Comprehensive reproductive laws in Canada present huge obstacles for the roughly 1 in 6 Canadians that suffer from infertility. While for many, the path to parenthood is made possible through IVF and select medical intervention, the dream is quickly shattered for those that require third party intervention. The Assisted Human Reproduction Act strictly prohibits commercial surrogacy and the purchase of sperm, eggs or embryos with punishable fines of up to $500,000 or imprisonment up to ten years. Since the introduction of laws restricting financial compensation in 2004, donations have spiraled, significantly impacting infertile couples.

At CEO, we are seeing a spike in the number of inquiries from Canada. Many couples are frustrated with strict Canadian laws limiting the availability of surrogates and donors, creating obstacles to their family building dreams. When they contact us, couples are excited to learn of the relaxed reproductive laws in Illinois and the recent boom in egg donors and surrogates due to the economy – expanded options that were previously unavailable to them.

The US fertility industry - now worth an estimated $3 billion annually - is growing rapidly with third party alternatives such as egg donation and surrogacy becoming more commonplace. The number of babies born through these measures increases significantly every year and with recent laws making Illinois more surrogacy friendly than other US states, it has quickly become a hub for alternative conception options.

The thriving Illinois fertility market also provides Canadian women the opportunity to help infertile couples achieve their family building goals, while also benefitting from considerable financial compensation. Egg donors are typically paid $7000 USD per cycle, where as surrogates are compensated $25,000+ USD for each pregnancy. While most all egg donors and surrogates are driven by the desire to help couples in need, the compensation accounts for the time and disruption to their daily lives. The payment is extremely fair for the exchange and reward. It is not surprising that strict Canadian regulation prohibiting compensation has caused a rapid decline in the availability of donors and surrogates.

If you have any questions about egg donation or surrogacy, please feel free to contact us at info@egg411.com or call 847-656-8733. We would be more than happy to discuss the process with you and help overcome any potential obstacles you may be facing. We look forward to hearing from you!

At CEO, we know that the decision to pursue alternative reproductive options is a big step in the family planning process. Together, we work with you to make this new and exciting journey as smooth as possible, every step of the way. To continue in that mission, we have formed a cooperative effort, entitled the “Shared Risk Donor Program” with two Chicago partner agencies, Alternative Reproductive Resources and ConceiveAbilities.

Every year we each work with hundreds of couples to help build their families through egg donation. In most instances, Intended Parents choose a donor and the donor cycle continues though retrieval. Once in a while however, the donor is unable to complete a cycle for either medical reasons, or because of a change in her life circumstances.

While we recognize that it’s not always possible to eliminate all the risks of losing a donor, we do know that these situations are very stressful on future parents-to-be. However, finding a new donor is very important and at times, couples may find that their donor match does not work with the original agency with whom they contracted.

Therefore, we have formed this alliance, allowing you to access the donors from our three agencies, to overcome these challenges and ensure that you achieve your family building goals as quickly as possible.

Some details regarding the Shared Risk Donor Program:

• In the event that the donor cycle is cancelled due to the donor’s actions, or for medical reasons after you have chosen a donor and paid the applicable donor fee, you will have the option of choosing another donor from any of the three agencies. You will not incur any additional agency fees, even if you choose a donor with a different agency.
  
  
• Upon signing the agreement with their chosen agency, Intended Parents will also sign an agreement to enter into the program. The enrollment fee is only $400.00.
  
  
• Expenses that you may incur in these circumstances include the fee for the donor’s legal representation, the cost of the insurance as well as the donor compensation. We will be happy to explain each situation in detail before moving forward.

At CEO, it is our mission to see your family planning dreams come true. We have had the pleasure of watching hundreds of couples become the parents they have always wanted to be. If you have any questions regarding the details of this arrangement, or the process of egg donation, don’t hesitate to call us at 847.656.8733 or info@egg411.com.

With soldiers and husbands in tours of duty, military wives are finding their own, unique ways to give back and supporting their families. Surrogacy – a nationally growing trend among this “sister society”- is viewed as a way to help infertile couples and aspiring parents start their families, while earning extra income and security for their own. For many military wives, the process of surrogacy provides something positive to focus on, while they anxiously await their husband’s return.

Reports show that there has been a significant increase in military wives becoming surrogates since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. For military mothers who want the option of staying home with their families full time, or to supplement income while their husbands are away, surrogacy provides a great option that aligns with their personal values. Military wives are strong and passionate supporters of our country, and usually open-minded to helping others in more unconventional ways. For these reasons, surrogacy is proving to be a perfect fit for some.

Quick Surrogacy Facts:

• There were an estimated 1,000 surrogate births in the United States in 2007 alone.
• According to Newsweek, several agencies reported a significant increase in the number of wives of soldiers and naval personnel applying to be surrogates since the invasion of Iraq in 2003
• In the past five years Texas, Illinois, Utah and Florida have passed laws legalizing surrogacy
• Surrogate compensation starts at $25,000 in most states
• The cost to intended parents, including medical and legal bills, runs at around $50,000+

If you are interested in becoming a surrogate, or are interested in exploring these options for your own family building purposes, contact the Center for Egg Options IL at 847-656-8733 or info@egg411.com.

Latin singer Ricky Martin cemented a new parental trend when he recently became a father of twins via a surrogate mother. Spotlighting a rapidly growing trend among modern-day singletons, both male and female – many are now becoming biological or adoptive parents, despite being single. While single women pioneered this trend using donor sperm in the mid 80’s, the numbers have steadily increased over the years and industry consensus is such, that there is now an increasing number of single men – both gay and straight – choosing to become fathers, through surrogates and other means.

However, Ricky Martin isn’t the first single parent to go it alone. While Tina Fey’s character in the recent smash hit, Baby Mama also showcased the emerging option of surrogacy and IVF for singles, other high-profile celebs such as Angelina Jolie (pre-Brad Pitt) and Sheryl Crow pursued adoption, paving the way for many other singles to become parents. While third party reproduction is skyrocketing as an option for singles, adoption agencies also agree that there has been an increase in the number of singles inquiring about adoption – both women and men.

At the Center for Egg Options, we have seen a definite shift in the way people now look at parenthood, particularly as alternative means such as egg and sperm donation, surrogacy and adoption become more common and more widely accepted. Interest from single men and women has greatly increased in recent years, accounting for 5-10% of inquiries. Many of the following statistics also support this growing trend.

• Surrogacy agencies, surveys on adoption and father support groups all say that they are seeing more single fathers by choice.(New York Times, 2008)
• Single-father households are on the rise — 2 million households were headed by unmarried fathers in 2007, compared with 1.8 million in 2000 and 1.2 million in 1990 (Census)
• 16 percent of fertility clinics in the United States would not treat single women (Center for Disease Control & Prevention, 2007) (Delete – it doesn’t fit with the intro to the stats)
• 33% of children adopted from Foster Care are by a single parent (U.S. DHHS, 2000).
• 73,000 never-married men have adopted a child, a group including those that are single fathers by choice (National Center for Health Statistics) - ADD
• Most surrogacy agencies in the US provide a “one-stop” service where men and women struggling with infertility can find an egg donor and a woman to carry the child

At CEO, we are passionate about raising awareness of the many options that are available to, aspiring single parents and couples alike. To learn more about the multiple paths to parenthood, contact the Center for Egg Options IL at 847-656-8733 or info@egg411.com.

With a slowing US economy that reduced its work force by 62,000 in June, in addition to widespread pay cuts and overall reduced consumer spending, many are feeling the heat of the economic downturn. For an increasing number of women, the opportunity to earn an extra $7,000-30,000 through assisted third party reproduction, all while helping to fulfill the family building dreams of infertile couples, is becoming increasingly popular. At the Center for Egg Options IL, egg donations have increased by 30%, with donors coming back for a second, third, and fourth time.

College students, stay-at-home moms and more recently military wives, have all embraced this as an option, and some say that the extra income has kept their financial ship sailing through tough economic times. Conversely, those looking to conceive through donor egg or sperm now have many more options than in years past – they are not choosing from a small pool of donors but rather thousands – and with money tight, people are becoming much more selective about the donors they select.

Current trends have actually reversed what used to be normal, with more surrogates and egg donors available than ever before - At the same time, recent laws have made Illinois much more surrogacy friendly than other US states. Thus, as the economy continues to take a steady nosedive, more US jobs get cut and these alternative methods of conception become more main stream, we predict these numbers will continue to rise significantly.

A recurrent egg donor with CEO explains that while she has donated to help families, it has also helped her to save. “With the economy slowing down and gas prices going up, this has been the perfect way to help my family financially, while giving other families the opportunity to grow,” she explains.

If you are interested in becoming an egg donor or surrogate, or are interested in exploring these options for your own family building purposes, contact the Center for Egg Options IL at 847-656-8733 or info@egg411.com.

If you were to use any form of third party reproduction to conceive - surrogacy, donor egg or sperm – should the child know? Given the growing number of Americans affected by infertility in the US and the drastic increase in the use of donor egg and sperm in recent years, this has become the million dollar question posed to recipients, health care professionals and society.

The first baby conceived through donated eggs was born in 1984 and the demand for the procedure exploded in the early 90’s. Over the last decade, an estimated 6000 women in the United States have given birth using donated eggs. As a result, the intensity of this “disclosure” debate has skyrocketed, especially as the first wave of children born in this fashion, reached an age where they could comprehend and explore their genetic history.

Research shows that as many as 44% of parents that use donor eggs do not intend to tell their children the truth about their genetic origins. Interestingly however, this figure has decreased dramatically from earlier research, which tracked 35 sperm donor families and found that 86% had no intention of telling their children. .

This is such a crucial question to answer and also one that is extremely personal. Current trends definitely lean towards full disclosure. While many of our recipients spend considerable time exploring the pros and cons, most conclude that it’s in the best interest of the child to share their genetic origins – particularly in recent years as the evidence of the critical role of genetics in health has escalated. In addition, full disclosure is further supported by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and an array of current adoption studies.

While many recipients fear disclosure for a number of reasons – the child’s emotional reaction, the reactions of friends and relatives, fear that the child will no longer trust them, or even reluctance to introduce the image of a potential second mother - there are many important reason’s why couples should inform their child, that he or she was conceived through a donor procedure. For example

• As they grow up, children usually have the ability to sense out family secrets
• Children who “sense” there is something wrong, may assume it’s about them and develop related insecurities
• Secrets rarely stay secret and can often be damaging
• If a child finds out accidentally, issues of trust and betrayal are likely to arise
• Access to a child’s genetic background is critical and may be needed for future medical purposes

Deciding whether or not to inform the child that they were conceived through third party reproduction is one of the most major decision “intended” parents face; one they must fully explore before reaching a final conclusion. At CEO, we have guided hundreds of couples through this process and work closely with reputable and experienced mental health professionals that provide significant insight into this debate.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at 847-656-8733 or info@egg411.com

With infertility rates skyrocketing in the US, using donor eggs has become a more widely accepted family building option as more and more selfless women choose to become egg donors. In fact, the number of donated eggs transferred to patients in the US rises annually, with more than an 80% increase in the number of babies born through donor eggs since 2000.

However, the process of egg donation is also bringing to the forefront a shocking phenomenon causing much concern among health care professionals. Alarming numbers of young women are not attending their annual exams and through egg donation, are being found to have HPV (Human Papilloma Virus), Hepatitis, thyroid problems, Chlamydia and an array of asymptomatic health conditions – some donors even learn of their own infertility.

While it is concerning that preliminary health checks can bring to light potential health problems, the good thing is that the typical egg donor is young (aged 21-30) and that these conditions are caught in time to treat appropriately. This process has served as a form of preventative medicine for so many of our potential donors, who were able to catch things before it was too late. Many donors that learn of health conditions are grateful the process provided so much critical information and they were able to make the necessary health and lifestyle changes to combat their conditions.

One donor explains, had it not have been for her experiences through CEO and egg donation, she would likely not have caught specific PAP smear abnormalities at an early enough stage, which could have possibly caused irreversible damage to her reproductive system. “Every day I am grateful of what I learned through being an egg donor,” she adds.

For more information on egg donation, please contact us at 773.490.eggs or info@egg411.com.

With advanced reproductive technologies, relaxed fertility laws and a general shift in attitudes towards gay parenting, donor and surrogacy alternatives are serving a rapidly increasing demand from gay couples to conceive a genetic child. Currently between 8 and 10 million children are being raised in gay or lesbian households, and with many more gay couples aspiring to be parents, this option provides new opportunities to extend the family tree.

While lesbian women pioneered gay parenthood in the early 90’s using sperm donors, gay men have faced additional technological and cultural barriers. For those wanting a family, adoption difficulties arose for various reasons; namely limited availability of domestic children for adoption, international restrictions on gay couples adopting children and birth parents usually not selecting gay couples as adoptive parents.

However, the gay community is playing a major role in revolutionizing modern reproductive alternatives and parenting. At CEO, we have played a significant role in helping same sex couples build families and also have surrogates that only wish to work with gay couples. It’s extremely rewarding to see the joy that results from bringing all these parties together - donors, surrogates and intended parents.

While the United States has fewer regulatory obstacles associated with the donor and surrogacy process, countries such as the UK and Australia continue to debate the legality of same-sex couples as parents and are only slowly passing regulations allowing gay couples to utilize alternative reproductive options such as surrogacy. As a result, there is a growing trend of same sex couples traveling to the US to seek egg donors and surrogates, particularly in progressive states like Illinois and California where laws are particularly surrogacy friendly.

The gay and lesbian community is a rapidly growing demographic for the fertility industry; so much so that the American Fertility Association has committed itself to providing additional resources for GLBT couples and hosts unique seminars that address special issues confronting GLBT parent hopefuls. While a woman’s age no longer presents solid barriers to conception, gender and sexual orientation no longer impede couples from having a biological child.

For more information on gestational surrogacy, please contact us at 847.656.8733 or 773.490.eggs

Alarmingly, couples seeking foreign surrogates have very limited involvement with the surrogate and the entire process. They are usually only required to visit the destination for in-vitro fertilization and to pick up the baby, and generally only rely on pregnancy updates provided via email and chat forums.

While such reproductive tourism may sound appealing to some, it is important that couples understand that surrogacy is a highly emotional and complex process for surrogates, intended parents and the agency. Successful surrogacy requires rigorous screening, regular medical testing and constant professional and psychological support throughout the entire journey - extremely critical factors which can be compromised through outsourcing the process for cheaper, less reliable alternatives.

Despite the fact that very few countries actually allow commercial surrogacy, industry experts believe that cutting costs by working with surrogates from developing countries raises additional questions of exploitation, women’s rights, required regulation, inequality and the crucial issue of quality of health care received during the process. Most alarmingly, many of the developing countries fronting the international surrogacy market also have extremely high maternal death rates.

The process of surrogacy is not something that should be compromised in any way. If you have any questions about this process, feel free to email us at info@egg411.com or call 847-656-8733.

Recent attention surrounding insufficient record keeping within donor agencies and potential health issues of anonymous donors has sparked widespread debate about the need for a national egg and sperm donor registry. Industry experts met recently for the first ever national conference to explore the pros and cons of creating of a registry to track donor’s genetic, medical information and babies born from their donations.

While some unfortunate circumstances have made headlines, claims that agencies operate with little oversight and poor record keeping is concerning. Twenty five years in the medical industry has taught me how imperative it is to keep and stringently monitor critical health information. This has been the major focus for CEO since day one.

Barriers to creating a registry arise partially because donors wish to remain private and in countries such as the UK where donor registries do exist, egg and sperm donations greatly decrease. With 40,000 children born each year in the US through donor egg and sperm, it is critical that proposed regulations in no way discourage potential donors. Donor privacy is paramount and it is critical that with or without a national registry, donors have the option to remain anonymous and have their privacy protected.

However, so long as there is no national registry, the focus must be on individual agencies to closely examine donors and ensure the health and safety of all parties. At CEO, we keep and regularly monitor all records indefinitely, despite the FDA’s requirement to only store records for 10 years. Keeping records has enabled us able to effectively handle situations where vital donor health information needed to be passed to recipients – all while ensuring the privacy of the donor.

While most discussions have focused on the negative health impact of donor genetics, it’s important to note that comprehensive tracking can also provide vital medical resources when children born through donor sperm or eggs need a bone marrow transplant or organ donation. Should a disease or sex-linked disorder arise, donor access could actually aide in treatment and provide lifesaving information for scientific research and the future possibility of cellular therapy. Sperm and egg donors not only provide the gift of life, in some cases they also have the potential to save lives - one very strong argument for a national registry.

The number of donated eggs transferred to patients in the US rises annually. The most recent statistics from 2005 show that about 6500 women successfully delivered babies with egg donors – an 88% increase from five years earlier. With infertility rates rising, there is a growing demand for sperm and egg donors as this is often the only viable family building option many infertile couples have.  Therefore, it is critical that the industry continues to encourage donors by ensuring protection of their privacy.

At CEO we guarantee donor anonymity. Please feel free to contact us if you have any additional questions regarding egg donation or surrogacy.