IVF add-ons are commonplace but have little evidence of increasing live birth rates
For over a decade I have becoming increasingly upset by the growing number of new treatments being marketed towards patients going through IVF, that have little or no evidence of increasing the... Launch of a global fertility education poster campaign
We are having children later than ever in every country. In many countries the age women have their first child is over 30. There are many reasons women are delaying having children, including...
Should the health service pay for IVF treatment?
Globally the funding of infertility treatment varies greatly between different countries. So who should fund IVF treatment? The health service or the couple themselves? The World Health Organisation...
Why don’t we talk about miscarriage?
October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month and specifically tomorrow (15th October) is pregnancy and infant loss awareness day. I have never understood is why we have this tradition of not...
It takes two to make a baby but have we forgotten to talk to men?
I work in the Institute for Women’s Health. But have we got our name wrong? For too long men have been ignored with regards to fertility, infertility and reproductive health. Once their sperm have...
Rethinking our menstrual cycle
So when do you ovulate? Our whole reproductive lives women are either trying not get pregnant or trying to get pregnant. In schools we are taught that most women have a 28 day cycle, and that they...
Experts welcome guidance for teaching children about their fertility
You probably know that I am a co-founder of the Fertility Education Initiative and we have been working to ensure everyone understands about their fertility and reproductive health. The Fertility...
Is there a test to determine how fertile you are?
For many years, some companies and IVF clinics have been marketing a test for women that they say can determine how fertile a woman is, even though there has been no evidence that the test is...
It’s European Fertility Week – call to action
Infertility will be affecting someone you know. It affects 1 in 6 couples globally and in the European Union alone, 25 million citizens face infertility. 8 million children worldwide have been born...
Should young women freeze their eggs?
I am seeing an increasing number of adverts aimed at young women, encouraging them to freeze their eggs. But is this really the answer for female fertility? As we have discussed previously, a... RCOG suggests caution over social egg freezing
This week the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) issued a report suggesting caution over social egg freezing. As we have discussed previously, a woman’s fertility decreases...
Taking paracetamol during pregnancy may reduce fertility of children
Three studies done in rats and mice indicate that taking paracetamol during pregnancy may affect the fertility of the female offspring and this week a report at the Fertility 2018 conference in the UK...
New study – financial incentives for breastfeeding
A scientific paper out today in the journal JAMA Paediatrics has suggested mothers breast feed for longer if given financial incentives for breastfeeding. The world health organisation recommends...
New study: insufficient evidence to guide recommendations on vitamin D in pregnancy
Today a group from Canada have published a paper in the British Medical Journal which concludes that there is insufficient evidence to guide recommendations on vitamin D in pregnancy. The group...
40 years of IVF
On this day, 10th of November, 40 years ago, the first successful In Vitro Fertilization took place in England, where Prof, Robert Edwards and Dr Patrick Steptoe pioneered a method that would change...
Preventing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after Childbirth: Why Compassionate Care Matters
By Tracy Sealey I received a phone call from a client this week, distressed after an appointment with her midwife. She had wanted to discuss giving birth in the hospital’s midwife led unit but had...
Does Stevia affect fertility?
Stevia is a sugar substitute with a very sweet taste that doesn’t add calories into our meal and it is used to sweeten food and drinks. However, there has been a lot of debate within the last...
Care after miscarriage
Sadly, miscarriages are more common than people realise. After a positive pregnancy test, between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Most miscarriages happen in the first...
