|
|
IARC is seeking a talented, enthusiastic administrative assistant to join our team!
IARC is a unique fertility agency that matches surrogates and egg donors with parents that aren’t able to have a family naturally. In a world where infertility affects one out of every six couples, our family-building options are important and becoming increasingly popular among intended parents. Join a team where you are personally committed to the success of the organization, and most importantly, you realize your efforts in helping a couple build their dreams of a family.
Overview: We are currently looking for dedicated, passionate individuals to fill two positions: Egg Donor Coordinator and Program Coordinator.
Our Egg Donor Coordinator conducts telephone interviews with prospective egg donor candidates and is involved with outlining all aspects of the program to these egg donors. The Egg Donor Coordinator educates them about their roles and responsibilities in great detail so they understand the full implications of their involvement.
Our Program Coordinator works with the egg donors, surrogates, and clients to coordinate all aspects of the fertility treatments. This includes medications, medical and psychological appointments, and travel arrangements. The Program Coordinator’s focus is on the continued coordination of all the various parts of the program and communication of the details to all parties involved.
Experience with marketing/social media and/or bilingual in French, Spanish, German, or Italian is also highly desired.
Requirements: Must have great verbal and written skills. As these positions are ever-changing, the ideal candidates should be able to learn quickly and adapt to numerous responsibilities and environments. Must have a positive attitude and strong desire to provide excellent customer service. Must be able to multi-task without compromising attention to detail. Must be proficient in MS Office.
Pay: +/- $30,000 based on skills and experience.
To inquire: Please e-mail your resume to selena@snyderlawfirm.com
The American Fertility Association wrote a great article about the difficult decision to use an egg donor when IVF seems to be unsuccessful. Many parents struggle with the intimate decision to use a donor egg, but sometimes it becomes the only option. It only seems appropriate to re-post the article here.
Infertility is an unexpected obstacle for many people, and the journey can be unpredictable. Patients may find themselves at a crossroads after multiple failed attempts with fertility treatments, and begin to look for other options. The American Fertility Association (The AFA), a national non-profit organization which provides educational resources and support to men and women, especially those trying to conceive, and Fertility SOURCE Companies, one of the largest and most comprehensive egg donor and surrogacy programs in the country, are partnering together to provide a one-stop-shop for patients looking for information on donor egg cycles.
With the help of a grant from Fertility Source Companies, The AFA created a comprehensive fact sheet, embedded with an informational video on transitioning from In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to a donor egg IVF cycle. This decision can be overwhelming, and this fact sheet aims to help lessen the burden on patients by providing information on the medical procedure, legal aspects that come with choosing an egg donor, and psychological support.
“The educational information included in this video and fact sheet is invaluable to our intended parents transitioning from a traditional IVF cycle to an egg donor,” says Susan Bloom, the Director of Recruitment for The Donor SOURCE. “The best ammunition we can give our intended parents is knowledge and education about the process they are about to undertake, along with the resources to have all their medical and legal questions answered.” Bloom continues, “at The Donor SOURCE, we pride ourselves in the guidance we give our intended parents every step of the way, from matching them with a donor to their IVF transfer.”
The AFA is committed to supporting men and women in creating their families by continually providing updated educational material and outreach events on infertility prevention, reproductive health and family building. The AFA’s website features an extensive online library, weekly newsletter, webinars and toll-free help line which are part of the many tools available to consumers free of charge.
“Because of the generous support of Fertility SOURCE Companies, The AFA is able to continue to provide first-rate education for infertility patients,” says Ken Mosesian, Executive Director for The AFA. “The family building journey has many inherent challenges, and our goal is to provide educational support to intended parents so they can make informed decisions with confidence.”
Making the decision to move from IVF to a donor egg cycle is a personal one. The AFA and Fertility SOURCE Companies are excited to work together on this project, in hopes of arming patients with as much information as possible, so the decision will be an informed one.
To see the entire fact sheet please click here.
For more information about donor cycles or learning the first steps in choosing a donor, contact IARC at info@iarc-usa.com or call 763-494-8800.
You have a chance to view the presentation in its entirety here. IARC’s director, Steve Snyder, delivered an informative webinar about estate planning and why it’s an integral to surrogates on Tuesday, August 17. He thoroughly covered two topics:
1. What exactly is estate planning?
2. Why is it important for surrogates especially?
Every person should have an estate plan that details his or her wishes for the future, so this webinar would be advantageous for anyone. If anything, you’ll impress your colleagues with your knowledge of a fiduciary.
Here is the link to stream and watch the video or listen to the webinar: https://fertilityhelp.webex.com/fertilityhelp/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=TC&rID=12717157&act=pb&rKey=80da9910dbbdd5c2
You can also download it here: https://fertilityhelp.webex.com/fertilityhelp/ldr.php?AT=dw&SP=TC&rID=12717157&act=pf&rKey=42f2dc9b166d22a0
Surrogacy Attorney Steve Snyder will offer the informational webinars once a month for surrogates, intended parents, egg donors and persons seeking legal advice about third-party reproduction. Find the schedule at http://fertilityhelp.webex.com or check back here periodically.
Tuesday, August 17 is going to be ground-breaking for IARC because Attorney Steve Snyder is going to host our very first Surrogate webinar! You’re invited to listen in to our webinar that focuses on estate planning and how it relates to surrogacy.
Everyone should have some sort of estate plan in effect for his or her personal benefit and the welfare of their family, but there are so many possible outcomes to a surrogacy case that planning for the future becomes exponentially more important if you’re an active surrogate, past surrogate or even thinking about becoming a surrogate. Who would make the medical decisions for an incapacitated surrogate (Heaven forbid!) if something unfortunate happens during the pregnancy? What right do the intended parents have if the surrogate no longer has control over her situation?
Learn all those answers in our webinar on Tuesday, August 17 at 8:30pm CST. Webinars are easy to use (you’ll need a link to the website and a phone number in order to dial in and hear Steve speak) and you never have to worry about leaving your home.
You’ll need to register for the webinar prior to attending. To do so, please go to http://fertilityhelp.webex.com and find the Estate Planning for Surrogates webinar. You’ll need to enter your name, email address and phone number. You’ll receive an email that will confirm your registration and will direct you in how to participate.
If you have any questions, please let Lindsay know by emailing her at lindsay@iarc-usa.com or calling 763-201-1422. Recruit your friends and share this information with anyone as knowledge is power!
Be Informed! In hopes of making the lengthy screening process more user-friendly and convenient, IARC will now begin the egg donation screening with a short webinar. The first webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, August 20 at 10 a.m. Central Standard Time. Subsequent webinars will follow.
Each webinar will be directed at prospective donors and young women that are interested in learning about the program. Interested women can expect to learn about the following:
· IARC
· How to become an egg donor (the screening process, requirements, etc.)
· The timeline
· Reimbursement for expenses
As each webinar is strictly a learning experience, a commitment to become a donor is not required. Women will be directed to the IARC website to continue the application process if they are interested. Each presentation is easy to attend (all you need is an Internet connection and a phone line) and FREE for participants.
To register for the webinars, go to www.fertilityhelp.webex.com or click on the button on the right-hand side of www.surrogates-eggdonors.com. There are numerous webinars, so women can sign up for the day that fits in their schedule.
For more information, please email Lindsay at lindsay@iarc-usa.com or call IARC at 763-494-8800.
IARC has another surrogate that delivered this morning in Pennsylvania. Welcome to the IARC family, little baby, and congratulations Rasheeda!! We wish you the best!
For more information about our surrogacy programs call 763-494-8800 or email us at info@iarc-usa.com.
IARC’s Steve Snyder proved once again today that he knows his stuff when it comes to third-party reproduction. Watch his live interview (now recorded) on ABC’s News 8 in Washington D.C. as he discusses the world of infertility and the legal aspects of assisted reproduction.
Follow this link: http://www.letstalklive.tv/ and click on the infertility option.
To learn more about Steve’s travels while he’s in D.C., follow him on twitter @snyderlawfirm.
If you’re looking for something fun to do this Saturday, April 10th, come visit IARC at the Rainbow Families Conference in Minneapolis. This supportive community event is for everyone but focuses on LGBT and their families.
We’ll be there in order to provide education about various family building options available to both couples and individuals to have genetically-related children. We’ll also be there to share candy (dark chocolate, Steve’s favorite!) and show pictures of our newest additions to the IARC family!
Rainbow Families begins at 8:30am at Anwatin/Bryn Mawr Schools, 256 Upton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Online registration for the event is closed, but you can still come and enjoy the day’s activities.
For more information and a schedule of events, check out Rainbow Families’ website: www.http://www.familyequality.org/events/conference/index.html or email us at info@iarc-usa.com.
We hope to see you there!
Deciding whether or not to use an egg donor can be a major decision that impacts the rest of your assisted reproduction process. For some of you, it’s an assessment that will take months to decide- where do you go to find a donor? Will you use an anonymous program? Has the donor been properly screened?
But where do you really start? The American Fertility Association created an introductory piece that details the very basic steps in choosing an egg donor.
For more information about how IARC selects their egg donors and makes them available for you, head back to our home page. Or email IARC at info@iarc-usa.com.
Getting Started with Egg Donation: First Decisions
By: Jan Elman Stout, Psy.D and Peggy Orlin, MS, MFT of the AFA Mental Health Advisory Council
Those needing an egg donor to achieve a pregnancy have choices to make. The most basic of these is how to recruit a young woman who is willing to donate her eggs. There are basically two options, known and anonymous donors. Known donors are women with whom you have a preexisting relationship, typically relatives or friends. Anonymous donors are strangers who are recruited for you by your medical program or donor agency. In a hybrid version you might recruit your own donor through the internet. We are going to address some of the perceived benefits and disadvantages in selecting known or anonymous donors and some issues unique to each type.
You might decide to work with an anonymous donor because nobody in your circle has offered you her eggs or you don’t know anyone you can ask. If you choose an anonymous donor you will receive varying amounts of background information about her, depending on whether she is recruited by a medical program or an agency, and which one. Some provide you with great detail about phenotypic, demographic, medical/health, family, academic, occupational, reproductive, sexual, social and psychological histories, others very little. Some will provide you with pictures, others will not. Some will allow direct contact providing all parties are agreeable. This might include a face-to-face meeting, typically facilitated by a mediator, which can be conducted without exchanging identifying information and no expectation of future contact and still be considered an anonymous arrangement. The information you are given on your donor may vary most based on your geographic location. However, these differences may soon decrease, as the Society for Assisted Reproduction (SART) has just released a Universal Donor Application Form. All donors, no matter how they are recruited, should undergo medical testing based on ASRM and FDA guidelines. All egg donation participants should also undergo in-person psychological screening by a licensed mental health provider familiar with ASRM and MHPG guidelines.
You might prefer an anonymous donor if you want clearer, more rigid boundaries between the donor and you than a known donation arrangement can provide. Likewise, if you are highly concerned about protecting your ability to make independent decisions and maintaining your privacy as parents. Working with an anonymous donor might free you from an obligation to put others’ feelings and preferences ahead of your own.
While anonymous donation has its advantages, it is not without risks. Recipients often worry about whether strangers misrepresent their histories and what the implications of lying might be. You might be unable to pay the added fees required in an anonymous arrangement or resent having to do so. You might worry that your anonymous donor will knock on your door one day or want your child. You might be afraid your donor will donate repeatedly, creating a large number of genetic half-siblings for your child. Although more fear than reality, if these worries loom large and can’t be tamed, you might feel more comfortable working with a known donor.
For many people, known ovum donation has some distinct advantages. If you choose a family member, you will share some genetic connection with your child. If your donor is your sister, you will share her version of your parents’ DNA. Using a known donor means you will always be able to know or access medical information about your child. And, if the child is told about the donation, s/he will be able to talk with his/her donor and ask his/her own questions. Your family may be more likely to love and accept your child if the donor is known. In some cultures where boundaries between family members are less clearly defined, Auntie or Uncle can be used almost interchangeably with Mama or Daddy. For these families, the use of a known donor can feel like a very safe, secure proposition with few downsides.
As mentioned previously, known donation may create complicated relationships. Unless the donor lives far away, she may be in your child’s life. While having family close by can be a blessing, having your donor nearby doesn’t always feel that way. Although everyone entering a known donation relationship expects all will go well, it does not always. Sometimes parents are surprised by the protective feelings that develop for their child even from loved family members. Some people choose donors who are advice givers and would always feel comfortable offering parenting advice. Will it feel the same if she is your sister AND your donor? Do you worry that your best friend will feel obligated to donate and later regret her participation? Do you fear that your sister will treat your child more like a son than a nephew? Are you concerned that you will be unable to repay this gift, and forever indebted to your cousin, and will have to do whatever she asks for the rest of your lives? Do you feel uncomfortable because it feels like your husband and your best friend are having a baby? The prevalence of these kinds of fears might mean you’d feel more comfortable with an anonymous donor.
What all this suggests is that no arrangement is right for everyone, as there are pluses and minuses on all fronts. If you are having difficulty choosing your path, consult with a mental health professional who can help you clarify it.
+++
Peggy Orlin, MS, MFT, is a Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in the emotional aspects of infertility and third party family building. She is in private practice in Berkeley and San Francisco. Her professional associations include the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, where she was a former Chair of the Mental Health Professional Group. She is on the Mental Health Advisory Boards of the AFA.
Peggy can be reached at 510-528-2750
Jan Elman Stout, Psy.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in infertility counseling who has recently relocated from Chicago, Illinois to Houston, Texas. She is a past Chair of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and currently serves on the Mental Health Advisory Council of the American Fertility Association. She can be reached by email at ElmanStout@aol.com
|
|
