Infertility Network UK has just launched a new website, and it is packed with fascinating stuff for anyone with any kind of interest or involvement in the subject. There's a huge selection of factsheets on pretty much every aspect of fertility, and information about where to get help and support. There are forums where members can chat to one another, and a shop where you can buy fertility-related books and DVDs. You can also join the charity online, which will give you access to the network of regional organisers, helpliners and medical advisers.
It's worth taking a look - www.infertilitynetworkuk.com
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Monday, 14 January 2008
Donor conception information on birth certificates?
The case of the adopted twins who were separated at birth and ended up marrying each other without realising that they were related has been widely discussed in the news. It has raised questions about the issue of donor conception, and whether it would be right to change the law to include the fact that someone was donor-conceived on their birth certificate. Such a change would, in theory, rule out the possibility of anything like this ever happening with two donor-conceived adults.
Some believe that this is the right way to go, as it would ensure that those conceived using donor eggs and sperm knew about their genetic background, and would deny parents the possibility of hiding such information from them. However, many of those involved with donor conception see it as a huge invasion of privacy, and feel it risks stigmatising those who are donor conceived.
For anyone who needs donor eggs or sperm to conceive, there is often a lot of soul-searching before they go ahead. It isn't an easy thing to come to terms with, and most parents of donor-conceived children want to feel that they are in control of how and when they tell their children about their conception. To insist that this information should be included on birth certificates could seem to intrude on their rights as parents to make these decisions in their own way. What's more important, it would risk infringing the rights of a donor conceived adult to choose whether or not they wished to share this deeply personal information with anyone else in the future.
For more information, advice and support on issues surrounding donor conception, you can contact The Donor Conception Network
Some believe that this is the right way to go, as it would ensure that those conceived using donor eggs and sperm knew about their genetic background, and would deny parents the possibility of hiding such information from them. However, many of those involved with donor conception see it as a huge invasion of privacy, and feel it risks stigmatising those who are donor conceived.
For anyone who needs donor eggs or sperm to conceive, there is often a lot of soul-searching before they go ahead. It isn't an easy thing to come to terms with, and most parents of donor-conceived children want to feel that they are in control of how and when they tell their children about their conception. To insist that this information should be included on birth certificates could seem to intrude on their rights as parents to make these decisions in their own way. What's more important, it would risk infringing the rights of a donor conceived adult to choose whether or not they wished to share this deeply personal information with anyone else in the future.
For more information, advice and support on issues surrounding donor conception, you can contact The Donor Conception Network
Friday, 11 January 2008
Clearer costs for IVF treatment
The Times reports that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is going to get clinics to give patients a clear picture of how much their fertility treatment is likely to cost at the outset. This is to be welcomed, as a substantial minority of patients have been finding that their final bill for treatment is far more than they'd anticipated, and apparently only one in five are currently given a costed plan before they start.
Although the HFEA monitors clinics carefully, it has no regulatory powers when it comes to their fees. The cost of fertility treatment has soared in the last decade, and with so much IVF being carried out in the private sector, more and more people are finding they simply can't afford it. The situation in the UK is particularly acute as the guidelines set by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which recommended that women who needed IVF should be offered three funded cycles, have not been adhered to. The reality is that most women are fortunate if they find they qualify for one cycle funded by the NHS. Any move to make the costs of private treatment more transparent can only be a good thing.
You can find the Times report here
Although the HFEA monitors clinics carefully, it has no regulatory powers when it comes to their fees. The cost of fertility treatment has soared in the last decade, and with so much IVF being carried out in the private sector, more and more people are finding they simply can't afford it. The situation in the UK is particularly acute as the guidelines set by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which recommended that women who needed IVF should be offered three funded cycles, have not been adhered to. The reality is that most women are fortunate if they find they qualify for one cycle funded by the NHS. Any move to make the costs of private treatment more transparent can only be a good thing.
You can find the Times report here
Thursday, 10 January 2008
The perimenopause
I am becoming slightly obsessed with the peri-menopause. I suppose it's inevitable once you hit the wrong side of forty, but every time I forget anything I wonder whether it could be a sign of menopausal memory loss. My obsession started when I was writing my last book The Complete Guide to Female Fertility , and became aware that I was on the cusp of a new phase of life which would begin with irregular periods and would mark the end of my fertility with such delights as hot flushes and hair loss... Sometimes, there are things I wish I didn't know...
But seriously, what is the perimenopause and how do you tell if you are entering it? It's the phase leading up to the menopause itself (which is said to occur when you haven't had a period for a year), and can last anything from a matter of months to a worrying ten years. I found a long list of symptoms here , but I'm trying to remind myself that not everyone has all these symptoms, and some women sail through the whole thing without really noticing it.
More worrying than the perimenopause, which will come to us all eventually, is premature menopause, which can occur at any age and affects about one in every hundred women. If you're trying to get pregnant, early hormone tests should reveal this fairly early on, but premature menopause does sometimes go undetected, and if you have irregular periods or other menopausal symptoms, make sure you've had the right hormone tests. It does sometimes run in families, and if your mother had an early menopause, tell your doctors about this. Fortunately, there is an excellent support group for women who have experienced an early menopause, The Daisy Network , who can provide information and advice.
But seriously, what is the perimenopause and how do you tell if you are entering it? It's the phase leading up to the menopause itself (which is said to occur when you haven't had a period for a year), and can last anything from a matter of months to a worrying ten years. I found a long list of symptoms here , but I'm trying to remind myself that not everyone has all these symptoms, and some women sail through the whole thing without really noticing it.
More worrying than the perimenopause, which will come to us all eventually, is premature menopause, which can occur at any age and affects about one in every hundred women. If you're trying to get pregnant, early hormone tests should reveal this fairly early on, but premature menopause does sometimes go undetected, and if you have irregular periods or other menopausal symptoms, make sure you've had the right hormone tests. It does sometimes run in families, and if your mother had an early menopause, tell your doctors about this. Fortunately, there is an excellent support group for women who have experienced an early menopause, The Daisy Network , who can provide information and advice.
Dad not included debate
You may be interested in a debate taking place next week at Westminster about the "need for a father", something clinics had to take into consideration when they were deciding whether to offer IVF and other similar treatments. The original Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which regulated fertility treatment, had made it law for clinics to think about the welfare of any future children and this had included their "need for a father".
The updated version of this currently going through Parliament does not contain the requirement for clinics to think about a child's need for a father, and next week's evening debate will be looking at a variety of views on this. The speakers are Ruth Deech, the former Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Juliet Tizzard, the deputy Head of Ethics at the British Medical Association and
Fiona MacCallum , Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick. The debate, organised by Progress Educational Trust, takes place on January 14th, and if you might be interested in attending, you can find more details here
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The updated version of this currently going through Parliament does not contain the requirement for clinics to think about a child's need for a father, and next week's evening debate will be looking at a variety of views on this. The speakers are Ruth Deech, the former Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Juliet Tizzard, the deputy Head of Ethics at the British Medical Association and
Fiona MacCallum , Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick. The debate, organised by Progress Educational Trust, takes place on January 14th, and if you might be interested in attending, you can find more details here
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Wednesday, 9 January 2008
Spare embryos
There's been some controversy over the revelation that more than a million embryos have been created during fertility treatment and destroyed. Figures released by the Department of Health during the debates over the new Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill showed that 1.2 million embryos have been destroyed in the last fourteen years.
This led to calls for more couples to donate any spare embryos to others, which is undoubtedly a good idea for those who feel able to do this, and to some criticism of this "wastage". It is vital to understand that most couples going through IVF would choose to freeze any spare embryos they produce, and that the main reason for the destruction of spare embryos is the simple fact that they are not considered viable.
Perhaps the best way to prevent spare embryos being destroyed is to improve the IVF process.
In the future, more doctors may be interested in "soft" IVF which uses lower doses of drugs to stimulate the ovaries. This produces fewer eggs, and therefore fewer spare embryos, and is not only cheaper but has the added advantage of being safer for women going through fertility treatment.
This led to calls for more couples to donate any spare embryos to others, which is undoubtedly a good idea for those who feel able to do this, and to some criticism of this "wastage". It is vital to understand that most couples going through IVF would choose to freeze any spare embryos they produce, and that the main reason for the destruction of spare embryos is the simple fact that they are not considered viable.
Perhaps the best way to prevent spare embryos being destroyed is to improve the IVF process.
In the future, more doctors may be interested in "soft" IVF which uses lower doses of drugs to stimulate the ovaries. This produces fewer eggs, and therefore fewer spare embryos, and is not only cheaper but has the added advantage of being safer for women going through fertility treatment.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
Healthy eating resolutions for 2008
I don't make resolutions any more, having broken far too many over the years, but perhaps one we should consider for 2008 is to try to eat more healthily. We seem to hear endless reports about the growing problem of obesity, and now apparently we're told that eating badly is killing 70,000 of us every year.
What may be more relevant to anyone trying to get pregnant is a Dutch study that concluded that a woman's chances of getting pregnant decreased in direct relation to how overweight she was. Women who were seriously overweight were found to be 45% less likely to get pregnant than those within normal weight ranges. It's important to understand that these conclusions were only relevant for women with real weight problems, and not for curvy women who wanted to lose the odd half stone.
Eating healthily doesn't mean dieting unless you start out with a weight problem, and it shouldn't be an unpleasant chore. Anyone trying to get pregnant, or going through fertility treatment, may improve their wellbeing and chances of success by following a healthy eating regime and making sure they are getting all the essential vitamins and nutrients their bodies need.
What may be more relevant to anyone trying to get pregnant is a Dutch study that concluded that a woman's chances of getting pregnant decreased in direct relation to how overweight she was. Women who were seriously overweight were found to be 45% less likely to get pregnant than those within normal weight ranges. It's important to understand that these conclusions were only relevant for women with real weight problems, and not for curvy women who wanted to lose the odd half stone.
Eating healthily doesn't mean dieting unless you start out with a weight problem, and it shouldn't be an unpleasant chore. Anyone trying to get pregnant, or going through fertility treatment, may improve their wellbeing and chances of success by following a healthy eating regime and making sure they are getting all the essential vitamins and nutrients their bodies need.
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