generous act, and hearing from recipients whose lives have been forever changed by becoming parents is one of the most rewarding things in the world. We want to take an opportunity to honor and thank all of the women we have worked with over the years – donors, surrogates, and recipients alike – for their strength, determination, and power as women.

Once a year, National Infertility Awareness Week honors the struggle hundreds of thousands of people go through as they try to build their families. For those who are in the midst of that pain and frustration, though, it can be a daily battle.

As the agency I founded turns 15 this year, I can’t help but reflect on my own experience – not only as the proud director of a program that assists in this struggle, but as an egg donor myself. This dual role has given me a unique look into the world of infertility. I have witnessed both the pain and the triumph that comes with trying to conceive.

I first walked into a fertility clinic’s laboratory in 1992 with a fresh degree in biology. While working as a lab technologist I learned about a relatively new procedure being implemented to help women conceive – oocyte donation. With the help of healthy young eggs being donated by other women, success rates were beginning to climb. Within a few years it became clear that this option was a much better route for patients over 25.

While the procedure was giving new hope to couples, I quickly realized that the actual recruitment process was in critical need of higher standards. And though I felt a personal fulfillment in assisting another woman in this way, I knew the experience could have gone more smoothly. With that realization, the idea that would eventually become a thriving egg donor and surrogacy agency was conceived. Today, our staff includes other former egg donors and women who have struggled with infertility themselves – and have each overcome it in their own unique ways.

I could not be more proud of the work this agency has done in assisting not only recipients, but also the amazing women who choose to become egg donors and gestational surrogates. It is one of my most ardent goals to use my own experience as an example for other young women. I believe it is this passion that has helped set ConceiveAbilities apart for 15 years. As we wrap up National Infertility Awareness Week, we celebrate the many women and families we have been fortunate enough to assist in the most personal of ways.

-Nazca

A Senate vote in Washington state will not only keep paid surrogacy alive there, it also raises many of the issues that are so important to us here at ConceiveAbilities. The bill looks at various legal issues related to parentage, but removed the aspects that would have allowed for surrogate compensation.

As it stands in Washington, surrogates can be compensated only for indirect expenses like legal or medical bills. Much of the debate leading up to the vote was from lawmakers concerned that paid surrogacy would “commercialize” pregnancy – some ultimately comparing it to illegal trafficking of organs and even prostitution.

We’ve learned from experience that any woman motivated simply by financial incentive will not make it far in the process. With the appropriate screening and support, like that provided by a reputable agency, the surrogacy process can move seamlessly for both surrogate and intended parent. But the fact remains that the act of carrying a baby is hard, life-altering work. Surrogates deserve to be compensated for the time and effort put in by them and their families.

We found this quote from Sen. James Hargrove especially interesting: “When you put money into the mix, that becomes problematic and there is the potential for abuse because of the financial motive.” The reality is that there’s a far greater risk of abuse when there isn’t positive legislation in place. And regardless of supportive legislation, surrogacy isn’t going anywhere. Washington should take this opportunity to review laws in states with strong legislation (like Illinois) to understand that when the law is well-crafted, it actually reduces the risk of abuse, questionable practices and heartache for those building families in this way.

You can learn more about the Washington bill here.

-provided by guest blogger, Kate Palm, Program Coordinator at ConceiveAbilities

ConceiveAbilities welcomes our Guest Blogger Christina F. As a wonderful member of our gestational surrogate pool, we have been so impressed with her level of commitment that we asked her to share with our audience what motivates her to be a carrier. Thank you Christina!

“As a married Labor & Delivery nurse in my late 30s, I can undoubtedly say that two of the best days of my life where the days that my 15 year old daughter and 7 year old son were born. Those are the moments that no woman forgets.

Words can’t describe what it’s like to see new life brought into the world. My profession allows me to be a part of this very miraculous moment for individuals and couples of all types, everyday. Having such passion about what I do, and not being able to imagine what it must be like to want a child yet not be able to carry one, I decided to become a gestational surrogate. What better gift to give someone than to carry the baby they are so very much wanting.

The service and assistance I’ve experienced in this process has FAR exceeded my expectations. I not only have an ideal match in my intended parents for me but everyone involved in the process has been right there beside me through this whole process. The road to surrogacy can sometimes have its ’speed bumps’ and even then, I’ve never felt alone and have always been supported.

I look forward with anticipation to all of the pregnancy milestones and even more so to sharing those with my ‘intended parents’, whom I now feel I can even call my ‘friends’. Together, our families will experience the joys of this pregnancy. I plan to keep them informed of every milestone throughout the pregnancy (’first kick’, etc…). What will bring the greatest joy to my heart however is the day I see them hold their new baby(ies) for the 1st time. Just thinking of that moment brings tears to my eyes.”

-Christina F.

All of us at ConceiveAbilities were thrilled to learn about the landmark ruling recently made by the Connecticut Supreme Court. For the first time, this ruling acknowledges the parentage of a same sex couple, recognizing two men as the legal parents of their twins on the children’s birth certificates. Anthony Raftopol and Shawn Hargon, an American couple living in Hungary, had their twins with the help of an egg donor and surrogate in 2008. Despite the Connecticut Attorney General’s attempt to block the creation of the birth certificate, the high court essentially created a new way by which people may become legal parents. By rejecting a claim that “parentage could only be established through conception, adoption or artificial insemination,” Connecticut’s Supreme Court has made its state one of the best in the country for people to become legal parents. We’re hopeful other states follow their lead! We hope to see much more attention to this groundbreaking decision, but to read early coverage, visit: http://wglb-tv.blogspot.com/2011/01/connecticuts-landmark-legal-decision-in.html

-Nazca

I’m always glad to see the media working to educate the general public about advanced reproductive technologies and the people able to build families though its use. That said, I have to say I was taken aback by the approach and some of the language used in a recent Wall Street Journal article entitled “Assembling The Global Baby”, which mainly focused on cross border reproductive services.

While I can certainly understand the idea that the most colorful description of surrogacy, egg donation and other ART helps to attract readers, I was disappointed that this article put so much focus on the price tags associated with these family building alternatives. I think they, and many people not directly affected by these challenges, lose sight of the fact that we’re talking about people who desperately want, but can’t have, children the typical way.

At several points in the article, the writers make an odd comparison between surrogacy and adoption, saying that “Prospective parents put off by the rigor of traditional adoptions are bypassing that system by producing babies of their own…” As if intended parents who choose surrogacy just can’t be bothered with the adoption process and have opted for the cushier path. How can there be no reference to the idea that having some biological connection with one’s child is what’s driving this decision for so many? Besides, there’s no description of the “rigors” they’re referencing and frankly, after describing all of the physical, medical and ethical complexities of surrogacy, it’s simply bizarre that the article would imply that this is an easy path.

It’s actually this level of complexity that I think needs to be communicated to the public. Those unaffected by the challenges that lead to these alternative family building methods don’t necessarily understand how emotionally grueling this process is. Add to that the additional complications of globalizing the process and you can get some less than positive results.

While I don’t disagree with global approaches, I think it’s important to note that the loose laws of other countries most likely provide very few protections for the children created. What if parents walk away due to any number of personal or child related problems? The children are left behind with no recourse. As this and many other articles focus on price tags and tell a story of comparison shopping, they tend to leave out what I think is one of the most important outcomes of low cost choices – that they often yield a high probability of low protections for everyone.

Ultimately, the best way for all participants in the process to protect themselves is to partner with a reputable agency with whom they’ve built substantial trust to help guide them through this complex world.

Let me know what you think…

-Nazca

As detailed in a recent Time.com article, recent news out of this year’s ASRM Meeting may have a profound impact on families affected by infertility. The article discussed fertility specialist, Sherman Silber’s, discussion of a new technique that he thinks can essentially stop the biological clock.

Silber told his colleagues at the conference that this technique of banking ovarian tissue from otherwise healthy young women who are simply not ready to have children yet should be widespread. He explained that a 25-year-old woman who stores tissue can have thousands of 25-year-old eggs ready to be transplanted down the road when she might be infertile due to age. Whether that’s in 10 or 20 years is up to her. The article goes on to describe Silber’s belief that freezing ovaries for social reasons will eventually become as acceptable as the once-controversial in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques are today.

Other industry sources are holding off putting their full weight behind this approach, as there haven’t been nearly enough procedures performed or babies born to legitimately endorse the technique. Art Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania is quoted as saying, “It’s not ready for prime time. He’s not wrong that someday women may want to consider some kind of biological insurance, but right now it’s extremely experimental.”

Many said the same of IVF years ago and since its become an industry standard. More importantly, as a long-time proponent of a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices, I always appreciate the possibility of another option. It may be too early to know exactly how this technique might impact the fertility industry, women or even our society but its continued advancement undoubtedly will.

What do you think about this type of “insurance?” Would you consider (or would you have considered) banking your ovarian tissue? Would love to hear your thoughts…

–Nazca

In case you missed them, there were two interesting articles in the September issue of Fast Company exploring egg donation around the world. From my perspective, these articles are most interesting because they highlight how complex the industry is and shine a light on how different the policies around assisted reproduction can be from country to country.

Even within a single country the prevailing policies can be confusing and sometimes even at odds with one another. For instance, as one of these articles points out, in Cypress, “compensation is allowed but payment is not.” It also shares that “Some countries, like Israel, prohibit egg harvesting on their own territory yet still reimburse citizens for IVF, even if it’s done with donor eggs, as long as they’re acquired elsewhere.” A bit confusing to say the least.

The first article presents overview of egg donation and laws and regulations in different countries as it relates to egg and sperm donation. It illustrates the vast disparities between how these issues are handled throughout the world and suggests what’s behind industry trends like cross-border reproductive services, or “reproductive tourism” as it’s sometimes called. On that front, these articles cite a very interesting statistic: “According to a 2010 study by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, nearly 25,000 egg donations are performed in Europe for fertility tourists every year. More than 50% of those surveyed traveled abroad in order to circumvent legal regulations at home.”

The second article provides a more in-depth look at the industry and raises questions about ethics in the international scene. Unethical events around the world continue to affect the entire industry. As you read about the varying degrees of standards around the world (this article illustrates one example of this with a clinic in Cyprus), you wonder how that will affect the growing number of countries, like the UK, that seem to be considering loosening restrictions around compensation for egg donation. Will questionable ethics cause them to backtrack on any progress there? Will countries with favorable infertility laws, like the US, become more lax in order to compete with international options? It’s doubtful, but it’s certainly a risk if clinics like the one in Cyprus gain momentum.

The bottom line is that almost nothing is black and white within the politically and emotionally charged international infertility industry. What’s most important from my perspective, and quite simply the reason I started ConceiveAbilities, is that egg donation and surrogacy agencies are (or should be) in place to actively protect the interests of both recipient and donor. You won’t find that internationally, at least not yet, a fact that clients have to consider as they embark on this often complex journey.

–Nazca

Although this documentary has yet to be released, I’ve recently read some reviews and watched the trailers for “Eggsploitation: The Fertility Industry Has a Dirty Little Secret.” As you can probably guess based on the title, it is far from a flattering view of the industry. That isn’t really the issue for me, though. Having worked in this field for more than a dozen years, I know how socially, politically and emotionally charged it is. Every component gets picked apart, criticized and judged – sometimes misjudged.

It’s not the critical approach that I object to here. And I don’t for a minute want to diminish the stories told by the small group of women highlighted in this documentary. Unfortunately, they represent the risks associated with egg donation. Risks that are discussed at length when donors work with a reputable agency. In fact, that’s the primary purpose of an egg donation agency, in my mind – to make sure that all parties involved in this approach to family-building are well-educated, well informed and receive an exceptional level of support throughout the process. To be an ally to help navigate this journey. To make sure every person has the tools and resources to make the right decision for him or her.

Aside from being critical of the advanced reproductive technology (ART) industry, based on what I’ve seen so far, this documentary seems be more about diminishing a woman’s ability to make her own decisions. They take an angle popular with industry critics that doesn’t give women credit for informed consent. As if these women, so driven by the promise of paying off a credit card bill, ignore the risks communicated to them by multiple sources. Or, even more absurd, that these women provide consent for a medical procedure that involves significant physical, emotional and time commitments without fully researching and understanding the risks associated.

Ultimately it’s my responsibility as the head of ConceiveAbilities to make sure each and every client understands all risks involved in this process. My team does an outstanding job on this front, but I know this is a priority for every other reputable agency I’ve worked with in this industry. I’ve also found that the majority of donors come in with a solid understanding of these risks having done preliminary research for their own peace of mind. The makers of this documentary underestimate a woman’s ability to make an informed decision when compensation is involved. Perhaps the most profound example of this can be seen on the film’s promotional poster – a man’s hand covering a woman’s mouth.

Obviously this is my perspective. I’d love to hear yours.

–Nazca