Our New Blog Has Launched!

Please update your bookmarks and visit us at our new blog!

http://www.fertilitysourcecompanies.com/blog/

A New Look For The SOURCE Forum

Stay tuned this week for a brand-new look for The SOURCE Forum blog. The new layout will offer more links, content and resources, and have a cleaner, simpler look and feel.

We think you'll like it- let us know what you think!

Also...

An interesting piece by Sarah Wildman. While much progress has been made in the recent years, it doesn't necessarily make the options, choices and rationalizing process any easier.

Read the article
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/06/22/surrogacy-biology-destiny-a-brave-but-complicated-new-w/

Infertility From A Father's Perspective

We ran across this a little late for Father's Day, but nonetheless worth sharing. It shifts our attention toward a perspective, while though no less important, can sometimes be overlooked when we consider infertility and its impact.

Read the article:
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/a-fathers-view-of-infertility/

2010 Fertile Action Gala Event: Beverly Hills

Show your support for this fantastic cause, Tickets are on sale now. Hope to see all of our LA area friends there in September.
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We cordially invite you to the 2010 Fertile Action Gala Event: A Visionary Evening with Tasty Ta Ta's, a spoken word performance by breast cancer survivors under the age of 45. Produced by Wendy Hammers of Jersey Girl Productions, please join us as we celebrate the feminine spirit and raise money for a noble cause.


Hors d 'oeuvres ~ Open Bar ~ Dessert ~ Entertainment

Silent Auction ~ Live Auction ~ Gift Bags

SLS Hotel of Beverly Hills

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

7:00 pm - 11:00 pm

Tickets are $125 until Sept. 1, 2010. 100% of the proceeds will benefit Fertile Action programs to ensure all women have the option to preserve their fertility prior to chemo.

http://fertileaction2010.eventbrite.com/

Infertility Counseling: Getting the most out of therapy

Another great post from Connie Shapiro, a professor of family studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author of When You're Not Expecting: An Infertility Survival Guide, shares some tools to help you make sure you are set up to get the most of what can be one of the most important aspects of your fertility treatment.

Read the article:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-youre-not-expecting/201006/infertility-counseling-getting-the-most-out-therapy

No more surrogate option for same sex couples in India

According to the draft `Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill 2010' prepared by a 12-member committee, gay and lesbian couples, Indian or foreign, can't have children born with the help of an Indian surrogate mother.

”.. once this bill is endorsed by the law ministry and becomes an Act, such couples will not be allowed to have surrogate children in India,” said member secretary of the committee Dr R.S. Sharma. ”.. though homosexuality has been decriminalized in India, it has not been made legal. Till gay and lesbian couples get legal status in India, they can't avail surrogacy,” he added.

Read the article:

http://www.mybangalore.com/article/0510/no-more-surrogate-option-from-same-sex-couples-in-india.html

'Why can't I have a baby on my own?'

In the UK, The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990 underwent a major overhaul in 2008, and single women were given the right to receive IVF treatment with donor sperm. And as of last month unmarried and same-sex couples can apply for a parental order for a child delivered by a surrogate. This order formally transfers parenthood from the surrogate mother. Yet single persons seeking to become parents through surrogacy have been deliberately excluded from this measure.


A single woman from London shares her experiences with us.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/why-cant-i-have-a-baby-on-my-own-1977634.html

Babies!!

The long-awaited ode to the little ones is finally here, we've seen it and it is wonderful!! Take your Mom, take your partner, take yourself- it's worth it. Fanning out around the world — to the plains of Mongolia, the dusty grasslands of Namibia, the high rises of Tokyo and the streets of San Francisco. The film’s subjects are hard to understand and nearly impossible to resist. They project weakness and innocence, yet they also possess almost terrifying powers. And they are just so gosh-darn cute!

Read the New York Times review

http://movies.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/movies/07babies.html?partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&ei=5083

How Long Is Too Long To Wait?

An iVillage article examines the question looming in the minds of many of us. In 2006, some 27 percent of women who’d given birth within the last year had a bachelor's degree, compared to 19 percent in 1990.

“One of the reasons women have children later in life–and that is probably a very, very good thing–is because they have more education,” says Claudia Goldin, Ph.D., a Harvard economist. “They are pursuing careers that require upfront investments and can put off having kids, which they couldn’t in 1965 or 1970 because they didn’t have the technology. So it doesn’t matter that they’re having them later; they’re actually having them.”

Women are waiting longer to start their families, but how long is too long?
http://www.ivillage.com/more-women-are-waiting-have-kids-how-longs-too-long/153262

Take Charge: 7 Things You Can Do in 7 Days

National Infertility Awareness Week is a movement to raise awareness about the disease of infertility which affects 7.3 million Americans.

In recognition of National Infertility Awareness Week, reflect on your own relationship to this disease and take this week to take charge in your own way.

Take Charge: 7 Things You Can Do in 7 Days

***Educate yourself. Do you need to see a specialist?

***Design a plan. Insurance info, options, support, we got you covered.

***Become an advocate. No matter why you care, it’s easy to make an impact.

***Get inspired. Read an entry from our What IF: Bloggers Unite Project.

***Impact your community—volunteer, host a support group, raise awareness.

***Navigate the Costs of Family Building

***Find Support. Do you need help coping with your infertility diagnosis?

Join the movement

Why Israeli gays opt for US surrogate births

Despite the country’s reputation as a world leader in reproductive technology, surrogacy is illegal for same-sex couples. A recently failed appeal challenging surrogacy laws serves as another setback for the gay community in Israel, forcing many couples to seek costly alternatives abroad.

Read the article:http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/israel-and-palestine/100406/gay-marriage-adoption-surrogate

Three-way IVF could one day help prevent serious disorders

A new technique enables scientists to replace damaged mitochondria during IVF. Nuclei from the dad’s sperm and the mom’s egg, which hold the parents’ DNA, are removed, and the defective mitochondria are left behind. The nuclei are then placed into another egg that has had its nucleus removed but that still has its mitochondria.

While mutations in the mitochondrial DNA usually don’t cause serious illness, about one in 6,500 babies is born with mitochondrial disease that’s reponsible for serious and often fatal disorders such as heart failure, according to the BBC.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2010/04/15/2010-04-15_threeway_ivf_could_one_day_help_prevent_serious_disorders_like_heart_disease_in_.html#ixzz0lHsecxoT

First Open Embryo Donation Program to Launch in Canada

Major strides this week in Canada for individuals and couples facing infertility. Canadian law prohibits compensated egg donation and surrogacy, making an infertility diagnosis an even greater struggle than for those in the US. Beginnings Family Services, a not-for-profit charity, has launched Canada's first Embryo Donation Program giving couples the opportunity to donate their remaining embryos to infertile couples hoping to become parents. This altruistic donation offers embryos a chance for life, and hope for thousands of infertile Canadians.

Read on:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2010/05/c7799.html

In The News- Egg Donor Compensation

There has been renewed media interest in this subject of late. The story remains much the same as it did a decade ago. There are those agencies who strictly adhere to donor compensation guidelines set forth by ASRM, and then there are "the others"; those who generate controversy and public ire, and cast a shadow over what should be an exercise of compassion and generosity.

A tip of the the hat to agencies in the former category...

Read the article:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/03/donor-eggs-ethics-guidelines.html

London seminar offering free IVF from Virginia clinic sparks controversy

A "raffle"held at a recent infertility seminar in London sponsored by an American fertility practice has generated tremendous controversy this past week. The seminar awarded one attendee a free IVF cycle as well as the use of donor eggs from an American donor. The event has drawn fierce criticism and outcry from American and British infertility experts and bioethicists.

Read More:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031704176.html

Turks barred from receiving sperm or egg donations abroad

Turkish women seeking help becoming pregnant have had their options further limited by a new regulation preventing the obtaining of sperm or egg donations abroad. The rule amends an existing law barring such procedures domestically; women who break it could face up to three years in prison.

Link:
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turks-are-banned-to-receive-sperm-or-egg-donations-abroad-2010-03-15

Ovaries have not adjusted to many women's decision to delay having children

We know this, of course, but this is a great article from The Washington Post which sheds light on why this happens, and makes an important point about the misleading stories of celebrities conceiving after 40, and the impact that has upon women in the midst of their reproductive years.

Link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/22/AR2010022203639.html

What to expect when you're NOT expecting

An interesting online article about the invisible face of infertility by Connie Shapiro, Ph.D., a professor of family studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and author of When You're Not Expecting: An Infertility Survival Guide.

Read more:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/when-youre-not-expecting/201003/the-invisible-face-infertility

Israeli government to discuss bill to ease restrictions on egg donation

More progress on these exciting new developments intended to ease restrictions on egg donation in Israel. The existing law allows only women undergoing fertility treatments to donate eggs. The new legislation would allow Israeli women between the ages of 20 and 35 to donate eggs and to be compensated. Go Israel!

Read on:
ttp://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1151222.html

How to Bring Home a Baby Without Breaking the Bank

A topic on many minds these days. As if the process of infertility treatment were not daunting enough, there is, of course, the cost. The $10 price tag on this new book by Evelina Weidman Sterling and Angie Best-Boss could end up saving you a LOT of money.


A few quotes from readers:

***Especially important in our current financial crisis, a Must Read!

***Bless you for writing this book!!!!

***The book helps you think outside the box and consider ways to save money on medications, treatments, and testing. It explains how to navigate insurance companies and how to find clinical trials. It explains fertility grants and scholarships and how to find them. But above all, it gives you the confidence to take charge of the financial side and understand how to budget for treatments.

http://www.amazon.com/Budgeting-Infertility-Bring-Without-Breaking/dp/1416566589/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266236856&sr=1-1

Alone on a Path Shared by Many

A poignant yet frank look at the emotional terrain encountered as a result of a diagnosis of premature ovarian failure, a condition which leads many to the path of assisted reproduction. A lesson in the importance of sharing more stories like this, so that those in similar straits realize that there is no reason to feel alone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/fashion/31love.html?pagewanted=1

Crossing Ideological, Biological--& State Lines

A look at several recent cases involving the real-life courtroom dramas playing out across the country involving third-party reproduction and same-sex parents. These cases reveal the many risks and legal challenges that face LGBT couples pursuing alternative forms of parenting, and how those challenges vary from state to state.

http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=101180

Surrogacy Battle Faces Uneven Legal Landscape

A recent WSJ article featuring the highly publicized story of a gay New Jersey couple whose case further illustrates the need for hopeful intended parents to fully understand the potential consequences of their state's position on surrogacy, and why the term "surrogacy-friendly" is so important.

Read More:


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704362004575000974247846294.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Doubling Down on Baby M: New Jersey's Ongoing Resistance to Surrogacy

A great piece on the state of surrogacy in the state of New Jersey. Bioethicist and medical historian Jacob Appel comments on a a recent Superior Court ruling in New Jersey that vastly expands the precedent of the Baby M decision of 1988, which effectively outlawed surrogate motherhood in that state.

Read more
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-m-appel/doubling-down-on-baby-m-n_b_409992.html

The Babies Are Coming!

Everybody loves... BABIES. This visually stunning new movie simultaneously follows four babies around the world - from first breath to first steps. From Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo, BABIES joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all.
Coming in early 2010 to a theater near you! Stay tuned- we can't wait!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vupEpNjCuY