Sammy Lee

I was so sad to read in Bionews this evening of the death of Sammy Lee, a leading scientist and embryologist who had worked in the fertility field for many years and had carried out a range of research projects.

I'd heard of Sammy long before I met him as he had often courted controversy in statements to the media, and I'd imagined some kind of rather pompous figure.  In fact, when I finally got to meet him, Sammy wasn't a bit like that - he was kind, gentle and fascinating company.

You can read Sammy's obituary on Bionews here, and you can contribute to a fund in his name here which has been set up in accordance with his wish to support his students.

GPs lack knowledge and empathy when it comes to fertility problems...

As you may remember reading on this blog a few months ago (yes, we're often ahead with the news...), research for the National Infertility Awareness Campaign has found that nearly half of all GPs lacked knowledge about infertility and treatment and many found that their family doctors were very unsympathetic.

It's a great shame as showing a little compassion can go a long way when it comes to fertility problems, and the NIAC research makes me realise how fortunate I was when I first went to see my GP about not getting pregnant as he immediately offered to do some tests and set us on our way.  He was very matter of fact about it all, which was actually really helpful as it made me realise that this was a common problem and that there were things we could do.

What's even more depressing about the NIAC survey is the fact that a third of women who should qualify for fertility investigations and treatment are turned away by their doctors and made to wait.  The results of the survey would suggest that it's always worth getting a second opinion if you feel your doctor isn't taking the problem seriously.  I know how hard it can be as not being able to conceive often erodes your self-confidence and you may not feel able to argue your case when faced with an unsympathetic GP - but it may make all the difference in the long run.

You can find more details about the NIAC research on the Infertility Network UK website

   

Thank goodness you don't live in Malta...

If you ever think there’s a lack of sensitivity towards infertility, you should perhaps be grateful that you don’t happen to live in Malta.  There a political debate about regulation for IVF has become increasingly heated with the Church issuing a pastoral letter describing IVF as “morally wrong” and encouraging couples “not to concede to the temptation of taking easy solutions” by having IVF.

The Catholic church has never supported IVF, but such outright condemnation is a terrible blow to religious people with fertility problems.  It’s hard enough not to be able to have a baby anyway, without being told that opting for the medical treatment that could help would be conceding to temptation - it seems to me to be a particularly cruel line in emotional blackmail.  What's more, I don't think anyone who'd had any personal experience of fertility treatment would describe IVF as an "easy" solution.  It's not as if there are any effective alternatives either...

For anyone who has had treatment, the pastoral letter allows that their offspring are apparently "still the children of God, even if the methods through which they were conceived go against Church teachings and against human dignity".  It seems incredible that such a line could be written in 2012, and after initially feeling horrified at such sentiments, I was left with a sense of sadness that religious leaders could show themselves to be so lacking in empathy, understanding and human kindness.

Could walnuts improve male fertility?

Yes, walnuts - apparently eating two and a half ounces of walnuts a day could improve male fertility...

A new study from the States has found that men who ate 2.5 ounces of walnuts a day showed an improvement in their sperm vitality, motility and morphology.  It seems that walnuts are a very good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids which are known to be important for sperm production, and are also a good natural plant source of omega 3 - which may explain the results.

The researchers only looked at healthy young men, who were under the age of 35 and who didn't have existing fertility problems, so it cannot be said with certainty that the results would be the same in older men who were trying unsuccessfully to start a family - but having said that, if you don't have a nut allergy and don't mind eating walnuts, there's certainly nothing to be lost and potentially everything to be gained - the team set the level of walnuts to be eaten very precisely in order to ensure maximum benefit without the risk of putting on weight!

There has been much debate in recent years about how our lifestyles might be affecting our fertility and whether a Western diet could have a negative impact - and this new research provides food for thought...  You can read more here