Women’s Bar Association Byline
I am honored that the Women’s Bar Association in Washington D.C. included one of my bylined articles in its “Raising the Bar” newsletter on the topic of delayed childbearing . You can read the full piece at the “WBA Post” link above.
In regards to the law, I have found that family planning can be a tricky area to navigate, especially when infertility treatments are necessary. For example, legal considerations specific to each state may influence a couple’s decision to pursue a certain treatment option. I have hosted various sessions at WBA groups across the U.S. addressing this very topic. I recently held this seminar in the Washington D.C. area and was able to educate female lawyers on the ramifications of delayed childbearing, estate and family planning issues, wealth preservation and state laws regarding surrogacy and other fertility treatments. I hope to continue these sessions with other WBA groups in 2010.
Working Mother Magazine, Considering Surrogacy
Earlier this year, I interviewed with one of the health editors at Working Mother Magazine on the topic of surrogacy. Her article, “Considering Surrogacy,” appeared in the November 2009 issue.
In the article, I discuss why many people turn to surrogacy as a way to expand their families. The piece also explains the differences between gestational surrogacy and traditional surrogacy, as well as the legal implications and how to find the best surrogate mother.
I was very happy to be included in this article because Lotus Blossom Consulting is committed to helping couples through the entire surrogacy process. We are proud of the work we have done in this area and look forward to helping more people achieve their dream of being a parent. And a big thanks to Working Mother Magazine for raising awareness of this important issue!
Read the full article here.
Washington Times Article – Navigating the Fertility Maze
As one of the first infertility consultants in the U.S., I am very happy and honored to be featured in a recent Washington Times article about a new area cropping up in the fertility industry — fertility consultants. For couples who need help conceiving, a fertility consultant can help navigate the whole process including medical, emotional, financial and legal options. As the article states, a ”fertility consultant is part researcher, part consumer advocate and part sympathetic ear.”
My most important asset is my advocacy piece. With egg donations, I can help widen the potential donor pool. This cuts down on wait time while also increasing the likelihood of getting the requested genetic attributes from donors. I can also help patients maximize dollars by reviewing insurance coverage and drug benefits.
To read more about the benefits of hiring a fertility consultant, click here for the full article.
Thank you!
GLMA 2009 Conference
Understanding the Healthcare Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Individuals
A growing number of medical societies, health plans, academic institutions, public health officials and others have recognized the need for healthcare providers to receive special training on how to meet the unique healthcare needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals. This fall, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) is hosting the 27th Annual Conference of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to address this need.
I am honored to be one of the featured speakers at this event discussing how gay and lesbian families can navigate the alternative family building journey through surrogacy.
The conference will be held on September 30 – October 3, 2009 at the Westin Washington, DC, City Center. It is the world’s largest scientific meeting focusing on LGBT health, healthcare delivery, workplace discrimination, and healthcare education and offers up to 18 hours of continuing education for healthcare professionals. In addition to rich educational offerings, the conference provides ample opportunities to meet and socialize with other healthcare professionals, students and GLMA members.
More information about the Annual Conference, including a preliminary program of educational offerings, is available at www.glma.org/annualconference.
Egg Banking: Ready When You Are
There are countless numbers of products available to women to slow the visible effects of aging, but what about the parts of the body that are out of sight? Now with egg freezing technology it possible to stop a women’s biological clock allowing them to “freeze” their fertility for the future.
Age matters in many aspects of life as well as in the creation of life. Women are most fertile between the ages 20 to 28 with their fertility decreasing in half by the time they are 35. By age 45, only a 1% chance remains each month of conceiving naturally. This is a startling fact considering the average age a woman has her first child has risen to record high of 25.1 with 20% of women waiting until they are 35 to begin their family.
An increasing number of women choose to delay childbearing due to further schooling, career choice, or are waiting to find their perfect partner. While those choices are understandable and personal, as women naturally age so do their ovaries; affecting their fertility. Oocyte cryopreservation, commonly known as egg banking, provides women up to the age of 38 with a chance to slow down their biological clock and effectively storing their fertility for the future.
A women’s egg supply is finite therefore, freezing your eggs allows you to stop your biological clock until you are ready to conceive, increasing the odds of having a healthy successful pregnancy. Women are born with millions of eggs yet once they reach puberty only 300 of the 300,000 eggs left will have the chance to ovulate. The frozen eggs can be thawed at anytime to be fertilized with the sperm of choice and then refrozen as embryos for future in vitro fertilization treatment cycles.
Egg banking is also an option that is highly recommended for women who have been newly diagnosed with cancer but have not begun medical treatments that may negatively impact their fertility. While treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are lifesaving, they can potentially leave women infertile. The ability to freeze viable eggs before undergoing cancer treatments instills hope for a family in the future.
Egg banking, the newest technology available in the infertility field, is a wonderful option for those women who plan to delay childbearing for personal reasons or for medically induced situations. Since women do not continually reproduce more eggs over a lifetime, the availability of egg banking technology allows women to protect a precious resource and helps to ensure their fertility until such time that they are ready to begin a family.
