I’ve lost count of the number of times I've been asked why couples who are going through the traumas of fertility treatment don’t adopt. It always annoys me as I think there’s a perception that there are huge numbers of small babies languishing in care because people with fertility problems would rather pay for loads of treatment than consider adopting a baby who needs a home. I hope that today’s news that last year just sixty babies were adopted in the whole of England may help explain why adoption isn’t always an option.
Apparently record numbers of children are being taken into care, but that isn’t being translated into more adoptions. It’s particularly sad that so few babies are adopted, as generally the earlier children find new parents, the more successful adoptions can be.
Apparently it can take more than three years for a child to be adopted. The fact that the average age for adoption is just under four would suggest that many of these children could have been found new families at a much earlier age. Next time I’m asked why we don’t all rush off to adopt children when we find we can’t have our own easily, I shall have some figures to quote back at hand…
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
A frozen guarantee
I've just been reading about an American TV presenter in her mid-thirties who has decided that she isn't ready to have children for another couple of years, and so is going to freeze her eggs as an insurance policy. If only it were that simple...
The belief that you can put your fertility on hold by freezing eggs seems to have gained an alarming momentum. Anyone with any experience of fertility treatment could tell you how uncertain it is and that there are never any guarantees - but this woman has somehow been sold the idea that freezing eggs will ensure she has no fertility problems in the future. I'm never entirely sure where this myth originates as most fertility doctors are very honest about the lack of guarantees when it comes to egg freezing, but perhaps the real problem is that so many women want to believe it...
The belief that you can put your fertility on hold by freezing eggs seems to have gained an alarming momentum. Anyone with any experience of fertility treatment could tell you how uncertain it is and that there are never any guarantees - but this woman has somehow been sold the idea that freezing eggs will ensure she has no fertility problems in the future. I'm never entirely sure where this myth originates as most fertility doctors are very honest about the lack of guarantees when it comes to egg freezing, but perhaps the real problem is that so many women want to believe it...
Monday, 26 September 2011
Too old to be a mum?
I've just been reading about the case of a Brazilian woman of 61 who is expecting a baby in November and the controversy it has caused. I think it's a shame that these very rare cases of much older women getting pregnant after fertility treatment often muddy the waters of the debate about assisted reproduction.
Although we seem to read about women approaching pension age having miracle babies in the papers fairly often, it's really most unusual for fertility clinics to treat women who are so far past the menopause. The woman in this case has said she is in "great health" but what constitutes great health for a woman of 61 is hardly the same as for a woman twenty years younger. By the time the woman's child is 18, she will be approaching 80 assuming she lives that long and it's the decision as to whether this would be fair on the child that should be paramount.
The saddest thing about these stories is that they perpetuate the myth that fertility treatment can offer a solution to age-related infertility. In fact, like many of the older celebrities we read about who suddenly get pregnant at a somewhat advanced age, the woman in this case used an egg from a donor. No matter how fit and healthy we may feel as we get older, getting pregnant gets harder the longer you leave it - and fertility treatment can't reverse the biological clock.
Although we seem to read about women approaching pension age having miracle babies in the papers fairly often, it's really most unusual for fertility clinics to treat women who are so far past the menopause. The woman in this case has said she is in "great health" but what constitutes great health for a woman of 61 is hardly the same as for a woman twenty years younger. By the time the woman's child is 18, she will be approaching 80 assuming she lives that long and it's the decision as to whether this would be fair on the child that should be paramount.
The saddest thing about these stories is that they perpetuate the myth that fertility treatment can offer a solution to age-related infertility. In fact, like many of the older celebrities we read about who suddenly get pregnant at a somewhat advanced age, the woman in this case used an egg from a donor. No matter how fit and healthy we may feel as we get older, getting pregnant gets harder the longer you leave it - and fertility treatment can't reverse the biological clock.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Warning over dangers of multiple births from Canada...
News from Canada of an expert in multiple births who has accused the IVF industry of "creating a population of sick babies", and has demanded to know why fertilty experts continue to put back more than one embryo.
The multiple birth rate had surged in Canada, and there had been more and more babies born prematurely with low birth weights who were at risk of long-term health problems. Although the number of twins and triplets born after fertility treatment in Canada had dropped a little more recently, it is still around 25%.
In Quebec, treatment is paid for by the state but in the majority of cases only one embryo is transferred at a time, and the multiple rate has dropped to around 5%, but in other parts of the country it's still fairly routine to put back two or more embryos.
Here in the UK, there has been considerable pressure on fertility clinics to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies and many are making great strides to achieve this. Unfortunately others are happy to continue to blame patient pressure for their decision to keep transferring two embryos even where patients are at high risk of a multiple pregnancy.
One consultant told me recently that of the couples they'd advised to have a single embryo transfer who had ignored the advice, every single one had ended up with a multiple pregnancy. The important thing to remember is that if you were going to get pregnant with twins, you will still get pregnant but with one baby who is far less likely to have health problems.
I know it can be difficult to accept single embryo transfer but that's partly because of the way the IVF industry works in this country. For too long, fertility patients have had to take risks with their future children's health and it is important to understand that by having a single embryo transferred you are not being penalised, but are being offered a greater chance of having a healthy baby - it's not always appreciated that multiple birth poses the biggest health risk to children born after fertility treatment.
For more information about single embryo transfer, go to www.oneatatime.org.uk
The multiple birth rate had surged in Canada, and there had been more and more babies born prematurely with low birth weights who were at risk of long-term health problems. Although the number of twins and triplets born after fertility treatment in Canada had dropped a little more recently, it is still around 25%.
In Quebec, treatment is paid for by the state but in the majority of cases only one embryo is transferred at a time, and the multiple rate has dropped to around 5%, but in other parts of the country it's still fairly routine to put back two or more embryos.
Here in the UK, there has been considerable pressure on fertility clinics to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies and many are making great strides to achieve this. Unfortunately others are happy to continue to blame patient pressure for their decision to keep transferring two embryos even where patients are at high risk of a multiple pregnancy.
One consultant told me recently that of the couples they'd advised to have a single embryo transfer who had ignored the advice, every single one had ended up with a multiple pregnancy. The important thing to remember is that if you were going to get pregnant with twins, you will still get pregnant but with one baby who is far less likely to have health problems.
I know it can be difficult to accept single embryo transfer but that's partly because of the way the IVF industry works in this country. For too long, fertility patients have had to take risks with their future children's health and it is important to understand that by having a single embryo transferred you are not being penalised, but are being offered a greater chance of having a healthy baby - it's not always appreciated that multiple birth poses the biggest health risk to children born after fertility treatment.
For more information about single embryo transfer, go to www.oneatatime.org.uk
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
No more red-headed donors...
One of the world's largest sperm banks has announced that it can't take any more donations from men with red hair! Apparently, the Cryos sperm bank based in Denmark has seen an increase in donations in recent years and now has more sperm from red-haired men than it can sell despite having customers in more than 65 countries around the world.
It seems that demand for donors with red hair is low, and it's only the sperm bank's customers from Ireland who tend to ask for it. With most of their supplies going to people in Spain, Italy and Greece it's donors with dark hair and eyes who prove the most popular.
It seems that demand for donors with red hair is low, and it's only the sperm bank's customers from Ireland who tend to ask for it. With most of their supplies going to people in Spain, Italy and Greece it's donors with dark hair and eyes who prove the most popular.
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
New booklet for lesbian mums-to-be
I've been doing some work recently with a great new organisation working for lesbians who want to have children or who have families, and they've got a brand new booklet due out this weekend packed with information and advice for lesbians who want to start a family. Including tips on monitoring your own cycle, on finding a sperm donor and on fertility treatments and clinics, it also contains an extensive list of organisations to contact who can help with further advice. You can get the booklet from LGroup Families who also organise regular meetings for prospective mothers-to-be and for lesbian families.
The Fertility Show
This year's Fertility Show is now just a couple of months away, the seminar programme has been drawn up and tickets are on sale. For anyone trying to conceive, I think the Fertility Show offers a unique opportunity to hear some of the leading experts in the country give their views and to make contact with staff from clinics from the UK and abroad, getting an idea of whether they might be suitable for you with more insights than you might be able to glean from their websites.
I know the Fertility Show isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some people do feel that it is too overtly commercial, but the sad reality is that most fertility treatment now is overtly commercial and however much we don't like that, it's not going to change. You have to go to the shown forewarned that perhaps you may find some things there that you wouldn't choose for yourself, but that's not a reason not to go. I feel it really is an unmissable opportunity to inform yourself and there are many excellent organisations exhibiting and lots of really interesting talks. The show is organised by an excellent and very professional team, in conjunction with the charity Infertility Network UK who are running some great workshops for the first time this year. Come along and see for yourself!
I know the Fertility Show isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some people do feel that it is too overtly commercial, but the sad reality is that most fertility treatment now is overtly commercial and however much we don't like that, it's not going to change. You have to go to the shown forewarned that perhaps you may find some things there that you wouldn't choose for yourself, but that's not a reason not to go. I feel it really is an unmissable opportunity to inform yourself and there are many excellent organisations exhibiting and lots of really interesting talks. The show is organised by an excellent and very professional team, in conjunction with the charity Infertility Network UK who are running some great workshops for the first time this year. Come along and see for yourself!
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
New book by Red magazine Health Editor
If you want to know more about other women's experiences of IVF, Brigid Moss, who is Health Editor of Red magazine, has just written a new book 'IVF, An Emotional Companion' The book covers a range of different fertility problems and outcomes, with more than 20 women telling their own stories along with some quotes from experts in the field. Whatever your personal situation, you will find something to interest you among the real-life experiences here.
Brigid has been through the IVF mill herself, and for me one of the most moving stories in the book was her own experience of miscarriage after getting pregnant with a second IVF baby. Told with great honesty, it details the reality of losing a long-awaited baby and left me in tears.
Thoroughly recommended to anyone who wants to find out more about other women's experiences of infertility and treatment.
Brigid has been through the IVF mill herself, and for me one of the most moving stories in the book was her own experience of miscarriage after getting pregnant with a second IVF baby. Told with great honesty, it details the reality of losing a long-awaited baby and left me in tears.
Thoroughly recommended to anyone who wants to find out more about other women's experiences of infertility and treatment.
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