Does postnatal depression affect your future fertility?
A new study has shown that postnatal depression may affect a woman’s future fertility, highlighting the need for more awareness and support for new mothers. The birth of a child ought to be a time of great happiness for a new mother, especially if the path to motherhood has been a particularly long and difficult […]
Are IVF Babies More Precious?
Given the complex combination of emotions that IVF treatment triggers, Kate Brian explores the possibility that babies created this way might have an extra psychological pull on a mother.
Fertility Forum – Bringing professionals and public together
If you’ve ever had questions about your fertility or your treatment options, you’ll know how difficult it can be to get definite answers about what makes a difference. Is freezing your eggs a good idea if you’re worried about leaving it too late to try to get pregnant? How much difference could changing your diet […]
Book Review: 21 Miles – Swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood
It was this year’s most keenly awaited fertility book, and Jessica Hepburn’s 21 Miles – swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood doesn’t disappoint. Jessica has become one of the country’s leading patient voices on the experience of fertility treatment after going through eleven unsuccessful cycles of IVF, and 21 Miles is her second […]
21 Miles: Swimming in Search of the Meaning of Motherhood
I sometimes feel ashamed of admitting that I went through eleven rounds of IVF. Yes, ELEVEN. By any account, it’s the extreme end of the fertility treatment spectrum. It remains a lasting symbol of the depths of desperation and despair that my pursuit of motherhood took me to which I wrote about in my first […]
Are Fertility Add ons Right For You?
Time-lapse imaging, embryo glue, endometrial scratch, reproductive immunology… These are just some of the many extras you may be offered alongside your fertility treatment. Of course, you want to do anything you can to increase your chances of success, but are these extras, often known as ‘add ons’, worth paying for? Different clinics and different […]
The Power Of Words: How Writing Can Help You Cope While trying To Conceive
When I was going through my IVF treatments, I would sit at home each evening and write about the day’s progress – how many follicles were developing, how long I’d had to wait at the clinic, an analysis of every important word I’d heard uttered by various medical staff and details of how I was […]
Fertility Road Is Granted Privileged Access To The UK’s National Sperm Bank
Fertility Road go behind the scenes with UK’s National Sperm Bank Situated at Birmingham Women’s Hospital the team spent a day with the staff, looking into how this major operation does its job. 7am – The first member of staff arrives for work at the National Sperm Bank. The sperm bank is open 24 hours […]
Helping Hand… The Benefit Of Fertility Support Groups
There are fertility support groups meeting across the UK, from Scotland and Northern Ireland to the Channel Islands, and you can find the details of all these different groups on the Infertility Network UK website.
Unexplained Infertility – What the hell is that?
When you realise it is taking longer than it should to get pregnant, the first thing you want to know is why you’re having difficulties. Conception is a complex business and there are any number of things that can go wrong, but doctors are usually able to pin down a cause after testing. For a […]
Behind The Science… Endometrial Scratch
Despite the name, it doesn’t actually involve any scratching at all, as Mostafa Metwally, a consultant at Jessop Fertility in Sheffield explains, “This technique has been used for some time in women who have had repeated unsuccessful IVF cycles and we think that by using some very mild form of endometrial trauma.