Many people are understandably very concerned about proposals to cut the number of multiple births after IVF, and there's a lot of online chat about the issue. Some patients are worried that everyone going through IVF is about to be forced into putting back just one embryo at a time.
What's actually happening is that clinics with very high multiple pregnancy rates are being asked to try to lower them. Putting back one embryo at a time is never going to be a good idea for everyone, but in the right patients it can mean reducing the risk of twins without reducing the chances of pregnancy.
One study estimated that at least 220 babies die each year in the UK as a result of multiple births after assisted conception, twins are far more likely to be born prematurely and there are often other complications for both mother and babies. This is why high twin rates are such a worry.
If you want to know more about the issue, there's a new website with all the relevant information on the subject, not just for patients, but also for professionals, too. It's www.oneatatime.org.uk
Monday, 30 June 2008
Friday, 27 June 2008
Apologies
I'm afraid I haven't been updating much this week, but I've just been finishing my new book, the companion to The Complete Guide to Female Fertility, which is due out next year. The first draft is completed, and I'll be back on track again now!
There has been some interesting coverage of the postcode lottery for IVF funding this week, after the Department of Health published their survey of local primary care trusts. All the trusts were questioned about what arrangements they had for funding IVF, and the majority are finally offering one cycle of treatment. The problem is that some invent such stringent criteria that it's virtually impossible to qualify, and others refuse to pay for freezing and transferring any frozen embryos, which doesn't really count as paying for an IVF cycle. It's great that people are finally taking notice of this, four years after the government's own advisory body, The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, said that anyone who needed it should get three funded cycles. There doesn't seem much point in having an advisory body if you ignore the advice it gives, but at least people are finally starting to take some notice of the problems fertility patients face. You can see details of the survey at here
There has been some interesting coverage of the postcode lottery for IVF funding this week, after the Department of Health published their survey of local primary care trusts. All the trusts were questioned about what arrangements they had for funding IVF, and the majority are finally offering one cycle of treatment. The problem is that some invent such stringent criteria that it's virtually impossible to qualify, and others refuse to pay for freezing and transferring any frozen embryos, which doesn't really count as paying for an IVF cycle. It's great that people are finally taking notice of this, four years after the government's own advisory body, The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, said that anyone who needed it should get three funded cycles. There doesn't seem much point in having an advisory body if you ignore the advice it gives, but at least people are finally starting to take some notice of the problems fertility patients face. You can see details of the survey at here
Sunday, 22 June 2008
More evidence of damage cannabis causes to fertility
Many people assume that cannabis is really pretty harmless, but there's now yet more evidence to suggest that it has a damaging effect on male fertility. In fact both cannabis and opiates such as heroin and methadone can cause problems with the ability of the sperm to swim properly, or their motility. The new research found that sperm have a number of receptors that are affected by these drugs.
The good news about this is that the damage doesn't have to be lasting if you give up. It takes a few months for sperm to be produced, and you will notice an improvement in sperm motility soon after this time once you stop.
The good news about this is that the damage doesn't have to be lasting if you give up. It takes a few months for sperm to be produced, and you will notice an improvement in sperm motility soon after this time once you stop.
Good news on egg freezing
Anyone who is considering delaying motherhood, whether for medical or social reasons, will be pleased to hear that new research from Canada suggests that the latest methods of egg freezing are perfectly safe, and do not have any health implications for babies.
Many women who have cancer freeze eggs or ovarian tissue, as cancer treatments often destroy fertility, and this gives some hope of having a family in the future. It is also an option for those who want to delay having children for social reasons, often because they haven't met the right person to start a family with. Up until now, egg freezing has not been particularly successful, but the latest freezing technique, known as vitrification, ensures that far more eggs survive the process.
The new research followed up the children born as a result of this technique, and found they had no greater risk of health problems than others. It was carried out by a team from McGill University in Montreal, and you can read more in The Times online at www.timesonline.co.uk
Many women who have cancer freeze eggs or ovarian tissue, as cancer treatments often destroy fertility, and this gives some hope of having a family in the future. It is also an option for those who want to delay having children for social reasons, often because they haven't met the right person to start a family with. Up until now, egg freezing has not been particularly successful, but the latest freezing technique, known as vitrification, ensures that far more eggs survive the process.
The new research followed up the children born as a result of this technique, and found they had no greater risk of health problems than others. It was carried out by a team from McGill University in Montreal, and you can read more in The Times online at www.timesonline.co.uk
Thursday, 19 June 2008
When you can't have another baby...
Women who've got pregnant once tend to expect to be able to do it again, and yet apparently about a third of the patients in fertility clinics have been pregnant before, and are experiencing what's known as secondary infertility.
It's a difficult issue. GPs are often slow to refer patients to specialists for secondary infertility, assuming they'll get pregnant naturally if they keep trying, and couples themselves tend to delay seeking help because they don't believe they can have a fertility problem.
So how can it be that someone manages to get pregnant once, and then can't again? It is possible for problems to develop, or for a minor problem to become more serious, and age can also play a role here. It may be easier to overcome a minor fertility problem when you are in your early thirties. By the time you are approaching forty, the same problem combined with a reduction in your fertility may mean you don't get pregnant.
I was speaking to a consultant about this yesterday, and was surprised to hear that some of the patients who find it hardest to cope with fertility problems are those who are experiencing secondary infertility. For me, the raw yearning you feel when you can't have a child is never going to be quite the same when you can't have a second, or third. Of course, that doesn't make it any easier, and perhaps some people find it particularly tough because they know what they are missing? What do you think ?
It's a difficult issue. GPs are often slow to refer patients to specialists for secondary infertility, assuming they'll get pregnant naturally if they keep trying, and couples themselves tend to delay seeking help because they don't believe they can have a fertility problem.
So how can it be that someone manages to get pregnant once, and then can't again? It is possible for problems to develop, or for a minor problem to become more serious, and age can also play a role here. It may be easier to overcome a minor fertility problem when you are in your early thirties. By the time you are approaching forty, the same problem combined with a reduction in your fertility may mean you don't get pregnant.
I was speaking to a consultant about this yesterday, and was surprised to hear that some of the patients who find it hardest to cope with fertility problems are those who are experiencing secondary infertility. For me, the raw yearning you feel when you can't have a child is never going to be quite the same when you can't have a second, or third. Of course, that doesn't make it any easier, and perhaps some people find it particularly tough because they know what they are missing? What do you think ?
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Could you help highlight the need for egg donors?
If you've needed a donor egg to get pregnant, or have donated your eggs to help other women have children, The National Gamete Donation Trust would like to hear from you. They're launching a new campaign next month to try to highlight the need for more egg donors, and are looking for women who would be willing to tell their stories to encourage more donors to come forward. They're particularly keen to hear from anyone living in London. Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester or Liverpool who would be able to talk to the media. They will pay expenses and help you prepare for this.
This is a really important issue as there are incredibly long waiting lists for donor eggs in the UK now, and more and more couples are having to seek treatment overseas. If you think you may be interested, you can get in touch with the National Gamete Donation Trust at www.ngdt.co.uk
This is a really important issue as there are incredibly long waiting lists for donor eggs in the UK now, and more and more couples are having to seek treatment overseas. If you think you may be interested, you can get in touch with the National Gamete Donation Trust at www.ngdt.co.uk
Monday, 16 June 2008
Fat men no less fertile
We've always known fertility is discriminatory when it comes to age, and whilst men can carry on fathering children when they're collecting their pensions, most women stop being fertile in their early forties. We've tended to assume that other factors, like being overweight, affect both sexes in the same way, but new research from the States suggests this may not be the case.
Researchers in New York looked at sperm samples from 292 men who had an average body mass index of 28, which is in the definitely overweight category. They found that weight didn't make any difference when it came to sperm quantity or quality. Although being overweight was linked to lower testosterone levels, this only seemed to have an effect when men were enormous rather than just on the big side. The results of the research are being presented at the annual conference of the US Endocrine Society this week.
Heartening news for any larger men out there - but perhaps not so cheery for larger women. However, doctors warn that men shouldn't use this as an excuse not to lose weight if they need to, as being overweight may have other health implications.
Researchers in New York looked at sperm samples from 292 men who had an average body mass index of 28, which is in the definitely overweight category. They found that weight didn't make any difference when it came to sperm quantity or quality. Although being overweight was linked to lower testosterone levels, this only seemed to have an effect when men were enormous rather than just on the big side. The results of the research are being presented at the annual conference of the US Endocrine Society this week.
Heartening news for any larger men out there - but perhaps not so cheery for larger women. However, doctors warn that men shouldn't use this as an excuse not to lose weight if they need to, as being overweight may have other health implications.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)