Surrogacy and Egg Donation Conference -Dublin

Specialising in family law, Annette Hickey has twenty years’ experience in practice. She heads up the Surrogacy & Fertility Law team at Poe Kiely Hogan Lanigan and is a leading expert in the field. She has assisted many clients through the Irish legal complexities of surrogacy arrangements and has a reputation for providing a reliable, efficient and sensitive legal service. Complimentary One on One Consultations are available . To book please email: [email protected]

Ciara is a co founder of Irish families Through Surrogacy and also a mother of twins born in Ukraine. Ciara will speak about the group IFTS,  give information on the background, an overview of the work to date campaigning for surrogacy law reform and future plans. She had a long journey to parenthood, but in September 2018, finally welcomed  Clara and Matthew. Ciara is a nurse and helped start a WhatsApp group for Irish couples engaging in surrogacy. For  further information email [email protected]

Dr. Said Daneshmand is an internationally recognized Fertility specialist with extensive experience in complex IVF cases, as well as Egg Donor/Surrogacy Third party care.

Dr. Daneshmand serves on the board of several Surrogacy Advocacy groups. He has collaborated to develop in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocols to improve pregnancy rates, including PTEC (post-thaw extended culture), which was one of the most successful IVF regimens that led to a surge in Frozen embryo transfers, as a means to maximize endometrial receptivity. These groundbreaking findings have been published in the internationally respected medical journal, Fertility and Sterility, where Dr. Daneshmand also served as a reviewer.

Dr. Daneshmand completed his fellowship and residency at UCLA. He is specialty board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and sub-specialty board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology.

He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Eileen Pike Medical School Valedictorian Award, the PCRS Fellowship and Practicing Physician Research Award, and the ASRM STAR AWARD, awarded to a select group of research scientists who have presented their original research at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine Conference for 10+ consecutive years. He has served as the President of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (Iota Chapter) and is a member of the DeCherney Society, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Dr. Daneshmand speaks French, Spanish and Farsi.

Intended parents have travelled from more than 40 countries in 2019 alone to seek his help in their journey to parenthood.  He was the Principal Investigator in the Multi-Center Global research trial of non-invasive PGT-A, the latest technique for assessing embryonic genetic health without the need for embryo biopsy.

Dr Uliana started her professional career as an IVF specialist, coordinating the first international cooperation in Ukraine based on the import of sperm and export of embryos. Her vision of helping patients all over the globe motivated Dr Uliana to establish a process of medical and administrative control of oocyte donation project, which developed into numerous international partnerships and has become recognized worldwide. Dr Uliana studied medicine at Lviv National Medical University and practiced in such countries as Ireland, Israel and Great Britain. She also established the process of oocyte donation in different locations in Asia and Africa. Dr Uliana has over 12 years’ experience in the IVF field, performed over 5000 treatment cycles and treated patients from 36 countries.

Dedicating her time exclusively to the efficient management of surrogacy cases for Poe Kiely  Hogan Lanigan’s Surrogacy & Fertility Law team, Ger Fahy is a key point of contact for new and existing clients.  A mine of information for all legal surrogacy issues, she has has a deep knowledge of the relevant legal infrastructure and is meticulous with her preparation of cases.

Leia is a mother to five, a two-time gestational surrogate, and a six-time egg donor. She began Canadian Fertility Consulting and Egg Helpers in 2007 after her second surrogacy, with the intention of creating a more rewarding experience for surrogates, egg donors and intended parents. With a background in business development and management, Leia turned her professional passion for alternative family building into a full-time business. Leia believes that surrogacy and egg donation is more than a medical transaction – bringing someone’s child into the world through surrogacy and egg donation is a milestone that deserves to be honoured and celebrated.

Complimentary One on One Consultations are available. To book please email : [email protected]

Natia has eight years of working experience with number of intended parents who have successfully completed surrogacy and egg donation programs in Georgia. Her activities include full program management and coordination, including donor and surrogate management for the successful completion of a defined program. Over her years of journey in the field, she has successfully implemented more than 500 egg donation and surrogacy programs. 95% of the clients involved in the programs are international patients from different countries, most of the couples participating in the programs are from Israel, China, USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Canada, Australia, Greece, Spain, India and other countries. Many years of work experience helps her to determine the couple’s priorities, identify their needs and help them achieve the desired result.

Sam is the dad to two girls Zoe & Ruby via surrogacy and as the global Director of charity Growing Families has become one of the globe’s foremost commentators and researchers on surrogacy trends, capacity and bst practice. 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. With a background in public health and research he is also the author of three books.

Jason and his partner attended previous Growing Families Dublin conferences in 2018 and 2019 and are now dads to two boys (19 months, and 4 weeks) with the help of Canadian Fertility Consultants and CReATe in Canada. Arriving back in Ireland from Canada on 1 Sept 2021 they are keen to give back to the community they learned so much from. Jason will share their experience, as well as practical issues around costs, travel and exit processes during the pandemic.

Molly and her partner Niall are an Irish couple who engaged in Canada to have a child with the help of Canadian Fertility Consulting after a long and heart-breaking fertility journey. Baby Elliot was born in Alberta  on September 4th 2020, carried by surrogate Meghan with the support of her husband Travis . Elliot is the light of their lives and a miracle that was worth waiting and fighting for.

Neil & Andrew  live in Northern Ireland and  work in banking and air travel respectively. Their son Oisin was born in November 2016 in the UK via gestational independent surrogacy after four years of planning. Neil and his partner looked at many different options before deciding on the UK. They met their surrogate through an online surrogacy forum in April 2015. Whilst they experienced some challenges, they feel so lucky to have overcome these and to be bringing up the child they have long dreamed of.

Sinead and Mark came home with baby Theo last March 2021. Sinead will discuss about their positive experience of surrogacy in Ukraine. Sinead is also a committee member of Irish Families Through Surrogacy.