Most people who have experienced fertility challenges have probably heard someone say “Well, you should just use a surrogate!” as though surrogacy is a simple, straightforward process that works and is accessible for every intended parent (spoiler alert: It’s not).  Aside from the complex legal, medical, financial, and interpersonal facets of pursuing parenthood via surrogacy, there’s also the emotional toll it can take. When intended mothers picture their path to parenthood, that image often involves carrying a pregnancy…and letting go of that image can be painful. Sometimes, it continues to be painful even after your baby...

If you’ve considered pursuing surrogacy — either as an intended parent or as a gestational carrier — you may have no idea where to even begin. After all, surrogacy involves layers of complexities, from legalities that must be ironed out to a series of medical procedures. But before all that can transpire, a surrogate must first match with intended parents. And according to Brian Levine, MD, a practicing reproductive endocrinologist, that hasn’t historically been an easy process.  Dr. Levine founded Nodal, a matching platform through which surrogates and intended parents can lay out their criteria, connect,...

With data from the CDC showing that 1 in 5 couples face infertility, it’s no surprise that there are famous faces among them. Infertility is a grueling and uphill battle, but one of my favorite sayings among the community is as follows: “Worst club, best members.” Public conversations can help to remove the stigma around infertility, showing us that we are not alone in walking this path. These are just a few of many familiar faces who have shared their personal IVF experiences with the public.  Celebrities That Have Opened Up About IVF  Rosebud Baker Rosebud...

When I was 12 weeks pregnant with my first child, I told my husband that if we ever wanted to have another, we would need to use a gestational carrier (GC). I was about 75% serious. I hated every single minute of being pregnant. I felt terrible and had no desire to do anything other than lay on the couch or the bed all day. Then after an emergency C-section at 25 weeks, 2 weeks at the NICU and ultimately having to say goodbye to our first child, I became 100% serious. There was no way...

When you think of the typical situations that lead people to turn to lawyers, you may think of getting into a car accident, executing a will, or getting divorced. Talking about in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and embryo transfers might seem like discussions reserved for your doctor. However, it is just as important to speak about these issues with an ART attorney if you are considering fertility treatment with third-party reproduction (surrogacy or egg, sperm, or embryo donation) to build your family. With multiple parties, a lot of money, and human emotion involved, it’s essential to make informed...

In November of 2019, my husband and I found ourselves in our fertility clinic’s IVF orientation course, a half-day event that was meant to educate all patients undergoing a future cycle about what to expect and how to administer the drugs. Towards the end of the day, our clinic’s chief embryologist, Dr. Riley, came in to talk about embryos and what “good ones” look like. Towards the end of her discussion, she mentioned that we, as patients, may want to consider doing PGS testing, a test that involves a biopsy of Day 5/6 embryos to determine...