Alex specializes in reproductive law and is well-known for helping families with third party assisted reproductive techniques including donor egg, donor sperm, traditional and gestational surrogacy, as well as adoption. Alex’s legal career began in 2004 in Newfoundland and Labrador where he practiced with the Legal Aid Commission in Labrador. Alex gained experience in the areas of criminal defense and family law, appearing regularly in both the Provincial and Supreme Courts. Alex worked with Alberta Justice Civil Litigation – Family Law representing the Director of Child and Youth Services. Alex’s educational background includes a Law Degree from Dalhousie University Law School, and a BA from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Alex volunteered as a board member with the Children’s Legal and Education Resource Centre from 2004 until 2013. He currently volunteer’s with Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund and is a member of the executive of Canadian Bar Association, Family Section

Anna is a part-time high school senior Math teacher, is married with two children in Adelaide, and birthed as a surrogate in September 2020 for two Dads. She has been closely involved in the Australian surrogacy community for some years now, has conducted research with surrogates, has been involved in government enquiries on surrogacy reform and provided talks at annual surrogacy conferences. Anna is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Surrogacy Australia Support Service (SASS) and now runs regular webinars for the community.

Christian Bair and his husband Stefan made the decision in 2018 that they no longer wanted it to be just the two of them in life. They started their fertility journey at the beginning of 2019 Christian engaged in California USA and found a great clinic with a great team.  They were fortunate to find a great surrogate who they are still in regular contact with. On April 20, 2020 their daughter was born in Kings County California. Based on Christian’s experience he likes to help others pursuing surrogacy. Christian is the European Support Manager for Pacific Surrogacy & Egg Donation.

During the Cobid-19 travel lockdown, Craig helped dozens of Australian couples to travel for egg donation or surrogacy to Ukraine, Georgia, US, Canada and Greece, ensuring that if and when flights are cancelled, there were always back-ups plans. He prides himself on his extra-ordinary work behind the scenes to get parents overseas in time for the births of their much anticipated children.

Dean E. Masserman is a highly experienced and respected trial and family law attorney. He has handled in excess of 40 jury trials, 100 court trials and an estimated 5000 court hearings over the course of his 28 year career in both federal and state court.

Mr. Masserman serves as chairperson of the firm’s family law and complex litigation practices, and also acts as a mediator in dissolution matters. Mr. Masserman also counsels physicians and IVF clinics regarding their guidelines and protocols to avoid litigation.

Mr. Vorzimer and Mr. Masserman were also part of a small group of attorneys who assisted Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes in drafting AB1217 which codified the current best legal practices regarding surrogacy agreements in California, and was added to the California Family Code as Section 7962.

Dr. Andrea Marta Quinteiro Retamar qualified as a doctor in 2007. In 2012 she finished her Gynaecology training, and in 2013 completed her training in Reproductive Medicine through the National Academy of Medicine in Argentina. She is the author of scientific papers, has  presented at national and international congresses and written book chapters. In the last 10 years she has co-ordinated CEGyR’s surrogacy and donor egg programs, including PGT testing. 

Dr. Kumar is board certified in reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology and practices near Los Angeles, California. In recent years Dr. Kumar has focused his efforts for those that have had difficulty conceiving and require an egg donor and/or gestational surrogacy. Over half of his current patients are from overseas which include Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, & the UK. He has been asked to present his work across the world including Australia, India, China, and Italy and has contacts in numerous clinics that collaborate closely to provide seamless care.
He has worked with world-renowned leaders at both UCLA and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Kumar has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals on endocrine and surgical aspects of infertility. Dr. Kumar has written several textbook chapters on management of tubal factor infertility and ovarian function including premature ovarian failure, and has a special interest in hormonal and functional causes of infertility such as polycystic ovary syndrome, tubal disorders, male factor infertility, and donor/surrogate reproduction. He is also a member of the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society and American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Complimentary One on One Consultations are Available with our expert speakers. To book your expert speaker contact them via drkumar@westernfertility.com

Peter is an experienced infertility specialist with over 20 years’ experience in assisted reproduction.  He is highly regarded internationally due to his academic achievements and practical patient focused approach. Having just concluded a four year term as President of the Fertility Society of Australia, Peter’s ability to facilitate collaboration, develop and implement ways to improve clinical practice and results for patients is renowned.

Moving to Australia in early 1996, Peter  is Medical Director of IVFAustralia. His qualifications include  an accredited sub-speciality in infertility and he is a Fellow of both the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London.  Peter is a Royal College examiner in the Certificate of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.

He has an international reputation in the field of reproductive medicine, and has published over 70 research papers and book chapters, and provides regular media comment in Australia. His special interests are in reproductive endocrinology and female fertility disorders and he has served on a number of senior committees of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Peter takes great pride in the fact IVF Australia is a RANZCOG appointed training ground for fertility specialists of the future.

Dr Rebecca Deans is an internationally recognised researcher in the surgical management of benign gynaecology and endometriosis and has a special interest in paediatric and adolescent gynaecology. Day to day, she works as a gynaecologist at the Royal Hospital for Women, a fertility specialist at the RHW Fertility Research Centre, as the only paediatric and adolescent gynaecologist at Sydney Children’s Hospital and is a senior lecturer at UNSW School of Women’s & Children’s Health. Dr Deans is the lead researcher of a collaborative uterine transplant project. In January 2023, Dr Deans and her team performed the first Australian uterine transplant at the Royal Hospital for Women. She is the recipient of the 2023 NSW Women of Excellence Award.

Dr. Uliana Dorofeyeva started her professional career as coordinating first international cooperation in Ukraine based on import of sperm and export embryos which developed into numerous international partnerships and has become recognized worldwide. She studied me started her professional career as coordinating first international cooperation in Ukraine based on import of sperm and export embryos which developed into numerous international partnerships and has become recognized worldwide. She studied medicine in Lviv National Medical University and practiced in such countries as Ireland, Israel and Great Britain. Dr Uliana has over 12 years of experience in the IVF field, performed over 3000 treatment cycles for patients from 32 countries.

Dr. Vuk Jovanovic is an internationally respected fertility specialist.  He focuses on providing exceptional care to the LGBTQ community in Southern California.  He completed his postgraduate medical training at Duke University and Columbia University in New York City.  Double board-certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and OB/Gyn, in the United States and Europe.

Dr. Vuk Jovanovic ranks among the top fertility doctors in Los Angeles. Beyond providing services in Southern California, many patients travel from all over the world to seek his expertise as a reproductive care provider.  He is constantly working to find new ways to maximize patient success rates and use the latest technology and optimized treatment protocols

Dr. Vuk Jovanovic is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and actively attends meetings on both continents.  Apart from his expertise and excellent success rates, he will provide compassionate and personal care to every single client. He has helped numerous couples in the United States and across the world achieve the dream of parenthood and is happy to serve his patients in Southern California and beyond.

Emma Solly is a graduate of the University of Queensland, where she studied Biomedical Science. Following graduation, she worked in private pathology for seven years in London, UK, until her return to Australia in 2011. Since that time, Emma has been prominently involved in all aspects of service provision of the DNALabs laboratory, including administrative, operational and scientific components. Emma is the Administration Manager of DNALabs, a NATA-accredited DNA parentage testing reporter, and has an extensive and detailed knowledge base in the fields of relationship and parentage testing. Emma’s long-standing experience has seen her facilitate DNA testing for surrogacy cases internationally, including in Thailand, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Canada, USA, Ukraine and Georgia.

Ester Nunez is the owner of SudAmerica Surrogacy, an agency which has supported South Americans, UK and French couples with the help of a multi-lingual team. She is a family and surrogate lawyer and a partner in Abogados Numa. Ester is a member of the Bar Association of the City of Buenos Aires and the Bar Association of San Isidro as well as the Argentine Association of Lawyers for Gestational Surrogacy. Ester is a regular participant in congresses, seminars, courses and conferences, is the author of several legal publications and is fluent in Spanish, English & French.

Hanneke has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She worked as Director of Marketing for Philips Healthcare and was based out of Europe, Asia, and the US. She joined the SurroPlans team after building her own family with her husband in Seattle. Originally from the Netherlands, Hanneke brings her fun-loving attitude and friendly approach to the SurroPlans team.

Heather has an extensive background in customer service with a passion for developing partnerships and solutions. Supporting  intended parents and co-ordinating sperm, egg and embryo shipping globally are Heather’s areas of expertise with our network of couriers.

Mariela is an experienced and compassionate psychologist and counsellor who has specialized her practice in fertility and human reproduction for more than 13 years in Argentina. She has a comprehensive knowledge of human reproductive technologies and the emotional or psychosocial aspects of infertility. As a counsellor, she provides emotional support to individuals and couples who undergo IVF treatments. This support may be sessions focused on preparing clients to face the emotional burden, making decisions and exploring coping strategies., working with people undergoing gamete donation on implications of having a donor-conceived child, disclosure, legislation regarding donors, and screening egg donors and surrogates. She has relocated to Melbourne and going through AHPRA ( registration process with local authorities) to start working as a Fertility counsellor in Australia. 

Megan founded Surro Connections after seeing first-hand the need for this unique company both Domestic and Internationally. Megan is directly involved with every Intended Parent and Surrogate Mother who becomes a part of Surro Connections. Megan is the mother of 3 beautiful children, 1 born through IVF and has been a Gestational Surrogate for three other families as well. Her experience in deeply rooted careers after graduating with her MBA in both Business Administration and Accounting were not nearly as fulfilling as the work she does today with each individual involved in Surro Connections.  She has also met all qualifications to be a Mediator within the State of Oregon.

Melissa Sharman is one of those wonderful women who loves to give. Gold Coast-based, she is the founder of Egg Donation Australia, a forum with 600 active donors. She is a nurse and mother of two and has also completed sevral surrogacy journeys. She will discuss how Egg Donation Australia works and the etiquette and tips around locating an altruistic donor in Australia

Monica has dedicated her life to guiding and supporting Intended Parents and surrogates through their surrogacy journeys. Monica is the Agency Director of Accel Conceptions, she is open-minded and leads with her heart – the epitome of compassion and fierce advocacy. She has two decades of industry experience and nursing background, there is no such thing as a silly question — seriously, just ask her!

Nana has over 2 years of experience in the management of reproductive and genetic health programs in Georgia. She joined the ReproART team recently as the Head of the Personal Managers department and continues supervising the live programs of ReproART’s precious intended parents from all over the world. Prior to joining the reproductive health industry, Nana spent over 13 years in London and calls it her second home. At ReproART, Nana’s role is to help intended parents plan their reproductive health programs in Georgia together with professional program managers.

Rita has 30 years experience as a psychologist and 25 years experience working in IVF settings. She is the Manager of Monash IVF Counselling Services. Rita maintains a special interest in female and male reproductive health and reproductive grief and loss. Currently primarily involved in providing counselling and assessment for surrogacy and  complex donor cases for local and overseas recipients. She is a member of Fertility Society of Australia, Australian New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association, Australian Psychological Society, the APS and the College of Counselling Psychologists

With 16 years looking after sensitive freight, as PAKAIR’s Australia’s General Manager, Rodney’s team provides a strong and proven International Network specialising in Time Critical & Temperature Sensitive cryo-shipping. PAKAIR has major Operations in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and the USA. Rodney and his team have been vital in the safe shipment of sperm and embryos from Australia to clinics in the USA, Ukraine, Greece and Georgia.

Sam Everingham is the Global Director of Growing Families.  He has become one of the globe’s foremost commentators and researchers on donor & surrogacy trends and capacity. Through conferences, seminars and consulting he has assisted over a thousand singles and couples to plan safe and reliable routes to building families through surrogacy & donor IVF.

Sam has two daughters, Zoe & Ruby, via surrogacy and therefore is very aware of the issues, struggles and frustrations along the surrogacy path.  With a background in public health and research he is also the author of several books.

Samantha Esteves is an experienced nurse in the Ovum Donor & Surrogacy Program at CReATe Fertility Centre. Her clinical role involves overseeing the care of ovum donors, surrogates, and Intended Parents from the start of their journey all the way to their graduation from the program. Samantha works very closely with the CReATe physician team to execute egg donor IVF cycles, and surrogate embryo transfers. Samantha is a member of the American Reproductive Society for Medicine, Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society, and The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. Samantha also sits on the Patient Care Committee at CReATe, and continuously seeks to improve the patient experience. She is incredibly passionate about patient safety, advocacy, and comprehensive patient care. Samantha has a keen interest in prenatal education and prenatal care, and is currently in the process of obtaining her Perinatal Nursing certification.

Sarah Bevan has practised solely in family law since the commencement of her career nearly 20 years ago.  She has been an Accredited Specialist in Family Law through the Law Society of NSW since 2005.  Sarah is an accredited arbitrator.  She regularly presents legal education papers on family law to the legal profession.  On the panel of lawyers appointed to act as the Independent Child’s Lawyer in proceedings under the Family Law Act.

Sarah Bevan Family Lawyers are experts in surrogacy.  They have assisted many Australian and international intended parents and surrogates. Sarah led the team responsible for the landmark NSW decision for the first same-sex couple to be registered as parents on their child’s birth certificate, after that child was born through a surrogacy arrangement.

Complimentary One on One Consultations are available during the event. To book please email Sarah: sarah.bevan@sbfamilylawyers.com.au

Diagnosed with cervical cancer and endometriosis, Sarah Maree has had to go down the path of IVF and now surrogacy. An award-winning radio presenter, she came out of the Melbourne lockdowns gigging hard. Sarah Maree has toured Australia performing improv comedy shows at Perth’s FRINGE WORLD, Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Her solo stand-up show One Womb Please! has just finished its run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

Sarah Maree is a trained singer, dancer, actor and comedian and is an Ambassador for the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation and Endometriosis Australia. She can be heard on Triple M Melbourne hosting afternoon weekdays . She won an Australian Commercial Radio Award (ACRA) for Best Networked Program. In Melbourne, she spent time at Fox FM, followed by 4 years at Nova Entertainment, where she also hosted the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Radio Show, Summer Breakfast, Summer Drive and Late Nights. With a love of sports, Sarah Maree has presented live to camera reports to crowds of more than 100,000+ people “Sarah Maree is piss yourself funny. Bring nappies!” 

Scott is a Dad to four kids, Having a family is important to him, so his role running Egg Helper’s clients gives him immense satisfaction. Scott’s background in the medical industry started over twenty years ago, and his passion has now brought him to head up EggHelpers. Scott’s ex-wife has been a Surrogate many times as well as an egg donor several times. Scott is now also the CEO of Canada’s largest surrogate support agency, CFC.

Shawna is a manager with Gifted Journeys, a California based egg donation and surrogacy agency.  She has worked as a Cycle Director for egg donation and surrogacy cycles for over 9 years.  In addition, Shawna was an egg donor to several wonderful intended parents, as well as a surrogate for a high profile couple in Los Angeles, CA.  Shawna has been featured in People Magazine and took part in a reality series documenting her surrogacy journey. She has also been a presenter for Pregnantish, the first online magazine that helps people navigate the realities of infertility and fertility treatments. Shawna currently lives in Danville, CA. with her husband and two amazing children.

Stephen Page is a dad through surrogacy., he has also had infertility. Admitted as a solicitor in 1987.  Stephen is a principal of Page Provan, Family and Fertility Lawyers, Brisbane.  He has been an accredited family law specialist since 1996.

Since 1988 Stephen has advised in over 1750 surrogacy journeys for clients throughout Australia., and at last count 32 countries overseas. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (including of its LGBT, Forced Marriage and Parentage Committees).  A Fellow of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.  And an international representative on the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Committee of the American Bar Association. Stephen is a board member of Access Australia’s Infertility Network Ltd and of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Ltd. Stephen lectures in Ethics and the Law in Reproductive Medicine at the University of New South Wales. In his spare time, he loves reading his husband Mitchell’s book about their family: Lizzie’s Day at the Zoo.

Steven is the Territory Manager for Tammuz Family Australia & New Zealand and also an  parent via surrogacy journey in Colombia with his partner. He has a wide range of career experience in business, international airlines and hospitably before finding his passion for all things family and surrogacy. He is very excited to share his own unique story from the view of an intended parent while also being able to educate other parents on the many affordable destinations and guaranteed plans that Tammuz can offer.

Tamari is an experienced international fertility manager,  with a long history working in local and international health care industry, a Medical degree and a Master’s degree in Public Health and Health Policy. She initially ran programs solely in Georgia and has recently opened a groundbreaking surrogacy and donor program in Argentina. Her specific interest is in the inter-dependencies of global and national practices, in how policies are written  based on different regional contexts and translated into real medical solution to ensure better health outcomes.

Complimentary One on One Consultations are available. To book please email tamarikachlishvili@yahoo.com

Adam and his husband Angus welcomed their first child, daughter Vivian, via domestic surrogacy in 2022 – the only surrogacy to have featured on the recent Channel 9 docuseries, Big Miracles. The couple’s journey to parenthood spanned more than a decade, having pursued adoption while living abroad, overseas surrogacy before meeting their local surrogate and now lifelong friend via the Australian Surrogacy Community, with the support of Adam’s sister as their egg donor. Adam is an award-nominated journalist and freelance writer. He is currently writing his first book about their surrogacy journey, in a bid to boost awareness about Australian surrogacy and the many intricacies and emotions involved.

Amy has three beautiful children and when she was 29 decided she wanted to help bestow that joy and contentment onto other couples/singles, via donating her eggs. Since then, she has done 5 rounds of IVF for 4 different couples and have 4 gorgeous donor children. Donating has been a rewarding and fulfilling journey for Amy, though it doesn’t come without its tribulations and tears .  After she finished donating, Amy went onto having another babe of her own. 

Beth is a single mum of two. At around 31 Beth looked into egg donation. She later looked at surrogacy and met her recipients,  gay couple Tyson and Daniel on the Australian Surrogacy Community. Beth was a first time surrogate and undertook counselling and legal advice to meet Victoria’s PRP requirements before undertaking an embryo transfer. Their first transfer worked. Her boys were eleven and six when she carried. She will discuss her motivations, journey during Covid-19 and expectations as an altruistic surrogate.

Carmen is married with two boys of her own. She agreed to carry a baby for her cousin and her partner. They first started the process in 2018 which resulted in two failed transfers in 2019. Their third transfer was successful in Feb of 2021 and Carmen birthed baby Abigail on 16 November 16 2021 via c section. She will discuss the ups and downs of the process, how they overcame hurdles, what support she required and much more.

Chad & his twin brother Todd were born via altruistic surrogacy in Melbourne in 1999, before Victoria even had lawyers in relation to surrogacy, so their parents needed to adopt their own children when they turned 18. Chad is now 24 years old!

After five years of infertility and what felt like endless heartache, Charlotte and her partner  were referred to the Mediterranean Fertility Institute in Chania, Greece in order to undergo treatment using donor eggs. The process was made easier with the coordination support of Growing Families, and the incredible care and treatment by the Institute, who went above and beyond to make Charlotte’s dreams come true. After five months in Crete and their  seventh IVF cycle in total over our journey, Charlotte now has a beloved and precious daughter.

Daniel and Tyson always wanted a family since they began their relationship 12 years ago. They joined the Australian Surrogacy Facebook group in 2018 where they began their journey. They created embryos with their donor and they met their surrogate online through the surrogacy Facebook group where they began an amazing friendship. They welcomed their baby girl London in December 2021. Daniel will outline how they connected with a local surrogate, what relationship they formed and how the support process worked.

Daniel and his partner Gaetano have created their family with the help of SurroConnections in Orgeon. They are now w a family of five! SurroConnections have been with them through each step so the couple feel they now have an extended family. They worked with surrogates in the US, but embryo creation and transfer occurred in Cyprus

Ethan was born in January 2007 in a small town in Ohio, USA to his parents Rodney and Jeff Chiang-Cruise.  His surrogate who he refers to as Aunty Kelly gave birth to Ethan with both his dads and her husband present.  Ethan returned to Australia 2 weeks later with his dads.  He is a Eurasian child with family in Taiwan, Australia and now Ohio.  He has grown up with an ongoing and close relationship with his surrogate (Kelly) and her family.  He is currently in year 11 and has another boy with male same-sex parents (via surrogacy) in his class.  He finds talking about his origin story boring to him – because it is just his life and has always been.  His parents are happy that he is at that place.

Fran was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer at age of 31, which required an ovariectomy and a hysterectomy. Two surgeries were followed by 5 months of chemotherapy. She and her husband didn’t feel comfortable pursuing surrogacy until Fran was 5 years post-cancer diagnosis. They first saw a fertility specialist in Aug 2019, and soon started looking for an egg donor and a surrogate. A friend Tiff offered to donated her eggs, and they completed embryo creation in Sept 2020, with 8 perfect little embryos frozen. In Oct that year, they met a surrogate, Jo, who offered to carry in February 2021. They received approval in Oct 2021 and had a first (and, luckily) only transfer in Nov 2022. Their baby girl was born in July 2022, and they couldn’t be happier. They live in Melbourne and their surrogate, Jo, lives in Melbourne too.

Gaia and Reuben live wit their dad Trevor in Bacchus Marsh. They were each born via egg donor surrogate in India. Gaia is 13 and Reuben is 12 years old. They have returned to New Delhi since their birth to understand their origins

Jess is now 33 years old and lives in Traralgon, Victoria. She has donated her eggs once already and now working with a second couple to do the process a second time. Being able to gift others the opportunity to have a baby and create their own family is an incredible feeling. Couples that face fertility challenges go through endless pain and heartache during their journey.  But for Jess donation was easy, no pain, no side effects and it is truely humbling to be able to help others in such a profound way, give them hope and ease their pain. Jess will discuss her motivations, the impact on her body, her partners reaction to her decision, what she looks for in recipients and much more

Karen & Vince attended their first Growing Families event in 2019 after years of unsuccessful IVF. They ultimately chose to engage in egg donor surrogacy with ReproArt in Georgia. Growing Families organised for Vince’s sperm to be shipped to Georgia in 2021, during Covid. Embryos were created and the couple’s first transfer worked. Their son was born five weeks early on 22 Dec 2022. The couple raced to Georgia to be with him. Karen will discuss the process, what they learned along the way and what were the hurdles

Kiril and his husband have a son with the assistance of surrogacy in Canada.  Their son was born at the start of the COVID pandemic and with the assistance of the Canadian professionals involved, they were able to get back home to Australia on the last flight out of Canada before borders shut. Their journey took approximately two years between attending the Growing Families conference to the birth of their son.  They are very appreciative for the help and advice from Growing Families, Egghelpers, The Create Clinic, Canadian Fertility Consulting and their Canadian fertility lawyer, Alex MacNab. They have found their friends, family and work colleagues to be amazingly supportive. They have an ongoing relationship with the egg donor and surrogate who are important elements in their son’s life and story.

Melissa & Thomas started their surrogacy journey with an initial zoom conference back in 2017, Megan was 34 years old and unable to conceive due to a form of kidney disease which posed a very high risk of complications to herself and the baby if she carried. Zoe Violet Rogers was born on 8^th January 2019 in Little Rock Arkansas USA, and is now 4.5 years old. It can seem daunting but, with guidance from Megan and Surro Connections their dream became a reality

Morgan is 25 years old and lives in Melbourne. She appeared on ABC’s 7.30 report in 2015 to talk about her life. While Morgan is an only child at home, she has four half brothers and a half sister in Riverside Los Angeles. Born in the US herself , Morgan has known about her birth from the moment she could ask about it.

A mum via international surrogacy, Naomi Seddon is also an international lawyer, thought-leader, author and presenter on workplace equality and issues impacting women at work. In 2016 Naomi was named by Legal 500 as a top attorney in the United States for legal advice and counselling. Naomi is also a Non-Executive Director of  Endometriosis Australia and Surrogacy Australia. As a partner in the global law firm, Littler, Naomi is truly an international citizen who understands what it is like to navigate the challenges of a fast-paced career while managing family, a range of health issues and a lot of heartache. Naomi now draws on her own experiences to educate and assist others.

Nova, aged 11, Milli, 13 and Phoenix, 15, are all duaghters of Melbourne surrogate Bree Miller. They were 5, 7, and 9 when Bree birthed their surro-sibling Haesel in 2017. These girls will talk about their feelings about their mum carrying someone elses child, what they tell their friends and what relationship they have with their surro-sibling , Haesal

Prue has MRKH, meaning she was born without a uterus. A paediatic nurse, she and her husband have been married 11 years. They attempted surrogacy unsuccessfully in Thailand in 2014 and had another unsuccessful altruistic surrogacy journey in Australian in 2022. They have undergone 7 rounds of IVF. Now aged nearly 37, Prue has in March this year undergone a uterine transplant, thanks to her mum’s good friend. She her partner hope to have their first embryo transfer in just a few months time. She will discuss the preparation for surgery, impact on her life and the post surgical recovery.

Remy lives in Brunswick East with his dad, his sister and on weekends his brother Talin. Now 16, Remy was born via egg donor surrogacy in the US in 2007. He is in Year 11 and has a part-time job on the side. Remy will talk about his life, when he remembers being told about where he came from, what he tells people at school and what he knows about his donor and surrogate

Tamzin is a 26 year old who works at Grill’d and lives in Chadstone. Her Mum and Dad required an egg donor after her Mum was incorrectly diagnosed with early menopause. They used a known donor. Tamzin was conceived on the 2nd attempt and her younger brother was conceived on the 5th attempt. Tamzin has known of her creation story since she was 2 years old.

As a queer woman with no intention to have children of her own, becoming an egg donor was the most impactful and heartwarming experience of Teagan’s life to date. She answered an online add via the Egg Donor Angels website and met the most incredible couple in Cairns. There was no formal offer and acceptance of her eggs – they all just knew it felt right. Providing a piece of the puzzle to deserving intended parents is such an incredible gift albeit with many challenges and obstacles. Promoting egg donation and creating meaningful discussions surrounding the need for like minded women to consider egg donation continues to be a great passion of Teagans.

Todd & his twin brother Chad were born via altruistic surrogacy in Melbourne in 1999, before Victoria even had laws in relation to surrogacy, so their parents needed to adopt their own children when they turned 18. Todd is now 24 years old!