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ireland, a leading centre for egg donation?

Sims Clinic, Ireland’s largest IVF unit, has announced details of their new European Egg Donation (EDE) Programme, offering a range of egg donors with proven fertility available immediately.

Patients can now experience one-to-one treatment with consultants whom are leaders in the field of reproductive medicine in Dublin. 

Sims IVF has built a 7-year relationship with Intersono in the Ukraine, a leading IVF Clinic, chosen because in Western Europe, where the trend is to have children later in life, the number of recipients outstrips the number of available donors. READ MORE

YESTERDAY content

WHAT IS ONCOFERTILITY?

It's called oncofertility - a new term coined by Dr. Teresa Woodruff of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine - meaning fertility preservation for young cancer patients. 

Her research in reproductive endocrinology has increased awareness of fertility management and the role it plays in quality of life for the increasing number of women who are also young cancer survivors.

In a wide ranging interview with Northwestern University’s Medill school Reports, in Chicago, Dr Woodruff says ''Oncofertility involves all the dimensions of a patient’s decision process and the provider’s information. It is the ethics, the law, the religious constraints..of fertility management'

You can read the full interview here.

ONE WEEK AGO content

DO YOU REALLY NEED FERTILITY TREATMENT?

Geoffrey Sher, co-founder and Executive Medical Director of the Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine (SIRM), has written a fascinating blog, about a study published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility which claims that about 44% of 7, 000 Australian women aged 28-36 years who said they had experienced difficulty conceiving for at least a year, subsequently achieved a pregnancy without having to undergo any type of fertility treatment. 

The authors concluded that almost half of “infertile” women in this age category probably don't need treatment.

But, says Dr. Sher, it's not as simple or straightforward as that.

QUICK TOUR

What do I tell my family?

CAN WE IMAGINE A LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN?

publication date: Oct 13, 2011
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author/source: Kate Brian
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An extract from 'The Complete Guide to Female Fertility' by Kate Brian published by Piatkus books

‘Every day in almost everything that you do, there is areminder that it hasn’t worked out, and that you are not part of normal society. You do feel separate all the time.’Heather, 48

You may find that your life is very different from the lives of your friends and family, who may all have their own children. Although some of them will try to include you in their family life, others may assume that you would rather not be involved if they know your circumstances.

Some women find that spending time with children is painful and upsetting, but others may enjoy having the opportunity to be around other people’s children. It is important to make sure your friends and family know how you feel about this, as it will make things much easier for everyone concerned. Certain social events, and
indeed certain times of the year, such as Christmas, can be particularly difficult. If you know you are going to find an occasion painful, you may want to avoid it altogether.

You will inevitably have to deal with other people’s insensibilities at some point. Try to remember that they are not deliberately setting out to be hurtful, but they may not have the least understanding of how you feel.

Some women who have decided to come to terms with a life without children do find it hard to cope with the way our society seems to assume that women automatically become more empathetic and caring once they give birth, and that childless women are somehow harder and colder.

You may well find yourself faced with these stereotypes at some point, and it is not always easy to ignore them. Many women feel lonely and isolated when they are trying to come to terms with childlessness, and it can be difficult if you have built up close friendships with other women going through fertility treatment who go on to have children of their own.

It may help to seek out people who are in the same situation, and you might want to join a support group or Internet forum for couples who don’t have children. It is not easy to talk to strangers about your most intimate feelings, but it can help normalise an experience that may feel very far from usual in the world outside.

Counselling can be beneficial too, as it will give you a chance to work through your emotions, and to work out some strategies to deal with them.

You can order THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO FEMALE FERTILITY by KATE BRIAN from the 
MULTIPLY MAGAZINE BOOKSTORE