HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY TO LOUISE BROWN, THE 1ST IVF BABY

Below is an excerpt from an article on ABCNEWS.com by Susan Donaldson James via Good Morning America that shares some fascinating information on IVF, infertility treatments and shows us that we still have a ways to go in gaining understanding of infertility. James has done a stellar job of reporting.

                                John and Lesley Brown and daughter, Louise

Louise Brown, the world's first test-tube baby, was born 35 years ago today  (JULY 25), revolutionizing the field of reproductive medicine and giving infertile women hope that they could become mothers.

Now, the procedure is so common that more than 5 million around the world have conceived babies through in vitro fertilization or IVF.

Brown was born at Oldham General Hospital in Britain on July 25, 1978. Her mother had blocked fallopian tubes, still one of the most frequent causes of infertility in women. But Brown herself, who has a 6-year-old son, never required IVF and just revealed she is expecting a second child.

Infertility affects 7.3 million people in the U.S, or one in eight couples, according to RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association.

Today, thanks to the efforts of British Nobel Prize winners Dr. Patrick Steptoe and biologist Robert Edwards, who pioneered the procedure with the birth of Brown, IVF is performed successfully around the world.

 

Live birth rates using non-donor eggs are as high as 40 percent in couples under the age of 35, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).

ART accounts for slightly more than 1 percent of all U.S. births, more than 61,000 births in 2008, the last year for which there are statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But despite advances in medical technology, society still stigmatizes women who cannot conceive, according to RESOLVE's president and CEO Barbara Collura. Insurance coverage varies from state to state, and infertility is often treated as a non-medical condition.

"We've had really amazing medical breakthroughs, but I don't think that 35 years later the discussion of infertility is much more mainstream," said Collura. "That's because public understanding is not quite there."

 

"A lot has changed," she said. "But a woman being told right now that she's having trouble conceiving is going to have the emotions and feelings of loss."

Many women do not have access to IVF because insurance companies do not cover the costs or they require riders that result in higher premiums. That's because in many policies it is considered an elective procedure, like plastic surgery.

TRICARE, the company that insures active duty soldiers, and the Veterans Administration (VA) only cover treatments leading up to an infertility diagnosis.

Two bills are currently pending in Congress to bridge the gap for couples who cannot afford the price of IVF. One would allow couples a tax credit, much like the adoption credit for out-of-pocket costs.

A second bill would require the VA to provide IVF and adoption assistance to those whose wounds have rendered them infertile.

One cycle of IVF, which includes medications and all procedures, including cryo-preservation of embryos, can cost anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000, according to Collura.

Using a donor egg can be as much as $35,000 to $40,000. Surrogacy, which in some states includes compensation for the carrier as well as her health care, can exceed $80,000.

Since the 1980s, 15 states have passed laws that require insurers to either cover or offer coverage for infertility diagnosis and treatment, according to the National Conference on State Legislatures.

Amanda Dodson lives in Dayton, Ohio, a state that does not mandate coverage of IVF. The 29-year-old suffered from several miscarriages due to polycystic ovary disease, and her husband has abnormal sperm.

Thanks to IVF, they now have a 2 1/2-year-old son, Elijah. But the procedure cost upward of $16,000. She works in home care and her husband is a call-center supervisor, so money is tight.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE...

 

Are More Choosing Surrogacy Over Adoption in UK?

 Routes to parenthood: are more couples choosing international surrogacy over adoption?
Kingsley Napley
Claire Wood
United Kingdom

January 9 2013

The Independent newspaper has reported that the number of Parental Orders made in England following a surrogacy arrangement have tripled between 2007 and 2011. Anecdotally, figures have increased even more rapidly since 2011. It has also been reported that, since 2010, 22% of applications for Parental Orders have involved a foreign surrogate. (A Parental Order is an English court Order which extinguishes the parental responsibility of a surrogate and makes the commissioning parents the legal parents in English law).
So often, when writing about commercial surrogacy, the media highlights the possibility for exploitation and the lack of regulation in some countries. Emotive phrases such as “exploitation by rich westerners”, “wombs for hire” and “poor foreign surrogate mothers” are used to provoke comments and opinions. While there are valid concerns about the welfare and care for surrogate mothers in some parts of the world, in my experience of international surrogacy cases, particularly those involving the US, this couldn’t be further from reality. Commercial surrogacy in the US is expensive, but there is generally a high level of support for the surrogate (both physical and psychological) and many clients maintain a good relationship with their surrogate well beyond the birth. Surrogates have often completed their own family before helping the commissioning parents to become parents. The emotive phrases also fail to reflect the challenges and often years of agonising attempts either to conceive or adopt a child of their own, which the intended parents have often been through.
In light of the legal and administrative complexities surrounding international adoption and the length of time the process takes (the local authority’s Home Study Report alone can take six months to a year), many more clients are choosing surrogacy over adoption. Undoubtedly, the debate over international surrogacy will continue (particularly following the Hague Conference for Private International Law’s preliminary report on international surrogacy in March 2012) and the number of Parental Orders being granted by the English Court will continue to rise.  

http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=066ce73c-ae7a-4d1b-974e-76bacb7250e3

New California Surrogacy Laws Take Effect Jan. 1

Today, we are grateful to Richard Vaughn from International Fertility Law Group for this very important information regarding the new legislation passed in California surrounding surrogacy.  

In California, we already have very good surrogacy case law, but with the passage of California Assembly Bill 1217, we now have new and improved – and positive - California legislation regarding surrogacy which goes into effect on January 1, 2013.

The good news is that the very strong case law in California (which is surrogacy friendly and considered by many to be the strongest law in the country) remains unchanged. The current case law essentially provides that intended parents in an assisted reproduction arrangement, whether or not biologically related to the resulting child, should be declared the legal parent of the resulting child. The current legislation in California under the Uniform Parentage Act defines the parent-child relationship as the legal relationship existing between a child and the child’s parents, and it governs proceedings to establish that relationship. Existing law provides that a party to an assisted reproduction agreement may bring an action under the Uniform Parentage Act at any time to establish a parent and child relationship consistent with the intent expressed in the agreement. Existing law also regulates the practice of surrogacy facilitators in assisted reproduction agreements, including surrogacy agreements.

The new legislation, however, provides additional guidance relating to the manner in which surrogacy agreements must be executed, when medical procedures can be commenced, and where parental establishment cases may be filed. Although some of the procedures outlined in the bill were already utilized by experienced assisted reproduction practitioners, they were not required by law. So, in essence, the new law creates clear guidance and codifies some best practices for the benefit of all involved. There may well be more we can do in California to further codify best practices, but the provisions outlined in the new law clarify for courts what constitutes a properly executed surrogacy agreement and they help protect all parties to the agreement—surrogate, intended parents and child—from potential exploitation.

In relation to Gestational Surrogacy Agreements, the new law:

· Requires that intended parents and a surrogate be represented by separate legal counsel.

· Requires notarization of gestational surrogacy agreements.

· Requires the execution and notarization of an agreement prior to the administration of medications used in assisted reproduction or any embryo transfer procedure.

· Requires the parties to a gestational surrogacy agreement to attest, under penalty of perjury as to their compliance with these provisions.

· Provides that an gestational surrogacy agreement executed in accordance with these provisions is presumptively valid.

In relation to establishing legal parentagebetween intended parents and the resulting child, the new law:

· Permits intended parents to establish parentage prior to the child’s birth.

· Permits intended parents to establish parentage prior to the child’s birth and permits the filing of the parentage action in the county where the child is anticipated to be born, the county where the surrogate or intended parents reside, the county where the agreement was executed, or the county where the medical procedures were performed.

· Requires that a copy of the gestational surrogacy agreement to be filed with the court as part of the parentage action.

· Seals records of the agreement to all except parties except the intended parents, surrogate, their attorneys and the state Department of Social Services.

The above summary does not take the place of obtaining legal advice based on your unique set of circumstances. As always, it is best to seek such advice from a qualified and experienced assisted reproduction attorney.

Richard B. Vaughn, Esq.

Founding Partner

International Fertility Law Group Inc.

A Professional Corporation

5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 645

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(855) 405-7500 Toll Free (in the U.S.)

September 11 and Surrogacy: Good Deeds Unite Us

Maybe it's because we've all been through a rough ride together the past few years.  Maybe it is the lingering effects of our shared wound from September 11.  Maybe it is concern for the care of our planet and its citizens.  Whatever the reason, people are helping people more than ever.

David Handschuh/News--From New York Daily News Online

Take gestational surrogacy.  Despite what may be portrayed in popular culture and also tossed around as theory ("Selfish celebs use surrogates to save their own bodies!") we have found in talking to the women who call or write our office, interested to know about being a surrogate, that their motivation is to help someone.  They found it easy and so rewarding to become pregnant and to carry their own children.  They are moved by what they see and hear from other women who can't become pregnant, can't carry a baby to term, and can't create the family they always dreamed of.  And they want to help.

Today, on the anniversary of the tragedy of September 11, we reflect on what we experienced when those towers fell.  We remember the people who lost their lives.  We are grateful for what we have and we practice random acts of kindness to those who have less.  We acknowledge that we are all connected.



Image: Visitors at memorial. Mark Lennihan / AP--www.msnbc.com

If you are interested in knowing more about being a gestational surrogate, visit our website:
www.westcoastsurrogacy.com

And if you want to spend a moment hearing what others are doing to honor September 11 and the memory of those we've lost, visit this wonderful site:

http://www.911day.org/

Good deeds unite us on 9/11. 9/11 Day is a movement built on people remembering through positive action.

Congratulations to New Mom, Giuliana Rancic

We started this post when Giuliana Rancic, celebrity host, anchor, entertainment reporter and philanthropist, was officially on baby watch and expecting her first child with husband, Bill, via gestational surrogate.  Last night, Bill Rancic tweeted to his followers that son Edward Duke Rancic was born, weighing a hearty 7 pounds and 4 ounces and measuring 20 inches.

Giuliana Rancic's public struggle with infertility, miscarriage and cancer has made her a touch-point for many women facing the same pains, disappointments and fears.  Conversely, her joy at becoming a mother will now be shared by her many fans and followers. 

Giuliana Rancic--photo from ENewsonline.com

On the same day, we at West Coast Surrogacy celebrated our own royal birth, with another baby brought into the world via one of our gestational surrogates. Our Director, Amy Kaplan, or another WCS team member attends every birth and they have been gratefully, blessedly busy these days.  THREE births and two embryo transplants in the last five days.  That's a lot of crying (from babies, parents, surrogates) and a lot of love in one short week. 

Congratulations to The Rancics, to their surrogate, and to all the men and women in the world who are coming together to fulfill a dream, a dream called "family."

Sperm Quality Is Down Everywhere, Especially in Israel

An article in the Los Angeles Times about the declining quality of sperm in Israel reported this change has been dramatic just in the last ten years.  Today, only "1 in 100 donors makes the cut. A decade ago, it was 1 in 10."

The story, reported by Edmund Sanders, goes on to say:

 "Simply put, the quality of Israeli sperm is falling at an alarming rate, and no one's sure exactly why."

"So the drop in the quality of sperm is raising some red flags, even though the cause remains a mystery. Speculative theories range from the mundane (carrying cellphones in front pockets) to the far-fetched (depleted uranium from exploded munitions). Some Israeli scientists are looking seriously at naturally occurring hormones, particularly estrogen, in Israel's water and milk and suggest that it's a mark of the country's aggressive dairy farming methods."

 Male infertility can be a terrible blow to a man's sense of self.  It might feel like an assault to their virility.  The same diagnosis for a woman can be equally shattering but often, because women are more apt to share their feelings and to seek support when overwhelmed, they are able to move ahead with what needs to be done to create the family of the dreams.   But given the declining quality of sperm in the world, wonderful organizations like Resolve may be reaching out to more and more men. Hopefully, the men will be willing to accept the help.

"The decline has been dramatic," Cryobank's Ronen said. "It's a shame. We see these macho, beautiful guys come to give donations, but then we're embarrassed to have to tell them that their sperm quality is so low they may actually end up coming back as a client."

www.westcoastsurrogacy.com

Will The New Normal Get Surrogacy?

The desire to be a parent can overwhelm all other concerns and dominate a person’s thoughts, actions and lives. When building a family proves elusive,and the process of understanding and coping with the causes is underway, the stress is immense, the pain profound.  Life becomes a series of acronyms—IVF, ICSI,ART, IUI, IP’s—and navigating the intricacies of options—adoption, surrogacy,donor—is a full-time job. 

So, when those same wounds are mined for material, it might prove uncomfortable if done without sensitivity or understanding.  A soon-to-debut television show in the US, The New Normal, will use surrogacy as its storyline.   That’s not to say it can’t be done well; a sense of humor in addressing a serious situation serves to make the subject more relatable.  Yet, in the written description of the show, there are clichés surrounding the surrogate mother who, of course, has a “checkered past”; she is described as “A Midwestern waitress and single mother looking to escape her dead-end-life.”  That is a tired stereotype.  Women who serve as surrogates come from all walks of life.   Their unifying trait is their desire to extend the great gift of parenthood.

Conversely, in the preview online, there are glimmers of hope.  The surrogate mother says, “Family is family and love is love.”  Would like to see that the Intended Parents don’t go with the advisor/agency/attorney who describes surrogates as “an Ez-Bake Oven with no right to the cupcake.”  If instead they walk away from him and into the office of an agency that is as respectful of its surrogates as it is with its clients, then The New Normal will be a celebration of the new family and not just an easy-to-digest version of one.



These days, families come in all forms - single dads, double moms, sperm donors, egg donors, one-night-stand donors... It's 2012 and anything goes. Bryan (Andrew Rannells,"Girls," "The Book of Mormon") and David (Justin Bartha,"The Hangover") are a Los Angeles couple, and they have it all. Well,almost. With successful careers and a committed, loving partnership, there isone thing that this couple is missing: a baby. And just when they think the stars will never align, enter Goldie (Georgia King, "One Day"), an extraordinary young woman with a checkered past. A Midwestern waitress and single mother looking to escape her dead-end life and small-minded grandmother(Emmy and Tony Award-winner Ellen Barkin), Goldie decides to change everything and move to L.A. with her precocious eight-year-old daughter. Desperate and broke - but also fertile - Goldie quickly becomes the guys' surrogate and quite possibly the girl of their dreams. Surrogate mother, surrogate family.

Ryan Murphy serves as creator/executive producer and director along with creator/executive producer Ali Adler ("Glee," "Chuck") and executive producer Dante DiLoreto ("Glee," "American Horror Story").
"The New Normal" isproduced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Productions.
-Excerpted from NBC.com

Learn more about surrogacy at www.westcoastsurrogacy.com

Surrogacy Laws: Different in Every State

A well-written and researched piece by Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ("Surrogacy laws vary by state" August 7, 2012) includes a discussion about the development of a "model act" to make surrogacy laws more comprehensive and universal. As it stands today, they are different everywhere and rulings are often made on a case-by-case basis. 

The entire article appears here but the description of the proposed model act is especially interesting:
http://www.jsonline.com/features/health/surrogacy-laws-vary-by-state-co65rvg-165348756.html

The bold type on the quote below is our emphasis and not in the original article.  It is so eloquently expressed we felt it deserved special attention.

"And some judges here have allowed the names of those who hired the surrogate to be placed on the birth certificate without requiring her to give up parental rights as part of an adoption or other legal proceeding, Brisman said.
But other judges have not, according to attorney Steven Snyder, chair of the American Bar Association's committee on assisted reproductive technologies. While Wisconsin law includes a mechanism for determining paternity through DNA testing, there is not a similar statute to establish maternity, he said. The law here assumes the woman who gives birth is the mother. Attorneys who believe otherwise must make their arguments in court.

"The laws were based on a universe where the only way to have children was the old-fashioned way," Snyder said. "We have a rainbow of alternatives today in how to get pregnant and how to have a child, and the laws have not kept up."

That leaves most of the legal issues surrounding surrogacy up to each judge.
To reduce the likelihood of problems, the bar association drafted a model act governing assisted reproductive technology. The model act, approved by the association in 2008, covers everything from who can donate eggs to what happens to embryos in the event of a death or divorce. It is gender neutral and applies to heterosexual couples, gay couples and single people.
For surrogacy, the model act mandates safeguards such as medical insurance and mental health evaluations. It lists requirements for both the surrogate and for those hiring her. Surrogates, for example, must be at least 21 years old and must have given birth to at least one child. Those who want to hire one must be unable to safely carry their own children."

Learn more about surrogacy and review a variety of resources at www.westcoastsurrogacy.com

© 2012, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

Why I Love Being a Surrogate

We're so fortunate to work with wonderful women and families who are not only willing to work together as partners through the gestational surrogacy journey but also generous enough to share their experiences.  This is the first of three videos on "Why I Love Being a Surrogate" and we're delighted to introduce you to Tina Schneider: 

The Gift of Family

Out of the many stories we have heard about the struggles of infertility, this one really touched our hearts and brought us to tears. The beginning of the story of Kathy and Rob Adzich’s is a familiar one, a young happy couple starting out their lives together deciding to embark on the journey of having their own children. Quickly, they learn they are pregnant, but their story diverges from most when Kathy starts having contractions in her second trimester. The initial elation of expecting a baby is replaced by sorrow, when at 22 weeks, Kathy gives birth to a stillborn child.

They try again a few months later, but sadly, the couple is struck another blow as a second stillborn child is delivered at 16 weeks. The third pregnancy, Kathy is confined to bed rest and agrees to undergo the extreme step of having her cervix sewn shut to prevent a premature delivery. At 19 weeks, Kathy starts having contractions and with the help of powerful drugs, the delivery is postponed another month. The third child, Jakob, is born alive, but he is frail with underdeveloped lungs. He eventually passes away in Kathy’s arms at 3 weeks of age. Devastated, the Adzich’s leave the hospital without a baby for a third time in three years.

All the while, an angel named Stephanie Kalenda stood by watching thes traumatizing events unfold from her post as a labor and delivery nurse in the hospital where the Azdich’s event's took place. Days later Stephanie calls them with an amazing offer, “ I have a good uterus, let’s use it.” Stephanie explained that she had seen many people come in and out of the delivery center, and some were not fit to be parents whereas others were, and she assured the Adzich's that they were and she was going to help them become parents. And so their surrogacy journey together began as Stephanie was implanted with embryos from the couple and together they conceived beautiful baby, Gabe.

The Adzichs and Stephanie were invited on the Today show with Meridith Veira to talk about the miracle of surrogacy and how it bonded them and created the dream of a family. Please click here to see the video of this amazing story.

Complaints Arise From India's Surrogacy Arrangements

Myleen and Jan Sjodin with Baby Amari



Joining an ever growing chorus of complaints, more couples are speaking out about their negative experiences with Indian surrogacy agencies. Recently, the Los Angeles Times published an article about this growing problem, highlighting couples who have had very serious problems with Indian surrogacy clinics.







Myleen Sjodin and her husband Jan, both of Toronto, Canada were elated to become parents through surrogacy after Myleen having survived uterine cancer. They contracted through one of the many Indian surrogacy clinics and after going through all of the process, they learned they were to be parents. According to the Times article "It all turned into a nightmare as the doctor hiked her fees just before the baby was born, hitting them at their psychologically weakest point. She also didn't pay outside hospital bills and tried to use India's infamous bureaucracy to delay their homecoming." "We were robbed of our joy as first-time parents," Jan Sjodin said.







They felt fearful that they may have problems with customs and the hospital so they paid the extra $7,000 in fees and left quickly. Myleens' motivation for speaking out is that other intended parents don't get manipulated. She says "I love Indian culture and we thought we were getting a good deal, but in the end we've paid nearly as much as doing it in the U.S."

Other problems with Indian surrogacy involve citizenship, such as the 2008 case of the Japanese baby, whose parents divorced during the surrogate's pregancy, resulting in the mother giving her up. Baby Manji's citizenship was left ambiguous as Japan refused to recognize her as one of theirs. Last year, a Canadian couple who had contracted with an Indian surrogacy clinic were dumbfounded to learn the twins they had were biologically unrelated to them. Given the vast problems surrounding surrogacy in India, people considering this option are urged to weigh these issues out before pursuing surrogacy outside the US.

Click Here for LA TIMES article.

The High Cost of Lower Cost International Surrogacy-Part 2 of 2

In addition to many the human rights concerns, surrogacy arrangements in the developing world can also be challenging in terms of the geographical distance, language barrier, and cultural differences, making it difficult for well-meaning intended parents from abroad to cultivate deep relationships with their surrogate. This divide also hampers the conscious intended parent from offering emotional support to the surrogate, and insuring that during her pregnancy, she is receiving access to the best nutrition and health care on the planet. For these reasons, many parents opt to contract with more reputable, highly regulated agencies in the US or UK. Agencies, such as West Coast Surrogacy, connect their clients face to face with potential surrogates, and encourage frequent, open dialogue between all parties throughout the pregnancy. West Coast Surrogacy takes great care in screening each potential surrogate for psychological and emotional well being, physical health, a history of bringing babies full term, a stable home environment, and a commitment to a healthy pregnancy. Every WCS surrogate must have regular prenatal care, live a healthy lifestyle and avoid any high-risk behaviors. Such careful screening results in top-notch surrogates who are treated well, have overwhelmingly positive experiences and who often come back to have the experience all over again.



In addition to high expectations, WCS surrogates are also expected to have regular phone and email contact with the agency and the intended parents. Frequently, the bonds that are forged throughout the process result in the parties desiring to continue the relationship, long after the arrival of the new life they've created together. To learn more about West Coast Surrogacy, click here.

The High Cost Of Lower Cost International Surrogacy- Part 1 of 2

For many people seeking to become parents through surrogacy, the monetary cost is certainly a big consideration. For this reason, scores of well-intentioned people have turned to the Internet to connect them with lower cost surrogacy options in the developing world. In response to this growing demand, countries such as India, home to a massive population of poor, uneducated women, have become popular places to contract surrogacy services. Because surrogacy is a relatively new concept, and newer still in the developing world, many countries, such as India, have not created clear policies and regulations that are absolutely critical to protecting both parties within such a delicate arrangement. Without these safeguards, ethical dilemmas and human rights problems emerge and are further exaggerated by extreme poverty, lack of opportunity, corruption and greed. According to the online magazine The Star, India’s “surrogacy-related fertility tourism has long been fraught with ethical and human rights concerns in the country.” While there is a non-binding guideline, “current rules are ambiguous about vital issues like the rights of the surrogate, their minimum age, details about the contracts, informed consent and adoption requirements. This opacity often leads to legal ambivalence for would-be parents or exploitation of poor Indian women who rent out their wombs to earn money.” “The trade in India also breeds unscrupulous middlemen who entice and push marginalised women into surrogate motherhood. There’s no protection against the misuse of a surrogate child for purposes of terrorism, prostitution or unethical genetic engineering research.” This is an alarming problem and an ethical quandary for childless couples looking for a lower-cost way of having their own biological child. Many parents are not aware that such corruption exists since there is relatively little negative press about the topic in comparison to all the sites that are promoting the industry. Click here for full story.



Another problem that emerges out of India is the question of citizenship. Because the offspring of surrogates are not automatically given Indian citizenship , the resulting non-citizen status may create difficulty in obtaining citizenship at a later time through the parent's home country. In one instance, a couple from Germany who went to India to have twins through a surrogate, were emeshed in a two year legal battle to obtain a visa for thier children to return with them to Germany. Click Here for the full story. All this uncertainty leads many people to look to select states in the US as the ideal place for surrogacy arrangements. Each child born within our borders, regardless of their parents county of origin is automatically given US citizenship. California leads the country in pro-surrogacy legislation offering more clarity and legal protections than any other place in the US. West Coast Surrogacy, located in Orange County is proud to be the premier agency in Southern California. We screen our surrogates carefully and support them throughout the pregancy resulting in many of them becoming WCS surrogates again. We also employ a team of professionals, including psychologists and lawyers who ensure our clients have the best possible outcome. Please visit our website to discover how our premier full service agency can assist you. West Coast Surrogacy

Medical Miracles Make Way for Cancer Survivors to Have Babies

New medical breakthroughs are offering more and more pathways for survivors of cancer to experience the miracle of becoming parents.

Ovarian tissue harvesting is one of the newest developments in fertility medicine, allowing a thin sliver of a woman’s ovaries to be harvested and frozen, similar to the way sperm and embryos have been stored. The difference is that this delicate tissue can then be implanted into a woman after treatment, allowing her to produce her own eggs again.

Another procedure that is newly being offered is a procedure of storing unfertilized eggs rather than embryos. For women that do not have the luxury of waiting two months to hormonally stimulate and fertilize their eggs, this is an amazing option for women who must start cancer treatments immediately.

Another popular option for those cancer survivors unable to carry their own children, is surrogacy. Gestational surrogacy is the process by which an embryo is transferred into another woman's womb, to carry it until maturation and delivery. The intended mother can use her own eggs or that of an egg donor so that the surrogate is not biologically related to the child. Click here to learn more about surrogacy…..

According to Gina Shaw, breast cancer survivor and author of “Having Children After Cancer” writes that many survivors share the strong desire to have children, in part to show they have beat the disease and moved on with their lives. Click here to learn more about new medical procedures.

Celebrities Choosing Surrogacy

If you’ve recently flipped through a tabloid or one the celebrity sites on the web, you’ve probably noticed a growing number of stars are having babies through surrogacy. And while some speculate that the choice to use a surrogate is one of convenience or vanity, this is certainly not the norm. Like 6 million other Americans, these celebrities have gone through the heartache of wanting children without being able to conceive them naturally. While many stars wanting to become a parent choose to adopt, like Sandra Bullock, Lionel Richie and Diane Keaton, other celebs look to surrogacy as their best option. Each choice has it's pros and cons but the common desire to have a child is the same.

Broadway actress and star of Hairspray, Marissa Jeret Winokur knows firsthand the challenges of infertility. After being diagnosed with cervical cancer at 27, and undergoing a hysterectomy, she was grateful to be able to have her own child with the help of a surrogate. She says. “For people out there who don’t understand surrogacy, it’s very important that they understand it’s not about someone in Hollywood who doesn’t want to gain weight. It’s not like Sarah Jessica Parker didn't want to have her own baby. For everybody that has a surrogate, that was their last chance. That was their last option-that was their only option. It’s the most amazing, wonderful thing, but it’s also a really hard decision to make because you’re trusting the most important thing to somebody.”

Elizabeth Banks, star of 30 Rock, together with hubby Max Handelman, are the latest well known couple to have their child through surrogacy. Banks shared that her life has been filled with opportunities and blessings and yet, "The one true hurdle I've faced in life is that I have a broken belly. After years of trying to get pregnant, exploring the range of fertility treatments, all unsuccessful, our journey led us to gestational surrogacy." She is overjoyed to finally have Baby Felix in her life.

Banks joins a list of celebrities who have experienced the deep satisfaction of becoming parents through surrogacy, such as Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Dennis and Kimberly Quaid, Elton John and his partner and Ricky Martin. If you are interested in learning more about surrogacy options, we would love to help you. West Coast Surrogacy is a boutique agency which caters to individuals seeking a solution to their fertility challenges. Regardless of whether you are a celebrity, we will treat you like one, offering you the highest level of professionalism, discretion, and compassionate guidance you could possibly desire. To learn more about how we can help you accomplish your dreams of becoming a parent, click here.

A Refreshing New Guys' Perspective on the Perils of Infertility

What He Can Expect When She's Not Expecting

In this insightful and original new book, Marc Sedaka, offers a man's prospective on what it's like to go through the perils of infertility. In it, he conveys the helpless feeling so many men feel watching their partners go through the trials and dissapointments of IVF. Sedaka, whose day job is a comedic TV and film writer, infuses his wit as he tackles these issues. Having been through six years of fertility treatments, including 9 in-vitros, 16 artificial inseminations, 3 miscarriages and a small fortune trying to have a baby, he and his wife finally got their happy ending with the birth of twin girls via surrogacy. For the guys out there who’ve ever identified with feeling like an “indentured sperm donor” and not knowing how to offer support to their partners during this personal challenge, this book can offer some humor and insight from a guy whose been through it all. Click here to see the Sedaka's interview on Today.

New Hope For Infertile Men

In the wake of last week's tragedy, Japanese scientists from Yokohama University have just announced that they have unlocked a medical mystery that has confounded biologists for years. They have discovered how to reproduce viable sperm cells in the lab, a scientific leap for creating fertility in men who are infertile. Scientists made this discovery by using IVF technology, stem cell research and surrogacy using laboratory mice. They harvested the sperm, soaked it in a solution that encouraged stem cell growth, and discovered that in a few weeks time, the sperm cells reproduced into viable sperm, complete with heads, bodies and tails. These sperm were used to fertilize eggs and the embryos were implanted into surrogate mice. This resulted in normal offspring that had the ability to reproduce. This breakthrough is significant because it could potentially pave the way for infertile men, particularly those who were once fertile to become biological fathers for the first time in history.

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Good Morning America Salutes Surrogacy

This week on Good Morning America, audiences around the country got a chance to get better acquainted with the emerging new field of surrogacy. In this highly informative segment, Dr. Jacques Moritz defined what surrogacy is and explained how gestational surrogacy differs from traditional surrogacy. The segment also covered just some of the health reasons that prevent women from being able to carry their own child. He also discussed how California has emerged as the best place in America for those seeking surrogacy arrangements, since laws in this state are most protective of surrogates and intended parents. Click here to watch.

If you are considering surrogacy, we invite you to look closely at who we are and what past clients are saying about us. West Coast Surrogacy, based in Southern California, is a client-centered agency, committed to upholding the highest levels of legal protection, professionalism and discretion. Our founder and executive director, Ms. Amy Kaplan, has been working in reproductive medicine since 1990. Her profound desire to help those with fertility challenges led her to become an egg donor, a surrogate of twins and finally to birth her vision of the ultimate agency, West Coast Surrogacy. We believe our agency, WSC is uniquely qualified and capable of being your guide along your wonderful journey of having a baby. It would be our greatest honor to do so. Please visit our website at http://westcoastsurrogacy.com

Commercial Surrogacy Banned in Parts of the Land Down Under.


Australia, a country known for its’ progressive policies and open-minded thinking, has just passed legislation that some might label as restrictive, invasive and not representative of the will of it’s forward-thinking citizenry. New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state and home to it’s capital city Sydney, has just passed one of the most controversial pieces of legislation around, which criminalizes activities associated with commercial surrogacy.

This bold piece of legislation, which goes into effect March 1, 2011, prohibits residents from entering commercial surrogacy arrangements both at home and overseas. It defines commercial arrangements as those arrangements where a fee is paid to the surrogate mother, which is above and beyond any reasonable expenses incurred by the surrogate, related to giving birth. Such specified expenditures, such as medical expenses, travel, and lost earnings due to maternal leave, must be backed by receipts and documentation.

Failure to satisfy these criteria may result in imprisonment and a steep fine for any intended parents and surrogates who are citizens of NSW, even if the arrangement is done overseas. The law also regulates altruistic surrogacy, by defining what are the minimum ages of a surrogate and an intended parent, what type of medical need necessitates the arrangement, and a host of other legalities.

While the law does exempt people who have entered into a written contract overseas before the March 1st deadline, interested parties should be advised to carefully look over the existing Part 1A of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) , where residents actions overseas could be an offence under NSW law. If you are a resident of NSW, who thinks you may be affected by this change in law, we recommend seeking legal advise.

To learn more, please click The Surrogacy Act 2010.

A Somewhat Different Path to Parenthood

If you are anything like the majority of our clients, you know all too well the hopes, disappointments and tribulations along the path to becoming parents. You've looked on with joy, and a tinge of sadness as many people around you have become proud parents. And all the while, you've envisioned the day when your own precious child that you hold in the crook of your arms, will look back at you with your eyes reflected in theirs.

We think stories like this one, will help keep that vision alive.

This is one woman's story of how she nearly gave up hope of having her own biological child when she learned that DES, the fertility treatment that was supposed to help her conceive, had actually created a harmful environment for fetuses. She grieved the loss of a child she would never know until she learned about surrogacy.



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