Pride Angel

Sir Elton John has said that he intends to find out who the real father of his son is.

Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish became parents last Christmas when their son Zachary Jackson-Levon was born to a surrogate mother. At the time, the couple said they had no intention of finding out which of them was the real father.

However, the singer has now said he intends to carry out a DNA test incase Zachary ever needs to know who his blood father is for medical reasons.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Sir Elton said: “Zac will have to know for his medical records. If it’s David, I’d be very proud. It wouldn’t matter to me – and vice versa.”

Originally, the couple had said they didn’t want their son to know who his biological father was because they wanted him to see them as equal parents.

Sir Elton reportedly said that although he hoped to discover he was the blood father, he would be equally happy if it turned out to be Furnish.

A friend of the couple told the London Evening Standard that the 64-year-old rock singer did want his bloodline to continue “but also took on board advice that a younger man may be a more appropriate donor.” The friend added: “It is a very complicated arrangement – but one forged by love.”

Read more about surrogacy and gay parenting at www.prideangel.com

Sarah Johnson looks on longingly when she sees mums out for a stroll with their babies. For years it’s been her dream to have a precious child of her own.

But the 34-year-old has a host of health problems which means her fertility is low. She’s known for a long time that her chances of conceiving naturally are poor but that doesn’t make it easier to bear.

Starting a family has always been part of the plan for Sarah and husband Levi and they’ve been trying for a baby throughout their six year marriage. Yet as each month has passed, any last hope they’ve had has been slipping away and Sarah now fears she’ll never be able to hold a baby of her own in her arms.

For thousands of desperate couples, the only route left open when fertility problems get in the way is IVF. The Johnsons thought IVF was their only hope of having a child too.

But those hopes now lie in tatters because Sarah doesn’t meet the tough criteria set out on an NHS Portsmouth tick list. ‘I’m devastated,’ says Sarah. ‘I know I can’t have children naturally and IVF was my only option. ‘We had been going for tests and we thought we were going to be put forward for IVF but then the consultant just turned round and said “I’m sorry there’s nothing more I can do for you”. He said we didn’t meet the criteria.’

She adds: ‘They have a tick list you have to meet and if you fall down on any one that’s that. I think it’s completely unfair. ‘There are reasons I don’t meet the criteria. They should base it on the individual person, not a tick list.’

Sarah was told she had polycystic ovaries around 13 years ago and that means cysts on her ovaries stop her from ovulating frequently. That makes conceiving naturally harder and she also has endometriosis, which is a problem affecting the womb lining. For a lot of the time she’s in pain and both conditions also make it hard for her to lose weight. To add to her problems, being overweight also makes it more difficult to conceive.

Yet it’s Sarah’s body mass index – or BMI – that means she’s failed one of the tick list checks and ruled her out of having IVF. ‘Having polycystic ovaries makes it more difficult to lose weight,’ explains Sarah. ‘I’ve tried every diet possible and just get to a certain point and can’t lose any more.

‘Also, because of the pain I’m in, there’s only so much exercise I can do. I can go for walks but I can’t go to the gym because it would be too much. Sometimes I can be laid up in bed for a couple of weeks. ‘My BMI is about 33 and the criteria says you have to be under 30.’ She adds: ‘The frustrating thing is that my gynaecologist said if I was to get pregnant it could probably help the conditions.’

The tick list check that Sarah from North End, Portsmouth, is most upset about though is the one that excludes a couple when one of the pair already has a child. ‘What really annoys me is that we’ve been excluded because my husband has a child from a previous relationship,’ she explains. ‘I’m the one with fertility problems, it’s not something I asked for. The fact my husband has a child has nothing to do with this. That was from a previous relationship. I can’t help that and nor can he. ‘Why should that affect us having a child together? Why should it mean I cannot have IVF? The criteria is ridiculous.’

Sarah and 36-year-old Levi went for lots of tests at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, before being told they couldn’t have funding for IVF on the NHS. Instead they were told to consider paying for IVF privately – but they say this isn’t an option. ‘Private IVF costs about £5,000,’ says Sarah. ‘But we just don’t have that kind of money.

‘I can’t work because of my conditions and the pain I’m in which means Levi is the only one bringing in the money. ‘His wages cover the cost of living, we don’t have enough left to save up £5,000.’

Frustrated, Sarah has now started a petition to try and get the local rules on IVF changed. She wants individual cases to be assessed on an individual basis. Only then, she argues, will the postcode lottery surrounding IVF be solved. In the past, NHS Portsmouth has been accused of penalising couples who could get the IVF treatment if they lived in a different part of the country.

The NHS in the city has in fact only funded four rounds of IVF treatment in the last four years. Fourteen cases put forward for funding have been refused. Many more couples will have simply not been put forward because they fail to meet the criteria. NHS Portsmouth’s criteria is the same as Hampshire, Southampton and all other areas in the South Central region.

The guidelines are set according to those laid out by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) – but, crucially, these guidelines don’t have to be adopted. In fact, the NHS trusts in this region don’t follow some key pieces of NICE criteria, such as offering couples up to three cycles of the treatment if the woman is aged between 23 and 39 years.

Instead, the NHS in this area offers it to women aged between 30 and 35, and for only one treatment cycle. The region’s NHS has defended this. Sarah Eastman, spokeswoman for NHS South Central, says: ‘The NHS South Central criteria are broadly in line with the NICE clinical guidelines.

‘However, in order to fund the number of cycles per couple recommended by NICE, or to offer treatment to the full age range recommended by NICE, the PCTs would need to make large cuts in other services, such as cancer services and heart services. It is estimated that the cost of full implementation of the NICE clinical guideline would be more than £16m across NHS South Central.’ Speaking about the criteria which eliminates couples if one person already has a child, she adds: ‘This criterion is in wide use in different parts of the country. It is deemed fair that priority is given to couples with no existing children.’

For Sarah, that’s no consolation. ‘I know I’m running out of time,’ she says. ‘I’m aware I’m getting older and I know fertility drops when you hit 30 anyway. I really want a baby. I want the experience of going out and pushing a pram but I’m worried I never will. I don’t know what to do really. I’m in limbo.’

IVF - who is eligible and who isn’t in Portsmouth

• Women must be aged between 30 and 35.
• The couple must have had unexplained infertility for more than three years, or have a diagnosed and permanent infertility problem for more than a year.
• The woman must have a BMI range between 19 and 29.9 for at least six months prior to treatment.
• If one of the couple has a living child (including adopted) the couple are excluded.
• Both partners must have been smoke-free for at least six months prior to treatment.
• Couple’s who have had private IVF are only eligible for NHS treatment as long as they have not had two self-funded cycles.

The rules in Portsmouth are the same for the rest of Hampshire, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire. All these areas will fund only one cycle of IVF on the NHS.

The guidelines for IVF set by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend offering three cycles of treatment to couples, and offering it to women who are aged between 23 and 39 years. While NHS trusts in the South Central region do not do this, NHS West Sussex, which covers Chichester, has worked to a wider criteria. NHS West Sussex’s IVF treatment is currently under review. It was suspended at the end of last year to save money and help balance the books. But the criteria had been that women aged between 23 and 39 could get two cycles of IVF on the NHS.

PETITION

After realising she wasn’t alone in feeling that the IVF rules in this area were unfair, Sarah Johnson started a campaign to get those rules changed. She wants rid of postcode lotteries when it comes to IVF. She also feels all couples should be assessed on an individual basis – not against a tick list drawn up by health officials.

In a bid to change the rules she’s started a petition and an online group. To get in contact with Sarah and discuss your IVF problems with other women in the same position go to gopetition.co.uk and search ‘change the rules on IVF and stop the postcode lottery’.

More than 90 people have joined the group and signed the petition.

Article: 26th April 2011 www.portsmouth.co.uk

Read more about IVF, sperm donation, egg donation and alternatives to IVF at www.prideangel.com

We hope that the Easter bunny came to your home today and we wish all of you who are trying for your own little chick much luck and happiness on your journey.

Getting pregnant may be easy for some although for others it may mean a little planning and a little lifestyle change. If you’re planning to get pregnant, or you have been trying to get pregnant for some time now and you are not having any success, you may possibly need some tips about fertility and pregnancy.

If you have been trying and planning to get pregnant, you’ll need to prepare your body and understand your fertility to help you facilitate the process. One important thing to keep in mind when planning to get pregnant is to understand when you ovulate or when you’re most fertile – as this signifies your chances of getting pregnant easily.

For tips and techniques to get pregnant easily, you might find these helpful.

1) Know when to conceive: If you have a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, count fourteen days after your first day of menstruation and mark that as your fertile period. If you want to increase your chances of getting pregnant, make sure you inseminate on those fertile times. Ovulation tests will help to detect the best days around your ‘fertile window’.

2) Lie still: One additional helpful detail around this issue. – Spend a few minutes lying after insemination or support your buttocks with a pillow to help give time for the sperm to swim to its destination.

3) Check if you’re not killing the sperm: Some artificial lubricants, vaginal sprays and douches may alter the pH level in the vagina that may lead to infection or may wash the mucus that helps transport the sperm, or may kill the sperm before even reaching its destination. Saliva as well can be harmful for the sperm, so make a healthy environment for the sperm as possible if you’re planning to get pregnant.

4) Quit smoking and alcohol: It has been proven that smoking can reduce your chances of,getting pregnant and if you successfully were able to conceive, smoking may also increase health risks to your baby.

5) Exercise but don’t overdo it. Enjoy regular exercise to help your body perform its functions well, but don’t overdo it. Excessive exercise can also lead to absence of menstrual periods or may cause fertility problems.

6) Have the right diet: Diet plays an important role in fertility and pregnancy. Increase fruits and vegetables in your diet to get good amounts of vitamins needed for your body to function well. When you’re planning to get pregnant, have a good dose of zinc as it can help in boosting fertility for men and women. One very good source of zinc is oysters.

7) Artificial insemination: Whether you are using a donor or just finding it difficult to conceive using a home insemination kit can give you that extra help needed in aiding the sperm along its journey!

8) Relax: Above all try to relax and not get too worried about conceiving straight away. Stress can reduce fertility – so take some time out for yourself, have a massage or read a good book.

So if you haven’t yet done some of these tips, start with them and find other natural ways to help your body prepare for that wonderful feeling of finally having your baby.

For more tips on getting pregnant and home insemination visit www.prideangel.com

Amanda Broomhall, 39, from Penhill, has two children of her own, but since 1997 has helped couples from all over the UK have babies. Surrogacy UK has recently recorded a surge of interest following high-profile surrogacy stories concerning Elton John and Nicole Kidman. Miss Broomhall said that surrogacy was something she "fell into".

She said: "I can, so I thought why not if it helps somebody else? People give blood and give bone marrow. I'm just using a part of my body that would otherwise lay dormant."

Surrogate arrangements are usually set up through agencies, although private arrangements can be made. As a surrogate in the UK, it is illegal for Miss Broomhall to receive payment, although some couples have offered her large sums of money to carry their child.

"People can be desperate," she said. "People ring me up and say 'can you help me have a baby?' and when I tell them I can't at the moment they say, 'I'll pay you lots of money'. They think if they throw money at me I will help them. They think they can buy a child."

For each birth, Miss Broomhall only takes two weeks off work and has never let the process affect her day-to-day life. She said: "If I sat at home and rested as other new mothers do when they are looking after their new baby, I don't think that would help me. I want to get my life back on track, so that's the way I deal with it."

However, nine weeks into her sixth surrogate pregnancy, Miss Broomhall has decided that this time will be her last. She said her age was the main factor in her decision to give up. "I'm not as young as I used to be," she said.

"With the last pregnancy I did have a number of problems, mainly around my kidneys. They're showing signs of stress. If I can't look after myself I can't nurture an unborn child."

Article: 20th April 2011 www.bbcnews.co.uk

Read more about surrogacy within the UK.

A Frenchwoman suffering from a chromosome disorder has given birth to a healthy daughter thanks to a ovarian transplant from her twin sister.

Doctors said the baby girl, called Victoria, is free of the disorder known as Turner Syndrome which affects both her mother and her aunt. Karine Thiriot, 39, gave birth to her 6lb 3oz daughter on March 8 this year at a private hospital in Le Chesnay, Paris.

'The mother and baby are doing well,' said Dr Guy Kerbrat, who delivered Victoria. The new mother had been trying to conceive, using in vitro fertilisation, for at least 15 years. Thiriot had no ovaries because of Turner Syndrome, which affects one girl in 2,500.

It occurs when one of the two X chromosomes that are found in females is completely or partially missing. It is not an inherited condition and occurs as a random event during the formation of reproductive cells.

Her twin sister Stephanie had a 'mosaic' form of the disorder, which meant it only affected some of her body's cells. She was fertile and managed to have two children.

In August 2009 Stephanie donated an ovary to Karine. Transplants between identical twins do not require anti-rejection treatment which would complicate a future pregnancy.

'It was the first such transplant in the world between twins with Turner syndrome,' said Belgian gynaecologist Jacques Donnez, who carried out the operation.

It was also the first ovarian transplant performed in Europe, said Donnez, who has since successfully performed a similar operation involving sisters who are not twins.

A few months after the transplant Thiriot's regular reproductive cycle had established itself and she became pregnant normally.

'Victoria is totally normal and doesn't have Turner syndrome,' she said.

Article: 18th April 2011 www.dailymail.co.uk

Read more about egg donation, IVF and fertility treatment at www.prideangel.com

Rhonda is a producer in the development phase of a documentary project on single midlife (40ish-plus) men and women seeking to become first-time parents, whether it be through IVF, donor eggs and sperm, adoption or surrogacy.

She is seeking a diverse pool of midlife singles willing to share their stories of the heartache, trials, social stigma and joys faced in their journeys toward single parenting by choice.

Rhonda is one of the producers for the project and, herself, a single midlife woman with an ever-present desire to become a mother. She is not certain what means will lead her to parenthood, but remains convinced that motherhood is her calling.

The hope is for the documentary to provide discourse on the topic and draw to light the fact that the desire for a child doesn't rest solely with women or fade if a person finds himself or herself in midlife without a partner.

Rhonda is particularly interested in connecting with lesbian and gay midlife singles along with ethnic minorities seeking parenthood. She is looking for those who would bravely side with her in the telling of this thrilling -- albeit angst-ridden - journey and hopes to hear from you regarding this intensely personal project.

If you feel you may be able to help in any way please contact us or email info@prideangel for further information.

Pride Angel

If you are planning to start a family and having problems getting pregnant, then a visit to the Fertility World Show will provide you with all the help, information and advice you need to get you on the road to having your baby.

The Fertility World Show will provide you with an excellent opportunity to meet and discuss your requirements with a host of hospitals, clinics and consultants specialising in fertility issues.

Erika Tranfield co-founder of Pride Angel will be talking in two seminars about ‘Co-parenting and using a known donor’ at 3.30pm Friday 15th April and ‘Choosing an egg donor and the surrogacy route’ in conjunction with the British Surrogacy Centre at 2.15pm Saturday 16th April.

The following programme of FREE SEMINARS covers a host of fertility issues and topics that will include:

Friday 15th April
10.30am - 11am - Maximising your chances of getting pregnant
11.30am - 12pm - Third Party Reproduction - It Takes A Village
12.30pm - 1pm - Travelling abroad for fertility treatment
1.30pm - 2pm - Supplements to improve sperm motility
3.30pm - 4pm - Co-parenting and using a known donor
4.30pm - 5pm Boosting your Fertility Naturally

Saturday 16th April
10.15am - 10.45am - Getting Fit for Fertility
11.15am - 11.45pm - PCOS and what effect does your lifestyle have on your fertility?
12.15pm - 12.45pm - IVF/ICSI Failures-Role of Egg donation & Surrogacy-India
1.15pm - 1.45pm - Natural Conception
2.15pm - 2.45pm - Choosing an egg donor and Surrogacy Options
3.15pm - 3.45pm - How can you get the best out of the NHS in IVF?

Book your FREE TICKETS now

Look forward to seeing you there!
Pride Angel www.prideangel.com

Dates and opening times
Friday 15th April 2011 - 10am to 5pm
Saturday 16th April 2011 - 10am to 4.30pm

Venue
Olympia Exhibition & Conference Centre
Hammersmith Road
Kensington
Olympia
London

A couple who lost custody of their baby daughter to her surrogate mother have been ordered to hand over more than £500 a month maintenance for the child.

Today they spoke of their disgust that they would be forced to pay for someone else to raise the child they will never see. The father, a leading chef, said the decision by the Child Support Agency ‘added insult to injury’ and that he would appeal against it.

He and his wife, who had suffered six late-stage miscarriages including four sets of twins, used a surrogacy website to find a single mother of two on benefits who was willing to carry the baby they longed for. They made an informal agreement to pay her £10,000 in expenses.

But halfway through the pregnancy she decided she wanted to keep the baby and a judge ordered that the woman, who was also the biological mother, could keep the child despite her earlier promise.

The couple, referred to as Mr and Mrs W to protect the child’s identity, later relinquished their contact rights because they said it would be too difficult emotionally and that it was unfair for the baby to be split between two homes.

They allowed the surrogate, known as Miss N, to keep the £4,500 they had already given to her. But now Mr W must also pay £568 in child support every month as the biological father of the eight-month-old girl. ‘She cannot say, “I am keeping your child and now you must pay for it”,’ he said.

‘She has taken away our baby and now she is taking our money. To me, that is completely wrong. The CSA has made the decision as if we were a couple who had broken up, but our situation is unique.

‘We were not having a baby together, we had agreed for her to carry a child for myself and my wife. ‘I have written to Downing Street and my MP to call for a change in the law.’

Mr W said he now suspected it may have been Miss N’s plan all along to have a child with a wealthy man from whom she could claim child support over the next 18 years.

‘We should have seen the signs when she started asking for more than we had agreed. I don’t think this was ever about her suddenly wanting to keep the baby, I think this was about getting an income.’

The chef said he would feel more comfortable paying for vouchers which could be redeemed on food and clothing than money which would not necessarily go towards the child. ‘If I need to pay £500 a month because otherwise the child will be living in poverty then that is another reason why the baby should be with us. We would have given her all the things she needed.’

Mrs W, who is in her late 30s, had cancer of the womb in her 20s and complications from surgery meant it was difficult for her to carry a baby to full term.

After she and her husband contacted her via a website, Miss N agreed to be inseminated with Mr W’s sperm, meaning they were both the baby’s biological parents. But the relationship between the two parties turned sour after Miss N apparently began asking for more money.

Three months before the baby was due, she sent a text message to the couple to say she was keeping the child. In July last year she gave birth to baby T and a bitter six-month custody battle ensued.

Miss N accused Mr W of being violent towards his wife, which the couple denied. They accused Miss N of neglecting her sons and of living in a filthy home. In January, in a rare case, Miss N was awarded custody after a judge deemed it was in the child’s best interests because there was a ‘clear attachment’ between the mother and daughter.

At the time, Mr Justice Baker warned that the risks of entering into a surrogacy agreement were ‘very considerable’. Surrogacy agreements are not legally binding in court, even with a formal written contract.

It is illegal to profit from surrogacy but ‘reasonable expenses’ are permitted.

Article: 12th April 2011 www.dailymail.co.uk

Read more about fertility and parenting law at www.prideangel.com

Mentorn Television are developing a new television series about people who are striving to become parents.

The programme will feature a broad range of couples and individuals from a diverse cross-section of backgrounds and circumstances who are trying to have a child by various different means.

We are looking for people who are at all stages of the process of becoming parents who might be interested in sharing their story and featuring in the programme.

Perhaps you have just decided you would like to have a child and are investigating the best way to go about it; maybe you have been trying to become a parent for some time and are close to achieving your goal; or if you have recently become pregnant/ become a parent we'd really like to hear from you.

If you are interested in finding out more about the programme please contact Claire Allitt at Mentorn Television on 0207 258 6739 or e-mail callitt@mentorn.tv or contact Christina Wilby on 0207 258 6778 or e-mail cwilby@mentorn.tv as soon as possible.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Read more about getting pregnant, sperm donation and parenting at www.prideangel.com

Fringe Film Festival
The Fringe film festival have programmed a special afternoon of films exploring families and identity on Sunday 10th April. Included in this is a special screening of a new documentary on donor families and post screening discussion.

Showing at 15:30 on 10th April is documentary called 'Donor Unknown', a warm, moving and surprising film about donor families. It tells the story of a network of half siblings, all conceived through the same sperm donor and their desire to meet each other and meet him.

It's a uniquely 21st-century story which raises intriguing questions about identity, family, parenthood – and the power of genetic connections. It was officially selected by Sundance, Tribecca Film Festival and Sheffield DocFest.

After the film there will be a Q&A session with producer Hilary Durman and Al Murrow and guests, where issues explored in the film will be discussed.

Donor Unknown
Donor Unknown follows the story of JoEllen Marsh, 20, as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150.

JoEllen has always known her family ‘wasn't like other families'. She grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers, and a burning curiosity to know more about her anonymous donor father. When JoEllen discovers a unique online registry that connects donor-conceived children, she manages to track down a half-sister in New York. The New York Times picks up the story, and, over time, 12 more half-siblings emerge across the USA.

The New York Times article also falls into the hands of Jeffrey Harrison, living alone with four dogs and a pigeon in a broken-down RV in a Venice Beach car park. In the 1980s, Jeffrey supplemented his meagre income by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank. His number was Donor 150.

Donor Unknown follows JoEllen from her discovery of her siblings, to the moment Jeffrey steps forward to identify himself as Donor 150, to her decision to travel to California to meet him. Along the way, we meet Danielle in New York, who was not told by her parents that she was donor-conceived till the age of 14, and is uncertain of the kind of relationship she could ever sustain with Jeffrey; Rachelle in Memphis, who is not sure if she ever wants to meet him; Ryann and Roxanne, who live in California and have already established some kind of relationship with Jeffrey; and Fletcher, 19, who decides the time is right to follow JoEllen on her journey to meet their donor father.

At the centre of the film is Jeffrey, living with his dogs and his pigeon in a car park by the beach, and preparing his broken-down RV for the arrival of JoEllen and Fletcher. At 52, his sperm donor days are over but his story has cast him in the role of an unlikely pioneer. His decision to cast aside his donor anonymity to meet them is a step few donors have taken.

Donor Unknown is a film about a new kind of ‘family’. Linked by their connection to a single sperm donor – 150 - parents and children are creating and navigating a new set of relationships. They are discovering first hand what a close biological connection to a stranger means for themselves and their identity. What happens next opens up some fascinating questions about nature and nurture, the responsibilities of parenthood, the moral integrity of the cryobanks, and the hazards of genetic inheritance. As the laws on donor anonymity change in some countries, there are fewer sperm donors and there’s a roaring trade in ‘fertility tourism’, for overseas sperm and egg donation.

Donor Unknown is a unique snapshot of a group of random people who are all pioneers. The parents - heterosexual, gay, single and in couples – were determined to have children against the odds, and happened to choose the same sperm donor. Now they’re living with the unpredictable consequences of their choice. What impact will meeting this stranger – Donor 150 - have on their children? What kinds of relationship can the children build with their biological father? How will letting Donor 150 into their lives affect their relationships as a family? And how will meeting his biological children change Jeffrey’s life?

Donor Unknown website and trailer www.donorunknown.com
and info on the event. www.donorunknown.com/london

Donor Unknown will be showing with XXY in a Sunday afternoon double bill at Fringe!
Tickets are £9 / £7 (concessions) for both XXY and Donor Unknown (a whole afternoon of films)

WHERE: Rio Cinema, 107 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, E8 2PB BOOK TICKETS