It's not too late to book for the Wellbeing of Women show this Saturday in Central London. There are a wide range of speakers on all aspects of women's health and fertility, and it promises to be a fascinating day. I'll be there on the Infertility Network UK stand so come and say hello!
You can find out all the details and information about how to book here
Thursday, 17 September 2009
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Starving worms...
Well, I am not sure what it means for humans, but scientists in the States have apparently found that fasting can turn back the reproductive clock in worms!
A research team found that when adult worms were not given any food, they stopped ovulating and part of their reproductive system simply died off. When they were then given food again, the stem cells that had been left behind started producing new, fertile eggs. The old worms in the survey were able to produce healthy babies at a time when normally they would have been dead.
The researchers have made it very clear that there is no suggestion that going on a fast, or severely restricting calories, would lead to humans producing new eggs, but they hope that their findings might be used to help understand the mechanisms that control fertility. They are particularly interested to find out whether their research could have any relevance for women who are recovering from cancer treatments that can destroy the immature eggs in the ovaries might in fact be able to regain their fertility.
You can read more about the research here
A research team found that when adult worms were not given any food, they stopped ovulating and part of their reproductive system simply died off. When they were then given food again, the stem cells that had been left behind started producing new, fertile eggs. The old worms in the survey were able to produce healthy babies at a time when normally they would have been dead.
The researchers have made it very clear that there is no suggestion that going on a fast, or severely restricting calories, would lead to humans producing new eggs, but they hope that their findings might be used to help understand the mechanisms that control fertility. They are particularly interested to find out whether their research could have any relevance for women who are recovering from cancer treatments that can destroy the immature eggs in the ovaries might in fact be able to regain their fertility.
You can read more about the research here
Thursday, 10 September 2009
New storage limit for frozen embryos
Many couples who have frozen embryos in storage will be delighted to learn that the government is set to extend the limit on the time they can be kept from five years to ten.
Often people are not ready to use all their frozen embryos within a timescale of five years, and changing the rules is a sensible and rather overdue move. Most women produce more eggs during an IVF cycle than they can use immediately, and freezing spare embryos allows another, less intrusive, treatment cycle at a later date. However, not everyone is able to use all their spare embryos within the time limits, and there can be little more distressing than having to allow them to be destroyed.
You can see a statement from the HFEA at www.hfea.gov.uk
Often people are not ready to use all their frozen embryos within a timescale of five years, and changing the rules is a sensible and rather overdue move. Most women produce more eggs during an IVF cycle than they can use immediately, and freezing spare embryos allows another, less intrusive, treatment cycle at a later date. However, not everyone is able to use all their spare embryos within the time limits, and there can be little more distressing than having to allow them to be destroyed.
You can see a statement from the HFEA at www.hfea.gov.uk
Back again!
Apologies for the long silence - I've been away, and now I'm back. Watch this space for more news and views.
Saturday, 8 August 2009
The Fertility Show
Get out your diary now, and make sure you don't miss The Fertility Show on November 6 and 7 at London's Olympia. It's aimed at anyone who wants to know more about fertility, from those who are wondering how late they can leave it to try to conceive to those who have already started fertility tests and treatment. There will be exhibitors from the UK and overseas, experts on conventional and complementary therapies and talks on a wide range of topics. I'll be speaking at the show and will let you know what about and when closer to the date. You'll be able to book tickets online in just a few weeks. To find out more, go to www.fertilityshow.co.uk
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Survey on funding
I've been on Channel Four News this morning, talking about the latest survey on funding for fertility which suggests that 80% of primary care trusts are not offering the treatment they should.
The website www.fundingforfertility.com has all the latest details on NHS funding for fertility treatment, and shows that your chances of getting treatment depend entirely on where you live. The system is blatantly unfair, with individual primary care trusts making up their own criteria. In some parts of the country, you only get treatment if you are over the age of 36, in others if you are under the age of 35.
Many are refusing to pay for spare embryos to be frozen and transferred, which means patients end up having more than one embryo transferred and the multiple birth rate rises. The cost to the NHS of more multiple births would far exceed the cost of freezing and transferring spare embryos, but there seems to be little in the way of joined up thinking on this issue.
There is little point in going to the expense of having a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to look carefully at all aspects of a problem and make recommendations if primary care trusts are then free to ignore them entirely and make up their own rules.
You can see more of the Channel Four News coverage at www.channel4.com/news
The website www.fundingforfertility.com has all the latest details on NHS funding for fertility treatment, and shows that your chances of getting treatment depend entirely on where you live. The system is blatantly unfair, with individual primary care trusts making up their own criteria. In some parts of the country, you only get treatment if you are over the age of 36, in others if you are under the age of 35.
Many are refusing to pay for spare embryos to be frozen and transferred, which means patients end up having more than one embryo transferred and the multiple birth rate rises. The cost to the NHS of more multiple births would far exceed the cost of freezing and transferring spare embryos, but there seems to be little in the way of joined up thinking on this issue.
There is little point in going to the expense of having a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to look carefully at all aspects of a problem and make recommendations if primary care trusts are then free to ignore them entirely and make up their own rules.
You can see more of the Channel Four News coverage at www.channel4.com/news
Tuesday, 4 August 2009
Fertility worries of over 30s
A new survey for Red magazine has revealed that seven out of ten childless women who are over the age of 30 are worried about their fertility. The women surveyed for the poll had an average age of 37, and the survey results showing that 34% of them had experienced fertility problems have been quoted in some papers as suggesting that 1 in 3 women are infertile -double the normally quoted rate. This is probably due to the age of the women surveyed as older women are far more likely to experience fertility problems.
The survey also showed that six out of ten women thought they would use IVF if they didn't manage to get pregnant naturally - which is rather worrying given the average age of the respondents. IVF is not a solution for the biological clock and can't reverse reproductive ageing.
Apparently, the survey suggests that the recession has had no impact on the fertility industry. Many of those questioned who'd had IVF had turned to their parents to help foot the bill, as the postcode lottery means that not everyone can access the funded treatment the government's own advisory body believes they are entitled to.
You can read a take on the story here , or go and browse a copy of Red in your local newsagents!
The survey also showed that six out of ten women thought they would use IVF if they didn't manage to get pregnant naturally - which is rather worrying given the average age of the respondents. IVF is not a solution for the biological clock and can't reverse reproductive ageing.
Apparently, the survey suggests that the recession has had no impact on the fertility industry. Many of those questioned who'd had IVF had turned to their parents to help foot the bill, as the postcode lottery means that not everyone can access the funded treatment the government's own advisory body believes they are entitled to.
You can read a take on the story here , or go and browse a copy of Red in your local newsagents!
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