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We had a wonderful time last weekend as the Platinum Sponsor at the Men having Babies NY conference. The members from our Worldwide Surrogacy team included me (Vicki Ferrara), Jen McArthur, Erin Colonnese and Jackie Unger. As usual, MHB prepared a wonderful conference at the JCC on Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. We stayed at the NYLO hotel and had a fun cocktail party for our parents and friends the evening before the conference in the wonderfully cozy and cool NYLO bar.

            As a surrogacy matching agency, our team guides, informs and educates diverse and hopeful parents through their journeys with compassion, professionalism and the highest ethical standards. Worldwide Surrogacy is a Connecticut agency that assists many Intended Parents from the U.S., Europe and Asia to achieve their dreams of having children and families.

            For gay men who want to become parents, the Men Having Babies educational conferences are a rare opportunity to get under one roof a wealth of information, advice and access a wide range of relevant service providers ? and from an unbiased non-profit organization. 
            The conference is based on a format MHB developed over the last 11 years in NY, San Francisco, Dallas, Brussels, Chicago and Tel Aviv. This year the Gay Parenting Expo was held in a larger dedicated space, the in-depth workshops and panels were updated, and arranged in program tracks that appealed to prospective parents on different stages of the process. 
            The conference was co-sponsored and hosted by the LGBTQ Department at the JCC Manhattan. This centrally located, modern and larger JCC facility allowed MHB to accommodate a growing number of exhibitors and prospective parents. The proceeds from sponsorship and exhibiting fees benefitted the Gay Parenting Assistance Program.

            I was on a panel dedicated to budgeting for surrogacy and we discussed insurance options, surrogate compensation and surrogacy agreements. There are essentially standards of compensation for gestational surrogates. Women who apply to become surrogate mothers usually have a pretty good idea of the compensation they may request. A reputable agency will align Intended Parents with wonderful surrogate mothers who are requesting fair and reasonable compensation within the known and customary standards of compensation.

            The attendees at the conference had the benefit of meeting some excellent physicians who are reproductive endocrinologists and who specialize in gestational surrogacy, egg donation, egg retrieval and in vitro fertilization. At the conference, there were presentations on the medical aspects, the legal needs and additional information on egg donation, insurance and financial concerns.

            One of the very fine things about the Men Having Babies conference is the personal stories panel. This presentation consisted of parents who had their children as well as their gestational surrogates. The presenters discussed their experiences from being matched through the birth of their baby, and how their relationships evolved during the medical and pregnancy phases. This group of presenters is crucial because it will show the prospective Intended Parents that having children in this way, though complex, can become a reality, and the experience can be warm, relational and fulfilling. The conference attendees are able to foresee their own journeys and keep their hope and faith alive that their dreams can come true. Men Having Babies has several conferences throughout the year in such places as New York, Brussels, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Chicago and Dallas.

            For those interested in becoming parents, you may want to read David Lat's article about his journey with Worldwide Surrogacy in Esquire Magazine. And for those interested in becoming surrogate mothers, it is worthwhile to read our book entitled, Labor of Love. Also check out Eight Reasons to Use Surrogacy Agencies