What your doctor may not have told you is that in order to continue losing weight, you have to stay on the GLP-1’s every week. For some, the diagnosis is life-long GLP-1 use. Did you realize that you signed up for a life-long program? Once you’re off the GLP-1’s, that is when your blood sugar starts rising again, you start to feel hungry and inevitability, you gain weight back. Some gain back significantly more pounds than they had before. This is why it’s very important to supplement your diet with a high-quality protein every day.

Protein helps preserve muscle mass, which keeps your metabolism functioning at its best. It also helps curb cravings, making it easier to control your appetite. It’s important to note that rapid weight loss also leads to muscle loss, which in turn slows your metabolism. As a result, you’ll need to burn more calories than before—meaning longer workouts, extended walks, and stricter eating habits to maintain your weight.

As a result, when you are on GLP-1s, it’s important that you drink protein shakes every morning. Consider making a protein shake that has Almased and mixing it with iced coffee, berries, or cinnamon. Blend it with ice and give yourself a treat. 

Almased is the only superfood protein shake scientifically proven to preserve muscle mass while you lose weight¹. It’s diabetic-friendly and it helps to optimize your metabolism, so you can keep the weight off for good. Each Almased protein shake is nutritionally complete, which is very important when you lose your appetite to eat a balanced meal. Visit Almased.com to learn more.

Source:

1 Randomized-Controlled ACOORH Trial A 12-Month Sub-analysis 2021, University of Freiburg, almased.com/research

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In fact, Almased is the only health & weight loss meal replacement protein shake with more than 30 university studies showing it:

• Increases calorie burn, so you lose up to 9 lbs after 4 weeks
• Reduces belly fat without losing muscle mass
• Controls hunger, keeping you full longer
• Unclogs fat from the liver to improve your metabolism
• Boosts feel-good energy and improves mood
• Supports healthy blood sugar levels (diabetic-friendly)

Kick off your 2025 weight loss journey with Almased or use Almased to support your GLP-1 journey.

Almased is scientifically proven to lose up to 9 lbs after 4 weeks. What’s truly unique about Almased is that a university study showed that all participants preserved their muscle mass while losing weight. This means they kept their metabolism intact rather than slowing it due to muscle loss.

Almased is nutritionally complete, containing 24 grams of protein in each protein shake with all of the amino acids in the right ratios and 22 vitamins and minerals (including electrolytes).

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Led by esteemed board-certified plastic surgeon Benjamin Eskenazi, MD, FACS, Avabello stands out for its exceptional medical precision, personalized care, and dedication to enhancing natural beauty. By seamlessly blending rejuvenation with relaxation, Avabello offers an unmatched experience, redefining excellence in cosmetic wellness.

“At Avabello, we are redefining what luxury aesthetic care means,” says Dr. Eskenazi. “By combining advanced medical expertise with a bespoke, patient-centered approach, we create an environment where individuals can feel empowered to look and feel their absolute best.  Here at Avabello, patients benefit from the knowledge and skills of a forward thinking plastic surgeon, in a cutting edge practice, to obtain maximum results with the minimal amount of discomfort and downtime.”

Avabello distinguishes itself as one of Miami Beach’s premier luxury aesthetic clinics directly overseen by a board-certified plastic surgeon. This leadership guarantees that every service—ranging from signature facials and advanced laser treatments to Botox and comprehensive anti-aging solutions, including plastic surgery—is performed with the highest standards of safety, precision, and exceptional results.

Avabello’s mission is to empower individuals to look and feel their best through exceptional aesthetic treatments delivered in a luxurious and serene setting. It focuses on enhancing natural beauty while ensuring safety, precision and personalized care at every step.

Dr. Eskenazi brings over seven years of private practice experience to his leadership at Avabello. A graduate of the esteemed Emory University School of Medicine, Dr. Eskenazi began his career in heart surgery before discovering his passion for plastic surgery during his residency at UT Southwestern. He further honed his expertise at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where he trained in both aesthetic and reconstructive procedures, including complex care for face transplant recipients.

Avabello is offering 20% off all Lip Filler and Eyelash Serums from Jan. 25 through Feb. 28. For more information on Avabello’s comprehensive selection of cosmetic surgery options, medspa treatments, non-invasive procedures, and body care services or to schedule a consultation/appointment, please visit https://avabello.com/ or contact their Miami Beach office directly at 786-767-6802.

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According to the New York Times, a study on contestants who lost weight on The Biggest Loser show found that they had quickly regained all their weight back and slowed their metabolism. Years later, researchers discovered that the contestants must now burn more calories than other people their exact weight and are worse off.

Here’s how your body fights back against weight loss:

• Increases appetite and cravings
• Slows metabolism
• Holds onto fat and lets go of muscle
• Stores toxins in fat cells, increasing inflammation
• Becomes insulin resistant
• Decreases in leptin causing 
• incessant hunger

So, how do you overcome your body‘s natural caveman response?

1.  Detox Your Liver – Scientific research shows that Almased unclogs your liver, enabling your body’s metabolism to run more efficiently.

2. Maintain Key Hunger Hormones –  Almased helps balance leptin and ghrelin levels, giving you better control over appetite and cravings.  

3.  Keep Muscle – Almased supports the maintenance of lean muscle, which increases your resting metabolic rate (RMR) and allows your body to burn more calories at rest.

4. Consume Amino Acids – Almased is formulated with high quality protein and the right amino acid ratios to keep your metabolism from slowing as you lose weight. 

5.  Support Blood Sugar Levels – Reducing calories isn‘t enough to lose weight, you must also maintain healthy blood sugar levels to avoid insulin resistance. Almased helps maintain healthy blood sugar so you can keep weight off for good. 

Almased is the only protein health and weight loss shake that has been shown in over 30 studies to combat the obstacles your body puts up against weight loss. 

The post Why Keeping Weight Off Seems Impossible appeared first on Lifestyle Media Group.

t’s been a while since we first started being bombarded by those ads blaring “O..O..O..Ozempic!” into our living rooms. Now, there’s a range of weight loss injectables that work on the GLP-1 receptor to help battle excess weight (and elevated blood sugar) and the use of them for weight reduction is no longer a privilege reserved only for those with outsized budgets — although insurance still does not cover them for weight loss. As the new year kicks off, the influence of such drugs is expected to evolve significantly, driven by new developments, broader accessibility (there is an app — actually, there are many apps — for that) and an increased understanding of their benefits and risks. 

As research continues, semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (you may know it as Mounjaro or Zepbound) may see expanded indications beyond their current uses, leading to new groups of patients benefiting from them. Both are injectable, but there is strong potential for oral versions of both drugs to emerge, making them more convenient and less intimidating for patients with an aversion to needles. Research into extended-release versions both could reduce the injection frequency from once a week to once a month or even less, further improving patient compliance and convenience.

But while many patients find the ever-increasing availability of the drugs to be appealing, medical experts we spoke to emphasize the importance of using them as part of a holistic program overseen and managed by experts who can address any issues that might occur during a patient’s weight loss journey. 

“We do a comprehensive consultation with our nurse practitioner or with me and ask all the right questions,” says Kevin Harrilal, chief operations officer at Medical Anti-Aging in Fort Lauderdale. “We start all of our patients on tirzepatide, so it is our No. 1 seller. We have introduced other products that have come out as well, so if someone plateaus, we might introduce them to a different product.” 

Harrilal emphasizes that theirs is a concierge service and medically supervised, an important distinction from many new services that allow patients to purchase compounded GLP-1s simply by filling out a form online or in an app. “We are not a med spa or just a pharmacy where you get the medication, go home and use it. Our approach includes 30-day, six-week and 90-day check-ins to make sure you’re good to continue or to see if we need to make adjustments. If people lose weight too quickly, we lower the dose and back them up under medical supervision.”

Harrilal points out that while many med spas and even chiropractors and acupuncturists can prescribe weight loss medications because their license allows it, they don’t necessarily have the background or knowledge base to assist clients with side effects or issues that may occur. “Depending on where these professionals are getting the drug compounded, patients can end up with nausea, vomiting, welts at the injection site, various immune system responses and reactions,” he points out. “It’s significantly cheaper per vial to use synthetic products, but they don’t work. We work with two of the most reputable compounding pharmacies in the country. They’re a little more expensive because they aren’t generic or synthetic; they’re using a higher-grade chemical to compound. That’s something else many people aren’t aware of. 

If your injections are costing less than $100 per shot, Harrilal advises, you should question where the product is coming from. “Our program costs $1,200 for three months, which is very fairly priced,” he says of Medical Anti-Aging Spa, “but we don’t sell it monthly. You can’t start this program for a month and then get off. It affects your entire body composition. In the first month, we’re getting you used to it. We start at a low dosage, then go up, and determine after that if you have lost what you want.”

Alternative methods: No needles necessary

If, regardless of the wave of success stories we’re bombarded with daily, you just can’t reconcile the idea of a needle-based regimen, there are other alternatives that can result in excellent outcomes. 

Jamie Luu, RDN, LDN, is the nutrition and strategy manager for Almased USA, a natural, science-backed alternative to today’s most popular weight loss methods. Made from clean, high-quality ingredients, including 80 potent anti-aging bioactive peptides, Almased is scientifically proven to reduce weight after four weeks, optimize metabolism, detox the liver and support healthy blood sugar, allowing your body to function at its best. 

“Whether used on its own or alongside weight loss injections, Almased addresses key challenges like hunger control and muscle preservation,” says Luu. “Many individuals using injections experience muscle loss, which slows metabolism, and struggle with intense hunger once they stop [the shots]. Almased’s complete protein provides all essential amino acids in the right ratios. This increases fat burning while preserving muscle, helping you lose weight and optimize your metabolism.”

The product is designed to be part of a structured, scientifically researched three-phase meal replacement plan that includes a combination of shakes and solid healthy meals. In the detox phase, all three of your daily meals are replaced with Almased shakes for three days to jumpstart your liver detox and set the stage for optimizing metabolic health. Then comes the weight reduction phase, which entails replacing two meals a day with Almased shakes and eating one healthy, balanced meal. This phase is where the core benefits of Almased take effect, supported by over 30 peer-reviewed studies showing that it helps unclog fat from the liver, optimizes metabolism, enhances calorie and fat burning, improves hunger control and satiety, supports healthy blood sugar levels and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. And finally, the health, youth and performance phase is when you’ll transition to a sustainable lifestyle, so your daily intake changes to include two solid meals and one Almased shake. This phase helps maintain weight loss and delivers additional health benefits, such as stronger hair and nails, glowing skin, improved mood and sustained energy.

So, with so many shake-based weight loss programs on the market, what makes Almased stand out as a sustainable option? “Most other meal replacements and dietary supplements contain an inferior source of protein, which can lead to muscle loss and a slower metabolism-—an all-too-common frustration with other programs,” Luu says. “Almased uses a superior protein source, which is easy to digest and absorb.” 

The product’s clean and natural ingredients prevent it from causing unpleasant side effects, and its high-quality protein helps preserve muscle and increase fat burning, keeping your metabolism running efficiently.

THE SEXES ARE NOT ALWAYS EQUAL (WHEN IT COMES TO WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS, THAT IS)

With 20 years in private practice South Florida as a gynecologist and for about 13 years specializing in the arena of anti-aging and esthetic medicine, Fort Lauderdale-based physician Dr. Jabal Uffelman’s primary focus is treating hormone imbalances with natural hormone pellet therapy. “Weight loss is a natural byproduct of hormone imbalance — especially in women, who make up the biggest part of our practice,” he says. “For the past two years since the GLP-1 medications hit the scene, we have had great successes and outcomes by combining the two therapies and using a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach with our patients on their weight loss journey.”

Dr. Uffelman points out that it is fundamental to understand how women and men differ when it comes to weight control — primarily hormonally. “Men, of course, have much higher levels of testosterone than women, and it’s common sense that testosterone is a hormone involved in the production of energy, formation of muscle mass and reduction in body fat,” he explains. “Women, on the other hand, have higher levels of estrogen than men, and, of course, estrogen is associated with fat deposition, primarily in the belly and hips — hence the difference in the typical masculine versus feminine body types.”

Add to this, the “hormonal rollercoaster” that can affect women because of their menstrual cycles, perimenopause and menopause, and you have a recipe for anxiety-inspired cravings. “It’s a vicious cycle, because where in the body is the majority of estrogen produced? In the body fat,” he continues. “Therefore, simple calorie restriction in women isn’t usually enough. We have to address the underlying hormone imbalance. A combination of subcutaneous testosterone therapy with select botanical supplementation has been giving remarkable results.”

His process with patients begins with a review of their history and a comprehensive physical exam, including labs, to evaluate any risk factors and deficiencies. All patients are advised to see a nutritionist for meal plans and consult with Dr. Uffelman’s colleague, Dr. Ronald Moore, a bariatric surgeon. Only after risks are assessed and/or ruled out will patients be put on a plan that is appropriate for them.

The initial process is similar at Total Weight and Wellness Solutions in Plantation. There, board-certified anesthesiologist Dr. Faisal Huda and nurse anesthetist Jeremy Mendez, CRNA, APRN, work together to create a personalized and comprehensive plan tailored to each patient.

“Each patient begins their journey with us by completing a comprehensive intake form, which gathers information about their medical history and personal experiences with weight management,” Dr. Huda says. “Following this, we conduct a thorough physical examination, including an advanced body composition analysis using our state-of-the-art InBody scale. This technology provides detailed metrics such as body weight, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and visceral fat levels.”

After reviewing the results with the patient, a collaborative discussion about weight loss goals follows, along with an exploration of various treatment options and identifying the approach that best aligns with a given patient’s needs and preferences. “We emphasize patient participation in developing their treatment plan, as research shows that active involvement significantly improves success in achieving and maintaining weight loss,” Dr. Huda says.

Ongoing, personalized support is a major part of the weight loss journey here. “We conduct weekly check-ins via our innovative telehealth app to monitor progress, ensuring patients are consistently achieving their weight loss goals,” Dr. Huda points out. “These check-ins also help us verify adherence to the customized nutrition plan, as our ultimate aim is not just weight loss but fostering overall health and well-being.

Additionally, our patients have direct access to our team whenever they encounter challenges or require guidance. We are committed to being readily available, equipping them with the tools, resources, and encouragement they need for long-term success.”

As we enter 2025, Total Weight and Wellness is expanding its telehealth services to make them accessible throughout the entire state of Florida, allowing them to provide high-quality support to more patients than ever before.

“Additionally,” Dr. Huda adds, “we are eagerly anticipating the outcomes of clinical trials for new weight loss medications currently in development, which are expected to become available in the near future. These advancements represent exciting opportunities to further support our patients in achieving their health and wellness goals.”

The post Worth the Weight  appeared first on Lifestyle Media Group.

New treatments exclusive to the spa include the Glo2Facial treatment and Oxfoliation with O2 bubbles, plus you’ll find the Phytocéane luxury line of products so you can take home the luxury with you. For more details, visit westinfortlauderdalebeachspa.com.

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2024 Heroes in Healthcare Event

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Iter’s Clinical Lead is Dr. Michelle Weiner, a clinical assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University who is board-certified in Interventional Pain Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is the founder of NeuroPain Health, Integrative Pain Management and mental health centers in South Florida focused on neuroplasticity and healing.

Psychedelic therapies figure into neuroplasticity to help patients rewire their brains to deal with traumatic issues like post-traumatic stress disorder.

Robinson and friend Sam Baum, Iter’s head of marketing and the former director of marketing at Red Bull, started a “Psychedelic Series” in 2021. It is designed to help break down the stigma around psychedelic medicines and mental health. It has had more than 30 panels, with more than 75 speakers and 1,500 attendees.

Among the guests have been former NHL player Daniel Carcillo, who used psilocybin to help deal with brain trauma, Adriana de Moura, the “Brazilian bombshell” on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami,” who used ketamine to deal with trauma in her life, and former Miami Heat player Lamar Odom, who is also known for being in “Khloé & Lamar” with his then-wife Khloé Kardashian.

Robinson recommends watching the documentary “Lamar Odom: Reborn,” which explains how Odom used ketamine and a naturally occurring psychedelic called ibogaine to help overcome trauma and addiction.

The psychedelic series started at Soho Beach House, a club and hotel in Miami Beach, but has expanded to New York, Chicago, Nashville, California, London and Amsterdam. 

Athletic star in high school

Robinson is the son of a doctor who grew up in Hallandale Beach and was captain of the basketball and football teams at Miami Country Day School. (His @dustinr10 Instagram account shows he still has the lean physique of an athlete, but also is the best way to keep track of his business activities.)

Robinson went on to take a five-year program at the University of Florida that gave him a master’s degree in accounting. After a short stint at Deloitte, he went back to UF and earned a law degree. He worked for the law firm Holland & Knight, but in a few years found opportunity at Tropical Roofing Products, where he had an equity stake and reported to the CEO. The company grew quite well and he planned to take a year off after selling his ownership stake.

However, some friends were doing a complex deal in the cannabis industry in two different states.

“I decided I’d help ’em out. I didn’t know much about cannabis, didn’t really use cannabis even, but thought it was interesting,” Robinson says.

At the time, major law firms weren’t touching the cannabis field and Robinson started getting referrals and doing complex commercial transactions, financial modeling and investing in some for the deals.

“About four years ago, a lot of doctors I worked with started reaching out to me about psychedelics, and I was pretty surprised. I had never tried a psychedelic in my life. At first, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s already crazy enough. I’m doing cannabis [as a business].'”

His attitude changed when four doctors reached out to him within a two- week span seeking his help.

He recalls thinking, “What’s going on here? So, finally I asked them to share some of the research, and I was just blown away by what I was reading—some of the research out of Imperial College of London, Johns Hopkins, NYU and Yale.”

He decided to help out with some research collaborations and launching ketamine clinics and telehealth companies.

Mr. Psychedelic Law

“So, it got to a point where I was probably the go-to attorney representing people in the psychedelic industry. There really weren’t any other lawyers that were doing it,” he says. “A lot of my clients were like, ‘You need to have your own experience.’ So, eventually I did try it and it was certainly quite mind opening and … it basically confirmed and validated all the research I was reading.”

For the first 35 years of his life, Robinson believed that psychedelics turned your brain into mush. “It’s the complete opposite. I felt my mind being expanded. So that’s when I started my nonprofit and really started pushing a lot more on the psychedelic side.”

His first experience was at a ketamine clinic with Dr. Weiner. The ketamine was administered with an IV. “You basically went to outer space. Ketamine is different than a lot of the other psychedelics. It’s a dissociative, so you totally feel like you’re outside of your body during the experience, which was quite amazing.”

Then he tried psilocybin and MDMA, which is also known as molly and ecstasy.

“For me, it was more interesting on how to utilize these compounds, not necessarily in a recreational capacity, but really for mind exploration and understanding consciousness better,” he says. “So, I dabbled with various different compounds, and what’s amazing about these compounds is for the most part, they’re not addictive. There’s no urge for me to want to go do mushrooms or psilocybin. The experience is so intense and it’s a special experience, but after you come out of it, it is not like the next day you’re like, ‘I want to go back in it.'”

These experiences are far different than joining Kesey and his merry pranksters on the Magic Bus or road tripping with Hunter Thompson on the way to Las Vegas.

Medical supervision helps prepare patients for the experience, which are part of authorized clinical research or permitted as off label uses, so they aren’t overwhelmed. The process is very intentional.

“If people have trauma, they’ll talk about some of the trauma during the preparation sessions and how to go into the administration session with the intention of resolving some of that trauma,” Robinson says. Some sessions are done at lower psychological doses and involve interaction with medical staff.

Tough issues that have been buried can come to the surface and patients can start crying, so doctors may end up holding their hands, let them know it will pass and they will be OK.

Physiological brain changes

The magic really happens during the integration process, Robinson says. “The days after is when you really have neuroplasticity, your brain is more malleable. You still have that physiological change in your brain, and that’s when you could really start changing behaviors and start changing thought patterns. So, it’s important you really work with a doctor or therapist or whomever after the session if you really want to get the best effects.”

Iter’s website lists portfolio companies that are developing addiction treatments and Robinson says psychedelics have tremendous potential to help break through thought patterns and behaviors. “But you still got to do the work after. It’s not a magic pill where you just go in there and all of a sudden you’re not addicted to opioids or cigarettes, whatever it might be.”

In some of the FDA clinical trials, the emphasis is on self-healing without talking. Patients are blindfolded, lay down and reprocess their trauma.

One of the big believers in self-healing is Lykos Therapeutics, a California company that has raised $100 million. The same day Robinson was being interviewed, an FDA advisory panel hearing raised questions about Lykos’ research methodology. The advisory panel voted against approving its MDMA for PTSD, but the decision isn’t binding on the agency, which is expected to make a decision Aug. 11.

Ketamine doesn’t have as many requirements as MDMA, so a lot of ketamine clinics keep a camera in the room and there’s just someone monitoring, making sure everything is fine, Robinson says.

There are even companies advertising on the internet on how patients can work with therapists and do ketamine treatments in their own homes with the effects of the drug lasting about an hour.

MDMA, which has a long history as a party drug, typically lasts six to eight hours, and psilocybin is about the same, Robinson says.

 Different people can have different reactions to ketamine, Robinson says. Some people feel like they are on cloud nine afterwards, but he had the relatively rare reaction of feeling nauseous. Whatever the reaction, it’s recommended that you don’t drive for a few hours afterwards.

Ketamine is a controlled substance, but approved by the FDA as an anesthetic for surgery. It’s being used legally by doctors for off-label uses as they realize the therapeutic potential.

Robinson’s Mr. Cannabis law firm was recently rebranded as LumaLex Law, and focuses on serving founders in emerging markets, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cannabis, psychedelics, ketamine clinics and alternative health clinics, plus health care and real estate. (Robinson is also a licensed real estate agent.) The rebranding will help Robinson avoid being pigeonholed to just the cannabis industry.
Mr. Cannabis Law is no longer doing business as Robinson’s law firm and has turned into a consulting firm for the cannabis industry. Mr. Psychedelic Law is a nonprofit for the psychedelic industry.

Robinson says he spends most of his time on the investing side, which has a couple of entities.

Investment structure

Nucleus launches its own companies, which are mainly in the media sphere. For example, it owns psychedelicinvest.com, which provides analytics for investors in the psychedelic space. “It’s one of the most highly trafficked websites for any psychedelic keywords,” Robinson says.

Iter Investments takes minority stakes in early-stage businesses in the mental and behavioral health industries. It raised over $20 million about 18 months ago and has invested in 18 companies so far.

“Most of our investments are in the drug discovery space. So, drug development, whether it’s developing traditional psychedelics like MDMA, psilocybin, peyote or new generations of psychedelics, we’ve invested quite a bit.”

A lot of companies are working on manipulating molecules to reduce the effects of MDMA or psilocybin from six to eight hours to much shorter durations.

Some of Iter’s investments are already public and others could follow the same path or look to be acquired. Potential acquirers are already sniffing around two of the companies.

About 80 percent of the first fund is invested in psychedelics, but is also invested in virtual reality for mental health and digital therapeutics.

Robinson expects businesses involved in psychedelics may be 40 to 50 percent of the second fund, but he’s also seeing a lot of other alternative therapies for addressing mental health, behavioral health and wellness.

“Our thesis is really that the current paradigm we have in society for dealing with mental and behavioral health just really isn’t working,” he says. He questions how well the traditional pharmaceutical approach is working and wants to find innovative new therapies.

Accredited investors who want to learn more about the fund can fill out the contact form at iterinvestments.com.

Robinson wants to break down false social constructs, a goal listed on his LinkedIn profile. It started with realizing that psychedelics don’t turn your brain into mush.

“It really forced me to really question everything around me beyond just psychedelics. It’s like you come into society as a baby and you just kind of accept the constructs around you. And as you grow up, those constructs become more and more ingrained within you such that you don’t even question them. And really over the past several years now, I’ve really started just not accepting the constructs around me and really starting to question them and thinking about what is reality and what is truth? I’m a big believer that anything that challenges the traditional norm is a good thing. Sometimes the traditional norm is the right thing, but I think we should always be questioning the constructs around us and making sure that we’re operating in a reality that’s consistent with the truth.”

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Surrogacy is a practice where a woman (the surrogate) carries and delivers a baby for another person or couple (the intended parents) who cannot conceive or carry a pregnancy to term themselves. It’s a complex process that involves legal, medical and emotional considerations.

A traditional surrogate refers to a woman who shares a genetic link to the child.  Gestational surrogacy, which is the process we used, is more common and involves the implantation of an embryo created using the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donors. In this case, the surrogate has no genetic relationship with the child she carries. Gestational surrogacy is typically the preferred option because it allows the intended parents to be genetically related to the child.              

The process of surrogacy involves serval steps:

• For our surrogacy plan, we hired a “general contractor,” Growing Generations, based in Santa Monica, Calif. Its role was to coordinate all the activities necessary for a successful outcome. This included the following:

1. Assisting both of the intended parents as well as the surrogate to undergo extensive physical and psychological screening to ensure they are suitable candidates for the process.
2. Assisting in recommending the hiring of an “entitlement attorney,” the attorney responsible for drawing up legal contracts that outline the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of all parties involved, including issues such as parental rights, financial arrangements and potential risks.
3. Pointing us in the right direction of hiring the right “architect” (the in vitro fertilization doctor). IVF is a complex medical procedure that requires specialized knowledge and skills. A qualified IVF doctor will have the expertise and experience necessary to navigate the various stages of the process, from initial consultation to embryo transfer, with precision and care. Hiring the right IVF doctor is essential for maximizing the chances of success, ensuring personalized and compassionate care, and navigating the emotional and ethical complexities of the IVF journey.
4. Choosing the right egg donor for surrogacy involves careful consideration of various factors, including the physicality and health history of both the donor and the intended parents. Here are some steps to help evaluate these aspects:

• Genetic health: Assess the genetic health history of both the intended parents and the egg donor. Look for any hereditary conditions or diseases that may be passed on to the child.
• Physical characteristics: Consider physical traits such as height, weight, eye color, hair color, and complexion. The goal might be to find a donor whose physical characteristics align with those of the intended parents, although this is not always a priority for everyone.
• Medical screening: Ensure that the egg donor undergoes comprehensive medical screening. This should include tests for infectious diseases, genetic disorders and general health assessments.
• Fertility screening: Verify the egg donor’s fertility status through tests such as ovarian reserve testing (the number of eggs remaining), hormone evaluations and ultrasounds to ensure she is capable of producing healthy eggs.
• Family health history: Inquire about the family health history of the egg donor. This can provide valuable insights into potential genetic predispositions to certain health conditions.
• Lifestyle factors: Consider the lifestyle factors of the egg donor, such as diet, exercise habits and substance use. These factors can impact the health of the donor’s eggs and potentially influence the health of the child.
• Psychological evaluation: While not directly related to physical health, it’s essential to assess the mental and emotional well-being of the egg donor. A psychological evaluation can help ensure the donor is mentally prepared for the process and understands the implications of egg donation.
• Matching preferences: Take into account any specific preferences or criteria that the intended parents may have regarding the egg donor. This could include cultural background, educational achievements or personality traits.

• Legal considerations: Ensure that all legal aspects of the egg donation process are properly addressed, including contracts outlining the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved.

By carefully evaluating these factors for a surrogacy plan, intended parents can make an informed decision when selecting an egg donor for surrogacy, ultimately increasing the chances of a successful and healthy pregnancy.

• Assisting in hiring additional consultants. In our case, we hired an IVF consultant who assisted us in identifying the IVF physicians with the best track record of success in the United States.
• Assisting us in the “construction” process, in which the intended mother or an egg donor undergoes ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval, while the surrogate undergoes hormone therapy to prepare her uterus for embryo implantation. Once embryos are created via IVF, they are transferred to the surrogate’s uterus.
• Assisting us in walking us through pregnancy and birth. The surrogate carries the pregnancy to term and gives birth to the baby. Throughout the pregnancy, there may be legal, doctor appointments and emotional support provided to all parties involved.
• And, finally, assisting us with the proper legal procedures after birth. After birth, legal procedures are followed to establish the intended parents’ legal parentage of the child, which can vary depending on the laws of the country or state where the surrogacy took place.

Surrogacy can be a deeply rewarding experience for all involved, but it also comes with challenges and ethical considerations. It’s important for all parties to fully understand the process, their rights and the potential emotional and legal implications before embarking on a surrogacy journey.

F. Thomas Godart and Brenden Berleen have been in a committed relationship for over 17 years. They are both the parents of Caroline Suzanne Godart and listed on her birth certificate.  Godart is managing director of Godart Florida Real Estate Investments and specializes in assembling off market real estate development projects that include large master planned communities, multifamily rental projects and condominiums ranging from garden style communities to high-rises.

Photo credit: Paul Gatgens photography

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