Happy 4th of July from NYC!

Happy 4th of July! It is so wonderful to read all of the good news in Blogland, from the great scans and egg retrievals, to the new BFP's, to the recent births and to people's journey's coming full circle.

Well the good news is that Brian and I are working hard to save money for treatment and we have a plan! I will be doing IVF again under my insurance coverage in September/October and I will be shipping my frozen embryos and Brian's sperm to India using Greg at Core Cryobank. If our embryos don't take, then we are prepared to use an egg donor and I am at peace with that. I have been inspired by so many of you who have come full circle in your journeys and you give me the strength to keep on going even though our first journey to India was unsuccessful.

Oh and we have decided on a clinic a pretty darn good one at that. Now it's just a matter getting the rest of our money in order before we officially get started, as we wanted to have a large chunk of change in the bank and not just the money for the initial transfer and program fees. Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Feeling Like Katniss

Katiniss Everdeen- Independent, Strong-Willed, and a Survivor Against All Odds... Katniss often struggles with her inner-self as many of us on this journey called infertility do. But one thing is for sure, when life throws obstacles in your way, you have to get up and fight. Things went well with my regular RE and most importantly we have a plan!

My May To-Do List
*Have my FSH re-tested (Hasn't been tested since last year)
*Have my AMH tested
*Deposit the hubby's swimmers at our RE's clinic
*Reach out to Core Cryobank

Just like the Dandelions in The Hunger Games symbolize hope for Katniss, India is a symbol of hope for us. This journey through infertility can be fearful but if you have hope...

 “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear“

Searching...

Hello Fam!

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but work has been busy, busy, busy! After the new year, I started searching for a new clinic and I am taking my time as I want to make the RIGHT choice! This time, I am only looking at clinics in Mumbai and New Delhi!! With lots of prayer, I believe God will allow me to make the right decision. I want to cycle in August, and I have an appointment next week with my regular fertility doctor in NYC to discuss if I will do a cycle in NYC and ship my embryos to India, since I have insurance coverage or just go to India and do a fresh cycle. Family, feel free to chime in...

I want to send thoughts and prayers out to Bernadette, Scarlett and Hayden as well as Jill...

Avey and Hari, I am glad things are progressing ;)

Temmy you are almost there!

Allie thanks so much for checking on me ;)

New Year= New Clinic...

The hope of a New Year brings with it so much anticipation. So much can be accomplished in a year if you reach for your dreams and try. IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, DUST YOURSELF OFF AND TRY AGAIN. For several reasons things did not work out with our original clinic in Ahmedabad, India. With that being said, we are most definitely looking to switch to a clinic in MUMBAI or NEW DELHI and self-cycle in August. Flights on Emirates are reasonable during this time. Brian will be depositing his swimmers in March/April and then we will have them shipped from NYC to India. We are sending enough swimmers so that if our Self-Cycle does not result in a BFP we will be ready to move ahead with a DE cycle. Wishing all of you a prosperous 2012!

In India...

My flight from Sharjha, United Arab Emirates to India was a smooth one. I arrived at the hotel via a pre-paid taxi, but I am looking forward to taking a ride in one of those Tuks Tuks. My appointment at the clinic is this afternoon so I will eat breakfast and get some much needed rest before heading out.



Leaving Sharja Airport



Arriving at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport



My Hotel Room in India

Incredible Travisa...

Today was a good day and I went to my appointment at the Indian Travisa Office at 316 East 53rd St, New York, NY. This Travisa office only processes Indian Visas. My appointment was at 9:20 AM and I must say that that my appointment went smoothly. When you walk up to the building, there is security and a line outside. Security checks you appointment time and you are either told to cut your cell phone off and go upstairs because it is close to your appointment time or you are told to wait online outside until it is closer to your appointment.

Once you reach the second floor you are greeted by a room full of INCREDIBLE INDIA campaign pictures, and a friendly multi-cultural yet efficient staff who check all of your documents at an initial check point. Everything moves quickly, because Travisa has you fill your Indian Visa application online.



Once you pass the initial check point you are sent to a second line to turn in your Visa application, Passport, 2 passport size photos and pay your Visa fee. I got a 6 month Tourist Visa and I only had to pay $76. There are no extra fees or outsourcing fees. My Visa application was sent to the Indian Consulate today (an email from Travisa about an hour after I left confirmed this) and my Visa will be available for pick-up tomorrow or Friday between the hours of 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM and I will be notified by email and a text to my cell phone when my Passport/Visa are ready for pick-up.

I loved going to Travisa in person and I loved the fact that I could hand my Passport over to them and not worry about mailing it in. I would highly recommend going into the Travisa office as they are definitely organized and make the process for getting an Indian Visa a smooth one.


Currently on Follistim :)

On Lupron...

I can't believe how time has flown by since Thanksgiving, and in 2 weeks I will be headed to India. I had my baseline appointment and first ultrasound with my Dr. in NYC and right now I am on Lupron. My Dr. in NYC and my Dr. in India have been in contact recently regarding the progress of my cycle, and all is good!

Lupron prevents premature release of eggs from the ovaries. Lupron is a very small daily subcutaneous injection given just under the skin. Now I am waiting for a bleed since I am off BCP's, so I can start Follistim, the medication that will grow my follicles where the eggs are contained.

My appointment with Travisa is at the beginning of next week. I am so thankful I live in New York City. I will be going into the Travisa office in person and my Visa should be processed for same day pick-up later that evening!



Praying I start stims by Friday...

So Thankful...

I am truly THANKFUL that God has allowed me to see another year and that he is making my trip to India possible! I am also thankful my IVF Meds arrived on time. I am on Day 2 of Birth Control Pills and I start Lupron in December. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Dubai Anyone?

FLIGHTS BOOKED!!!


Hello Fam,

I know it has been a while since I have posted, but after months of researching the most cost effective options for my trip to India, I finally purchased my tickets and I will be flying out at the end of December. I will be flying from New York City to Dubai and then on to India. Flying into Dubai first saved me $900 on flights! I will be spending 2 days in Dubai and I am really looking forward to that.


My doctors in New York and India have been communicating and planned my IVF Calender to a T. I begin Birth Control Pills November 22 and my first Ultrasound and Baseline are December 10 both in New York. Praying I grow lots of follicles for my Egg Retrieval in India. There has been so much great news lately and I want to send a huge CONGRATS to Temmy, Jeff & Kevin, Bernadette and Rene'!

Next item on my Agenda, hotels and my Tourist Visa!

Something's Coming...

Could it be? Yes, it could.
Something’s coming, something good,
If I can wait!

Something’s coming, I don’t know
what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great!

~Leonard Bernstein- Westside Story



So, it looks like Something Great is Coming: I will be in India towards the end of December. I have a consult this week with the IVF Nurse at my clinic in New York who will create my IVF Calender for November/December and order my IVF meds. I will start my IVF here in New York and fly to India for Egg Retrieval with Dr. B. My clinics in India and New York have been great and have been coordinating to God willing make this cycle a success.

Sending out a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Bernadette and Duane on their BFP!!!!!

Laugh to Keep From Crying....

I know that God allows us to go through trials and tribulations for various reasons. Sometimes those trials and tribulations are so tough, that we have to LAUGH to KEEP from CRYING. We now have another trial to add on our journey to becoming parents:




This morning I was contacted by Dr. B to let me know that our embryos had arrived in India, (it only took 5 days) but that the dewar that the embryos were shipped in was at room temperature and the liquid nitrogen surrounding our embryos had all evaporated, which is not good news. Dr. B ROCKS because he called the shipping company this morning from India before I even called them and he sent me copies of the time an temperature paperwork that he had to sign once the dewar was delivered to him.

I ended up using a shipping company that my clinic in New York recommended and they have been very helpful today regarding this very hurtful matter that most likely all of our embryos have been lost, and have agreed to refund us the shipping costs. In addition they are doing an investigation to find out what could have happened between New York and India, including looking at all of their data logs.

We have decided to still press forward on our journey and open our hearts to God asking him to guide us as we make our way...

WHATS NEXT?

*I have an IVF Consult with my Dr. in New York this coming Wednesday

*We are currently working on the Surrogate Agreement with Dr. B

*I will start another Fresh IVF Cycle with my clinic in New York as soon as possible (I have to take Birth Control Pills for 3 weeks so the earliest the ball would get rolling with the actual meds and injections is October), and they will coordinate with Dr. B, so I can fly to India when it is time to do my Egg Retrieval (this will save me from taking a lot of time off from work) and then do a transfer into my chosen Gestational Carrier

Look out India, CocoaMasala is on the way.....

Snowbabies Enroute...

So our little Snowbabies are finally on their way to India and Dr. B! The shipping company sent the tank to my clinic in NYC last Wednesday, the embryologist loaded my Snowbabies and they were picked up by the shipping company on Friday and are now enroute to India! Estimated arrival: Wednesday August 31...

The EYES are the Window to the SOUL

The Eyes are the Window to the Soul ~Leonardo DaVinci

The Eyes have so much symbolic meaning dating back to Biblical times. In Christianity the Eye of God is depicted hovering over a tent, which is symbolic of the Tabernacle - the temple of the faithful. The eye here represents the omni-present spirit of God peering into the soul of the faithful - ever watchful over those who serve.

In our Dreams the meaning of eyes indicates an opening into a new dimension. This is symbolic of your vision clearing and focusing in on a new direction. It may also indicate your ability to see past what is common and spiritually arrive to the point where your inner vision perceives all things in their divine glory - even the simplest of things become inspired with an exquisite quality inherent in all nature.

Earlier today I received a few Gestational Surrogate Profiles from the Foreign Patient Coordinator at my clinic. I must say emotions were invoked in me today, as I began looking through the profiles of the women who would ultimately be responsible for caring for my baby for 9 months. There is something amazing about looking into someones eyes, when someone looks at your eyes its like they can see everything you've done. They can see compassion, joy, pain, laughter, anger, and hope.

I looked into the eyes of the Gestational Surrogates that were sent to me, looked at their typed profiles (all of them were healthy, fertile and had at least two children) and then looked into their eyes again. I immediately was drawn to one particular Surrogate and in her eyes I saw hope and compassion...




Sending out a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Kerrie and Mark, today is Baby Cailyn's BORN DAY!!!

My First Safe Wire Transfer to India

So, yesterday was a significant day for me and a very nervous one. I did my first international wire transfer to my clinic in India from my bank to their international bank. With so many wire transfer scams out there I was nervous, not about my Dr. or clinic, but just about the fact that I was sending money overseas. Doing a wire transfer with the branch manager at my bank was great and helped calm my nerves. My clinic sent me all of their bank account and SWIFT code information as well as their Intermediary Bank's information here in the US and then the branch manager took care of the rest. I then got a very detailed 2 page receipt about the transaction that I scanned and emailed to my Dr. in India. Here are some great tips from ehow.com on the safest ways to send money overseas:

PayPal
PayPal is among the most recent forms of online technology that send and receive money. Make easy, safe transactions between two parties in two different countries with a verified PayPal account, linked to your credit card or bank account. More than 190 countries are covered by PayPal's payment system. Once you make a payment, the payee receives an email that funds have been received and you are able to track the payments.


Wire Transfers
Wire transfers are known for their safety and enhanced speed. Wire money to a person in any country, provided that the recipient has a valid bank account where the money can be withdrawn. Have all the banking details of the recipient (including account number and bank routing number) in order to make a wire transfer. Send funds by either using cash or by draft from a bank account. A transaction takes two to three days to complete, depending largely on the countries involved.


Western Union
This service is available at various local stores worldwide, with more than 220,000 agent locations in nearly 200 countries. Western Union charges transaction fees but ensures that the payment is secure. Send any amount of money safely, but for sums more than $3,000, you must meet certain security requirements. Online payment is restricted to $999.99 with a 20-day revolving period. You can track the funds sent by a money transfer control number, or MTCN.


USPS International Money Orders
A money order is basically an order for payment of a specified amount of money. It is considered safer than a personal check, as the funds shown on it are prepaid. The United States Postal Service sells these money orders as a third party. An international money order valued up to $700 to 30 countries can be purchased for $3.85.


Cashier's Checks
For the safest way to send a large amount of money using ordinary postal mail, send a cashier's check. They are better than personal checks, as they are prepaid (whereas you have no way of guaranteeing the amount shown on a personal check). The one problem with these checks is that they are usually issued in another currency, so fluctuating market rates can affect your net withdrawal amount.

Zen-Like

zen. noun. Complete and absolute peace.

It has taken a while to get to this point, but I am finally here. I can finally say that although I have been on a long and difficult journey trying to stay pregnant I am at peace about using a gestational carrier. My Dr. here in the U.S. has diagnosed me with an immune issue where my body is attacking its own cells and I have had a total of five miscarriages in a row in the past three years, but on a positive note we seem to make great quality embryos that make it to the blastocyst stage. I could undergo extensive immune treatment here in the States, but Brian and I agreed that we have no idea what type of impact or long term side effects these drugs will have on my body or overall health. What's more I am honestly tired of treatments and I am tired of putting my body through miscarriage after miscarriage. I have tried everything from Predisone, Dexthamethasone to Lovenox. The only reason I would undergo IVF again is strictly to create more embryos to transfer into a Gestational Surrogate.

Regarding India, we have finally chosen a Dr. and clinic!!! We have 9 frozen embryos, and we will be shipping them to India via Greg at Core Cryolabs at the end of the summer. Although I can't seem to carry a baby to full term, I am thankful for the gestational surrogacy options in India that will still allow me to have a biological child, even if he/she grew in my heart. Congrats to Chai Baby and Gemma on the birth of their adorable twins, and congrats to Sequined Saree Dreams on your recent Big Fat Positive!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6





So, for the past couple of weeks I have been soul searching and praying about what our next steps should be. We have 7 frozen embryos from our recent fresh IVF cycle, which ended in my 5th consecutive miscarriage. We also have two frozen embryos from a previous fresh IVF cycle done last year, so that's a total of 9 frozen embryos. In my heart of hearts I can tell you I am tired of going through miscarriage after miscarriage. They are physically and emotionally taxing on the body. In my heart of hearts I can tell you Brian and I are realists and as we are about to kiss our mid thirties good-bye we know that we are truly blessed to have these embryos that have been frozen at the blastocyst stage.

Brian has told me that he feels my pain and can't stand watching me go through loss after loss. I have the option of going through an FET here in the USA, but why? The last FET I did last May ended in miscarriage after two strong betas. I know that anything can happen and miracles do happen but, I have decided to listen to my body for now. I have decided to step out on FAITH and pursue Gestational Surrogacy in India.

Does this mean that as a woman I don't want to experience pregnancy? Of course not. Is it the end of the world if I don't? Absolutely not!! What is most important is becoming a parent whether our embryos grow in my womb or in my heart. Since my body keeps rejecting my own tissue, in the future I have the option of pursuing Donor Eggs (where the eggs of a younger fertile woman and Brian's sperm are transferred into my womb) to experience pregnancy up until the age of 55. At this point in our lives, Brian and I realize and both strongly agree that Gestational Surrogacy is going to give us the best option of trying to have a biological child.

I believe God has placed a desire in my heart to have children. I believe I will have children although it may not be the way that I planned. Lord knows I did not plan on pursuing Gestational Surrogacy in India. When one door closes I believe another door opens. I have contacted Greg from Core Cryo Labs and he was very prompt and detailed with his response. I know with him my snow babies will be in good hands. I have an appointment with my Fertility Dr. to discuss my next steps and I am going to tell him I am stepping out on FAITH through a new door, a new door of opportunity in India....

A View to a Search

I can't believe it has been 8 months since we have started this blog! Within that time, our research into the various IVF/Surrogacy clinics has given us a beautiful VIEW from Northern to Southern India.



Here is a SNEAK PEEK into the locations of some of the clinics we are strongly researching and some of the unique landmarks within each city:


New Delhi, India

Baha'i Lotus Temple

Mumbai, Maharashtra India

Victoria Terminus

Ahmedabad, Gujarat India

Ashkardam Temple

Anand, Gujarat India

Anand Milk Union Limited Complex

Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India

Charminar

Chennai, Tamil Nadu India

Makka Masjid

Stay Tuned...

Why India?

U.S.= Only for the Wealthy?
In the U.S. the cost of Gestational Surrogacy can be daunting. In the U.S. Intended Parents must cover the costs of a Agency Fess (unless they use an Independent Surrogate or are blessed enough to have a family member or friend carry for them) Surrogate Fees, Fresh IVF cycle or Frozen Embryo Transfer, Medical Expenses, Travel Expenses, Legal Fees, Maternity Clothing and have extra money in escrow in case there are any complications that arise from the birth. Total Price Tag: Anywhere upwards of $70,000 +

Panama
My grandparents are from Panama and I have Panamanian blood, so naturally when I found out that Panama was joining the commercial Surrogacy route through Planet Hospital I was excited to do some research. The Planet Hospital program in Panama is through Dr. Mario Vega who is the Medical Director of the Punta Pacifica Reproductive Center. Pros: I am part Panamanian, I speak Spanish, Panama is only a 2 hour flight from the U.S., Dr. Vega is highly educated and did a Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship in New York. Cons: The Surrogacy program in Panama is brand spanking new and I am not feeling being anybodies guinea pig, and finally the cost through Planet Hospital is $36, 500 for me since I am using my own eggs.

Thailand
Thailand is currently trying to give India a run for it's money in the world of commercial Surrogacy. The prices seem comparable to that of India so I thought it was worth doing some research as any consumer should do to become informed. Pros: Thailand is a beautiful country, plane tickets are slightly cheaper than flying to India, Surrogates in Thailand tend to be very healthy because of their diet. Cons: Surrogacy in Thailand is not that established, the legal issues of Surrogates are not that clear, many potential Intended Parents in forums I came across have complained about agencies/brokers trying to take advantage of them, I could only find information on one doctor with great reviews for IVF and two hospitals that are known for specializing in Surrogacy.

The Ever Growing World of Pro Surrogacy in India
Commercial Gestational Surrogacy became legalized in India in 2002. The cost comes to about $25,000, roughly a third of the typical price in the United States. That includes the medical procedures; payment to the surrogate mother, which is often, but not always, done through the clinic; plus air tickets and hotels for two trips to India (one for the fertilization and a second to collect the baby). Pros: India is known for having skilled medical professionals. The Indian clinics are making it even more convenient for International Intended Parents knowing that at times the lifestyles of other cultures can be quite hectic. You can start your IVF cycles in the U.S. with your own fertility doctor so your stay in India is minimal. If your husband can't be there you can ship or carry his sperm to India or if you guys have frozen embryos you can ship those to India as well. Surrogacy Law is governed by contracts and under guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research, surrogate mothers sign away their rights to any children. A surrogate’s name is not even on the birth certificate. Surrogates help foreign couples achieve the possibility of having a child biologically related to both or one of the Intended Parents and the Surrogates are able to earn an income to provide a better way of life for their families. Cons: Once the baby or babies are born, the process to bring them back to the United States in our case and getting their U.S. can be quite overwhelming. On top of getting a Passport and an Exit Visa for your baby you have to fill out various forms at the U.S. Consulate and this process can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks.