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.

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.

]]> http://www.lotusblossomconsulting.com/2009/08/egg-banking-ready-when-you-are/feed/ 0 http://www.lotusblossomconsulting.com/2009/03/patient-advocacy/ http://www.lotusblossomconsulting.com/2009/03/patient-advocacy/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:05:59 +0000 Mindy Berkson http://www.lotusblossomconsulting.com/2009/03/patient-advocacy/ As an Infertility Consultant, I am horrified and embarrassed that octuplets were allowed to be created, and the industry has been burdened by the wrath of their birth these past few weeks. The news stories have been less than flattering, and rightfully so. But it is unfair that one story gone awry should cloud what the industry as a whole has to offer. Infertility treatments have helped so many to achieve their dreams of parenthood. These success stories cannot be mitigated.

Now more than ever it is vital to focus on education. Empowering the patients with information about the risks and potential outcomes associated with given procedure, and helping patients to determine an appropriate level of risk given their particular situation and individual risk adversity.

I understand completely, the exhaustive process that infertility involves. It affects every emotion, both in one’s personal and professional life, it greatly impacts one’s financial resources, and physically, continued treatments take a toll on one’s body.
And if this is not enough there are still many factors that need to play into the decision to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. These are the moral and ethical debates. What to do with embryos that have been frozen for future embryo transfer attempts once your family is complete? Should we be able to create more embryos then we intend to transfer so that we can use these embryos for future genetic siblings?

I started my company, Lotus Blossom Consulting after having walked in the shoes of these women who are tortured by these very difficult decisions and face the same crap shoot each time they undergo an IVF treatment. There are no guarantees. The stakes are high financially and emotionally, as well as the desire to pursue each attempt is inflated by the basic and often innate desire to procreate. So how does one strike the appropriate balance when attempting to achieve their end family building goals?

There is no one solution. Each individual is required to make choices that are often very risky. Choices, however, need to fall within the parameters and suggested guidelines that are set in place and congruent with industry standard. These guidelines although suggested, do act in the patients’ best interest. In the recent case of the octuplets certainly, this intended mother should have considered, or been required to undergo four separate frozen embryo transfers limited to only two embryos each. These multiple transfers would have limited the exponential potential risk factors associated with multiple births. The intended mother would have had the same opportunity of achieving her goal of a large family, but the pathway to parenthood would have afforded her a chance at a similar outcome with much less risk to herself and the all of the offspring.

We need to learn from this graphic mishap and move forward with measures to appropriately balance hope with caution. These efforts emanate from education and awareness. Education is empowering. Education needs to include:

• Having a clear understanding of your treatment options and the success rate of each given opportunity at a particular embryology laboratory
• Assuming appropriate risk factors emotionally, physically and financially for each individual situation
• Formulating a clear cut treatment plan, treatment philosophy with specific boundaries to guide you
• Using the above established guidelines to know when to change the course of treatment
• Understanding informed medical consents, risks and benefits before signing and undergoing any treatment

These are the necessary elements that allow you to be your own best advocate through the process.

Being your own best advocate requires effort and commitment. Keep copious notes of your consultations, ask for medical records and test results. In the event that you decide to obtain a second opinion, the information does not need to be re-gathered. Learn about your condition, your options for treatment, and the success rates for couples in your situation. Doing your research will enable you to effectively discuss your situation with your healthcare team. Learn to advocate for yourself by being assertive, staying informed, asking questions, and keeping records. Be certain you get what you need from your healthcare team.

Patient advocacy is more important than ever in order to keep up with the advancements of medical innovations and technologies available to us today. With these advancements come responsibilities. These responsibilities demand a level of conscientiousness, and this needs to be distributed among those who offer and those who receive the benefits.

It’s difficult to express how excited I am – Seeing my family on the front cover of the magazine was overwhelming.

While this is a print publication, they also have a .pdf version online so you can read the article even if you aren’t in Chicago. (Fact: Over half of my clients are international, so I’m used to making sure people that aren’t in the same area I am get the info they need!)

Let me know what you think of the article…thanks!

Lotus Blossom Consulting, LLC, is a concierge service for people undergoing fertility treatment. Join the company’s founders, MINDY BERKSON and TONI SIRAGUSA, for this seminar that will discuss a range of issues confronting people with infertility: maximizing insurance benefits, choosing a fertility center, holistic opportunities, and financing treatment. Berskon has worked in the industry for over 10 years in a variety of capacities both at donor agencies and at fertility centers. Siragusa is a financial planner and insurance agent who has worked specifically with couples undergoing infertility to properly plan for and finance treatment. Check out their Web site at www.lotusblossomconsulting.com.

Location: Latin Upper School, 59 W. North Blvd.
Instructor: Mindy Berkson & Toni Siragusa Course Fee: $40
Date: Thu, 25-Oct 1 Class Time: 6:30-8:30 pm

http://www.forherinformation.com/herstoryart11007.php