Welcome to your April issue of Connections, The American Fertility Association’s monthly e-newsletter. In this issue, you’ll find:

1. A Message from the Executive Director
2. Up Front: News and Advocacy Alerts
3. Advocacy Alert: Ovum Donation Legislation and Compensation
4. DNA and The Exploding Myth Of Donor Anonymity
5. International Adoption: Making the Transition from Orphanage to Home
6. OP ED
7. Support Services
   1. AFA Telephone Coaching Group
   2. Ovum Donation Seminar Spring Series 2007
   3. New York City Women's In-Person Mind/Body Support Groups
   4. West Coast Programs
8. Stay Connected

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A Message from the Executive Director

Pamela Madsen

Dear Friend of The AFA, I know. I know. This is coming to you later than usual. But there are some darn good reasons, some of them you’ll see reflected in this issue. Let me just say, it’s been a wild, productive and transformative month. As you may know, The AFA just launched a cutting edge project to teach teens and young adults the real facts of life and the truth about the link between safe sex and fertility preservation and protection. “Let’s Talk About Sex” (LTAS) debuted in LA at our West Coast gala, Illuminations, to a wildly enthusiastic reception and a flood of generous donations. Our Illuminations honoree and gorgeous spokesperson, Desperate Housewives star, Brenda Strong went all out to help us raise money to bring this project to life. (Oh yeah, her co-star, the brilliant Felicity Huffman made the presentation while I stood nearby just a little star-struck. Okay. A lot. But really, how could I not be. Movie goddess Angela Bassett and her bodacious husband Courtney Vance gave The Visionary Award to Dr. David Smotrich, a reproductive endocrinologist in San Diego, for establishing the one of the first embryo banks for stem cell research. It was kind of awesome to be with these people who are so supportive and committed to the work we’re doing.) Lori Andrews, renowned reproductive attorney and author also received The Advocate Award, for her outstanding body of work. Brenda, recipient of The Beacon of Light Award, for her untiring efforts on our behalf and her passionate advocacy, was nothing short of miraculous. She’s enthusiastically agreed to remain The AFA’s spokesperson for a third year, making us one lucky nonprofit. So we’re deep into the initial stages of LTAS, developing the curriculum to teach adults to teach kids about sex, STDs and how they can compromise or destroy their reproductive potential and chances at parenthood. We know kids respond to this approach to safe sex. Our goal is to provide them scientifically and medically accurate information about sexual and reproductive health so they can make wise and informed choices. Yes, we’re hot on LTAS and urge you to make a donation on behalf of the kids you have, might have, the ones you know and love and the ones you’ve never met. It’s our responsibility to share the knowledge that could just save their lives. Just go to this link and click the DONATE NOW button. Then there’s been the incredible crush of legislation, medical breakthroughs and scientific developments that affect all of us. They’re what’s keeping the pedal to the metal at the AFA. In fact, on April 26th, I was in the Wall Street Journal, speaking about the great treatment potential and the almost inevitable social changes that will occur as ovarian tissue freezing is perfected and becomes widely available. Just look at some of the new sections in this issue of Connections to see what I mean. There’s “Up Front,” the news and advocacy column where you’ll find out about the issues that have been driving this organization’s engine. This month you’ll find nuggets on everything from attempts to outlaw anonymous gamete donation in Virginia to the first ovarian transplant to the Congressionally mandated study that reveals that abstinence-only education is one expensive failure. There’s a new Op Ed column that invites medical, scientific, healthcare professionals and advocates, policy analysts and policy makers, adoption and reproductive lawyers, bioethicists, among others to share their views on relevant hot-button topics. And The AFA is inviting you to send in letters and questions on the issues that interest, provoke, intrigue, thrill or even infuriate you to “Talk Back,” a letters to the editor column that will appear in the May issue. Send your thoughts and queries to editor@theafa.org. Of course, there won’t be room to publish everything but we’ll do our best. Of course you’ll also find the raft of articles on which you’ve come to depend. Attorney Melissa Brisman takes on the Donor Compensation debate. Something you’ll hear more about during the AFA’s Family Matters Conference this Sunday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. This conference is the gold standard for patient education events in the U.S., with more than 35 workshops, direct access to the some of the best doctors, therapists, adoption experts, attorneys, researchers, scientists and social thinkers. There’s also a spectacular interactive Fertility and Adoption Health Fair, where you’ll be able to speak directly with the providers of all the services you might need to build your family. Whether you are thinking about starting your family or currently in treatment, I heartily encourage you to clear your decks and join us on Sunday. For more information about registration, scholarships to reduce registration fees, and a full program run-down, please call Lisa Van Ness at our toll free number, 888.917.3777 or click here. Wendy Kramer, the intrepid founder of the Donor Sibling Registry, writes about DNA searches and the exploding myth of donor anonymity. The ins-and-outs of bringing home an internationally adopted child and a host of invaluable resources are highlighted in a piece by The AFA’s Adoption Coordinator, Carolyn Berger. So do yourself a favor, and take a few minutes to peruse this Connections. You’ll find that it’s not quite like any that’s come before and is the harbinger of things to come. Next month this expanded e-publication will arrive in an easy to read, easy to navigate format. Warm regards, Pamela Madsen Executive Director   The Board of Directors, staff and members of The AFA extend their heartfelt thanks to the generous sponsors and supporters of Family Matters: Patient Education Conference, to take place on Sunday, April 29th. Without your help this very important event could not take place. Our deepest gratitude.  PLATINUM KEYNOTE SPONSORS NYU Fertility Center Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine GOLD KEYNOTE SPONSOR East Coast Fertility SILVER KEYNOTE SPONSORS The Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York SUPPORTERS AAA Friends in Adoption, Inc. Adoption House, Inc. Apthorp Pharmacy Conceptual Options, A Center for Surrogacy and Egg Donation Jewish Childcare Association - Ametz Adoption Montefiore's Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health Organon, Inc. EMD Serono The American Fertility Association thanks our 2007 Illuminations Event Sponsors for their generous support: PLATINUM EMD Serono La Jolla IVF Organon GOLD California Fertility Partners Ferring Pharmaceuticals Growing Generations SILVER The Center for Egg Options Conceptual Options Huntington Reproductive Center Southern California Reproductive Center / ART Reproductive Center Spence & Elster FRIEND David Bohnett Foundation Egg Donation, Inc. Fertility Futures Pacific Fertility Center of Los Angeles National Fertility Law Center New Life Agency

UP FRONT:

NEWS AND ADVOCACY ALERTS
by Melissa Brisman, Kelly Solloway & Mary Ellen Spohn

You Mean No Sex? Tracking The Failure of Abstinence-Only Ed

A Congressionally-mandated study of federally funded abstinence-until-sex education programs branded the approach a resounding flop. Mathematica Policy Research Inc. interviewed 1,200 urban and rural adolescents who had participated in abstinence only programs four to six years before and compared their behavior with 800 peers who didn’t participate. The results: Members of the abstinence-only group was just as likely to have sexual encounters a few years later as their counterparts without the training; their first sexual encounters occurred at the same age, 14.9 years; 25 percent in each group had already had sex with three or more partners; and 23 percent in each group reported having had sex and always using a condom. The federal government spends approximately $176 million annually to underwrite these programs, sparking even more intense criticism from broad spectrum of teen health care advocates and providers and introduction of new Senate legislation, the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act. (See the OpEd Column inside for comment from Planned Parenthood Golden Gate in San Francisco.)

Unraveling Roe V. Wade?

Ignoring it’s own precedents, the new U.S. Supreme Court upheld, 5-4, a ban on one type of second trimester abortions, sending shivers through the ranks of pro-choice supporters and waves of jubilation through the anti-abortion activists. The procedure, called “partial birth” abortion, accounts for only 1% of all pregnancy terminations performed annually. But in her lacerating minority opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, attacked the ruling as an opening salvo against all abortion. "(It) cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away a right declared again and again by this court, and with increasing comprehension of its centrality to women's lives,” she wrote. Ginsburg expressed alarm that the decision “deprives women of the right to make autonomous choice, even at the expense of their safety.” Calling the justifications for the ruling “flimsy and transparent", Ginsburg said the majority did nothing to conceal its hostility to abortion rights, labeling “obstetrician-gynecologists and surgeons who perform abortions not by the titles of their medical specialties, but by the pejorative label ‘abortion doctor.’” Justices David Souter, Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens joined the dissent.

On the other side, President George Bush celebrated the decision as a reaffirmation of the “commitment to building a culture of life in America.”

A New Shot At Life For Stem Cell Research

The U.S. Congress set the stage for a showdown with the Bush White House earlier this month when it voted to loosen the iron restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Congressional proponents passed legislation that would make federal monies available to create new stem cell lines facilitating scientific investigations into cures and treatments for a raft of diseases and disorders, from Parkinsons and diabetes to spinal chord injuries. Bush has vowed to veto the measure and neither house was able to muster enough votes to it veto-proof.

Sperm from Stem Cells?

For the first time, scientists claim to have created immature sperm cells from stem cells extracted from bone marrow samples of adult male volunteers, according to a recently published paper in “Gamete Biology: Emerging Frontiers on Fertility and Contraceptive Development.” British and German researchers from Britain and German hope that within five years they will have figured out how to coax these apparently spermatagonial cells (normally found in the testes) to grow into mature sperm cells. While it offers the still-remote possibility of new treatment for infertile men, use of artificially created sperm is likely to encounter stiff political opposition.

Gay Men and The HPV Vaccine

Gay and bisexual men in San Francisco are lining up to take Gardasil, the vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in women, reports The Advocate. Men are asking their doctors for the vaccine, hoping to prevent anal and penile cancer, which can also be caused by HPV.

Gay and bisexual men experience an anal cancer rate 35 times higher than among the general population, with more occurrences in those infected with HIV.
However, the drug’s efficacy for males is as yet unproven, raising alarms about men rushing to take it.

Melissa B. Brisman, a nationally renowned reproductive attorney based in Park Ridge, New Jersey, is a frequent contributor to Connections.

Kelly Solloway is a paralegal trained in reproductive law and assists Ms. Brisman in helping her clients start or expand their families.

Mary Ellen Spohn is a paralegal trained in reproductive law and assists Ms. Brisman in helping her clients start or expand their families.

Advocacy Alert

Ovum Donation Legislation And Compensation
By Melissa Brisman, Esq. and Kelly Solloway

Monetary compensation to ovum donors has been a thorny, hotly debated matter since the technique debuted in 1984. The continuous growth in number of infertile women using donated eggs, as well as ovum donation for research purposes has only added fuel to the payment controversy. Despite efforts by many state and federal agencies, the complex moral and ethical issues surrounding donor compensation has thwarted efforts to regulate or legislate guidelines.

To be sure, all states have some form of legislation in place which addresses “baby selling.” The contracts between intended parents and their donors stipulate that their arrangements are nothing of the kind. They deal with such statutes by including explicit language stating that the transfer of eggs to the intended parents is a pure donation, i.e. the donor is not being paid for her eggs. Rather the compensation is meant to pay the donor for her time, effort, pain and suffering leading up to the actual ovum retrieval and the recovery period after the medical procedure, not to mention the medical risk involved. Only Louisiana explicitly bans the sale of ova for reproduction.

What constitutes adequate compensation remains a matter of opinion. The American Society of Reproductive Medicine has concluded that a reasonable fee for an egg donor is no more than $10,000 and should be closer to $5,000. While some egg donor agencies, acting as matchmakers between donors and intended parents, compensate donors at a fixed amount, payment is usually variable. Factors such as ethnicity, education, athleticism, etc. play a strong role in determining the amount. For instance, an Asian donor may be able to procure a greater fee than a Caucasian donor simply because of the scarcity of Asian donors. In addition, a donor with an Ivy League education and high GPA may demand a higher fee than your “average” donor. Some intended parents advertise for donors with specific traits, often offering exorbitant fees in the hope of finding that “perfect” donor who meets all their criteria.

To date, compensation arguments rage with many ethical and moral considerations at their foundation.

Compensation critics contend that compensation promotes the commercialization of ovum donation in which a higher value is placed on certain human characteristics. They also argue that compensation de facto exploits women of lower economic status by providing an incentive to donate their ovum in exchange for needed financial gain despite the medical risks involved. Evidence of this, they claim, is the disproportionate number of donors who are of lower income, from minority groups or are young college women in need of money.

Some supporters contend that in ovum donation, the price depends on what individuals are willing to pay for “significant and meaningful” activities. Since doctors, lawyers and other parties are gaining financially from these arrangements, why not the donor.

Ovum donation for research purposes adds another layer to the compensation quandary with opponents concerned that payment may place a higher importance on a woman’s reproductive tissue rather than her health and well-being.

As the debate unfurls and we contemplate how egg donation ought to be governed and in what fashion, we must consider other critical factors as well. Prominent among them are: how egg donors are recruited; ensuring that donors are fully informed of the risks involved both medically and psychologically; that donors are fully informed about the arrangement with the recipient prior to undergoing any medical procedures or entering into legal contracts.

The complexity of donor compensation defies easy resolution and yet it affects so many of us in the assisted reproduction field--recipients, donors, medical practitioners, psychologists, legislators and regulators. For a full discussion, please join The American Fertility Association’s Family Matters Conference in New York City (Grand Hyatt Hotel) this coming Sunday, April 29th at 4 pm.

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DNA And The Exploding Myth Of Donor Anonymity
By Wendy Kramer

Wendy Kramer with son Ryan, inspiration for Donor Sibling Registry

There’s a strange but poignant story first reported in New Scientist (2005) that may be a significant bell weather of change to come. A 15-year-old donor conceived boy, eager to find out about his countries of origin and a little about his ancestry, swabbed his cheek and gathered some cells. He sent the specimen to a DNA data bank and within weeks found two matches – men who were strangers to each other but who bore the same last name. Turned out the three were related to a relative from over 400 years ago. Now armed with a possible surname, the home-base city of the sperm bank, and the birth date on the donor registration, the resourceful teen compiled a rough working profile. Within 10 days on the Internet, he found his genetic father.

Will every kid who swabs his cheek find his donor? Probably not. But we can expect this to happen with greater frequency as the DNA data banks swell with increasing numbers of individual genetic samples.

As a recent NY Times article by Amy Harmon notes, people "(p)rompted by the advent of inexpensive genetic testing" are now "tracing their family trees with a vengeance heretofore unknown."

It is the hunger for the connection to and an understanding of this invisible part of themselves and others who share their DNA that propels donor offspring to search.

It’s a fact of life I see daily on the Donor Sibling Registry, an online resource for individuals and families to make mutual consent contact between donor siblings as well as between willing donors and their genetic offspring.

Easy DNA matching opens the door to increasingly successful amateur investigations. The consequences are disclosures that were never intended by the donors or, in many instances, those who parent the offspring.

The dilemma faced by the self-styled DNA detectives is the one the 15-year-old confronted: whether or not to contact the donor and give him the opportunity to know him. Or not. This boy did wonder why it was always assumed that the rights of a donor to remain anonymous trumped a child's right to know his genetic heritage. After all, this child has not entered into or signed any anonymity agreements with anyone.

As DNA matching moves from CSI episodes into the kitchen, it forces a new look at the long-standing discussion of disclosure that rages among bioethicists, sperm banks, psychologists, the medical community, the donor conceived and their families. Anonymity is rapidly becoming a chimera, a contract between adults that isn’t binding on a child with burning curiosity and Internet access.

Science has propelled the conversation about a child’s right to know from the ethical and moral spheres into a more pragmatic domain. This is something kids can do and likely will do with or without the consent of any adult authority.

This is why I can only say now, louder than ever, and as the mother of the donor conceived son who inspired the creation of the Donor Sibling Registry, it's of the utmost importance for a child to be told the truth about the methodology of their conception. Not just because morally and ethically I feel it's the only right thing to do. But also because parents may have no control over a child’s pursuit of his or her history. DNA testing is just another impetus to open up early.

The issues that we in the donor conception community are facing are becoming increasingly urgent. Given that an enormous percentage of these kids will be coming of age within the next 5-10 years, now is the time to address this issue.

This is a radically different landscape than the one my (then) husband and I traveled 17 years ago. When we were never counseled that even though we regarded the donation as a single cell, the child would rightfully regard it as one half his genetic identity.

This is why we were so excited when Dr. Susan Golombok at Cambridge University approached us at the Donor Sibling Registry to conduct the very first research on donor families that are searching and actually finding each other. With a carefully constructed online survey (www.donorsiblingregistry.com) for donors, parents and the donor conceived, we are hoping to assemble "data" on the importance of searching for and actually making these genetic connections by the end of this year. We look for this research to be a groundbreaking and pioneering investigation of what it means for people born of donor conception to search for (and to find) family members with whom they have had no previous contact.

We are hoping to better understand these relationships once the connections are made. With this information maybe we can move forward with a better understanding of the needs of the donor conceived. The industry has addressed and catered to its own needs, as well as those of the people who want to become parents and the donors. It is time for us in the US to ask the obvious question,” What is in the best interests of the child being born?”

Wendy Kramer, along with her son Ryan, founded the Donor Sibling Registry, the only worldwide organization facilitating mutual consent contact between thousands of donor conceived and their half siblings and/or donors.

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Adoption Option

Carolyn Berger, LCSW

International Adoption: Making The Transition From Orphanage To Home

By now most of us realize that the world of international adoption is going through some changes. China recently altered its requirements and many countries are racing to comply with Hague Convention requirements so that they can be accredited. Change, as always, is the only constant. To keep up with the changing landscape of international adoption check www.childwelfare.gov.

Through it all, one thing remains constant: the special emotional and developmental issues of children adopted internationally. Adoptive parents need to know how to help their children negotiate the transition from the institutional life of the orphanage to their homes. Adoptive parents must become sensitive to the experience of a child leaving behind the comfort of the familiar for the difficult terrain of a new environment.

The boy or girl you bring home may have spent a year, two years, or six years in his or her country of origin. In most cases he was one among many in a crowded, understaffed orphanage where overtaxed caregivers just manage to change and feed their charges. She may have been encouraged to spend too many hours sleeping since sleeping children are easier to tend. He may be depressed due to lack of human contact. She may have learned that her particular needs for sleep, food and interaction are unimportant.

A few things to keep in mind when adopting internationally from an orphanage:

• If your child is over six months of age, you will need to help him connect to you. Initially, he will need to be cared for almost exclusively by his primary caregiver so that he can attach.
• Find out all that you can about the routines your child followed in the orphanage,
  and duplicate them as much as you can at home.
• Realize that although your child can’t verbalize it, she is grieving over her lost home even if it was a less than optimal.
• Understand that your child, accustomed to having his wants and needs largely ignored, is likely to be angry or depressed even if he cannot verbalize these feelings.
• Find an adoption pediatrician before you adopt. She can help you assess a child’s
  health from orphanage records and teach you what to look for when you go abroad
  to meet your child. Upon entry to the US, have your child seen by his pediatrician
  as soon as possible.
• Have your child evaluated for early intervention services available through your
  county. Sessions with a speech therapist or occupational therapist can help your
  child catch up developmentally. Don’t wait until a behavioral issue presents itself
  when your child is three and frustrated because she can’t communicate with her peers!
• Understand that it is not uncommon for parents to experience post-adoption depression. Should you experience eating, sleeping disorders or other symptoms of depression, get the support and counsel of a therapist who understands the rigors of international adoption.
• Recognize that although adopting internationally brings additional challenges, it
  also brings rich rewards—giving a child a better future, gaining the love of a child,
  and becoming a multicultural family to name a few.

There is a lot you can do to decide whether international adoption is for you before you adopt. Seek out a local adoptive parents group and talk to people who have already adopted.

Check out the Infertility & Adoption Counseling Center’s “International Adoption Workshop,” an edited version of a live workshop for pre-adoptive parents as well as adoptive parents looking for ways to help their children transition to life in the US. In one section moderated by IACC’s founder, Joni Mantell, LCSW, parents share their experiences traveling abroad, meeting their children and helping them adjust. They candidly talk about their struggles and how they overcame them.

In a second section, The workshop’s keynote speaker and head of International Pediatric Health Services, Dr. Jane Aronson, reviews the stages of adjustment a child moves through when going from an institution to a family, and shows parents how to be ready to accommodate their children. Dr. Aronson shifts seamlessly between her role as pediatrician in international adoption medicine--one who has spent a great deal of time in orphanages abroad studying and interacting with the children, to adoptive mother of a Vietnamese infant and an older Ethopian child.

With authority, she analyzes the damaging effects of institutional life. In one example, she focuses in on the impact of feeding with a propped up bottle, a common practice in overcrowded institutions with staff to busy too hold, cuddle, feed and respond. Dr. Aronson describes the helplessness a baby feels when a bottle is forced into his mouth when he isn’t hungry or the powerlessness he feels when he is hungry and the bottle falls out of his mouth. We begin to understand why it is so critical that adoptive parents remind their children again and again that their needs do matter, that they are important.

When she talks about the challenges she faced raising her own two sons, Dr. Aronson brings an empathetic understanding to the nearly universal complications adoptive parents face. Using her professional and personal experiences, she teaches viewers those problems can often be overcome with the right intervention, a whopping dose of love, and the resilience of the child. (The “International Adoption” DVD, is available online at www.tapestrybooks.com)

Another resource for pre- and post-adoptive parents is the website of Boris Gindis, Ph.D. (www.bgcenter.com). Dr. Gindis, a psychologist, offers information that helps parents understand their child’s educational and developmental needs and how to remediate them. The website offers information on the psycho-educational evaluation of an internationally adopted child and helps parents weight the pros and cons of things like bilingualism. The website offers adoptive parents support groups, online courses and an invaluable International Adoption Articles Directory, chock-full of information.

We at The AFA hope to see you at the international adoption sessions at our annual Adoption and Fertility Conference on April 29th. Also during the conference, sample our Adoption Workshops and try out an Adoption Coaching Group with one of our trained professionals. And check for our monthly Adoption Online Educational Sessions (just go to www.theafa.org) The next one, “Ask the Adoption Expert,” with Sam Pitkowsky, President of the Adoptive Parents Committee, is May 29th from 8 to 9 pm.

Carolyn Berger, LCSW, is the Adoption Coordinator of The AFA.

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OP ED

REAL Education To Protect Our Teens

Dian Harrison, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate

Currently, there is no federal funding for comprehensive sex education in public schools. However, three separate federal programs, totaling $176 million this year alone, support unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Study after study has shown that teens who receive abstinence-only sex ed are just as likely to engage in sexual activity as their peers, but are less likely to use protection when they do. Hardly surprising. If they don’t know about safe sex, how can teens practice it? If they pledge abstinence, how do they plan to be safe?

Even so, the current administration has squandered more than a billion dollars on these dangerous and ineffective programs in the past decade.

This is true despite the fact that the majority of Americans (parents, teachers, medical health professionals, and registered voters) overwhelmingly support sex education that will help protect teens from unintended pregnancy and HIV/AIDS.

A change in this harmful funding policy is long overdue, and last month Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) took steps to correct the course. They introduced the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act to provide states with funding for medically accurate, comprehensive sex ed. We need this bill. Research shows that teens are more likely to delay becoming sexually active and to protect themselves when they do if they’ve been fully educated.

You can help bring federal funds to sex ed programs that really work by contacting your representative. Log on to www.ppgg.org, click on the Take Action tab. Teens need real education and accurate information in order to make responsible decisions.

Dian Harrison, MSW - President and CEO, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate

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Support Services

AFA TELEPHONE COACHING GROUP

A Breakthrough Approach To Support Groups

At NO CHARGE TO OUR MEMBERS

What’s a Phone Coaching Group? AFA phone coaching brings our experienced fertility coaches and other individuals throughout the country who are experiencing fertility issues right to your home or office-live!

How Does It Work? Once you call in on a special phone number and use the access code that we will provide to you, you’re connected with all of the other coaching group participants. The sound quality is great and, as in any group, you can ask questions and engage in give-and-take with the coach and other group participants. The only difference is that you’re sitting in your easy chair at home or at your desk.

Designed to Fit Your Schedule. Our phone coaching sessions will last one hour.

All groups are led by mental health professionals with an expertise and often personal experience in infertility treatment and/or adoption.

Special Offer. As part of our No Barriers program, AFA is proud to offer these Phone Coaching Sessions to you, free of charge.

TOPIC: Parenting Donor Gamete Children (Donor Sperm, Donor Egg, Donor Embryo). The Disclosure Issue: If, What, When, And How.

This coaching group is accessible to you via your telephone.

It is appropriate for couples and individuals who:

• Are considering the use of donor sperm, egg, or embryo to create their children
• Are already parenting children created by donor sperm, egg, or embryo

During this one hour group conference call, you will have the opportunity to receive information on:

• The pros and cons of disclosure to children of their genetic origin
• What and when to share this information with children if you so choose
• If and how to share this information with family and friends

You will also have the opportunity to share information and support one another in making this decision and implementing this aspect of parenting.

NO FEE for AFA MEMBERS !

For more information, and to register, contact:
Joann Galst (jgalst@aol.com or 212-759-2783)
or Patricia Mendell (pmendell@aol.com or 212-819-1778)

Joann Paley Galst, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice specializing in mind-body medicine and reproductive health issues, including infertility, pregnancy loss, and pregnancy and parenting after infertility. She is a past chairperson of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and is currently the co-director of Support Services for the American Fertility Association. She is the author of numerous articles on infertility.

Patricia Mendell, LCSW, BCD, is a clinical social worker in private practice in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She is Vice-Chair of the American Fertility Association (AFA) and the facilitator of the AFA Ovum Donor Seminar Series. She is co-author of the fact sheet for AFA on "Talking to Children about Ovum Donation". Ms Mendell has written and spoken extensively on numerous topics regarding fertility, third party reproduction, parenting after infertility, disclosure, multi-fetal reduction, pregnancy loss and adoption. As an infertility and pregnancy loss survivor, she is well aware of the impact decision making choices have on people’s lives. In her role as therapist and consumer advocate, she gives those seeking her help both practical and therapeutic advice on how to better cope with stress, resolve marital tensions, and select and explore solutions to their family building dilemmas.

OVUM DONATION SEMINAR
SPRING SERIES 2007

The American Fertility Association is sponsoring a six week Ovum Donation Seminar Series beginning Wednesday May 23rd and continuing weekly for six consecutive weeks. Topics that will be discussed by our distinguished faculty will include:

NEW YORK CITY WOMEN’S IN-PERSON MIND/BODY SUPPORT GROUPS

Come join us and discover the power and benefits of mutual support! Increase your resilience and feel more centered as you learn and use a MIND/ BODY approach to ease stress and gain a greater sense of control over your life.

We are having two groups. One group is for women who are earlier in the process of facing fertility challenges. The second group is for women who have been dealing with these challenges over a longer time span.

Meetings are facilitated by Izetta Siegal Stern, LCSW, BCD, AFA support group leader and coach. Fee is $30 per session (some of which may be insurance-reimbursable). New groups are starting soon and meet near Union Square. Contact Izetta at 212-691-1266 or e-mail ISiegalStern@aol.com.

Izetta began working with women and couples dealing with reproductive issues beginning in l986. She has been a support group leader for the past 10 years. Long interested in the healing dimension of Mind/Body work, she sees this approach leading to important shifts that promote greater centeredness and a capacity to “reset” in the face of stress.

WEST COAST PROGRAMS

Four Seminars Offered

• EGG DONATION: WORKING WITH A THIRD PARTY
• CHOOSING SINGLE PARENTING
• CREATING A SUCCESSFUL SURROGATE ARRANGEMENT
• GAY AND LESBIAN PARENTING

The American Fertility Association is sponsoring separate discussion groups for patients considering alternative family building options. The emotional, medical and practical aspects of each of these arrangements will be explored, such that prospective parents can make an informed decision about whether these plans are the “right” choice for them.

Elaine R. Gordon, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in reproductive medicine. She has worked in the field for twenty years helping individuals and couples build families through non-traditional options. She is the author of “Mommy, Did I Grow in Your Tummy? Where some Babies Come From”.

Ellen Speyer, M.A., M.S., MFT. is a psychotherapist with twenty years with working with assisted reproduction, pregnancy loss, surrogacy, and adoption. She is a retired Chair of the Education Committee for the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

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Online Education Session Schedule—May - June 2007