How women in their late 20s and early 30s can test their fertility

June 10, 2016June 10, 2016 JSADev1

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more women are waiting until later in life to start a family. As of 2014, the average age of first-time pregnancies reached a record high of 26.3. The report suggests a decline in women having babies in their teenage years and an increase in women giving birth in their 30s.

But what do these statistics mean for American womens fertility? We got the following email from a viewer:

Dr. Manny,

I am 30 years old, and I am focused on my career. I hear a lot of conflicting information about when to start a family. Is this something I should be thinking about now, or do I have time?

-Rebecca

Many women have similar concerns when it comes to starting a family. CDC data suggests 12 percent of women between ages 15 and 44 are infertile and the condition can be expensive for those who want to have children. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a popular alternative fertility option, but one cycle can cost up to $12,000.

Causes of infertility include:
Smoking
Drinking alcohol in excess
High stress levels
Obesity
Poor dieting
Age

Dr. Kaylen Silverberg is board-certified in obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive endocrinology, and she is the co-founder of Los Angeles-based fertility lab Ovation Fertility. He recommended that women in their late 20s and early 30s get an annual evaluation of their ovarian reserve at their OB-GYN or a trusted fertility clinic by having their blood drawn on the third day of their menstrual cycle.

The test measures a womans Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH,) as well as her estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FDH). With this information, specialists can determine if a womans ovarian reserve is stable or starting to diminish.

The major benefits of ovarian reserve testing are that youll know where you are in your reproductive lifespan, Silverberg told FoxNews.com. If in fact your numbers are starting to deteriorate already suggesting that your ovarian reserve is starting to fall well know the rate at which its falling, and therefore fertility specialists or even gynecologists can recommend how fast you need to get moving.

If you have any health questions, tweet them to @DrMannyonFox.

How Surrogacy Is Redefining What It Means To Be A Mother

June 6, 2016June 6, 2016 JSADev1

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAsJdJ4Qg9s?rel=0&enablejsapi=1]

This Mother’s Day, let’s give a heartfeltshoutout to all of the surrogates who have stepped forward to give the gift of family.

The concept ofincubating a human life in your body and then giving it away to someone else was difficult for me to grasp at first — this idea of the severance of the primordial bond between mother and child. And that’s oneissue the people who protestsurrogacyclaim in their arguments.

I also didn’t realize that a womancould have a baby who was not at all genetically related her. This is called gestational surrogacy, a common type of surrogacy that women enter.

Jenna Mancuso is a 30-year-old dental assistant from Pennsylvania who lives with her husband, Phil, and her threekids. She recently gave birth totwin babies for an intended father, Michael Oppedisano, who is a dentist living in Texas.

Jenna was a gestational surrogate,“Gestational surrogacy uses In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to create an embryo using the ova/eggs from the prospective mother or donor and sperm from the father or donor that is then implanted in a surrogate.”

Jenna describes the feeling of disassociation,“It’s a total disconnect, like the ultrasounds. I look at them and think ‘aww they’re cute’ but not like how it is emotional when it’s your own baby and it’s so amazing and like ‘oh my God it’s my baby on the screen!’”

Jenna and her husband, Phil, decided to go into surrogacy after Jenna was “feeling the urge to be pregnant again.” Jenna freelyadmits she enjoys the pregnancy and that the processcomes easily for her. The sad reality is thatmany peoplestruggle with infertility and this is away surrogates can give back.

Circle Surrogacy was the agency that handledJenna and Michael’s agreement. The agency receives approximately 1,200 applicants per month from women who want to be carriers; however, the vetting process is extremely thorough as they only accept around 1.7 percent of them into the program.

Michael was actually the first intended parent that Jenna and Phil matched with. They began sussing each other out through Skype calls. It was extremely important for both parties to bond and to get to know each other’s motives before signinga contract together. When you’redealing with anagreement that’s based on the exchange of human lives, great care and attention is needed.

Michael is a gay, single man who has been trying to have kids for roughly the past fiveyears. Much of thetone in Michael’s main interview is very revealing of the long, difficult journey he has had in getting to this point. He initially looked into adoption and fostering children, but the prospect of having to give them back to the original parents deterred him from this route.

Another obstacle for Michael was that heencountered surrogate agencies who do not support gay families.

I think a lot of people will say that allowing singles or gay people to have children will cause a collapse in the family structure. The traditional family structure has been collapsing for 40 years. People aren’t getting married; people are getting divorced. There’s a lot of kids out there that don’t have two parents.

The commodification of a woman’s body and the idea that children are being “bought and sold” fuels more stigma around surrogacy. A surrogatetypically gets a base rate of $25,000-$30,000 to carry a child on top of additional monthly stipends to cover things such as medical bills, travel, maternity clothing, etc. But you simply cannot put a price tag on the amount of sacrifice oremotions that a woman gives while carrying a child.

As Jenna’s husband Phil says, “For people that can do this, and do it for the right reasons, it’s a beautiful thing.”

There is an odd feeling when you think about the fact that attorneys, contracts, screenings, egg donors and sperm donors are involved in having a family. However, when you realizeso many people are comingtogether and truly have the best intentions to help one another, it is a fascinatingmiracle.

This documentary contains one example of a surrogacy story, and it happened to be a positive and endearing one. I can imaginethat not all surrogacy stories have happy endings, but a lot can be learnedfrom this example.

TheOppedisanos and the Mancusos plan on staying in touch, and even going on vacationstogether. They truly have re-defined traditional family dynamics.

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A Brief Overview On How Does Surrogacy Work

August 16, 2015September 3, 2015 JSADev1

A Look At How Surrogacy Works

Your choice to become a gestational surrogate is something that will produce a hugely positive change in your life, not only because you are bringing life to somebody’s dream, but mainly because, by doing it, you will feel like a better person overall. In case you are wondering, “How does surrogacy work,” continue reading.

When you have decided to become a gestational surrogate, it is essential that you find an established surrogacy agency to help you with the process. A reputable agency will answer your question of “how does surrogacy work” and provide you with a support system to take care of everything before, during, and after you have the baby. This way, you can completely focus on staying healthy and enjoying the experience. Additionally, you will not have to worry about the financial and legal aspects of the surrogacy process, as everything is handled by the organization.

So, how does this process work? Following is the lowdown on what you will go through in your experience of being a gestational surrogate.

Finding a Match

As soon as you express interest in becoming a gestational surrogate and have signed up with a surrogacy agency, that agency will take on the responsibility of determining the best intended parents for you. The intended parents will want a surrogate who is healthy and stable, someone with whom it is comfortable for them to talk about this exciting experience. After a potential match is found, you may be sent a questionnaire, an account, and photos of the intended parents. If you’re pleased with the intended parents, you’ll be able to ask any questions you might have, including “how does surrogacy work?”

Meeting Up

If each party is pleased with the other’s basic profile, the company will arrange a gathering or business call consisting of the agency, the intended parents, and you and your partner. If the meeting is successful, your agency will coordinate the medical and psychological evaluations that are a standard part of the surrogacy progress.

Making It Official

Once these steps are cleared, there are compensation and contract negotiations to work out. All health-related expenses, doctor fees, attorney charges, communication, and travel costs ought to be looked after by the intended parents. When the surrogacy agency compiles with the particulars surrounding your surrogacy, the lawyers from both sides will create a surrogacy contract that is agreeable to both you and the intended parents and that details the preferences of each party.

Matter Of Payments: Surrogate Compensation

Next comes the matter of payments. The intended parents will create an escrow account where the funds required for the surrogacy will be placed before the embryo is transferred.

The Procedure

The medical procedure that facilitates the embryo transfer to the gestational surrogate may not be the same as a Pap smear. To initiate the synchronization of the menstrual cycles of the intended mother and the gestational surrogate, you will receive contraceptives and Lupron injections on a daily basis to suppress ovulation. The nurses at the facility will be at your side to describe exactly what is happening at each stage so that you don’t feel scared or uncomfortable. You will need to visit the reproductive endocrinologist once or twice prior to the actual transfer of the embryo. The embryo transfer itself is a relatively painless procedure. Most clinics stipulate an opportunity period lasting anywhere from a couple of hours to three days following embryo transfer. A couple of weeks following the procedure, you may be tested for pregnancy.

In the pregnancy period, you can choose how much interaction you want with the intended parents. The agency will usually provide a case manager who deals with your every need throughout the surrogacy process. Many agencies also provide support groups and a surrogacy coordinator who’s qualified to answer all your queries and resolve your doubts, even after birth of the baby. The surrogacy coordinator is, in most cases, someone who has previously been a gestational surrogate and should be able to provide you with a clear answer to the question, “how does surrogacy work?”

To put everything in perspective, a surrogacy agency will help you enjoy the decision you’ve made to become a gestational surrogate. Now that you have a good sense of the answer to the question “how does the process of surrogacy works,” make contact with a great agency today and provide somebody with the means to achieve their miracle.

Know The Importance Of Using A Gestational Surrogate Agency in Los Angeles

August 12, 2015August 25, 2015 JSADev1

Get A Surrogacy Agency To Help You Enjoy The Advantages Of Surrogate Motherhood

One of the fastest growing areas in healthcare is a gestational surrogate pregnancy and partnering with a gestational surrogate agency in Los Angeles helps a lot in this growth. There are many benefits to this procedure, both for the mother and father and the person who provides them with a baby. In addition to the plethora of financial benefits she’ll receive, a gestational surrogate reaps emotional benefits, as she will be bringing a source of pleasure to the birth parents. There are a few requirements for becoming a gestational surrogate mother, but for females in good health it’s an attainable process. Following are three reasons to become a gestational surrogate mother and to make parenthood become a reality for other people.

The Capacity to Help Others

There are millions of people around the world who can’t give birth the natural way and who experience heartbreak because they know they will not have children to call their own. The most important reason to become a gestational surrogate is the fact that you will be fulfilling another person’s desire to become a parent. Having a gestational surrogate agency helps tremendously in overseeing the surrogacy journey with the intended parents. In some cases the designated parents and surrogate mothers do not form friendships, but you will always know that you helped bring into the world a life who wouldn’t otherwise be there.

Financial Gain

Probably the most common reason women become gestational surrogates is the financial compensation they receive. Many women can receive between $25,000 and $50,000 for serving as a gestational surrogate. For many people, this is life-changing money that they can use in several ways. Not only could an individual become debt-free, she could also fund her child’s higher education. Anyone needing a new car or house could use this money on the purchase. There are many people who have become surrogate mothers to get out of financial pinches, as it would take many people at least a year to earn the money they’d receive after one birth. Although there are lots of good things about becoming a gestational surrogate, the financial benefits are what prompt many people to choose this path and find a trusted gestational surrogate agency to work with..

Continued Help

Finally, when a person makes the choice to become a gestational surrogate mother, they will get support from the surrogacy agency throughout the process. The gestational surrogate agency acts as an information center and can handle any dialogue between the surrogate and the intended parents. Furthermore, if any party has an issue, they can consult the surrogate mother agency to achieve a better solution.

Benefits of Becoming A Surrogate And Partnering With A Surrogacy Agency

Overall, becoming a gestational surrogate mother is not a decision to be made without a great deal of thought and without the assistance of a gestational surrogate agency. This is a big decision that has consequences, both good and bad. However, those who choose this path encounter a number of benefits. If a gestational surrogate mom has questions or concerns along the way, she can consult her surrogate company for the answers. She can also join a support group. Additionally, people who opt to bring children into the world reap emotional benefits. There are many people who have trouble carrying children the natural way, and surrogate mothers can help meet their needs. Finally, for several surrogate mothers, the financial benefits are life-changing. Using the proceeds from surrogacy, a person could easily pay off debt or finance a down payment on a new home.

Apply To Be A Surrogate Mother- Know The Top Benefits of Surrogate Motherhood

August 9, 2015August 25, 2015 JSADev1

Surrogacy 101: Apply To Be A Surrogate Mother

As with all ventures in life, challenges and rewards can be expected when you apply to be a surrogate mother. People who apply to become surrogate mothers have numerous opportunities that they may not have again—including the opportunity to provide a unique gift to a couple that is not able to conceive.

When you have decided to apply to be a surrogate mother, know that the technology and science related to this kind of birth have never been safer or more effective. The goal behind the science is to keep both mother and child as healthy as possible. Following are a few of the primary reasons why you should apply to be a surrogate mother.

Apply To Be A Surrogate Mother And Gain Self-Respect

Take note that when you apply to be a surrogate mother, you’re helping individuals who have few other approaches to beginning families. This opportunity to help others often works as a powerful motivator. Many couples experience the frustration of infertility, and the inability to conceive can actually tear couples apart. By applying to become a surrogate mother, you not only may be bringing a new life into the world, you may also be saving a marriage. A number of other couples, either because of their same-sex orientation or the existence of longstanding fertility issues, already knew that they wouldn’t be able to conceive together. In these cases, your role as surrogate mom can provide them with the opportunity to start a family. As a surrogate, you have the choice of whether or not you’ll meet the child’s parents; depending on the agency, you may even be able to choose the couple you help. In the end, you can enjoy the knowledge that you’ve changed several people’s lives for the better.

Apply To Be A Surrogate Mother And Enjoy The Financial Rewards

You receive substantial compensation when you apply to be a surrogate mother. Even the healthiest pregnancies involve significant emotional and logistical hurdles. As soon as you provide the couple with its baby, you will have earned your reward. As a surrogate mother, you’ll find that your stipend is greater than your costs, including the bills for your health care. The stipend can vary in terms of your geographical area and also whether you use a surrogacy company or proceed with the surrogacy privately. The advantages of utilizing an agency include the fact that you can use a go-between to communicate with the newborn’s parents whenever you don’t feel like doing so yourself—or you can choose not to have any communication with the parents whatsoever. The agency also manages all healthcare, scheduling appointments and ensuring that you have everything you need for the pregnancy to proceed as smoothly as possible.

Apply To Be A Surrogate Mother And Get Top Medical Care

If you apply to be a surrogate mother, especially if you utilize an established agency, you will have the best in healthcare—and the baby’s parents will cover the costs. If you struggle financially and can’t afford a fantastic plan, you will have total coverage throughout this period. The fact that the Affordable Care Act prohibits insurers from denying claims for pre-existing conditions means that you can have your health conditions cared for without any cost to you. This covers an extensive pre-pregnancy health screening to ensure that you don’t have any conditions or diseases that would be harmful to the newborn. If your type of surrogacy involves in vitro fertilization, in which an embryo from an infertile couple is inserted into the uterus—you will also undergo a whole uterine evaluation and tests to check your cervical cultures to ensure that implantation can be achieved. If you have an existing condition, now is the time when it can be identified and treated at no cost to you.

In terms of payment and quality medical care, now is the best time to apply to become a surrogate mother. The chance to help a couple start a family not only offers emotional satisfaction, but also serves as a period when you can give yourself financial and medical security.