Ovary transplant & Surrogacy

Although babies have already been born as a result of the transplant of ovarian tissue, this is the first to be born after transplanting an entire ovary. So far, the procedure is only performed on identical twins.

Thank you to Lelo for sending me to this article about surrogacy. It's actually a combination of a photo essay and video essay - I haven't had time to watch it all, but it looks fascinating.

Ironic

I think it is important for those who suffered loss due to miscarriage or stillbirth to know they're not alone. I'm not really sure why a specific day was designated, or why the specific day was chosen.

For some, October 15th is a day set aside to remember their loss. For me, it is difficult to post as most of the other infertility bloggers have (and not because I never suffered a loss). To me, October 15th is the day that I celebrate the birth of my daughter, Hadas, born after over 3 years of infertility, multiple failed IUI's and a failed IVF cycle.

Yesterday, Hadas (conceived with IVF) turned 15.

Here she is holding her little brother yesterday.

And last week, in our backyard.

Happy birthday, Hadas!


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P.S. I won't brag about her, but my mom did...

Proteins for embryo implantation & a link

Research performed by British researchers including Professor Helen Mardon and Professor Anne Ridley published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found two proteins that appear to be responsible for enabling embryos to implant in the uterus. It doesn't seem as if there are practical implications of this research right now, but clearly the more that is understood about the process of implantation the more likely it is that advances will be made toward improving embryo implantation in IVF.

Myoncofertility.org is a new, patient-friendly website for both women and men who are dealing with cancer and interested in preserving their fertility. The site also has sections for parents and for partners. Although it would be nicer if no one really needed this information, it's great that they've put all the information together in one place, in a visually-pleasing and useful way.

Egg Donation Questions

I got a letter from Jenny (not her real name) with a lot of interesting questions about egg donation. If you've ever given it thought, I'm sure Jenny would be happy for your insight:

I am considering donating my eggs. I feel like I would be giving up one of my kids. How do I know the people getting my egg will treat my baby with love? How do I know my child wont be abused? I have 3 wonderful healthy boys. How would I tell them what I did, if I decided to donate my eggs? How do I know the people who get my baby will not give him or her up because s/he turns out to be the wrong sex? What will happen to my baby if the people who have my baby die an early death? I have all these questions and don't know were to find the answers. I love my boys I have now. And would not give them up to any one for anything. Will people think I am "selling" my child if I decide to donate my eggs. I would love to help another loving couple to have a baby. I want them to feel the love I have for my boys. But how do I know that they will love my baby? How do I know the woman receiving my egg will love the baby just like he or she were her very own? Will I be able to get to  know my biological child? I have so many mixed emotions. can anyone help?

In utero blood transfusions

I just read this story - incredible.

I remember once seeing a documentary on tv about surgery performed on an embryo (a story like this one) and the documentary following through until after the birth. What I found to be completely mind blowing was that there were no scars.

Unsung Lullabies - Infertility Giveaway

I'm giving away the copy of Unsung Lullabies that I received from the authors. It has really fabulous reviews on Amazon (see the above link).

To be included in the drawing, link back to this post or to Fertility Stories on your blog or website and leave me a comment.

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on October 2nd. I'll be happy to ship it to any country.

Male Infertility Q&A

Lately msnbc has been posting interesting articles about infertility.

The one I saw today is questions & answers (answers by Dr. Edmund Sabanegh) about male factor infertility. Most of the answers are brief and at least semi-informative, but his answer to the second question as to whether there is a way to test for infertility in her 14-year-old son conceived with the help of ICSI didn't really answer the question that was asked... Was he recommending that she take her son in to test his y-chromosome for deletions? Or perhaps her husband? And if the problem causing his infertility was a y-chromosome deletion (not that I know what that means) wouldn't it cause the defective sperm not to fertilize the egg?

Another article (also published yesterday) discusses this very issue (fertility of sons of infertile men).