#if frozen embryos are children then so are sperm

[christinareedy-love]

If frozen embryos are children, then doesn't that also mean sperm are children? So, every single dirty republikkkan that masturbates into a sock or whatever, is also a child murderer.

[abyssalaerlocke]

Human AU Clones

Figured this could stand on its own, but I wanted to share my thoughts on Raphael&Haarlep, and Bhaal&Durge, for my mafia AU.

cw for incest, organ trafficking/saviour sibling type stuff, and... forcefem?

This involves embryo splitting again, which is the process that causes identical twins — but artificially, through IVF, with one being implanted immediately, and one frozen for later. In this case, the context and age difference between the 'twins' is so great, their relationship is more like parent/child than siblings.

First, we have Raphael. He adopted Gortash, but he's refusing to get married, and clearly not likely to carry on the bloodline. So his father takes the leftover stored embryo and a surrogate and 'gifts' Raphael a 'son' of his own blood. As Haarlep gets older, cue a fucked up incestuous relationship between father and son/twin/clone.

Second, we have Bhaal (who canonically made his children to be consumed as a safeguard against death, and created Durge from only his own blood, without a mother). He made Durge from his own DNA to serve as an organ donor if needed — and has taken at least their balls when he got testicular cancer (they can at least produce testosterone, and potentially sperm with Bhaal's DNA). Then got Durge a vaginoplasty and tried to raise them as a daughter.

[mariacallous]

In October, Melissa began an in vitro fertilization cycle. A resident of Birmingham, Alabama, her fertility journey to that point had been not just difficult, but harrowing—earlier that year, she had nearly bled to death during a procedure to resolve a second-trimester miscarriage. When the IVF process yielded just a single viable embryo, she had it frozen, and a few months later started another cycle. “It’s very easy to lose an embryo,” she says. “This is such a delicate process.”

Melissa has a daughter, born when she was younger, but IVF represents her best and last chance to grow her family. After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last week that embryos are children, all of that is now on hold.

WIRED spoke with three women directly affected by the Alabama Supreme Court’s February 16 ruling, which stated that embryos are “unborn children … without exception based on developmental stage, physical location, or any other ancillary characteristics.” Fearing legal liability given the broad scope of the language, several of the state’s most prominent IVF providers—including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama Fertility, and the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Mobile Infirmary—have paused treatments. That means patients like Melissa, who is going by a pseudonym given the sensitivity of the topic, are stuck in limbo, and in some cases running out of options.

“I’m rapidly losing time,” says Melissa. The 37-year-old has an autoimmune disorder that she needs to plan IVF cycles around; her ovarian reserves are low enough that her doctors say she has a window of a month, maybe two, to try again. If the ruling holds for much longer, she may not have another chance.

During IVF, patients take hormone-stimulating medications to trigger their ovaries to release mature eggs. The eggs are then retrieved with a small needle and fertilized with sperm in a lab to form embryos. Sometimes a successful IVF cycle can result in several embryos, but doctors typically transfer just one or two into the uterus at a time. Success isn’t promised; about one in three embryo transfers results in pregnancy.

That makes Melissa’s situation especially urgent. There’s no guarantee that her one embryo will result in a birth. But the ruling has disrupted the lives of women at every stage of treatment.

Lochrane Chase started IVF in August, after nearly a year of trying to get pregnant and using less intrusive fertility treatments, such as ovarian stimulation. The 36-year-old Birmingham native was able to freeze and store over two dozen embryos, of which several appeared viable after genetic screening. An embryo transfer in October resulted in a pregnancy, but Lochrane miscarried a few days later. “It was the saddest I’ve ever been in my life,” she says. She tried again in December; again, she miscarried.

Before another scheduled transfer in January, her doctor noticed fluid in her uterine lining; Lochrane underwent surgery in mid-February to address the issue, and scheduled another embryo transfer for March 18. Despite the uncertainty caused by the ruling, she has started taking the necessary hormones anyway in hopes that the situation resolves by then. If not, the medications would have been for nothing, and she’ll be left with no way forward.

That’s due in part to the severity of the new restrictions on embryos in Alabama. Both Melissa and Lochrane looked into getting treatment out of state as soon as the ruling came down, but quickly found that was an unworkable solution. Companies that transport embryos have paused shipping out of the state while assessing the legal risks associated with the ruling. In a statement emailed to WIRED, a representative from the University of Alabama at Birmingham said the health system is working to identify a company that is willing and able to transport their embryos to another facility as soon as possible: “It is our goal to help patients who are interested in this option do so safely, but—at this time—there are no options available.”

Even if patients could transport their embryos, IVF treatment often requires close proximity with the health care provider, making it infeasible for many.

“You have to do blood work every three days. You have to do ultrasounds. To travel to go do that, it’s almost impossible,” says Melissa. Within 24 hours of finding out that her treatment would be affected, Lochrane had made contact with clinics in Boston, Atlanta, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina—conversations that ended when embryo transportation shut down.

The impact is one of lost time and opportunity, but also of cost. Lochrane says she and her husband have spent $50,000 on fertility treatments so far. Each transfer costs $3,500; each round of medication another $500 or so. For Paula, a 38-year-old Birmingham resident, the bulk of her expenses are carried by Progyny, a fertility insurance company that she has access to through her husband’s job.

Paula, who also asked to use a pseudonym, has already undergone one embryo transfer, in April of last year. It resulted in a miscarriage. She now has three frozen embryos left, and had gotten authorization from Progyny earlier this year to attempt another transfer. That authorization has a three-month window, which expires on March 28. “The concern is, if we don’t do it before March 28, will our insurance do another authorization for us, because we live in Alabama?” she says. “It’s been very stressful. My blood pressure has been through the roof.”

In an emailed statement to WIRED, Progyny CEO Pete Anevski said that health care providers “can shift the authorization as needed,” and that the company “will continue to support its member patients and its network providers in Alabama.”

That support can only go so far, though, as long as the Alabama Supreme Court ruling persists. While all three women have frozen embryos, even that practice may be at risk. One of the many uncertainties of the ruling is whether freezing of embryos will be able to continue. “The cryopreservation of fertilized eggs is an essential component of infertility care at this point, and that whole enterprise is very much threatened,” says Sean Tipton, chief advocacy and policy officer at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a professional organization that represents fertility specialists. Using frozen embryos for IVF is not only safe but has a higher success rate than fresh embryos.

It’s also unclear how the ruling will impact the egg retrieval process. About five to six days after fertilization, an early-stage embryo, called a blastocyst, forms. But not every fertilized egg goes on to develop into an embryo. This happens naturally, as well as in IVF labs. Under the Alabama ruling, this scenario could also open up a clinic to a potential lawsuit. “With this legal ruling, the question is, if an embryo fails to develop, will these health care providers be found liable for wrongful death or murder or manslaughter?” says Betsy Campbell, chief engagement officer at Resolve, an infertility nonprofit association based in McLean, Virginia.

In a Facebook post, Alabama Fertility Specialists said it is putting new IVF treatments on hold “due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists,” and is contacting affected patients.

In a statement emailed to WIRED, the University of Alabama at Birmingham said its Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is pausing egg fertilization and embryo development because of “the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for IVF treatments.”

The patients whom WIRED spoke with all shared a sense of crushing uncertainty and anger.

“People don’t understand that when you’re put in a position to make decisions like [IVF treatment], you don’t make it lightly,” says Melissa. “That it sticks with you forever. That it changes you. To have laws that prevent you from making decisions that—as gut-wrenching as they are, as hard as they are—that you can’t make them for the health of your family, it’s an indescribable feeling.”

Even Lochrane, a lifelong Alabama resident, says that the ruling has made her seriously consider leaving. “I feel so powerless in this state,” she says. Lochrane is on the board of local nonprofits, serves as a deacon in her church, and is deeply involved with numerous civic organizations. Her family is here, as are her friends. Still, she says, the last week has dramatically shifted her perspective. “If I could move to Boston and have an opportunity to have a family there but not in Birmingham,” she says, “I would be at the airport now.”

IVF providers, patients, and advocates are hoping that the Alabama legislature could allow IVF to continue in the state. Last week, Alabama House minority leader Anthony Daniels, a Democrat, introduced a bill that would establish that a “fertilized human egg or human embryo that exists outside of a human uterus is not considered an unborn child or human being” under state law. Republican lawmakers are also expected to introduce similar legislation soon.

“We’re hopeful that there will be a legislative fix,” Campbell says. How long that fix takes, though, will have life-altering consequences for many Alabama IVF patients. And if it doesn’t materialize, most will be left with no options at all.

“We have healthy embryos,” says Lochrane. “We just want to be able to have children.”

[alfvaen]

Summer's ended, not for the first time. I guess I can see that it was not as ridiculously hot and smoky as some of the other recent summers around here, but still not great. Also ended is another month, which means it's time for me to ramble about books and stuff.

Possible spoilers for Kim Stanley Robinson's "Science In The Capital" series, Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books, C.L. Polk's Kingston Cycle, and, for the last time for a while, Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Gentleman Jole And The Red Queen, completed September 4

Here I come at last to the end of my latest Vorkosigan Saga reread. And my first reread of this book at all. It came out after I reached the end of the series in my reread blog in 2015, which was probably the last time I did a full reread of the series up to that point. I did read a number of books in the series to my sons when they got old enough, but I was unable to persuade them to go much past A Civil Campaign with my lukewarm assessments of the later books.

My primary impression of my first read of the series is that nothing happens. Which I'm sure is not a fair assessment, but, basically, it does not reach the level of excitement of any of the previous books in the series whatsoever. I kept catching what I thought where clues about where the plot was really going to go when it picked up, and then every single time it turned out to be a false alarm and the plot continued to not pick up. It's a fairly gentle book, and I found that excruciatingly annoying.

Sure, we return to Cordelia, we return to Sergyar, we revisit some of the landmarks (literally) from Shards of Honour. See, the surprise ending of Cryoburn (which I am now spoiling for you all) is the death of Aral Vorkosigan, and all that we get to deal with it is five drabbles (100-word snippets from the point of view of Miles, Cordelia, Ivan, Gregor and Mark). For this book, it's three years later, and Cordelia, now sole Vicereine of Sergyar, is contemplating changing her life in two ways: by resigning as Vicereine…and starting some embryos of new children of hers and Aral's from his frozen seed.

We also get to really meet Admiral Oliver Jole, who's in charge of the fleet around Sergyar. Previously I only remember him as one of Aral's staff officers back in The Vor Game. And it is gradually revealed (perhaps a spoiler, but I don't really care) that that whole time, he was Aral's lover. In fact, Aral, Cordelia and Jole were a secret throuple. It makes a kind of sense, since, by Cordelia's assessment, Aral is bisexual but more attracted to men, particularly military men. He probably wants to be monogamous, to be a good Barrayaran, but Cordelia's from Beta Colony and they have far fewer sexual hangups, so she wouldn't care, and so he gets to have his same-sex relationship as well.

Cordelia tells Jole that out of her frozen eggs, some of them weren't viable, but they can do a thing where they can remove the nucleus and replace it with genetic material from another cell. Including a sperm cell. So she offers him the chance to create his own embryos with his and Aral's DNA. Which he accepts. And so now they're both gestating some children in uterine replicators…and then they end up starting their own affair. It sounded like they had had their own sexual encounters before, but only with Aral also participating; now they're trying a relationship with just the two of them, sub rosa at first.

About halfway through the book, we get Miles and his family coming to visit, which is nice to see (though it still doesn't lead to anything exciting happening), including all six of their kids. Miles is in the loop on his mother's plans for new children, but not about Jole.

There's also a few subplots--Jole's assistant who ends up dating a ghem-lord from the Cetagandan embassy, plans to build a new facility so they can relocate the capital away from its current too-close-to-a-volcano location that keep going awry, and bored teenagers getting into trouble (which provides one of the few moments of tension). One explosion near the end which provides one of the others.

When I think of similarly low-excitement stories from elsewhere in the saga, I mostly end up with novellas--"Winterfair Gifts", perhaps, which is maybe principally a romance; "The Mountains of Mourning", which was a mystery, and still had attempted horse-murder and firebombing, and infanticide, so it packs way more of a punch; and "The Flowers of Vashnoi", which still has a little drama in it. This one is attempting to be an entire novel and it feels like it doesn't have enough steam. It also kind of reminds me of Ursula Le Guin's Tehanu, which I recall being equally dull for large chunks of it, and even that had some excitement at the end. This one just feels like waving a languid goodbye.

Goodbye, Vorkosigan Saga. We'll always have Memory. We'll probably never get to see stories with Miles's children (or Cordelia and Jole's children, or Ivan's or Gregor's) growing up, outside of fanfic. Lois isn't being mean to the characters any more, they can have their happily ever after.

Jenn Lyons: The Ruin of Kings, completed September 11

It was time to try a new author again, a female author. But considering the last two books were SF and urban fantasy, probably not one of those, which was a bit of a quandary because many of the one I was interested in were one of those. But I browsed the epic fantasy books on my shelf and decided to go with Jenn Lyons. I've heard good things about it, and my wife recommended it (and has read the whole series), so I guess. It seems thick, but it's actually not even 600 pages in the copy I've got, and I'm not worried about long books putting me behind on my Goodreads challenge any more anyway. (Since I changed my goal from 100 to 90, then added those two short humorous library books, I've been consistently ahead. I might be able to fit in a Neal Stephenson before the end of the year.)

The book is oddly structured. In the first part, our main character, Kihrin, is in jail and being watched over a being named Talon who seems to have absorbed the memories of a lot of other people. They pass back and forth a "recording stone" and tell Kihrin's story at different points (Kihrin started later than Talon thought he should so she takes it upon herself to fill in the backstory). This happens over alternating chapters (labelled with who's doing the telling), fairly short, Kihrin's in first person and Talon's in third, and often from different POVs. Oh, and this is also being annotated by a different character that we don't even meet until half to two-thirds of the way through the book, who puts in footnotes that I'm not sure even add much value.

I'm not entirely sure it all works. There's the disorientation of the rapid timeline shifts, the confusion of when the further-forward timeline mentions something that hasn't happened in the backstory timeline, the fact that due to body-swapping magic I started to lose track of who was who and who was whose child/parent and who was dead and who was alive… Sometimes information was dropped that seemed irrelevant, and so I didn't retain it, until it turned out that hey, that god was going to be an actual character and things that happened centuries ago are actually relevant. It feels like a book I'm going to have to reread, and not because "it was just that good" but because there's so much that I missed the first time through. (For instance, it's got icons at the beginnings of chapters, which I missed about 95% of on my way through, even after I first noticed them.) I also belatedly noticed the family tree at the back, which might have been helpful earlier (or perhaps spoilery), and it's confusingly annotated because of the body-swap thing mentioned above. And yeah, a lot of godlike characters with weird relationships to each other and Kihrin. (I do actually kind of like Talon, who is an interesting and dangerously amoral character mostly being used a tool by others.) Plus a significant item which seemed to just randomly appear to the main character during the climax? That could have been done better with a little bit of foreshadowing and/or lampshading to explain why it was more than just a horrendous coincidence.

It reminded me in bits of other series. The backstory structure reminded me a little bit of the Kingkiller Chronicles, some of the characters and worldbuilding reminded me of the Eli Monpress series, and the mostly nasty noble characters made me think of Pierce Brown's Red Rising. I will doubtless continue reading the series, but it hasn't fully won me over.

Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, completed September 15

I definitely wanted a palate-cleanser after the Jenn Lyons, something that wasn't fantasy. And maybe not even speculative fiction at all. And, because of my schedule, with a male author. And Huckleberry Finn has been sitting there for a while…and sometimes even gets some discussion on Tumblr, mostly to do with people claiming it's a bad book because Huck uses the n-word, and other people rebutting that that's part of the whole point, having it examine Huck's learned racism, or something. So it's still being talked about, is the thing, more often than, say, Madame Bovary.

As you may have gathered, the vast majority of my reading is science fiction or fantasy, and very little of it is what anyone might call "literature". (My wife and I had a disagreement recently about whether or not Sherlock Holmes stories count as "literature". I think that they're detective stories and thus still kind of genre, like the Dick Francis books are thrillers. But it's a fine distinction.) I read very little mainstream until I was in university, when I decided to branch out a bit. I actually liked Thomas Hardy's The Return of The Native, so I went out and read some more on my own initiative (mostly I liked them except for Jude The Obscure), and I also liked Dickens and Twain and Victor Hugo, and to some extent George Eliot and Jane Austen. But most of it just doesn't scratch that itch and give me what I want in a read.

I am already somewhat familiar with the Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn milieu. Which is to say, I had a tape of the soundtrack of a Tom Sawyer musical when I was a kid (lost decades ago, I couldn't even hum any of the songs, but I remember the bit about the fence whitewashing and the confrontation with "Inj*n Joe" at the end), and I had the Classic Comics version of Huckleberry Finn so in theory I know basically how it goes. I read the actual Twain version of Tom Sawyer a few years ago, but I haven't read this one yet.

So, is it the greatest American novel ever written? Chyeah, right. I mean, it was fine, I guess. It had its moments. It was very episodic as they went down the river (and, as was lampshaded in the text, why would you head south down the river, apart from the obvious answer of "it's hard to go upstream", when you're trying to help a runaway slave get to free states)? It was entertaining in parts, when Huck was coming up with regular off-the-cuff entire fictional backstories. Constant use of the n-word, which I was expecting, though perhaps not quite that much. But it's first-person POV so I guess it's just Huck's vernacular. Still, I can see that it would be off-putting.

The most annoying parts of the book, I'd say, were the parts actually involving Tom Sawyer. Tom apparently has a mental disorder where he reads a lot of bad books and absorbs their clichés and then insists that all of the clichés have to be present every time or else you're not doing it right. We see it near the beginning of the book where he's trying to set up the local boys as bandits or something (though grudgingly he admits that it's all really pretend), but it also dominates the last quarter of the book. Due to outlandish coincidence, Huck is staying with Tom's uncle and aunt who think that he's Tom, and when Tom actually shows up he has to pretend to be his own brother Sid. But Jim has also been captured as a runaway slave and Huck wants to free him. And Tom insists that Jim has to do all of the prisoner clichés and make the actual rescue 1000% harder, to the point of having to spend days digging a tunnel, warning the household in anonymous notes, getting a grindstone for him to scratch messages on (which they have to actually let Jim out to help them do), giving him random animal companions, and I was not there for it. It was trying to be funny but mostly it just came across as stupid.

And the reason Jim got captured in the first place was because of these two con artists they'd been traveling with, who were generally referred to as "the duke" and "the king" because of their respective claims to alleged nobility. They are nasty pieces of work (well, not so bad as Huck's actually-abusive father that he fakes his own death to get away from in the early part of the book, but highly distasteful) that at least do manage to get themselves tarred and feathered by the end, but I didn't enjoy most of the time we spent with them. So if we take the other third of the book without them or Tom Sawyer, it was pretty enjoyable. The rest of the time it was mostly just tolerable.

Kim Stanley Robinson: Sixty Days And Counting, completed September 21

After the laugh-fest that was Huckleberry Finn, I didn't want something too light-hearted, and I was still feeling a little off fantasy, so I went through my male-author books looking for something else, like maybe some science fiction. It had been more than a year (my usual "long-enough" criterion for continuing in a series) since I read the last book in Kim Stanley Robinson's "Science In The Capital" series, so I thought it might be a good choice.

I'm not always the biggest Kim Stanley Robinson fan. His Orange County trilogy was middling, and while I did enjoy the Green Mars trilogy, some parts were a bit of a slog. But, to my surprise, this series has been pretty readable. It focuses on a group of people in and around the National Science Foundation in what is presumably a near-future or, by this time, possibly-alternate-near-past. (The books were published during the second Bush administration.) We have the Quibler family--Charlie and Anna, and their kids Nick and Joe, and then we have Frank Vanderwal. Frank starts out in San Diego but comes to Washington to work for the NSF, Anna also works there, and Charlie was an assistant for Senator Phil Chase. In the first book, Forty Signs of Rain, there's a big rainstorm and the capital floods; in the second, Fifty Degrees Below, there's a very cold winter and the Gulf Stream starts shutting down. Because the series is primarily about climate change.

Frank seems to have the most interesting plotlines--he meets a mysterious woman mamed Caroline during the flood, whose husband seems to be into some shady dealings such as election tampering, and they have an affair, and during the second book he starts sleeping rough in his van and in a treehouse in a local park; he may also have gotten a brain injury that affects his decision-making processes. Meanwhile, Senator Phil Chase ends up running for president (spoilers: he wins) and somehow manages to commit to trying to deal with climate problems (which is how you can tell this is actually science fiction).

There's also a subplot about a group of climate refugees from a fictionalized place called Khembalung in alternate-Tibet, who were displaced onto islands in the Indian Ocean which are now disappearing as ocean levels rise. Charlie deals with parenting young Joe (who some Khembali suspect might be a reincarnation of a Dalai Lama-type figure) while his job for Phil Chase becomes more important.

I guess the nature of the plot (and the fact that it's supposed to be mostly realistic) means that, without a large timeskip to the future, we can't have a strong resolution that ties up all the climate loose ends. We deal with the Caroline plot, and there is progress made on the climate problems, but the rest mostly seems to just…end at a point. Plus there are plenty of scenes which are just there for theme or atmosphere or something (did we really need to see so much of Charlie and Frank hiking the Sierra Nevada with some of Charlie's friends?) It didn't gel for me, and it's gotten to the point where it feels like alternate history more than extrapolation. I'm sure it won't be the last Kim Stanley Robinson I read, but I liked the other books in the series better.

Terry Pratchett: A Hat Full of Sky, completed September 24

Reread time again, and now that I've finished the Vorkosigan reread, what's next? Well, some of the series I've been rereading have been longer ones, but I couldn't settle on another one of those. I kept thinking of shorter series to reread instead. And when I did the Katherine Kurtz Deryni series in four trilogies, I found it was nice to stick my interstitial rereads one at a time in the middle of the series rather than put them all at the end, and that's also what I did during the Vorkosigan reread. So this time I am going to be doing three shorter series rereads, and my four interstitial rereads before and after each one.

Among the "interstitials" is my slower Discworld series reread. I elected not to reread the whole thing all at once, because that's like 40 books, that would have taken too long, so instead I've been doing one book per other series reread. In fact, I started the reread before I got into doing all the series rereads, apparently, way back in like 2005, before Unseen Academicals was even out, which explains how I've managed to get this far into the series at this pace. One or two a year, and it kind of adds up. (In the interim I did read a lot of the series to my daughter as well, from Mort through to where we bogged down and abandoned The Fifth Elephant) My wife, who had fallen behind in the Discworld series apart from Amazing Maurice and the Tiffany Aching books, elected to read the books she'd missed just fast enough to stay ahead of me. (And now that I'm actually reached the Tiffany Aching rereads she may end up pulling even further ahead.)

When I first read The Wee Free Men I had no idea that there would be more Tiffany Aching books (and I don't know if Terry Pratchett did, either). I don't recall that it made a huge impression on me at the time, then. It was definitely aimed at younger readers, with a young protagonist and the Nac Mac Feegles for comic relief (and tiny but sort-of-adult reinforcements), and I, at the time, was not a younger reader. But I did like later books featuring Tiffany, and so this is the one where things do start to pick up a bit.

Now she's no longer trying to do everything on her own, she's being taken into the witching apprenticeship track, such as it is, which is a bit of an adjustment. And this ain't no Harry Potter. This is more like, say, the first part of A Wizard of Earthsea, before Ged goes to the wizard's college on Roke and is still studying with Ogion on Gont. Or maybe Tehanu, which I haven't read nearly as much and don't remember as clearly. But we also have a spooky creature, like Ged's shadow, for Tiffany to confront.

Apparently when I first read this I was kind of meh on it, since I only gave it three stars on Goodreads, but this time around I liked it better, and I'll bump it up to four. The Nac Mac Feegle scenes no longer strike me as gratuitous comedic pandering, and the book does a good job of showing Granny Weatherwax's power as a witch, as well as Tiffany's burgeoning powers. (And one has to wonder if Lois McMaster Bujold read this before "Penric's Demon" or if it's just a coincidence.)

C.L. Polk: Soulstar, completed September 28

"Female diversity" slot time again. (Anyone else getting tired of hearing me call it that? The more I repeat it the worse it sounds. How about "non-white non-male"?) Last time around I snuck in another Michelle Sagara, and perhaps I should be trying one of the new authors I have piling up for this slot, but I did kind of want to finish this C.L. Polk series first. She(/they) is a person of colour from the Calgary area, though I've never managed to see her in person.

This book is the third in the Kingston Cycle, set in a kind of analog of Britain, where they use magic to keep huge storms from devastating them. The only trouble is, having magic is illegal unless you're part of the existing group of magic families, who guard their prerogatives jealously, and illegal witches are locked up (to secretly power the weather magic). The first two books concern two siblings, Miles and Grace, from one of these families, one of whom was hiding his identity after undergoing experiences likely to get him locked away, and the other trying to use her political power for good ends. For the third book, though, we switch to an unrelated side character, Robin Thorpe, who was one of these hidden witches, but the political landscape has now changed and they can come out of hiding--and need to, to save their country. Robin is heavily involved with an anti-monarchist group who wants a full democracy in the country; with all the upheaval, is it the right or wrong time to move forward?

The books also have romance subplots, which are…well, let's just say none of them are heterosexual. In this one, Robin is reunited with her nonbinary spouse who has been a captive for decades, so it's a renewal of relationship rather than a new relationship, but still with a romance feel to it.

There were times in the book where I was just seething at some of the horrible things the (generally rich and arrogant) antagonists were able to get away with, but in the end they got their come-uppances. It's a kind of a short book, actually, and at the end I did feel like I wouldn't have minded more of some plot threads, but overall it did feel like a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy. We also have Polk's The Midnight Bargain and clearly that will have to go on my shelf.

I also read a few more comics from April 1994 on Marvel Unlimited (and a handful of back issues, now that they've started putting those in again), and then I started reading the Ed Yong book An Immense World that I believe I got for my birthday a couple of months ago. It's about the senses that various animals and other living beings use to experience the world. My progress has been kind of fitful, depending on how my fiction book reading progresses in a day and whether I feel like just doing puzzles or games or something, but I can often manage a few pages near the end of the day.

[coochiequeens]

I am sympathetic because they were both given a bad hand health wise, but they are both in their 40's with bad medical histories. Have they thought about what would happen if the do manage to purchase a baby and cancer comes back in one or even both parents?

By Kate Varley Multimedia Journalist

A couple who plan to have a baby through surrogacy hope that proposed new legislation will bring their dream of becoming parents one step closer.

The Assisted Human Reproduction Bill will reach Report Stage in the Dáil today and if passed, will allow for the licencing and regulation of domestic and international surrogacy.

The Government has said it will give legal status to parents who already have children through surrogacy and the bill will also cover future cases.

Prospective parents, such as Deirdre and her partner Edwin, believe surrogacy is their only avenue to having their own child.

Both of them were diagnosed with cancer in recent years and Deirdre has eggs stored from before her treatment for endometrial cancer.

However, they had to use donor sperm as Edwin was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Because of this the couple believe there is currently no provision for them to gain parental rights post surrogacy.

"We have three embryos frozen that are made using donor sperm, but we have not been able to use them through surrogacy because of the current Irish legislation," Deirdre said.

"These changes would mean we have choice."

The gap in the legislation has left Deirdre and Edwin in a state of limbo, unable to move forward with their dream of having a family.

The couple hope the legislation is passed quickly.

"We don't have time on our side obviously. We've already done six years of IVF. I am currently 42, Edwin is 47 and we need this legislation to progress speedily if possible," Deirdre said.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Irish Families Through Surrogacy spokesperson Cathy Wheatley said that new legislation will give families hope.

"The current rules around surrogacy in Ireland is that there's no laws in place, it's not regulated, it's not something that you can go into knowing that you are protected and that everybody is protected and so the hope with the bill is that it will provide protection for all parties involved," she said.

She added that "the families, the surrogates, the children all deserve to be protected and that's why it's so important that we're doing this".

Ms Wheatley said that "what's really important is to remember that behind all of these policies and everything that the Government talks about are real families".

"They're real children and we have to strive to make sure that that they are treated equally and we've been assured by the Minister [for Health] and the Government that there's another bill coming in September to be able to right the wrongs, to tie up any of the loose ends that this bill doesn't cover. And that's really important for us."

[darksidelawyer]

Look, hon. It is the 2024 GOP platform!

If Vance had any stones--much less if he were a faithful Catholic--he would clearly, firmly and publicly state that he is opposed to IVF, notwithstanding what The Golden Golem Formerly From Gotham says.

Look folks, CATHOLICS CANNOT SUPPORT IVF. I know there are lots and lots of arguments being made right now that “Harris is worse than Trump” and “at least Trump wants more babies” but I am going to say it louder this time for the people in the back:  IVF is INTRINSICALLY EVIL and Catholics cannot support this.  At all. First, gametes (that would be sperm and egg for those whose high school biology class was in the distant past) are obtained illicitly.  Men are given a cup and sent to a room filled with porn in order to obtain their sperm.  I’m sorry to be blunt but this reality seems lost on people when words like “self abuse” are used to describe the process.  So let’s get real for a minute:  the future father is sent to a room in an IVF clinic to view porn and masturbate.  The mothers are pumped full of exogenous hormones to stimulate their ovaries into HYPERovulation so that 20+ eggs can be retrieved.   After the two gametes are obtained, lab techs get busy combining them in a Petri dish.  This actively creates teeny tiny human beings without the unitive & procreative aspect of the marital embrace.  Then, these tiny people are screened for suitablity and the undesirable ones are destroyed (this is the first point in the process where humans are murdered).   Then, mom is again pumped full of exogenous hormones to prepare her uterus to be a hospitable place for an embryo to implant.  During the implantation process, where the lab-created humans are transferred to the woman’s uterus in hopes of achieving pregnancy, many of the embryos will NOT survive.  This is point number 2 where death of human beings occurs. Once a woman becomes pregnant (notice I didn’t say “conceives” because the conception already happened….in the lab), the remaining embryos are cryogenically stored for future use.  This means they’re frozen.   If the woman becomes pregnant with more than one embryo, she is offered the opportunity for “selective reduction” which is a surgical abortion procedure to cull the number of unborn children in the womb to her desired number.   This is point number 3 where death enters into the process. After a baby is born (or miscarried as the failure rate of IVF pregnancies is very high), the parents may opt to thaw their frozen embryos and try again.  Many of these unborn children do not survive the thawing process.  This is death portal number 4.  If they are successfully thawed, then they are subjected to another intrauterine transfer procedure, which, as we said above has a high mortality rate for remaining embryos.  If the couple decides not to have any more children, the embryos can either be:

1. Destroyed.  This is a deliberate destruction of human life. 2. Indefinitely frozen.  It is estimated that right now in the United States there are more than 1.5 million embryonic human beings in cryogenic preservation tanks. 3. Sold to the biotech industry to be used for research and development of medical treatments and/or medical experimentation.

It has been said that only 7% of created embryos actually result in a live birth, and that anywhere between 15 & 30 embryos are destroyed for every baby born via this technology. This is just an outline of the process of IVF.  This does not take into account how this technology is being used to produce children for single women who want to be single mothers as well as the LGTBQ+ alphabet people. After reading this, does this process sound like something a Catholic can square with their conscience?  I hope not, because as I said the entire thing, from start to finish, is intrinsically evil. The GOP has made it very clear that they not only want access to IVF to be protected, but they want YOU to pay for it by requiring health insurance plans to provide coverage for it.  The mental gymnastics from the MAGA Catholics who want to defend Trump on this is really something to behold.  There is zero justification for this. IVF is not pro-life, even if the desired end result is a child.  The ends do not justify the means and we can’t commit grave evil to achieve good.  Nope. Sadly, there is no pro-life ticket this November.   I won’t support either candidate; in the end, I’d rather lose an election than lose my soul.

[pashterlengkap]

Christian conservative group opposes IVF for the most bizarre reason yet

The anti-LGBTQ+ group Family Research Council (FRC) opposes in vitro fertilization (IVF), a conception method responsible for roughly 2.3% of all infants born in the U.S. and often used by LGBTQ+ couples, because IVF clinics use pornography to get sperm from donors. “Pornography is an integral part of the IVF process. And the husband’s use of pornography is typically how sperm was obtained. That’s not good for a marriage. We know that pornography goes against what God tells us about the dignity of men and women in a marriage,” said Mary Szoch, director of the FRC’s Center for Human Dignity (the FRC’s anti-abortion division), in a recent video. Related A couple’s fight over frozen embryos could upend IVF access in Texas The case is no doubt part of the predicted “domino effect” stemming from the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling declaring embryos as legal children. Married heterosexual couples who regularly view pornography report higher levels of relationship dissatisfaction and are more likely to get divorced, according to a 2020 study. However, the study couldn’t show which way the causation ran. That is, it’s not clear if porn causes relationship dissatisfaction or if dissatisfied partners are more likely to view porn. LGBTQ+ news you can rely on Keep track of the ongoing battle against bias and for equality with our newsletter. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Of course, the FRC’s opposition to IVF is also shared by numerous Republican legislators who view fertilized embryos as living people and who view the discarding of such embryos as a form of murder. IVF, as it’s performed today, requires the creation of multiple fertilized embryos to increase the chances that at least one will lead to a pregnancy. To date, three states — Missouri, Alabama, and Georgia — have laws that grant personhood to fertilized embryos. Arizona enacted a law granting those rights as well, but it’s currently blocked. A dozen other states have introduced legislation this year that would legally declare embryos as people. IVF is also commonly used by same-sex couples to conceive children. As such, efforts to restrict IVF access particularly harm LGBTQ+ people who want to become parents. Mary Szoch of the Family Research Council is really digging deep to rationalize the organization's opposition to IVF: "Pornography is an integral part of the IVF process … That's not good for a marriage." pic.twitter.com/DQKGr2sP5I— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) May 22, 2024 While the FRC describes itself as a church and, previously, as an educational non-profit, it’s foremost an anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion organization, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was founded in 1981 by James Dobson, a longtime homophobe who also founded Focus on the Family (FOF), the largest theocratic-right organization in the United States. Both FOF and FRC oppose same-sex marriage and sex education in schools (except “abstinence-only”), support so-called conversion therapy, and generally oppose anything that promotes the so-called “homosexual agenda” — even concepts of tolerance and diversity which, according to Dobson, are “buzzwords for homosexual advocacy.” According to Dobson, the goals of this homosexual movement include “universal acceptance of the gay lifestyle, the discrediting of Scriptures that condemn homosexuality, muzzling of the clergy and Christian media, granting special privileges and rights in the law, overturning laws prohibiting pedophilia, indoctrination of children and future generations through public education, and securing all the legal benefits of marriage for any two or more people who claim to have homosexual tendencies.” Peter Sprigg, FRC’s Senior Researcher for Policy Studies, says that same-sex sexuality should be legislated and declared illegal and that “criminal sanctions against homosexual behavior” should be enforced. He also argued that repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy encourages the… http://dlvr.it/T7Q6bQ

[mothertobefertilityclinic]

Fertility preservation in hyderabad | Fertility preservation in hyderabad | Everything Explained by the Fertility Specialist - Mothertobe

Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad: Everything Explained by the Fertility Specialists at MotherToBe

In recent years, Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad has become an important option for individuals and couples who wish to delay childbearing due to medical, personal, or professional reasons. At MotherToBe, a premier fertility center in Hyderabad, our team of experienced specialists provides comprehensive fertility preservation services tailored to meet your specific needs. Here, we explain everything you need to know about fertility preservation, the techniques available, and how we can help you make informed decisions about your reproductive future.

What is Fertility Preservation?

Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad involves safeguarding your eggs, sperm, or reproductive tissues so that you can have biological children in the future. This option is particularly beneficial for individuals facing medical treatments that may impact their fertility, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. It is also an excellent choice for those who wish to delay parenthood due to career aspirations, lifestyle choices, or personal reasons.

Who Can Benefit from Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad?

Cancer Patients: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can adversely affect fertility. Preserving eggs, sperm, or embryos before starting treatment ensures that cancer patients have the option to have children in the future.

Individuals with Medical Conditions: Conditions such as autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders, or endometriosis can impact fertility. Preserving fertility before these conditions worsen can be a proactive step.

Delaying Parenthood: Many individuals and couples choose to delay parenthood to focus on their careers, education, or personal goals. Fertility preservation provides the assurance that they can start a family later in life.

Gender-Affirming Treatment: Transgender individuals undergoing hormone therapy or surgery may opt for fertility preservation to have biological children in the future.

Lifestyle Choices: Those who are not ready to have children but want to ensure they have the option later can benefit from preserving their fertility.

Fertility Preservation Techniques

At MotherToBe, we offer several fertility preservation techniques, each tailored to meet individual needs:

Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation): This process involves stimulating the ovaries to produce multiple eggs, retrieving them, and then freezing them for future use. Egg freezing is an excellent option for women who want to delay childbearing or those facing medical treatments that may affect their fertility.

Sperm Freezing (Semen Cryopreservation): Sperm freezing is a straightforward procedure where sperm samples are collected and frozen for future use. This technique is ideal for men undergoing treatments that may impact their fertility or those who wish to delay fatherhood.

Embryo Freezing: For couples, embryo freezing involves fertilizing the eggs with sperm in a lab to create embryos, which are then frozen for future use. This method can be particularly effective for those planning to undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF) at a later stage.

Ovarian Tissue Freezing: This experimental technique involves removing and freezing ovarian tissue, which can later be transplanted back into the body to restore fertility. This option is mainly considered for prepubescent girls or women who need immediate cancer treatment.

Testicular Tissue Freezing: Another experimental technique, testicular tissue freezing, is used for boys who have not yet reached puberty and cannot produce sperm. The tissue is preserved for future use when technologies advance.

The Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad Process at MotherToBe

1. Initial Consultation: Your journey begins with a consultation with our fertility specialists. During this session, we discuss your medical history, reasons for fertility preservation, and the best options for your situation.

2. Personalized Treatment Plan: Based on your needs, we create a personalized treatment plan. This includes scheduling any necessary tests and determining the optimal time for egg or sperm retrieval.

3. Retrieval and Preservation: The retrieval process is carried out with the utmost care and precision. Eggs, sperm, or tissues are then cryopreserved using advanced techniques to ensure their viability for future use.

4. Storage and Monitoring: Your preserved fertility materials are stored in our state-of-the-art facilities, monitored by our experienced team to maintain their quality and safety.

5. Future Use: When you are ready to use your preserved eggs, sperm, or embryos, our specialists will guide you through the process, whether it involves IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies.

Why Choose MotherToBe for Fertility Preservation?

1. Expertise: Our team comprises highly skilled fertility specialists with extensive experience in fertility preservation techniques.

2. Advanced Technology: We utilize the latest technology and equipment to ensure the highest standards of care and success rates.

3. Personalized Care: We provide personalized care tailored to each individual's unique circumstances and needs.

4. Comprehensive Support: From initial consultation to future reproductive planning, we offer comprehensive support throughout your fertility preservation journey.

5. Confidentiality: We understand the sensitive nature of fertility preservation and ensure complete confidentiality and privacy for all our patients.

Take Control of Your Reproductive Future with MotherToBe

Fertility Preservation in Hyderabad offers a valuable option for those who wish to secure their reproductive future. At MotherToBe in Hyderabad, we are committed to providing compassionate and expert care to help you navigate this important decision.

Visit our website or contact us to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can assist you with your fertility preservation needs. With MotherToBe, you can confidently take control of your reproductive future and keep the dream of parenthood alive.

[kiraninfertilitycentre]

The Path to Parenthood: Frozen Embryo Transfer and ICSI Treatment at Kiran Infertility Centre

Starting a family can be hard on couples who are infertile. They go through many emotions, and this journey is quite a challenge. Luckily, breakthroughs in the medical field have given hope to those struggling with conception. Among these methods are Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI). Both are offered by recognized establishments like Kiran Infertility Centre.

Understanding Frozen Embryo Transfer

FET has completely changed assisted reproduction by allowing embryos to be preserved until they are ready. In simplest terms, what happens is that previously frozen embryos are thawed and then transferred into the uterus at an appropriate time during a closely watched cycle. The procedure of Frozen Embryo Transfer at Kiran Infertility Centre is done with utmost precision so that chances of getting pregnant can be increased.

Navigating ICSI Treatment

ICSI treatment offers hope for men faced with infertility due to low sperm count or poor sperm quality among other problems related to normal fertilization process in couples. Specifically designed for such cases where there may be difficulty achieving fertilization conventionally because of male factor infertility or any other reasons like this.

It involves direct injection of one selected spermatozoon into each ovum obtained after ovarian stimulation to bypass all barriers limiting penetration through zona pellucida such as thickening associated with aging oocytes. This service is available only at theICSI Treatment in Hyderabad branch of Kiran Infertility Centre which deals exclusively with advanced reproductive options alongside individualized patient care during treatment periods.

Exploring Kiran Infertility Centre

Kiran Infertility Centre has been a source of light for people looking for assisted reproductive techniques around Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru. The center features cutting-edge amenities with experienced staff that provide holistic care to patients according to their respective needs. They not only provide state-of-the-art treatments but also ensure that clients get all the information required about their health conditions. 

Conclusion

It may not be easy for some to have children, but places like Kiran Infertility Centre in Hyderabad never lose hope in such patients by giving them new techniques and moral encouragement. Whether it is FET in Chennai or Bengaluru or ICSI Treatment in Hyderabad branch, every couple should always find something positive along the way towards building a family. This organization has high success rates within the field of ARTs (Assisted Reproductive Technologies). In brief, here people are empowered to realize their dreams of becoming parents.

[drmanjushrikothekar]

Understanding Donor Sperm Treatment in Mumbai with Dr. Manjushree Kothekar

For couples struggling with male infertility issues like zero sperm count, using donor sperm can enable parenthood. Especially when other assisted reproductive techniques fail. But the choice entails deep social, ethical and emotional considerations. This is where an empathetic fertility specialist provides invaluable support.

Meet Dr. Manjushree Kothekar, a leading IVF specialist practising in Mumbai for over 12 years. With extensive experience in fertility procedures like IUI, IVF, ICSI and donor gametes - she is the go-to expert for insightful guidance on sperm donation.

Why Opt for Donor Sperm Treatment?

Donor sperm may be recommended when:

The male has nil sperm count or too few viable sperm

There are severe abnormalities or genetic issues affecting sperm

Other fertility treatments have repeatedly failed

In case of single mothers by choice and same-sex couples

However, the choice of using another man's sperm to conceive is sensitive and needs understanding on both sides. This is why counselling sessions with an empathetic fertility doctor are so important.

What Does Donor Sperm Treatment Involve?

The process starts on day 2 of the female partner's menstrual cycle. Dr. Manjushree administers medication to stimulate follicle growth and development. Once the follicles reach maturity, donor sperm is introduced.

The sperm sample is acquired from a reputed sperm bank after rigorous testing. The frozen sperm is thawed and inserted directly into the uterus using a painless IUI or intrauterine insemination procedure.

Two weeks post insemination, a blood test confirms if conception was successful. If you conceive, pregnancy care and monitoring follow as usual. The chance of success depends on the woman’s ovarian reserve and uterine receptivity.

Why Choose Dr. Manjushree Kothekar?

With over nine years focused exclusively on IVF treatment, Dr. Manjushree Kothekar is among Mumbai's most respected fertility specialists.

Her experience spans a wide range of assisted reproductive techniques including IUI, IVF, ICSI, embryo and gamete donations. Her clinic also invests in cutting-edge IVF infrastructure for strategic interventions.

However, it is Dr. Manjushree's warmth and compassion that patients highlight the most. Her detailed consultations, ethical mindset and commitment create a safe space for intended parents. This emotional anchoring enables couples to make well-considered, empowered decisions on sensitive topics like sperm donation.

Make an Empowered Decision with Insider Tips

Dr. Manjushree shares indispensable guidance for intended parents considering donor sperm treatment:

Seek counselling and evaluate your readiness: Counselling creates awareness and sets realistic expectations about social, ethical and emotional aspects. This enables empowered decision-making.

Understand legal rights of donor vs parents: The donor legally relinquishes all rights over the child. As legal parents, you have complete parental rights. Knowing this prevents future anxieties.

Emphasize medical safety: Reputed sperm banks rigorously screen donors and test samples for diseases before freezing. This minimizes risks for all parties.

Disclose to your child appropriately: While disclosure is personal, children have a right to know their genetic history. Expert guidance helps determine suitable times and approaches for the same.

Take the First Step towards Parenthood

If you have weighed all options and feel ready to consider donor sperm treatment, the right guidance can make all the difference. By combining her clinical expertise with ethical, empathetic counselling, Dr. Manjushree enables intended parents to make empowered, well-considered decisions.

To explore your options for building a family, consult with the best fertility specialist in Mumbai today! 

To book a consultation with Dr. Manjushree Kothekar call on 97693 87593 or click here to learn more about donor sperm treatment.

[swldx]

BBC 0528 22 Feb 2024

6195Khz 0459 22 FEB 2024 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from SANTA MARIA DI GALERIA. SINPO = 55344. ID@0459z pips and newsday preview. @0501z World News anchored by Moira Alderson. A ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are considered children, and that a person could be held liable for accidentally destroying them, has opened up a new front in the US battle over reproductive medicine. The southern US state's largest hospital has paused its in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services in the wake of the decision, over fears it could expose them to criminal prosecution. The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system said it would continue retrieving eggs from women's ovaries. But it said it would halt the next step in the IVF process, in which the eggs are fertilised with sperm before being implanted into the uterus. Armed groups in Tripoli have agreed to leave the Libyan capital and to be replaced with regular troops, the interior minister announced on Wednesday, after a spate of deadly clashes. Western foreign ministers from the G20 group of nations meeting in Brazil on Wednesday, February 21, attacked Russia for its invasion of Ukraine as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov listened, diplomats said. “Russia must be made to pay for its aggression,” British Foreign Minister David Cameron told the closed session, according to his office. The top diplomats from the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and Norway made similar remarks on the first day of a two-day meeting. Boeing on Wednesday announced that it is replacing the head of its 737 MAX program in response to the mid-air panel incident involving an Alaska Airlines MAX 9 on January 5. Ed Clark, who served nearly 18 years at Boeing, departed amidst the company’s ongoing crisis, with efforts focused on enhancing quality standards. The collapse of an illegally operated open-pit gold mine in central Venezuela killed at least 14 people and injured several more, state authorities said Wednesday, as some other officials reported an undetermined number of people could be trapped. A British registered ship attacked in the Red Sea has been damaged but has not sunk, BBC Verify has discovered. The vessel's owner said it was being towed to Djibouti but could still sink. Scientists have worked out how some of the largest whales in the ocean produce their haunting and complex songs. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, has also revealed why the noise we make in the ocean is so disruptive for these ocean giants. @0506z "Newsday" begins. MLA 30 amplified loop (powered w/8 AA rechargeable batteries ~10.8vdc), Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 185°, bearing 49°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 7877KM from transmitter at Santa Maria di Galeria. Local time: 2259.

[medfemmee]

Egg Freezing: Is It a Good Option for You?

Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, is a fertility preservation technique that involves extracting eggs from a woman's body and freezing them for later use. This can be a good option for women who want to delay pregnancy until later in life, or who are concerned about their fertility due to medical conditions or cancer treatment. Reasons to consider egg freezing There are many reasons why women might choose to freeze their eggs, including:

 Age: Fertility declines with age, especially after the age of 35. Egg freezing can allow women to preserve their eggs at a younger age, when they are of higher quality. 

Medical conditions: Some medical conditions, such as endometriosis, PCOS, and cancer, can affect fertility. Egg freezing can be an option for women with these conditions who want to preserve their ability to have children in the future.

Cancer treatment: Many cancer treatments can damage or destroy eggs. Egg freezing can allow women to preserve their eggs before starting cancer treatment, so that they can still have children after treatment is complete.

Career: Some women may want to delay pregnancy until they are more established in their careers. Egg freezing can give them the option to do so without worrying about their fertility declining.

Relationship status: Some women may not be ready to have children with a partner yet, but they want to have the option to do so in the future. Egg freezing can give them that peace of mind. 

What to expect from egg freezing 

The egg freezing process typically takes several weeks. It begins with a fertility evaluation, which includes blood tests and ultrasound to assess your ovarian reserve (the number and quality of your eggs). If you are a good candidate for egg freezing, you will start taking fertility medications to stimulate your ovaries to produce multiple eggs. Once your eggs are mature, they will be retrieved during a minor surgical procedure. The eggs will then be frozen and stored until you are ready to use them. When you are ready to get pregnant, your frozen eggs will be thawed and fertilized with sperm. The resulting embryos will then be transferred to your uterus. The success rate of egg freezing depends on a number of factors, including your age and the quality of your eggs. However, studies have shown that women who freeze their eggs before the age of 35 have a good chance of successful pregnancy.

 Is egg freezing right for you?

If you are considering egg freezing, it is important to talk to a fertility specialist to discuss your individual needs and goals. They can help you determine if egg freezing is a good option for you and answer any questions you have about the process. 

Here are some things to consider when deciding if egg freezing is right for you:

Your age: Fertility declines with age, so the earlier you freeze your eggs, the better. Your medical

history: If you have any medical conditions that could affect your fertility, egg freezing may be a good option for you.

Your career and relationship goals: If you want to delay pregnancy until you are more established in your career or until you have found a partner, egg freezing can give you the flexibility to do so. 

The cost: Egg freezing can be expensive, so it is important to factor in the cost of the procedure and storage fees. If you are unsure whether or not egg freezing is right for you, talk to a fertility specialist. They can help you weigh the pros and cons and make the best decision for your individual needs.

[ivfcenternepal]

Why do people choose a fertility center in Nepal to have a baby?

Below are the reasons that attract people to choose a fertility center in Nepal to have a baby. These are:

1. Experienced and Qualified Professionals: Fertility center Nepal hires experienced and qualified professionals who are 100% committed to achieving successful results. These experts have more than 15 years of experience in infertility treatment. The experts at this center are trained professionals who enable pregnancy for women over 40 years of age.

2. Inexpensive treatment: IVF center Nepal offers people worldwide a cheap treatment that helps many couples conceive their children. Offering such a reasonable cost of infertility treatment does not mean that this clinic lowers the quality of treatment. They provide first-class treatment at a low price so that everyone can easily afford the treatment and happily enjoy their parenthood.

3. Success rate: To date, the success rate of taking babies home from fertility center in Nepal is relatively higher than other fertility clinics in Nepal. The experts at this clinic use the latest and advanced technologies to treat common and complex infertility cases.

4. Environment: The other clinic staff of this best fertility treatment center in Nepal provides a pleasant and comfortable environment to people worldwide, whoever visits this clinic for fertility treatment. The reason for offering such a friendly environment is that it helps people focus on their treatment to get the best possible result from the procedure.

5. Patient Care: Patient care is the top priority at this fertility center in Nepal. The experts at the clinic offer individuals the best personal and emotional care, knowing that IVF is one of the most critical processes that require a lot of time, energy, and money. Considering the dream of having a baby, the experts at this center try to make the dream of a baby come true as best as possible.

What are fertility treatments available at this best fertility center in Nepal?

Below are the fertility procedures available at this best fertility center in Nepal and they are:

1. IVF: IVF is a direct fertility procedure where experts at a fertility center in Nepal collect the birth parents' eggs and sperm and fertilize them in an IVF lab until an embryo is formed. Once the embryo is ready, the specialist selects the most active embryo and implants it into the mother's uterus to achieve a successful conception.

2. ICSI: ICSI is an advanced fertility procedure where professionals directly inject a single sperm into each egg to activate fertilization. After fertilization, the embryologist places the created embryo in the woman's uterus for a successful pregnancy.

3. Egg Donation: It is a procedure that is useful for women who cannot produce enough eggs for fertilization. In this procedure, experts at a fertility center in Nepal borrow eggs from young, healthy, fertile women and fertilize them with the birth father's sperm to create an embryo in an IVF lab. Once the embryo is formed, an experienced embryologist transfers the embryo into the womb of the genetic mother for a successful pregnancy.

4. FET (Frozen Embryo transfer): This is a procedure where a fertility specialist uses a couple's leftover embryos from a previous IVF cycle and transfers them to the mother's uterus for a successful pregnancy. It is a procedure where the chance of a successful pregnancy is higher than with the transfer of a fresh embryo.

5. PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Disease): In this procedure, fertility experts at a fertility center in Nepal examine a single cell from an embryo to ensure that they transfer an embryo free of the genetic disease into the woman's womb so that it does not affect the growth of the infant.

6. Embryo donation: In this procedure, a couple who has had a successful IVF treatment and wishes to donate their remaining embryos to other couples looking for help building their family. Couples who want to freeze their embryos at a Nepalese fertility center must pay a certain amount for freezing.

What do experts from fertility centers in Nepal advise people to make their infertility treatment successful?

For fertility procedures to be successful, people must follow specific steps. These are:

1. Choose the best fertility center: By choosing the best fertility center in Nepal, the couple already takes a step forward to achieve the highest success rate because the success rate depends on the fertility centers, professionals, counselors, etc. Fertility professionals are the ones who give their best to achieve a successful outcome of the procedure.

2. Eat healthily: Expert advises couples to eat a lot of food rich in protein, monounsaturated fats, etc., as it increases the fertility of the woman and also helps in the development of the fetus in the womb. Healthy eating habits will increase the chances of treatment success.

3. Meditation: Experts recommend that a couple meditates before fertility treatment as it is a good exercise that reduces stress. The woman will be calm during the procedure, which is crucial for achieving successful results.

4. Avoid drugs and alcohol: Fertility experts at Fertility Center Nepal suggest that couples stop consuming alcohol and drugs at least one month before their planned infertility treatment to achieve a successful outcome.

5. Avoid strenuous exercise: A fertility expert advises couples to avoid strenuous exercise as it lowers a woman's fertility level, resulting in less chances of conceiving. Heavy workouts can also lead to pregnancy loss and cause embryo implantation failure. When planning infertility procedures, couples must limit complex exercises and opt for light activities such as yoga, walking, or swimming under proper supervision.

6. Rest: A fertility expert suggests that couples get plenty of rest, which helps regulate melatonin levels and develop healthy follicles for fertility treatment.

[techvisely]

Exploring the Ethics of In Vitro Fertilization

In vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) are two common fertility treatments that have helped countless couples around the world conceive children. These treatments are available at various fertility clinics and hospitals, including Motherhood IVF Hospital in Hebbal and HRBR, which offer a range of infertility treatments.

While IVF and IUI have helped many couples realize their dream of having a child, they also raise ethical concerns that must be considered. The ethical implications of these treatments are complex and multi-faceted, and they require a careful examination of the procedures involved, as well as the social and cultural context in which they are practiced.

One of the key ethical concerns associated with IVF and IUI is the use of reproductive technologies to manipulate human reproduction. IVF involves fertilizing an egg outside the body and implanting it in the uterus, while IUI involves placing sperm directly into the uterus to facilitate fertilization. These procedures may be seen by some as an intrusion into the natural processes of human reproduction.

Another ethical concern is the cost of these treatments. IVF and IUI can be expensive, and not all couples can afford them. This raises the question of whether access to reproductive technologies should be considered a basic human right, and if so, how can it be made more affordable for those who need it?

There is also the issue of multiple births, which can occur when more than one embryo is implanted in the uterus during IVF. While multiple births may be desired by some couples, they can also increase the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth, both for the mother and the children. This raises questions about the responsibility of IVF doctors in Hebbal and HRBR to ensure that the number of embryos implanted is safe for both mother and child.

Furthermore, IVF and IUI treatments can lead to ethical issues around the disposition of unused embryos. Many couples who undergo IVF produce more embryos than they need, and these embryos can be frozen for future use or donated to other couples. However, this raises questions about the status of these embryos and the ethical implications of discarding them.

In conclusion, IVF and IUI treatments in HRBR have helped many couples conceive children, but they also raise important ethical concerns that must be carefully considered. These concerns include the use of reproductive technologies to manipulate human reproduction, the cost of these treatments, the risks associated with multiple births, and the disposition of unused embryos. As such, it is essential for IVF doctors and fertility clinics to practice these treatments in a manner that is ethically responsible and sensitive to the needs and values of the patients they serve.

[ssfertilitycenterchennai]

A Comprehensive Guide to IVF Treatment Options Available in Chennai: What You Need To Know

In today’s world, it’s not easy to become a parent. That is why more and more people are turning to assisted reproduction as their go-to method for having children. There are many different ways that people can have a child, as long as they use in vitro fertilization treatment. Fertilization is the process of combining sperm with eggs in order to generate new life. This involves placing mature eggs in an artificial environment known as an incubator or laboratory setting, and then stimulating them so that they start producing healthy new cells. Even if you are unable to conceive on your own, there are still numerous fertility clinics in Chennai that can help you achieve parenthood. Through assisted reproduction, you can have your own biological child through the services of a surrogate mother or through donor eggs and sperm from a friend or family member who has agreed to be a donor.

How does IVF Work?

In order for a woman to get pregnant, she must have a healthy egg and a healthy sperm. When these Best fertility hospital in Chennai two things happen in the right order at the right time, conception will occur. There are different ways that doctors can help couples have a child. The most common way to get pregnant is to take one of the woman’s eggs and fertilise it with one of the man’s sperm in a laboratory setting. When you do this, it is called in vitro fertilisation. Doctors can use many different kinds of fertilisation techniques such as IVF, ICSI, or IVF/ICSI. This decision is based on factors like the age of the woman, her health, the quality of the egg, and the man’s quality and quantity of sperm.

Assisted Reproductive Technology in India

Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART, is the process of using medications or techniques to help a couple become pregnant. There are many different types of ART treatments available for people to choose from, depending on their health and fertility issues. There are two main types of ART: Assisted Hormone Reproduction, or ART using medications to help with ovulation or fertilisation, or GENETIC ART, where DNA is altered in order to create better embryos. There are also various alternative ART treatments like ACOUSTIC RESEARCH, which use soundwaves to encourage a woman’s egg to mature, or HATCHIE, a method that uses a special gel to encourage a woman’s egg to stick to her partner’s sperm.

What is an Invitro Fertilisation Treatment?

IVF is a procedure that involves taking eggs from the woman and fertilising them with sperm in the lab. The fertilised eggs are then transferred back into the woman so that they can be incubated in an attempt to grow a healthy baby. There are many different ways to treat and help with infertility. If a couple is having trouble conceiving a child with their own biological eggs or sperm, IVF is the best treatment method to try. There are two types of IVF (IVF treatment in Chennai): assisted reproductive technology (ART) and autologous IVF.

Types of IVF Treatment in Chennai

- IVF /ICSI Cycle: This is the most common IVF treatment in India. It involves taking mature eggs from the woman and injecting them with a cocktail of medications to stimulate them to mature and develop into healthy embryos. The woman may also take male hormones to stimulate her egg production. - IVF /ICSI Cycle with ICSI: This is a variation of standard IVF/ICSI treatment. In this case, a doctor performs microsurgical sperm retrieval to extract the man’s sperm directly from his testicles. This is then used to fertilise the woman’s eggs. - Autotransplant Cycle: This treatment route involves taking a mature egg from the woman, fertilising it with the man’s sperm, and then transplanting that egg back into the woman’s uterus. - Autologous Egg Retrieval: This treatment approach involves taking a mature egg from the woman and fertilising it with the man’s sperm. The woman then keeps that egg frozen until she is ready to have her own children. - Egg Donor Cycle: This is a treatment option where a woman receives donor eggs instead of her own. A woman may choose this treatment method if she has a genetic condition, has a low chance of having healthy children, or wants to use donor eggs given to help other women have kids.

Advantages of IVF treatment in India

It’s available to almost anyone who wants it. No matter what stage of your fertility you are in, there is a treatment option that can help you become a parent. - It is a safe option for those who are essentially “doing it alone.” You don’t want to rely on your partner or a partner from the internet, you want to be healthy and in a committed relationship. - It has a very high success rate and is usually less expensive than other methods of fertility treatment. - It can help you have a biological child from a partner or donor. - You can start trying for a baby as soon as you finish your education. - You don’t need to be under a certain weight or age to try for a baby with IVF.

Disadvantages of IVF treatment in India

It is expensive. While IVF treatment is the best way to have a child, it is also the most expensive option. - It’s not guaranteed to work. While the odds are in your favour with these treatments, there is no guarantee of success. - It can take a long time to conceive. Most couples conceive after six months of treatment, but some may need as much as two years of treatment. - It can damage your health. You are putting your body through a lot of strain trying to become pregnant, and this can affect your health. - It can cause certain genetic mutations. If you have a condition that makes it harder for you to conceive, it may make it even harder for you with IVF treatment.

Conclusion In today’s world, it’s not easy to become a parent. That is why more and more people are turning to assisted reproduction as their go-to method for having children. There are many different ways that people can have a child, as long as they use in vitro fertilization treatment. People who are struggling with infertility often turn to IVF treatment in order to become parents. While there are many positive aspects to this treatment option, it can come with a hefty price tag. IVF treatment costs a lot of money, so many people struggle to afford it. A little bit of extra information on these treatment options can make a big difference in the quality of your life.

[kiame-sama]

Technically they would side with Papa Hades first. He has frozen Human embryos, sperm, and eggs. He really just needs a proper Human womb (not even a fertile one) to have a good number of pure Humans born. He has tried to make artificial ones, but the Human has the exact womb he needs to make quite a fair number of Human children with his stored banks of DNA and sex-cells. They won't even need to be related to the Human herself, just need the right conditions from her womb to carry to term so he can make an accurate artificial one.

He hopes he can study the womb of The Human- should she ever become pregnant, or even if she doesn't- to fix the multitude of prior failed wombs. He isn't going to force her to or pressure her to allow him to study her womb, but he does desperately hope she will allow it on her own.

Ik we all hate Erikir BUT HEAR ME OUT PLEASE HE SO CUTE. LIKE IF WE IGNORE HIS ANNOYING ASS FUCKED UP PERSONALITY HE IS VERY CUTE

You don't need to ask me to hear you out, I intentionally made this little shit hot as fuck and a jerk. He is a spoiled rich prince who got almost anything he wanted when he demanded it, he IS pretty, he IS fairly strong from working on a literal ship as a Helmsman, he STILL sucks. He is 'friends' with Neige but is awful and thinks less of Neige because Neige is an orphan. Beautiful to most, his personality is still trash.