Traveling to an overseas reproductive clinic for fertility treatment has many advantages, but it is always important to know all the facts about your destination and home country to ensure your trip is stress-free and you are not left in legal limbo! Living in the U.S.? Visit U.S. Department of State’s Important Information for U.S. Citizens Considering the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology Abroad for a helpful outline of U.S. citizenship laws for a child conceived with the help of overseas fertility treatments.  Happy Travels!

Embryos on Craigslist?!  Is this a thing of nightmares or simply one woman trying to expand her options?  After the McCreas had their two sons and daughter with the help of fertility treatments, they still had 18 spare embryos.  The couple debated using the embryos themselves, anonymously donating them to a fertility clinic, or donating the embryos for research but they were not completely satisfied with any of those options.  Instead they wished to keep in touch with the families they donated to—forming an ‘open adoption.’  After extensive communication, the McCreas gave 9 embryos to two different couples.  The featured video does not mention how the adoption was handled legally, or if lawyers were involved.  Global IVF encourages intended parents to explore all safe options, but be sure to work with fertility lawyers and established agencies to make sure all fertility treatment decisions are legal and right for your family.

Mother’s Day can be a particularly challenging holiday for those struggling with infertility.  Greeting cards, well wishes from strangers, brunch specials… reminders jump out from all corners.  It is important to plan ahead for the day.  Make sure you indulge in self-care.  This will look different for everyone- maybe you will want to keeping busy by going on a long hike, planning a full day shopping with your mother or grandmother, visiting an infertility support group or calling a friend also struggling to conceive.  Some will want to laugh during the day… others will want to spend the day in bed.  Show your support in comments and share how you plan to take care of yourself this weekend…

Global IVF traveled to Las Vegas for the Global Connected Care Conference and 3rd MediTour Expo and enjoyed exchanging ideas with many wonderful people involved with global healthcare.  Global IVF was excited to speak at the conference, sharing their expertise on marketing to attract American and international medical patients.  Fertility clinics, hospitals, and other medical tourism businesses looking to expand their international clinetele can contact Global IVF’s concierge service at info@globalivf.com

(Pictured: Website founder’s Kathryn Kaycoff-Manos and Lauri Berger de Brito at MediTour Expo 2012)

Actor, director and producer Aamir Khan and his wife, director, producer and screenwriter Kiran Rao, announced that their second son was born with the help of IVF and gestational surrogacy. Keeping the surrogacy a secret until now, Khan was excited to share about his and Rao’s decision: “We are very proud of the whole thing. She (Rao) had a number of miscarriages. We realized that her uterus lining is very thin for her to carry the baby for nine months. Which is why we opted for this method. Biologically, the baby is ours.”  Congratulations Aamir and Kiran!  We are excited they decided to speak up about building their family through surrogacy!

The National’s aired segment on reproductive technologies and egg donation sparked controversy in Canada.  Although fertility specialist Dr. Matt Gysler openly discussed his patients purchasing donor eggs from the United States and shipping them to Canada, fertility lawyer Sherry Levitan “believed people importing these eggs could face criminal prosecution.” Fertility lawyer Sara Cohen writes about the controversy for The Huffington Post, stating her opinion that “even if the payment for a cryopreserved banked egg is made in Canada, such a payment is not prohibited by the AHRA and is therefore legal.”  Despite Sara’s confidence in her analysis of the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA), she expresses the difficulties for families trying to navigate fertility laws.  Laws for egg donation and all fertility treatments need to keep up with technological advancements, and not leave people trying to build their families in a legal limbo.

At the Global Connected Care & 3rd MediTour Expo, May 6-8, 2012, Flamingo Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas… You will have an opportunity to network and exchange ideas with physicians and other global healthcare professionals, global investors, insurance & 3rd party administrators, employers, technology professionals, international medical facilities owners and administrators, telemedicine, international hotel, spa & tourism facilities, social networking professionals, patients and patients advocates, lawyers, hospitals, medical tourism facilitators, tourism professionals, government employees, and many others involved in global healthcare.

A special thank you to Global IVF for participating in the 2012 Global Connected Care & MediTour Expo!  This year we are really focusing on how important Technology is when it comes to Global Health and the following list is the 2012 Industry Expert’s Presentations … Which presentations will you attend?

Lauri Berger de Brito Global IVF, Co-Founder– Presentation: Global IVF Panel-Using Technology to Build an International Practice… Learn More

Glenn Cohen, JD Harvard School of Law, Professor of Law – Presentation: Liability & Malpractice for Global Care: What is the Legal & Regulatory Environment? Learn More

Nathan Cortez, JD Southern Methodist University, Professor of Law – Presentation: How will Health Reform Affect the Cross-Border Market?…Learn More

Ilan Geva, MA Ilan Geva & Friends,Founder – Presentation: The Right Way to Build a Brand in Global Healthcare… Learn More

David Hom, MBA ScioInspire, President – Presentation: Value Based Benefit Design as an Option in Global Healthcare… Learn More

Jamil Hussain, PhD International Quality Indicator Project, VP Global Markets – Presentation: Moving Beyond Patient Testimonials-Global Care Metrics and Patient Satisfaction… Learn More

Bradley Jacobs MD MPH Integrative Medicine Practitioner, Author, & Senior Health & Wellness Executive – Presentation: The Future of Integrative Medicine for Global Care… Learn More

Sherry Kaufield, MA, FACHE Joint Commission International, Executive Director – Presentation: Role of Accreditation in Quality… Learn More

Kathryn Kaycoff-Manos, MA Global IVF, Co-Founder – Presentation: Global IVF Panel-Using Technology to Build an International Practice… Learn More

Nicholas P. Krut, MSEE, CNE, CSSA Red Team USA, Senior Cyber Security Engineer – Presentation: Best Practices for Securely Transferring Information through Cyber Space… Learn More

Jeremy Lack, JD Attorney & ADR Neutral, Geneva, Switzerland – Presentation: Cross Border Perspectives on ADR… Learn More

Victor Lazzaro, Jr, MBA BridgeHealth Medical, CEO – Presentation: Self Funded Insurance Groups for Domestic and Global Healthcare… Learn More

Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA Professor and President for Society Physician Entrepreneurs – Presentation: What is the Present Status of Global Care? Learn More

Dennis R. Moreau, PhD RSA Security, Office of the CTO, Senior Technology Strategist – Presentation: Barriers and Opportunities to Addressing Privacy and Security in Global Healthcare… Learn More

Emily Michelman Global IVF, Director Web Development – Presentation: Global IVF Panel-Using Technology to Build an International Practice… Learn More

Jay H. Sanders, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.A.A.I Global Telemedicine Group, President & CEO Presentation: How Telemedicine will Effect the Global Healthcare Industry… Learn More

Frank Strack CIBER, Global Mobility Practice Manager – Presentation: M Health and Global Healthcare… Learn More

Farhan Taghizadeh, M.D. Lifestyle Lift, Medical Director – Presentation: How Do I Build a Global Practice?… Learn More

Dr. David G. Vequist IV,PhD Director, Center for Medical Tourism Research – Presentation: How Does Retirement Tourism fit into Global Healthcare?… Learn More

DR. MARY WONG LAI LIN, CEO MHTC– Presentation: An Overview of the Development of Malaysian Healthcare Towards Medical Tourism… Learn More

For more information on the Global Connected Care & 3rd MediTour Expo visit www.meditourexpo.net

If you would like to reserve a One-on-One meeting with a Speaker, please contact Joanne (joanne@meditourexpo.net) with the details of your request.

See you at the Conference in Vegas!

Laws must work to catch up to the technology of modern fertility treatments… especially when it comes to gay parenting. A recent Guardian article, Gay Parenting: It’s Complicated, looks at the financial, societal, and legal obstacles often faced by same-sex couples trying to have children with the help of surrogacy, egg donation, and/or sperm donation in their home countries or overseas. Laws still differ greatly from country to country, and even state to state in the U.S., but significant changes in Gay Parenting laws have been made in the last few decades. Will Halm speaks about the numerous fertility clinics that rejected him and his partner 15 years ago, and now these same agencies are seeking out gay business.  Halm also discussed his family and how their daughter “didn’t focus on the biology…knew we were both her dad, equally.” The article speaks with many gay couples about their experience with fertility treatments and the legal and social processes around the birth.

Interested in a personal JOURNEY of a same-sex couple, traveling outside of the U.S. to make their dreams of parenthood come true? Read more about Global IVF’s JOURNEYer, John.

Teacher Emily Herx was fired from her literature and language teaching job of 7 years at St. Vicent de Paul School.  The reason for her termination?  Herx’s desire to grow her family through IVF.   The Catholic school says it “has clear policies requiring that teachers in its schools must, as a condition of employment, have a knowledge and respect for the Catholic faith and abide by the tenets of the Catholic Church,” and that IVF treatments go against those tenets. The Diocese told TODAY that while “it supports infertility treatments for its employees,” this does not included in vitro fertilization, which may “involve the deliberate destruction and freezing of embryos.”  Herx and her family feel betrayed by the school, as Herx was dedicated to her job and students for 7 years.  Herx is suing for her job back as well as “compensation for mental anguish and emotional distress.”

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National Infertility Awareness week started this Sunday and the infertility community is speaking out…holding true to the 2012 theme: Don’t Ignore Infertility.  This morning, a panel of fertility experts spoke on NPR’s Diane Rehm Show.  The panel discussed fertility journeys and ways of coping with infertility, in addition to different fertility treatments and technologies.  The panel included Barbara Collura, Executive Director of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Awareness Association and Paul Gindoff, MD, Director of The Fertility & IVF Center at The GW Medical Faculty Associates.  Don’t miss this special NIAW Diane Rehm segment, and please share your other plans for National Infertility Awareness week with Global IVF in the comments!