Thursday 26 March 2009
Talking and telling
The Donor Conception Network are organising more of their special 'Talking and Telling' workshops for anyone who has children conceived using donor eggs and/or sperm. The last series of workshops were hugely successful and the Network is now offering places in London, Southampton, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Sheffield, There's a special course in Central London for single parents only, and another for parents who have children of eight and over. You can find out all the details, and pick up a booking form at www.donor-conception-network.org
Wednesday 25 March 2009
The risks of using surrogacy agencies
If you needed any warning of the potential pitfalls of entering into surrogacy arrangements without legal advice, an article in the New York Times provides just that.
The paper reports that a California-based surrogacy and egg donation agency that had taken tens of thousands of dollars from would-be parents has closed, taking their money with it.
The agency had clients and surrogates not only in the US, but also in other parts of the world. It is estimated that up to two million dollars may have gone missing. You can read more in the New York Times article.
The paper reports that a California-based surrogacy and egg donation agency that had taken tens of thousands of dollars from would-be parents has closed, taking their money with it.
The agency had clients and surrogates not only in the US, but also in other parts of the world. It is estimated that up to two million dollars may have gone missing. You can read more in the New York Times article.
Monday 23 March 2009
No word from the HFEA..
Despite some of the frightening stories in the media over the last few days about the increased risk of defects for babies born after IVF treatment, there has been no reassurance for patients on the HFEA website. Many of the papers have quoted the HFEA, but it seems that providing patient information on this issue is less of a priority than talking to the media.
I rang the HFEA press office this morning to ask when some advice to patients would be put up on the website, and was told that it would possibly happen later today. Nothing seems to have appeared yet. This is despite the fact that the HFEA must have known that this story was about to hit the papers since Friday at the latest.
It is easy to forget how frightening stories like this can be for people who are having fertility treatment, and allowing journalists to run wild with the story without a word of reassurance to patients is singularly unhelpful. If you are concerned, the HFEA have apparently found time to tell The Independent that " some of the potential risks needed further investigation and, when the new advice comes into full use from October, it will be pointed out that the majority of IVF babies are born health".
I hope that patients won't have to wait until October to receive this reassurance directly from the HFEA.
I rang the HFEA press office this morning to ask when some advice to patients would be put up on the website, and was told that it would possibly happen later today. Nothing seems to have appeared yet. This is despite the fact that the HFEA must have known that this story was about to hit the papers since Friday at the latest.
It is easy to forget how frightening stories like this can be for people who are having fertility treatment, and allowing journalists to run wild with the story without a word of reassurance to patients is singularly unhelpful. If you are concerned, the HFEA have apparently found time to tell The Independent that " some of the potential risks needed further investigation and, when the new advice comes into full use from October, it will be pointed out that the majority of IVF babies are born health".
I hope that patients won't have to wait until October to receive this reassurance directly from the HFEA.
PCOS and your emotions
There's an interesting all-day workshop for anyone who can get to Birmingham this Saturday, looking at the emotional aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.
If you have PCOS, you will find it an interesting day and speakers include a psychologist, a hypnotherapist and a nurse. You can find out more about the workshop here, at www.verity-pcos.org,uk
If you have PCOS, you will find it an interesting day and speakers include a psychologist, a hypnotherapist and a nurse. You can find out more about the workshop here, at www.verity-pcos.org,uk
Saturday 21 March 2009
IVF safety
If you've read the story in the papers today about the increased risk of defects for babies born after IVF treatment, don't panic. Some of the reports make it sound as if huge numbers of IVF babies are being born with serious defects, providing the opportunity for those who "don't agree" with IVF to have a field day, explaining that messing with nature or attempting to play God was always bound to lead to disaster and that it's only our own selfish desire to have children by IVF on the NHS rather than adopting one of the millions of unwanted babies that has led to this...
Where to start... IVF has been around for 30 years. If there was really a huge risk of children being born with serious defects, we would have seen the evidence from the start. The reality is that there is a slightly higher risk of having some very rare conditions if you have an IVF baby - but the fact that these conditions are very rare to begin with means that the chance of having these defects even with IVF is still extremely low. What isn't clear is whether some of this increased risk may come from the underlying fertility problems or the fact that IVF mothers are often older, rather than the IVF process itself.
It's sad the way a story like this brings out so much misinformed opinion about IVF and infertility - why do people seem to think that most IVF is funded by the NHS in the UK ? And have they any idea how few babies in the UK are waiting for adoptive parents? Why does the desire for a child suddenly become selfish if you need IVF to do it?
What we really need is some good, solid research to clarify the truth about the risks for IVF babies. Only then will we see an end to the scare stories.
Where to start... IVF has been around for 30 years. If there was really a huge risk of children being born with serious defects, we would have seen the evidence from the start. The reality is that there is a slightly higher risk of having some very rare conditions if you have an IVF baby - but the fact that these conditions are very rare to begin with means that the chance of having these defects even with IVF is still extremely low. What isn't clear is whether some of this increased risk may come from the underlying fertility problems or the fact that IVF mothers are often older, rather than the IVF process itself.
It's sad the way a story like this brings out so much misinformed opinion about IVF and infertility - why do people seem to think that most IVF is funded by the NHS in the UK ? And have they any idea how few babies in the UK are waiting for adoptive parents? Why does the desire for a child suddenly become selfish if you need IVF to do it?
What we really need is some good, solid research to clarify the truth about the risks for IVF babies. Only then will we see an end to the scare stories.
Thursday 19 March 2009
Award for Infertility Network UK
The charity Infertility Network UK has been listed as one of the winners in a prestigious health award scheme.
The Impact Awards aim to reward charities who are doing excellent work to improve people's health, and this is well-deserved recognition for Infertility Network UK. The awards are funded by GlaxoSmithKline and managed in partnership with the King's Fund.
The Impact Awards aim to reward charities who are doing excellent work to improve people's health, and this is well-deserved recognition for Infertility Network UK. The awards are funded by GlaxoSmithKline and managed in partnership with the King's Fund.
Tuesday 17 March 2009
Possible new fertility treatment
Scientists say they may have discovered a new fertility treatment. It is believed that a hormone called KISSPEPTIN could help women who are experiencing hormonal fertility problems. Kisspeptin can stimulate the hormones which control a woman's menstrual cycle, and may be able to restore her fertility.
A small trial group of women who had stopped ovulating were given the drug, and their hormone levels improved considerably. Rather than stimulating the ovaries, this treatment would help by re-booting a woman's own reproductive system. You can read more about the research here .
A small trial group of women who had stopped ovulating were given the drug, and their hormone levels improved considerably. Rather than stimulating the ovaries, this treatment would help by re-booting a woman's own reproductive system. You can read more about the research here .
Suspended for having IVF...
The case of an immigration officer who was suspended from work for taking 12 days off for IVF treatment shows we haven't come as far as we might hope when it comes to attitudes to infertility.
Although more than 35,000 women have IVF in the UK every year, what they are entitled to in terms of time off is a grey area. Some employers still insist that infertility is a "lifestyle issue", despite the fact that many IVF patients have clear-cut medical problems. When I worked with Infertility Network UK on a survey on this issue, we found that some employers would not allow women to take sick leave if they felt unable to work during treatment. Around a third of women hadn't even told their employers they were having IVF, often fearing the consequences for their careers, and some of those we surveyed had faced discrimination at work after admitting they were having IVF.
This may present a bleak picture, but if you're having IVF and have an unsympathetic employer, you can always go to your GP as most are happy to give a medical certificate if you don't feel fit to go to work. More and more employers are now adopting a sympathetic attitude to IVF, and those who have allowed flexible working during treatment or paid leave find that the payback in terms of goodwill is more than worthwhile.
If you're interested in the arguments, I've written about this issue in this week's edition of Grazia magazine.
Although more than 35,000 women have IVF in the UK every year, what they are entitled to in terms of time off is a grey area. Some employers still insist that infertility is a "lifestyle issue", despite the fact that many IVF patients have clear-cut medical problems. When I worked with Infertility Network UK on a survey on this issue, we found that some employers would not allow women to take sick leave if they felt unable to work during treatment. Around a third of women hadn't even told their employers they were having IVF, often fearing the consequences for their careers, and some of those we surveyed had faced discrimination at work after admitting they were having IVF.
This may present a bleak picture, but if you're having IVF and have an unsympathetic employer, you can always go to your GP as most are happy to give a medical certificate if you don't feel fit to go to work. More and more employers are now adopting a sympathetic attitude to IVF, and those who have allowed flexible working during treatment or paid leave find that the payback in terms of goodwill is more than worthwhile.
If you're interested in the arguments, I've written about this issue in this week's edition of Grazia magazine.
Monday 9 March 2009
Plans to regulate IVF in California
The birth of octuplets in the United States has raised awareness of the problems that can arise when fertility treatment is not tightly regulated. Now, according to newspaper reports, politicians in California may re-classify fertility clinics in order to gain more control over how they work. Accrediting the clinics as outpatient facilities would mean that they would be able to be more closely mointored.
In other states, there have been moves to tighten the rules on fertility treatment as despite claims to the contrary, it is clear that self-regulation has not worked in the United States, where many clinics routinely ignore guidelines. You can read the story at www.aftau.org
In other states, there have been moves to tighten the rules on fertility treatment as despite claims to the contrary, it is clear that self-regulation has not worked in the United States, where many clinics routinely ignore guidelines. You can read the story at www.aftau.org
Biomechanics and IVF success
According to new research, the physical positioning of a woman and the size and shape of her womb make all the difference to IVF outcomes, along with gravity and the mechanics of the womb.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University are studying how embryos implant into the wall of the womb, and say that the mechanics of what happens during this process can play a vital role in whether it is successful. This is a key factor in IVF, as we still don't know quite why some embryos implant and others don't.
You can read more about the research at www.aftau.org
Researchers at Tel Aviv University are studying how embryos implant into the wall of the womb, and say that the mechanics of what happens during this process can play a vital role in whether it is successful. This is a key factor in IVF, as we still don't know quite why some embryos implant and others don't.
You can read more about the research at www.aftau.org
Tuesday 3 March 2009
HFEA wants your views
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority would like to hear your opinions about the way information held on IVF patients should be disclosed to researchers.
Under the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, information about patients can be disclosed to medical and non-medical researchers, but exactly how this might be done is still being discussed. The information held on patients by clinics is quite detailed, and the HFEA has access to the name, date of birth and cause of infertility of those who have IVF treatment. More research in the field of IVF could benefit us all, but at the same time it is perfectly understandable to have some reservations about how identifying data is released. Now's your chance to express your views on this, at the HFEA online survey which you can find at www.hfea.gov.uk
Under the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, information about patients can be disclosed to medical and non-medical researchers, but exactly how this might be done is still being discussed. The information held on patients by clinics is quite detailed, and the HFEA has access to the name, date of birth and cause of infertility of those who have IVF treatment. More research in the field of IVF could benefit us all, but at the same time it is perfectly understandable to have some reservations about how identifying data is released. Now's your chance to express your views on this, at the HFEA online survey which you can find at www.hfea.gov.uk
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