My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast

Welcome to My Surrogacy Journey the podcast. The series is designed and made to help anyone starting on their surrogacy journey, whatever stage you are at. Each week, the hosts Anna Buxton, Michael and Wes Johnson-Ellis are joined by specialists in their field to discuss surrogacy and share practical, educational and helpful tips and advice.

My Surrogacy Journey brings together experts and educational to support intended parents, surrogates, donors and their families in the UK.

If you want to know more about My Surrogacy Journey, then visit: https://www.mysurrogacyjourney.com/

My Surrogacy Journey the podcast is a StoryHunter Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Surrogacy Journey is the UK's number 1 surrogacy podcast, that is made to support, educate and entertain listeners, whatever stage of the journey they are at. The hosts, Wes, Michael and Anna have all had their own surrogacy journeys and use their experiences to share stories and advice. Each week the hosts will be joined by specialists to discuss practical and useful tips, whatever stage of the journey you are at.

My Surrogacy Journey brings together experts and education to support intended parents, surrogates, donors and their families in the UK.

If you want to know more about My Surrogacy Journey, then visit: https://www.mysurrogacyjourney.com/

My Surrogacy Journey the podcast is a StoryHunter Production

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is the UK's leading multi award winning podcast from a non profit UK surrogacy organisation.

Trigger Warning; Pregnancy, Baby Loss and Infertility

Just in time for St Patricks Day! Today's episode is more than a treat for your ears, this episode gave us all the feels and more. We're honoured to also have Senator Mary Seery Kearney join us live in the studio. Yes, and she’s also the mother of a child born through surrogacy and has an intimate knowledge of this form of assisted human reproduction as a means to build your family. The episode also features three other amazing women, Sinead Gallagher, Ciara Merrigan and Cathy Wheatley.

Michael and Wes are parents themselves through surrogacy to two children (Talulah is 7 and Duke is 4) they continue to advocate, campaign and strive to improve the landscape of surrogacy in the UK and globally. Addressing safety, exploitation and educating those about the real truths about safer surrogacy.

Our season 3 sponsor

We have a fabulous sponsor for our Season 3 podcast. Manchester Fertility were founded in 1985 and has an exceptional team of fertility doctors, nurses, embryologists and patient support staff. Manchester Fertility remains one of the leading fertility clinics in the country to this day, delivering more than 8,000 babies.

Thanks for listening! Have you subscribed yet?

Guest Bios;

Senator Mary Seery Kearney who is not only the Fine Gael Senator and party spokesperson on Children Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth, but also a leading advocate for the provision of a legal framework to ensure that both intended parents have full, life long, legal relationships with their children.

Cathy Wheatley

Spokesperson for Irish Families Through Surrogacy

IFTS are an advocacy group campaigning for legislation which will give full recognition to our children and those born in the future. Their hope would be that by the end of the year (their) children and future children would have the regulation, protections and ethical safeguards in place

Ciara Merrigan

Ciara had a hysterectomy in 2014 as a result of a cancer diagnosis. This led Ciara and her husband Michael down the surrogacy pathway to create their family . They started this journey In 2015. After a few bumps in the road in August 2018 Clara and Matthew were born in the Ukraine. Finally our dream of having a family were fulfilled thanks to the most wonderful lady who carried them. In October 2020 Ciara cofounded and chairs Irish Families Through Surrogacy to campaign for surrogacy legislation

Sinead Gallagher

Sinead and Mark went through 14 IVF cycles with a number of early miscarriages. They reached a point were they had no other viable option to have a family. Snead had suffered with grade 2/3 endometriosis for years, and had elements of polycystic syndrome as well as issue with her immune system. Sinead became a committee member of Irish Families Through surrogacy when she returned from Kyiv with Theo.

Available wherever you get your podcasts. My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is a Talulah and The Duke Production and is recorded in Dublin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is the UK's leading multi award winning podcast from a non profit UK surrogacy organisation.

Join us for a conversation with Gee Roberts, an adult born through UK surrogacy who is now a Doctor and has recently become a mother herself. A gorgeous chat with one of the UK's ambassadors for those born via UK surrogacy.

Michael and Wes are parents themselves through surrogacy to two children (Talulah is 7 and Duke is 4) they continue to advocate, campaign and strive to improve the landscape of surrogacy in the UK and globally. Addressing safety, exploitation and educating those about the real truths about safer surrogacy.

Our season 3 sponsor

We have a fabulous sponsor for our Season 3 podcast. Manchester Fertility were founded in 1985 and has an exceptional team of fertility doctors, nurses, embryologists and patient support staff. Manchester Fertility remains one of the leading fertility clinics in the country to this day, delivering more than 8,000 babies.

Thanks for listening! Have you subscribed yet?

Guest Bios;

Gee Roberts

Gee was born in 1998 through traditional surrogacy in the UK with the help of the agency COTS. She has always had close contact with my surrogate, half-siblings and wider surrogacy family: this is something she feels very fortunate about. Gee has been heavily involved in the Surrogacy Law Reform in the UK, speaking at national and international conferences, taking her as far as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. She now work as a doctor in Devon and had a little girl of her own in November 2023. This podcast explores my experience of surrogacy and my visions for the future.

Available wherever you get your podcasts. My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is a Talulah and The Duke Production and was recorded in London at Outset Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is the UK's leading multi award winning podcast from a non profit UK surrogacy organisation.

Michael and Wes are your regular hosts, but today - it's only Wes. Michael and Wes are parents themselves through surrogacy to two children (Talulah is 7 and Duke is 4) they continue to advocate, campaign and strive to improve the landscape of surrogacy in the UK and globally. Addressing safety, exploitation and educating those about the real truths about safer surrogacy.

So welcome back! We have a wonderful episode today and it's especially interesting for those who have to navigate a failed IVF transfer when exploring surrogacy. How do you deal with this, when this was something you just weren't expecting.

Our wonderful guest, Debbie Evans from from at Herts and Essex Fertility Centre and Angela Pericleous-Smith who is a Senior Infertility Counsellor, will help you understand all about PGT-A (formally PGS) and PGT-M, previously known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

Guest bios:

Angela Pericleous-Smith

Angela is Chair of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA), counsellor representative for British Fertility Society (BFS) and has specialised in fertility counselling within the NHS and private practice since 2004.

Angela has written and spoken about the emotional impact of infertility and has co-authored BICA Guidelines for Good Practice in Fertility Counselling 4th Ed. 2019 and Counselling in Surrogacy in UK Licensed Centres (2021). Her recent research and writing have focused on Covid-19’s impact on UK counselling provision and patients’ experiences, The emotional, physical and psychological impact of infertility in the workplace and Counselling challenges associated with donor conception and surrogacy.

Angela is driven to improve professional standards in fertility counselling; the psychological support, provision and accessibility of information and fair treatment for patients.

Debbie Evans

Debbie qualified as an RGN in 1985. She specialised for 20+ years on fertility management and has been with Herts & Essex Fertility Centres since 2007. As Director of Clincial Services, Debbie takes ownership of the day to day clincial management of the Centre with direct responsibility for 40+ members of staff. Her senior role has not changed her approach or work ethos; she is passionate about patient care as when she first joined the nursing profession.

Debbie was the previous Chair of SING (Senior Infertility Nurse Group) for four years, and organisation that strives to support nurses in the fertility industry by providing peer support, guidance and encouragement to its members.

Debbie has now retired from Herts & Essex Fertility Centre and joined us here at My Surrogacy Journey at the beginning of January as Clinical & Compliance Director.

Available wherever you get your podcasts. My Surrogacy Journey - The Podcast is a Talulah and The Duke Production and is recorded in London at Outset Studios

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.