Surrogacy in Australia

Debate has been raised about the differing surrogacy laws in Australia.

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Surrogacy laws to be reviewed

Time for clarity on surrogacy

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Surrogacy and Australian law

Senator Stephen Conroy and his wife have sparked a debate about surrogacy, after revealing that the birth of their daughter yesterday was only possible, because of a surrogate mother and a donated egg.

It’s raised questions about the lack of uniformity in Australia’s laws, a lack, which forced the Victorian couple to go through the process in New South Wales.

ABC Online 

Vitamin supplements and female infertility

“A Harvard Medical school study involving 18,000 women has shown that taking multivitamins, particularly folic acid, can improve chances of pregnancy in couples having difficulty conceiving.”

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Female twins and premature menopause

“Female twins are up to five times more likely to be affected by premature ovarian failure (early menopause) than other women, say US scientists.”

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Sperm count and mobile phone use

“A new study has reported its findings that heavy mobile phone use is correlated to a decline in male fertility. The study, led by Dr Ashok Agarwal, and reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in New Orleans, found that men who talked on their mobile phones for more than four hours a day had lower sperm counts than infrequent, or non-users of mobile phones.”

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Guidelines for embryo transfers (US)

“The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the US Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) have issued new guidelines limiting embryo transfer during IVF procedures to reduce the occurrence of multiple births. Announced at the annual ASRM meeting, held in New Orleans last week, the revised guidelines recommend that no more than two embryos should be transferred to women under 35 during a single cycle of IVF treatment, and that clinics should consider the possibility of transferring only one. For older women the recommended number of embryos increases, but to no more than five. The guidelines state that for women aged between 35 and 37, up to three embryos should be transferred, with up to four recommended for women aged between 37 and 40, and no more than five for women over 40.”

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Sperm count and anti-depressants

“Researchers at Cornell Medical Center in New York have discovered that commonly prescribed anti-depressants may have the unwanted side effect of drastically lowering male sperm count. Tests were conducted on two men over a two year period, during which time their sperm count changed from normal before taking the anti-depressants, to almost zero after taking the medicines. The sperm count of both men recovered to normal levels once use of the drugs was discontinued.”

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Daughters of older mothers at risk of infertility

WOMEN in their late thirties and forties who give birth to girls may compromise their daughters’ own chances of starting a family.Advancing age not only reduces a woman’s ability to conceive but also raises the risk that her female offspring will struggle to conceive later in life, scientists claim.

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IVF parents more anxious

Compared with women who gave birth after spontaneous conception, IVF parents were more likely to feel anxious about baby care and more likely to be admitted to residential early parenting services in the first 18 months after birth.

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Bleeding in pregnancy misunderstood

More than half of women who bleed during pregnancy go on to miscarry their baby – and too many wrongly blame themselves for the loss, a fertility expert says.

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