Fertility Road Issue 44 May/June 2018
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ISSUE <strong>44</strong> MAY-JUNE <strong>2018</strong><br />
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESILIENCE • THE ABC OF STRESS • SPICE OF LIFE
<strong>Fertility</strong><strong>Road</strong> ISSUE <strong>44</strong> fertilityroad fertilityroadmag<br />
Contents<br />
LEGAL<br />
MIND<br />
13 FAMILY MATTERS<br />
ur legal eerts loo at te<br />
agig fae of wat a family<br />
loos lie<br />
30 RELATIONSHIPS<br />
eeig te loe wile tryig<br />
to oeie<br />
33 THE IMPORTANCE OF<br />
RESILIENCE<br />
aigatig your way troug<br />
lifes allege<br />
BODY<br />
14 5 THINGS TO QUIT TO<br />
FUEL FERTILITY<br />
re tese fie tigs armig<br />
your aes of gettig regat<br />
FERTILITY<br />
JOURNEYS<br />
FERTILITY<br />
360<br />
22 BOOST FERTILITY NATURALLY<br />
ow to use utritio to imroe<br />
your fertility<br />
26 SPICE OF LIFE<br />
oo u some loe i te ite<br />
<strong>44</strong> REDIA IVF TRAVEL<br />
elome to our ew fertility<br />
ourey arters rael ad<br />
editerraea ertility stitute<br />
46 IVF SPAIN<br />
elome laire ad ae to te<br />
ai family<br />
50 OREGON REPRODUCTIVE<br />
MEDICINE<br />
ogratulatios to eater ad<br />
rado wo are regat<br />
56 JESSICA HEPBURN -<br />
21 MILES<br />
wimmig i sear of te<br />
meaig of moterood<br />
60 BUDGETING YOUR<br />
SURROGACY JOURNEY<br />
fators tat a ae a ig<br />
imat o osts<br />
MEN ONLY<br />
64 HOW THE PRESSURES<br />
OF WORK AFFECT MALE<br />
INFERTILITY<br />
e loo at te affets wor<br />
ressures ae o male ifertility<br />
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Contributors<br />
The people who made this issue happen…<br />
Michelle Mulliss BSc (Hons)<br />
MBAcC<br />
Michelle specialises in natural<br />
and assisted fertility and provides<br />
a unique approach of integrated<br />
medicine.<br />
Liz Bottrill<br />
Liz Bottrill is a Partner in the Family Law<br />
Team at Laytons Solicitors with over 25<br />
years’ experience in the field. She has a<br />
particular interest and expertise in the<br />
law relating to children and fertility.<br />
Natasha Canfer<br />
Natasha is an infertility sherpa<br />
offering individuals bespoke,<br />
practical and emotional support and<br />
companionship before, during and<br />
after fertility treatment.<br />
Sarah Banks<br />
Sarah is a <strong>Fertility</strong> coach and<br />
mentor who works with fertility<br />
professionals to enhance their<br />
patient experience and success rates.<br />
Jessica Hepburn<br />
Founder of <strong>Fertility</strong> Fest and<br />
author of her new book 21 Miles:<br />
Swimming in search of the meaning<br />
of motherhood.<br />
Russell Davis<br />
Russell is a fertility coach<br />
supporting couples on their journey.<br />
Harry Gardiner<br />
Having spent the past 4 years<br />
immersed in the fertility world,<br />
Harry regularly speaks out<br />
about environmental factors<br />
that affect fertility.<br />
Lisa Attfield<br />
Lisa is a mother of 3 IVF children<br />
and has produced her own <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Yoga DVD after her 10-year journey<br />
to become a mother.<br />
Craig Reisser<br />
Craig is a father through donor egg<br />
surrogacy and IVF. Craig works with<br />
Oregon Reproductive Medicine,<br />
the clinic that helped him become a<br />
father, to help other intended parents<br />
building their families.<br />
Kathy Payne<br />
Kathy is a women’s health coach<br />
online and in Norwich UK, offering<br />
bespoke programmes for women<br />
and couples, as well as online classes<br />
and courses.<br />
Dr Caroline Phillips PhD<br />
Caroline was senior embryologist<br />
at the Chelsea and Westminster<br />
Hospital in the 90’s. She now runs<br />
an online hub - <strong>Fertility</strong> Clinics<br />
Abroadwhich offers resources and<br />
information to people seeking IVF<br />
abroad.<br />
Juliana Kassianos<br />
Juliana is a Natural <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Therapist and founder of The<br />
School of <strong>Fertility</strong>.<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong><strong>Road</strong><br />
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FR News & Views<br />
UCLA RESEARCH<br />
MAY EXPLAIN<br />
SOME CAUSES OF<br />
INFERTILITY AND<br />
MISCARRIAGE<br />
STUDY EXAMINES HOW EARLY EMBRYONIC<br />
DEVELOPMENT CAN GO AWRY<br />
A new study in the journal Nature Cell<br />
Biology has uncovered information about a<br />
key stage that human embryonic cells must<br />
pass through just before an embryo implants.<br />
The research, led by UCLA biologist Amander<br />
Clark, could help explain certain causes of<br />
infertility and spontaneous miscarriage.<br />
fertility affets aroud eret of te <br />
oulatio ad rougly to eret of<br />
all regaies i te ed i misarriage<br />
may ases te auses of ifertility ad<br />
misarriage are uow<br />
team led y lar a rofessor of<br />
moleular ell ad deelometal iology ad<br />
memer of te li ad dyte road eter of<br />
egeeratie ediie ad tem ell esear<br />
at set out to fid ow eigeomi<br />
ages ogeeti ifluees o gee<br />
eressio i uma emryoi stem ells<br />
ould elai wy some emryos are ot iale<br />
ey started y aalyig ells witi te early<br />
emryo tese ells are luriotet meaig<br />
tat tey a tur ito ay ell witi te<br />
uma ody<br />
or may years researers tougt tat<br />
uma luriotey was a sigle state lar<br />
said oweer oer te ast tree years te<br />
field as disoered tat uma luriotey<br />
ioles at least two maor states ad as<br />
emryos grow te stem ells ass troug tese<br />
two differet states of luriotey o te way<br />
to te emryo estalisig a regay<br />
fter a uma emryo is fertilied ad efore it<br />
imlats i te uterie liig ells i te emryo<br />
are i a ery immature state of luriotey alled<br />
te aie state ittle is ow aout te aie<br />
state ut sietists eliee tat if emryoi ells<br />
aot first eter tis state te emryo is ot iale<br />
ad a misarriage would our roud te time a<br />
emryo imlats its ells eter te rimed state<br />
rimed ells are ready to differetiate ito all of te<br />
arious ell tyes i te ody<br />
ltoug o oe ows eatly wy te aie<br />
state of luriotey eists or wat els aie<br />
ells stay i tat state for a eriod of time it<br />
ould e to roide a rotetie meaism<br />
tat reets te emryoi ells from<br />
differetiatig too uily wi would esure<br />
te timig of imlatatio is rigt lar said<br />
o etter uderstad wat els regulate te<br />
aie state te researers omared eigeomi<br />
ages i lareated aie ad rimed<br />
emryoi stem ells ey disoered tat<br />
ot ell tyes ae differet seuees of oe<br />
romati trougout teir romati<br />
osists of ad rotei tat odese to<br />
form te romosomes witi a ells uleus<br />
iue seuees of oe romati witi<br />
ay ell tye at as ar odes eeregulatig<br />
roteis alled trasritio fators i te oe<br />
areas of romati sa te ar ode ad te<br />
id to it wi ifluees geeti atiity i<br />
te ell<br />
e looed seifially at oe romati<br />
ad foud a ar ode tat is uiue to aie<br />
emryoi stem ells reeated oer ad oer<br />
agai so we ased wat trasritio fator<br />
reogies tat ar ode lar said<br />
e researers disoered tat a trasritio<br />
fator alled reogies te ar ode<br />
o lear more aout its seifi role tey<br />
deleted te gee tat maes te rotei<br />
from ot rimed ad aie emryoi stem<br />
ells i te laoratory usig a gee editig tool<br />
alled as<br />
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They found that the deletion had no effect on<br />
primed stem cells. Conversely, when TFAP2C was<br />
deleted from naive stem cells, the areas of open<br />
chromatin associated with the naive state closed<br />
and the naive stem cells passed into a primed state.<br />
The research also revealed about 1,500 regions<br />
of open chromatin that are very sensitive to<br />
the loss of TFAP2C and showed that there<br />
are hundreds of genes associated with early<br />
embryonic development in those areas.<br />
“We’ve discovered that the presence of TFAP2C<br />
marks an important difference between the<br />
naive and primed states of pluripotency, and that<br />
TFAP2C is necessary to maintain the naive state<br />
of pluripotency,” Clark said. “We also showed<br />
that without TFAP2C, hundreds of genes aren’t<br />
expressed correctly, which would most likely<br />
result in early miscarriage.”<br />
In addition, the researchers verified that the regions<br />
of open chromatin present in lab-created naive<br />
embryonic stem cells are also present in embryos<br />
before the stage associated with implantation.<br />
“Our findings are relevant to the natural process<br />
of human development because they match up<br />
with what we see in human pre-implantation<br />
embryos,” Clark said. “This provides new<br />
information about a time in the lifecycle that<br />
we know little about. Fundamental knowledge<br />
like this could help better predict infertility or<br />
embryo quality.”<br />
The study also could lead to important advances<br />
in an area of medicine that historically has been<br />
underfunded and underappreciated — in part<br />
because the subject of infertility is sometimes<br />
seen as taboo and because it doesn’t attract the<br />
attention of deadly diseases like cancer.<br />
“People who experience infertility and<br />
miscarriage may tell close friends or family,<br />
but too often, these issues are not discussed,”<br />
Clark said. “But infertility is a significant health<br />
concern. It deserves our attention, and we as a<br />
society need to be more open about it.”<br />
The pluripotent stem cell research was<br />
supported by the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial<br />
Fund for Medical Research, the Chinese<br />
Scholarship Council, the National Institute<br />
of Child Health and Human Development,<br />
Australia’s National Health and Medical<br />
Research Council, the Silvia and Charles<br />
Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellowships<br />
and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The<br />
human embryo research was funded by the<br />
UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center and its<br />
training program.<br />
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FR News & Views<br />
A WOMAN FROM CANBERRA<br />
WHO CONCEIVED NATURALLY<br />
AFTER NEARLY 10 YEARS<br />
STRUGGLING WITH INFERTILITY<br />
IS NOW HELPING OTHER<br />
WOMEN TO GET PREGNANT.<br />
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Liz Walton, now 48, had tried six rounds of<br />
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and spent around<br />
£30,000 trying to conceive.<br />
But today she is the proud mother of two-yearold<br />
Willow after getting pregnant naturallydespite<br />
doctors saying the couple not have<br />
children without medical intervention.<br />
Liz, from Savery Street, Garren, said: “I thought<br />
I was going through the menopause and was<br />
shocked to learn I was in fact pregnant.<br />
“I’d let go of our dream of having children.<br />
I think because we were relaxed and finally<br />
accepting of the situation, we were in fact ready<br />
to have them.”<br />
Liz, who got pregnant at the age of 45, has gone<br />
on to work with 14 women across 3 continents -<br />
and they have all since had children.<br />
Liz, an international leader and coach, said: “I<br />
now focus on helping women who are having<br />
difficulties getting pregnant for various reasons,<br />
as well as unexplained fertility.<br />
“It is because of my own experience and learning<br />
that I can support and help women so they receive<br />
the best help to get their desired outcome.”<br />
Liz techniques such as hypnotherapy and<br />
a healing process called The Journey to<br />
help women tackle stress, which is often an<br />
underlying factor in being unable to conceive.<br />
Liz, who has over 20 years’ experience in the<br />
therapeutic industry, said: “Constant stress shuts<br />
down all our reproductive systems and sometimes<br />
what we want most can be pushed further away.<br />
“I can’t guarantee the support will result in a<br />
couple getting pregnant, though there have been<br />
many cases.<br />
“But what I can enable is a shift, which<br />
allows people to find peace and see beyond just<br />
having children.”<br />
Liz, who previously ran a complementary<br />
health practice in Canberra called Body and<br />
Mind, has returned from a seven years in the<br />
UK, where she cared for ailing mother, who has<br />
sadly since died.<br />
She has set up Liz Walton Therapies and<br />
Coaching to help people deal with a range of<br />
conditions, including anxiety, depression, grief<br />
and infertility.<br />
For more information about Liz’s work, visit<br />
lizwalton.org or call +61 0432 427 464.<br />
Liz's story:<br />
Liz and her husband, Greg, 43, married in 2005<br />
and tried to have children soon after.<br />
But they later learned Greg had anti-sperm<br />
antibodies, which can cause sperm to stick<br />
together and reduce movement - preventing<br />
them from fertilising the egg.<br />
They had IVF for over eight years and were told<br />
their chances of conceiving with treatment were<br />
still less than five per cent.<br />
Liz was devastated each time it was unsuccessful<br />
and the stress put a strain on the couple.<br />
Liz said: “We got married and thought ‘OK, let’s<br />
get pregnant. But a couple of years later it still<br />
hadn’t happened.<br />
“We grow up believing we are put on this earth<br />
to have children and when I couldn’t, I ended up<br />
attacking myself. I asked myself why I couldn’t<br />
and what had I done wrong.<br />
“I was devastated each time the treatment<br />
failed. It tore me part and I felt annihilated. I<br />
kept thinking ‘how can I fix this?’ It became an<br />
obsession and drove me crazy.”<br />
Liz piled on weight because of the stress –<br />
gaining nearly two kilos after each course of<br />
treatment, going from 67kilos to 75 kilos.<br />
Liz said: “Being told ‘no, it isn’t happened,’ would be<br />
stressful and I’d often go into a bad mood. The stress<br />
was overwhelming and I turned to food for comfort.”<br />
Rather than save for a home, they used all the<br />
money they had to pay for treatment.<br />
But when Liz’s sister-in-law fell pregnant it was a<br />
turning point for Liz, who now past 40 was told her<br />
chances of conceiving through IVF was now unlikely.<br />
Liz, who used to run her own holistic complementary<br />
health practice, turned to coaching.<br />
She said: “I took part in an emotional healing<br />
workshop and it brought our relationship to a<br />
whole new level. It also helped me to cope much<br />
better with the situation.<br />
“I didn’t want to be a person full of bitterness<br />
and I realised I needed to let go. It had got to the<br />
point I wasn’t living my life, but holding out for<br />
something I couldn’t have.<br />
“I cried for weeks, but it was something I had to<br />
do. It’s better than shutting down and turning<br />
to eating or drinking – which is something I<br />
would have done in the past.”<br />
Liz worked with therapists to come to terms<br />
with infertility and now offers counselling and<br />
coaching to other women in a similar situation.<br />
She said: “I think there were many reasons I got<br />
pregnant when I did. Partly, Greg turned 40 and<br />
he started to review his life - realising he wanted<br />
children in it.<br />
“I believe our mind-set can influence our bodies<br />
and I learned tools to become mentally and<br />
emotionally healthier. Something must have<br />
changed for both of us and we were finally ready<br />
for this.”<br />
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FR News & Views<br />
BOURN HALL WICKFORD TO<br />
PIONEER NEW APPROACH TO<br />
FERTILITY AND WELLBEING<br />
One in six couples struggle with infertility<br />
but many miss out on the timely advice and<br />
treatment that can bring them closer to starting<br />
a family. Bourn Hall has 40 years of expertise<br />
in making babies and has chosen Wickford to<br />
be the home of a new purpose-built fertility<br />
centre offering a fresh approach to fertility<br />
wellbeing and treatment. The new clinic is near<br />
the station and set to open in <strong>May</strong>.<br />
ara allett our alls usiess<br />
eelomet iretor was deligted to e<br />
aded te eys to te treestorey uildig<br />
y aul taey aagig iretor of e<br />
ealtare roerty omay a<br />
ioatie deeloer of ealtare remises<br />
ara ommets tat may a e eled wit<br />
good adie from a seialist ur oer is<br />
tat eole ofte go ito deial aout teir<br />
fertility rolems ad ut off gettig adie<br />
troug emarrassmet<br />
e wat tis to e a lae were eole feel<br />
tey a ome at ay stage of teir fertility<br />
ourey weter tey ae oly ust started<br />
tryig for a family wat adie o oostig<br />
teir atural fertility or ae ee tryig for<br />
some time ad are oered tat tey may<br />
ae a fertility issue<br />
e ew lii as ee desiged to feel more<br />
lie a outiue sa ta a liial osital<br />
eiromet to eourage eole to see<br />
treatmet earlier we issues are easier to<br />
resole t will roide a full suite of fertility<br />
series from iitial fertility testig rigt<br />
troug to treatmet or selffuded<br />
ree treatmet is aailale for tose wo<br />
meet te riteria for doatig or sarig eggs<br />
ad serm<br />
uiue feature of te etre is a fertility<br />
welleig u our all is ireasigly<br />
aware tat imroig utritio fitess ad<br />
reduig stress a el atiets imroe teir<br />
fertility ad oe wit te emotioal roller<br />
oaster of treatmet t as reated a sae of<br />
omlemetary teraists to ratie<br />
is is te first time tat our all lii<br />
as ommissioed a ewuild ad te desig<br />
is isired y early years of eeriee i<br />
delierig ig uality fertility are esiged<br />
y r aritets te roet was maaged<br />
y e ealtare roerty omay <br />
a eerieed deeloer of ealtare<br />
remises ased i aldo wit uildig wor<br />
udertae y outedoea ostrutio<br />
omay ardy<br />
e ew uroseuilt lii at iford<br />
will ae te aaity for yles a<br />
year t is uilt to te igest eirometal<br />
seifiatios iororatig te latest uildig<br />
teologies to redue oise ad iratios<br />
from traffi to reate a alm iterior<br />
aul taey of says ery detail as ee<br />
osidered to romote suessful treatmet<br />
wile reatig a aestetially leasig<br />
eiromet for atiets ad staff<br />
our all was te worlds first lii ad<br />
iford will roide a omlete serie<br />
uder oe roof iludig egg olletio ad<br />
emryo trasfer e lii as ee desiged<br />
to roide a reassurig eiromet wit easy<br />
trasort lis ad free osite arig is<br />
will eale atiets to atted aoitmets ad<br />
retur ome witout strugglig troug odo<br />
uli trasort or traffi<br />
ara ommets tat iford is a ideal lae to<br />
offer te full rage of fertility series as it is easily<br />
aessile to eole from out ertfordsire ad<br />
ort odo as well as sse e says e will<br />
offer fleile early morig eeig ad weeed<br />
aoitmets to el atiets fit treatmet aroud<br />
wor ad oter ommitmets<br />
o eourage eole to see adie ad to<br />
elerate te lii oeig i ay our<br />
all is offerig a free osultatio wit a fertility<br />
urse seialist or more iformatio aout<br />
tis offer lease isit bournhall.co.uk<br />
ere will e a oortuity for ealt<br />
rofessioals to ae a tour of te uildig ad<br />
meet staff o te eeig of t ay for more<br />
details go to bournhall.co.uk/news-events/bournhall-wickford-launch-event-future-fertility/<br />
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FR News & Views<br />
NEW FERTILITY TREATMENT<br />
FOR MEN AND WOMEN<br />
BEING DEVELOPED AT<br />
BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY<br />
OF THE NEGEV PATENTED<br />
BY BGN TECHNOLOGIES,<br />
THE TREATMENT IS BASED<br />
ON A NEW PROPRIETARY,<br />
TELOMERASE-ACTIVATING<br />
COMPOUND<br />
BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion<br />
University, announced today that researchers at Ben-Gurion University<br />
of the Negev (BGU) is developing a new, single-dose fertility treatment<br />
based on a new telomerase-activating compound, which could improve<br />
both male and female fertility. The groundbreaking technology was<br />
developed by Prof. Esther Priel and her research group, at BGU's Faculty<br />
of Health Sciences in consultation with the In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)<br />
Laboratory at the Soroka University Medical Center, Israel.<br />
The new treatment stimulates the expression of the telomerase, the enzyme<br />
that is responsible for maintenance of telomeres, DNA sequences at the tip<br />
of a chromosome that affect the life span of cells in general and contribute to<br />
infertility. The novel treatment re-elongates the telomeres and protects cells<br />
from damages, thereby increasing cell viability and increasing the likelihood<br />
of fertilization and embryo generation and implantation. The treatment is<br />
applied as a single dose, and dissipates within 24 hours. The compound was<br />
tested on mice, and showed no toxic effects in animal studies.<br />
“We’ve evaluated the efficacy of the new compound in mice and found that<br />
a single dose greatly improves fertility in both female and male mice,” said<br />
Prof. Priel. “One dose speeds up egg maturation and ovulation, increases the<br />
number of ovulated eggs, and results in a larger number of viable offspring.”<br />
“The compound also showed a protective effect on ovaries and testes of mice<br />
undergoing radiation suggesting that it might be able to protect and improve<br />
the fertility of women and men undergoing radiation therapy for cancer,”<br />
added Prof. Priel.<br />
The compound is a member of a family of several telomerase activating<br />
compounds, that were found to affect several degenerative diseases,<br />
developed in a research collaboration between Prof. Priel, Prof. Shimon<br />
Slavin and Dr. Aviv Gazit.<br />
“The promising preclinical results and especially the fact that a single dose<br />
was sufficient to demonstrate the efficacy of the compound could lead to<br />
a highly accessible treatment option,” stated Dr. Ora Horovitz, Senior Vice<br />
President of Business Development at BGN Technologies. “We are now<br />
seeking collaboration for further development of this promising treatment<br />
towards human clinical trials and commercialization.”<br />
12 | fertilityroad.com | fertilityroadmag | follow us @fertilityroad
LEGAL<br />
i ottrill<br />
FAMILY MATTERS<br />
te legal ste of eterig ito iilartersi<br />
or marriage<br />
e concept of faily as canged beyond all<br />
recognition in te space of a generation. e<br />
idea of a nuclear faily unit coprising of a<br />
arried u and dad it . cildren sees<br />
as outdated no as te idea of a orld itout<br />
obile pones or te internet.<br />
owadays families are wateer we wat tem<br />
to e arets of te same geder or differet<br />
geders iilartersi married or liig<br />
togeter ildre or y a ariety of metods<br />
ad wit differet geeti eritages ll are<br />
regarded te same y soiety ut ot y te law<br />
e strais o moder family life wateer<br />
sae te family taes are eormous oweer te<br />
ourey to family egis it is a sad oseuee of<br />
tose ireased stresses witi our moder world<br />
tat searatio dissolutio of iilartersi<br />
ad diore are all o te irease<br />
e of te most ommo misoetios fae<br />
i my legal ratie daytoday is we dealig<br />
wit adults wo ae lied togeter outside<br />
te legal framewor of a iilartersi or<br />
marriage ut assume o searatio tat teir<br />
fiaial arragemets will e dealt wit i te<br />
same maer as teir diorig outerarts<br />
ere is a misoetio tat simly y liig<br />
togeter for a eriod of time you auire rigts<br />
agaist your arter uo searatio<br />
is is simly ot true ere is o su tig i<br />
law as te ommo law wife<br />
e at of gettig married or eterig ito a<br />
iilartersi rigs wit it a legal fiaial<br />
resosiility towards your arter searatio<br />
te eoomially stroger arter a e omelled<br />
y te ourt to mae fiaial roisio for te<br />
eoomially weaer arter is may tae te form<br />
of roidig roerty as maiteae or sarig<br />
i esio roisio e ourt as sweeig owers<br />
to imose fiaial arragemets tat te ourt<br />
deems to e fair wit oe of te ourts osideratios<br />
eig te welfare of ay ildre e ourt as te<br />
ower to redistriute assets regardless of wose ame<br />
assets are i teir roeae or te reasos wy te<br />
relatiosi failed<br />
e same is ot true followig te searatio of<br />
a oule wo ae lied togeter witout taig<br />
oaitees auire o fiaial resosiility<br />
towards ea oter o matter ow log teir<br />
relatiosi eists searatio roerty will e<br />
sared aordig to owersi o maiteae<br />
aymets are due ad esio roisio aot e<br />
sared ere is a eetio to tis were tere are<br />
ildre of te family ild maiteae is always<br />
ayale etwee searated arets regardless of<br />
weter or ot tey were i a legal relatiosi<br />
urtermore a aret a e omelled to settle<br />
roerty for te eefit of ildre durig teir<br />
miority meaig for eamle tat oe aret<br />
a e omelled to roide te fiaes eeded<br />
to urase a roerty for te ildre to lie i<br />
wit teir oter aret oweer tat roerty<br />
will e eld o trust ad will reert a to te<br />
ayig aret oe te ildre aiee maority<br />
rederig teir former arter omeless<br />
f you are looig to start family life witout<br />
eig married or i a iilartersi mae sure<br />
you uderstad te legal ulerailities of your<br />
situatio ad address tem<br />
e arsess of te law relatig to oaitees<br />
a e mitigated y areful laig at a time<br />
we relatiosis are good oaitatio<br />
greemets rust eeds ad ills all<br />
regularly reiewed a e used to esure<br />
fiaial arragemets o searatio mat<br />
te eetatios of all ioled ad roide<br />
adeuately ad fairly for ot te adults ad<br />
teir ildre<br />
i ottrill is a arter i te amily aw<br />
eam at aytos oliitors wit oer years<br />
eeriee i te field e as a artiular<br />
iterest ad eertise i te law relatig to<br />
ildre ad fertility laytons.co<br />
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fertilityroadom |
BODY<br />
EXPERT: Kathy Payne<br />
THINGS TO QUIT<br />
TO FUEL FERTILITY<br />
The fact is that about 1 in 7 couples have<br />
trouble conceiving. Some are projecting that<br />
figure will continue to increase rapidly.<br />
That makes me sad. And mad. And even more<br />
determined to teach couples currently planning<br />
babies how to boost their fertility, naturally.<br />
AND those who want babies in the future to<br />
protect their fertility starting right now.<br />
Because that IS possible. Whether you’re planning to<br />
conceive naturally or IVF is your next /only option.<br />
Now, my bespoke preconception care programmes<br />
are based on tests. Because – based on test results<br />
- we can tailor guidance specifically to you, your<br />
history and circumstances and needs.<br />
However, there are some steps that everyone can<br />
take to fuel their fertility.<br />
And I want to share just some of them with you<br />
right now.<br />
Here are 5 things that could be<br />
harming your fertility<br />
14 | fertilityroad.com<br />
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BODY<br />
1SUGAR<br />
Oh yes, the white stuff. It’s addictive.<br />
As crack apparently. I’m not sure if<br />
that’s true but what is true is that when you have<br />
a little you want more. And when you quit, you<br />
suffer withdrawal symptoms.<br />
And sugar is everywhere. Even in savoury foods.<br />
It’s “hidden” behind fancy names in labels. but<br />
it’s still sugar. I have a cheat sheet with all the<br />
different ways sugars are described on labels –<br />
get in touch if you’d like it.<br />
Sugar wrecks delicate hormone balance.<br />
Starting with blood sugar spikes and<br />
crashes. It messes with fertility.<br />
It increases appetite. It contributes to weight<br />
management issues and weight is a factor in<br />
fertility. It contributes to chronic diseases.<br />
If you want to quit sugar, please don’t make the<br />
mistake of replacing it with artificial sweeteners.<br />
They are pretty nasty, health-harming chemicals<br />
and they have been linked to increased appetite too.<br />
2ALCOHOL<br />
I know I sound like a big buzzkill and I make<br />
no apology.<br />
For me, preconception care is at<br />
least 3-4 months of getting ready<br />
to make the best egg and healthiest<br />
sperm possible and creating a warm<br />
and welcoming womb for a happy,<br />
healthy baby. Because our choices<br />
influence not only fertility, but<br />
pregnancy and the health of our<br />
future babies.<br />
Well worth quitting or strictly moderating<br />
alcohol, I think.<br />
Booze depletes nutrition, including those vitamins<br />
and minerals essential for fertility. It’s not good for<br />
our gut.<br />
It makes our liver sluggish and we women<br />
need healthy livers to get rid of old hormones<br />
circulating around, if we want to reduce the risk<br />
of hormone imbalances.<br />
It affects sperm production. And can impact sex drive.<br />
My top tips for quitting – at least for now – are: -<br />
• Do it together. It’s easier to follow a new plan<br />
with support, encouragement and accountability.<br />
• Avoid or reduce those social situations where<br />
alcohol flows. You may not wish to get into a<br />
convo about WHY you’re choosing not to drink.<br />
Have your reasons ready for those encouraging<br />
you to drink – even if it’s not the whole truth…<br />
Suggest alternative fun like the cinema.<br />
• Find something healthy that you can drink and<br />
make it special. For example, pimp up your water<br />
with fruits and herbs and have it in a fancy glass.<br />
My top tips for quitting sugar are: -<br />
• Crowd into your diet more sweet vegetables such as<br />
carrots and peas and squashes and some fruit (1-2<br />
portions of fruit a day – still sugar even though it<br />
comes with fibre, right?) to reduce your craving for<br />
processed sugar over time.<br />
• Eat quality protein, good fats and fibre at every<br />
meal to keep you fuller for longer and your energy<br />
and moods more balanced. This should help keep<br />
you away from the cookie jar.<br />
• Drink plenty of filtered water (avoid hormone<br />
harming plastic bottles) and herbal teas to help<br />
you hydrate and detox.<br />
I suggest choosing natural sweeteners in moderation<br />
like stevia, raw honey, quality maple syrup and<br />
coconut palm sugar. The emphasis is on moderation.<br />
3CAFFEINE<br />
Now, I know this is another potential buzzkill. We all love an<br />
adrenaline rush, right?<br />
I recommend giving it up as part of your baby-making plans.<br />
Cutting back on caffeine helps support<br />
adrenal health. Poor adrenal health can lead<br />
to hormone imbalances.<br />
Caffeine is another robber of nutrition too.<br />
My top tips are:<br />
• If you just can’t quit, have one quality coffee (not too strong)<br />
with breakfast, never on its own.<br />
• Try alternatives to coffee like herbal /grain drinks such as<br />
Barleycup. They taste pretty good, honestly.<br />
• Eat a good breakfast within an hour of waking to support<br />
adrenal health. Remember my healthy meal equation? Quality<br />
protein + healthy fats + fibre.<br />
Of course, caffeine is found in tea, cola drinks, energy drinks,<br />
chocolate and some over-the-counter medicines. Be caffeine savvy.<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 15
BODY<br />
4 5GET RID OF<br />
GLUTEN<br />
TOXIC PERSONAL<br />
suset tis is goig to e more otroersial<br />
CARE PRODUCTS<br />
f ourse ot eeryody suffers allergy to glute a<br />
grai rotei ador is diagosed wit oelia disease<br />
This may be a surprising one, but<br />
oweer glute is a food tat may eole fid<br />
diffiulty to tolerate ts a ommo otriutor to<br />
iflammatio i te ody t lowers tyroid futio<br />
ts tougt tat moder farmig metods ad<br />
weat modifiatio uderi tese issues as<br />
te demad for iger uatities of food at low<br />
ries grows<br />
So, what can you do?<br />
ry uttig out glute roduts from weat<br />
selt amut farro ad roduts lie ulgar ad<br />
semolia lso arley rye tritiale<br />
ot uy glute free roduts from stores witout<br />
readig laels may are eaily roessed ad<br />
full of addities reseraties ad emials<br />
id glute free reies made from real raw<br />
igrediets lie uweat ad uioa<br />
wi are ot grais as a eamle row rie<br />
is aed wit utritio too<br />
many personal care products contain<br />
health harming, hormone harming<br />
and fertility harming chemicals.<br />
ostly tese emials affet oestroge i<br />
our odies tats wome ad me d tey<br />
iterfere wit our ormal ormoe futio<br />
ad alae<br />
tur tat a lead to ormoe related<br />
oditios lie edometriosis i wome serm<br />
issues i me<br />
Start by: -<br />
aig a e of te laels of your ersoal are<br />
roduts relae ay tat otai araes<br />
sodium lauryl sulate talates roylee<br />
glyol d tats ust a start ere are<br />
armful tois ommo i oter asets of life<br />
eig out te ealt riss your urret<br />
roduts usig te wesite ewg.org/skindeep<br />
ts a great ideedet dataase<br />
esearig rads tat are less ealt ad<br />
ormoe armig tere are good alteraties<br />
to your usual roduts<br />
ou a ee mae your ow alteraties roaly<br />
more osteffetiely ere are oos o te suet<br />
or use a sear egie to dig out some reies<br />
o tere we ae it stes tat a really oost<br />
ealt ad terefore oost your atural fertility<br />
d eliee tats ey weter youre laig<br />
atural oetio or assisted meas lie <br />
d tese are retty aessile ad ieesie<br />
tis for all o te ourey to aretood ust a<br />
few of te ratial tis ad its sare i my<br />
reoetio are wor wit wome ad oules<br />
oe aty <br />
aty aye is a ooster of ertility alaer<br />
of ormoes ad ooter of oder ife<br />
adess aturally e is a womes ealt<br />
oa olie ad i orwi offerig<br />
esoe rogrammes for wome ad oules<br />
as well as olie lasses ad ourses<br />
f youd lie to rotet urture ad oost<br />
your fertility aturally sig u for er free<br />
mii olie ourse tes to oost ertility<br />
at http://bit.ly/7stepstoboostfertility<br />
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BODY<br />
WOLFSON FERTILITY CENTRE<br />
The Wolfson <strong>Fertility</strong> Centre<br />
Hammersmith Hospital<br />
Put your<br />
fertility journey<br />
in trusted hands<br />
NHS and private options<br />
Exceptional pregnancy rates<br />
High success rates for patients<br />
with complex fertility concerns<br />
Comprehensive care from<br />
conception to birth<br />
Hammersmith Hospital<br />
Du Cane Rd, Shepherd’s Bush,<br />
London W12 0HS<br />
Tel: 020 3313 <strong>44</strong>11<br />
imperial.ivf@nhs.net<br />
www.imperialprivatehealthcare.co.uk<br />
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BODY<br />
isa ttfield<br />
Which<br />
types of<br />
exercise<br />
improve<br />
fertility?<br />
| fertilityroadom<br />
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BODY<br />
Your weight can affect your fertility and<br />
depending on which type of exercise you<br />
do, it could be detrimental to your fertility<br />
chances. But also, there are actual exercise<br />
regimes that enhance your fertility too. So, if<br />
you need to lose weight to get fertility fit, I'll<br />
explain which exercises are good for fertility,<br />
but first let's review how your weight affects<br />
your fertility.<br />
If you and or your partner are experiencing<br />
infertility, it is advisable to be as healthy as<br />
you can be, to get the best out come from<br />
any fertility treatment and to have a healthy<br />
pregnancy. The NHS link exercise to fertility<br />
and research shows that if you have a healthy<br />
BMI (body mass index) between 20-25 BMI, you<br />
can improve your chances to conceive. If you<br />
are under or over weight this can affect your<br />
ability to conceive.<br />
Obese women are less likely to become pregnant<br />
through IVF and assisted reproduction.<br />
Carrying excess weight can affect the function<br />
of the ovaries, due to changes in hormones<br />
and metabolism rate. Obese women have less<br />
success with assisted fertility treatment, because<br />
of the poor response to fertility drugs that<br />
stimulate ovulation. The same can be said for<br />
being underweight, as this can also affect your<br />
hormones too and impact your fertility.<br />
Maintaining an optimum weight is good for<br />
both partners experiencing infertility, and<br />
this has been the current focus within NHS<br />
proposals. In the South West of England,<br />
they propose to refuse NHS funded<br />
IVF treatment, if the male partners<br />
have a BMI of 30 plus. As 30 plus<br />
BMI, is classed as medically<br />
obese and could affect fertility<br />
chances. The proposal by<br />
the clinical commissioning<br />
group, is to change NHS<br />
funded fertility treatment<br />
policy, to ensure men get<br />
to a healthy weight, before<br />
the NHS fund investigations<br />
and fertility treatments with<br />
their partners.<br />
So, which type of exercise<br />
workouts enhances fertility?<br />
Moderate exercising, rather than excessive,<br />
exhausting workouts, are likely to be the most<br />
appropriate type of activity, for healthy men and<br />
women trying to conceive. Studies found that<br />
women who performed high-frequency, highintensity<br />
exercise had a lower rate of fertility.<br />
A cohort study was carried out by the Norwegian<br />
University of Science and Technology, led by Dr<br />
Gudmundsdottir and his team. Which investigated<br />
the association between the levels of physical<br />
activity, and the groups fertility rates against the<br />
parity (number of children) they had in a group.<br />
Over 24,000 women participated, and women were<br />
excluded who had conditions that were known<br />
to affect their fertility, such as poor health, and<br />
fertility problems. As the study attempted to make<br />
their findings relevant to healthy women. Their<br />
levels of exercise were assessed and categorised as:<br />
• Never<br />
• Less than once a week<br />
• 2-3 times a week<br />
• Almost every day<br />
Along with the frequency of exercise, the intensity was<br />
also categorised as: ‘taking it easy’, ‘loss of breath’ and<br />
‘to exhaustion’. The group’s fertility was assessed at<br />
the follow-up assessments, where the women reported<br />
on: their age they had children; and the number of<br />
children they had; and whether they had difficulty<br />
conceiving within one year of trying for conception.<br />
Other factors that affect<br />
fertility were considered in<br />
the study to include:<br />
• Age<br />
• Marital status<br />
• Body mass index (BMI)<br />
• Smoking<br />
• Alcohol consumption<br />
The fertility status of the group were compared and<br />
the results showed that “Increased frequency and<br />
intensity of physical activity was associated with<br />
increased infertility” Results showed that “women<br />
who were active on most days of the week were<br />
3.2 times more likely to be infertile than inactive<br />
women. Women who exercised ‘to exhaustion’ were<br />
2.3 times more likely to be infertile than women<br />
who said they ‘take it easy’”.<br />
The researchers concluded that “fertility is<br />
negatively affected by physical activity of an<br />
extreme intensity and frequency”<br />
Studies show that highintensity,<br />
prolongs<br />
strenuous workouts can:<br />
• Increase cortisol levels<br />
• Lower thyroid hormones<br />
• Affect metabolism<br />
• Disturb ovulation<br />
• Menstrual cycle<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 19
BODY<br />
ot low tyroid ormoes ad ig ortisol<br />
leels ae ee lied to oor adreal ealt<br />
wi a diretly imat tyroid futio ad<br />
affets ow te ody adles stress log<br />
term ll of wi a egatiely<br />
imat oerall ormoal alae<br />
ad fertility so y reduig<br />
stress ad reiewig your<br />
eerise regime you a realae<br />
your ormoes<br />
Exercises to<br />
avoid while<br />
trying to<br />
conceive:<br />
uig log<br />
distaes<br />
treuous regular traiig<br />
sorts su as gymastis<br />
treme ootam traiig<br />
iram or ower yoga<br />
as tis raises ody<br />
temerature<br />
erise for oer a ours<br />
sessio days a wee<br />
ut dot desair if you urretly<br />
ae a streuous eerise regime<br />
or ae so i te ast s te good<br />
ews from te results of te resear<br />
is tat may wome wo traied te<br />
ardest at some oit i time still<br />
wet o to ae ildre y lowerig<br />
teir ysial atiity to a moderate<br />
leel fertility due to ig itesity<br />
eerise may e reersed y a redutio<br />
i ysial atiity ad ireasig ody<br />
fat to realae ormoes disruted y<br />
etreme eerises<br />
Good exercises for<br />
fertility<br />
egular moderate eerise is essetial for a<br />
rearig te ody for a ealty oetio ad<br />
regay outome oosig eerise tat els to<br />
regulate ormoes ad detoify will also imroe<br />
tregte musles<br />
rease fleiility<br />
mroe stamia<br />
rease irulatio<br />
edue stress<br />
alm te mid<br />
t is reommed tat wome wo are tryig to<br />
oeie sould tae u moderate eerise for<br />
miutes a day for tree times a wee<br />
wit two musle stregt traiig <br />
miute sessios ou ould omie<br />
oe to two sessio to try a our<br />
of getle yoga or tai i ratiig<br />
ertility oga to eae your<br />
fertility aes as te ertility<br />
oga oses are desiged<br />
to imroe rerodutie<br />
ealt ad te reatig<br />
ad meditatio<br />
raties used el<br />
redue stress leels<br />
Moderate<br />
exercises<br />
to get<br />
fertility fit:<br />
ris walig<br />
igt oggig<br />
ylig<br />
wimmig<br />
ai i<br />
oga<br />
aig<br />
erois low imat<br />
What about<br />
exercising during<br />
IUI or IVF fertility<br />
treatment<br />
f you are aig a fertility treatmet<br />
it a e a stressful time so eerisig<br />
a el redue your stress leels<br />
oweer you eed to e areful ts<br />
always est to osult your fertility<br />
dotor for adie o wi eerise to<br />
do if ay eerise at all t all deeds<br />
o ea stage you are at of fertility<br />
treatmet eseially te two wee wait<br />
oweer if you feel your eed to de stress<br />
try getle yoga or go for a wal to eae<br />
your welleig<br />
BMI and body fat percentage<br />
ilst your is imortat your ody fat<br />
eretage a affet your rerodutie futio<br />
e measuremet is ased o eigt ad<br />
weigt ut it doest distiguis etwee fat ad<br />
musle ad you a ae a lot of lea musle<br />
mass eseially if you are atleti ou a<br />
measure your ody fat eretage wit a si<br />
fold allier or use as to alulate tey will<br />
use your measuremets of your waist i ad<br />
e irumferee to el alulate e you<br />
determie your ody fat ide you a te tra<br />
your weigtloss rogress if eeded eause ulie<br />
usig weigt sales it tells you ow mu of your<br />
weigt is fat ad ow mu is musle<br />
ouder of olorado eter for erodutie<br />
ediie i eer r oolraft ofte<br />
seds some of is atiets to a eerise<br />
ysiologist to measure teir ody fat<br />
eretage ordig to r oolraft<br />
oulatio is imaired if ody fat is less ta <br />
eret or more ta to eret e states<br />
ome tae gettig teir eriods as a sig tey<br />
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BODY<br />
are at a healthy BMI and have normal fertility,”<br />
“However, you can have regular or somewhat<br />
regular periods and not ovulate, though it’s<br />
unusual.” So be sure to measure your basal<br />
body temperature to track it on a basal body<br />
temperature chart to see if you’re ovulating.<br />
Calories count<br />
If you are underweight aim to intake between<br />
2,400 to 3,500 calories a day to gain the weight<br />
you need for a normal BMI range, with a body fat<br />
above 12 percent. If you’re exercising five or more<br />
days a week, consider cutting back to three. Dr<br />
Alice Domar, of Centre for Mind/Body Health at<br />
Boston IVF, states the hatha yoga, such as <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Yoga appeals to many women in this category: as<br />
“It keeps them fit and toned without the potential<br />
adverse impact of vigorous exercise.”<br />
If you are overweight reduce calories gradually<br />
to reduce your BMI and get <strong>Fertility</strong> Fit with a<br />
combination of cardio and strengthen exercises,<br />
that builds up tolerance slowly and not to<br />
vigorously to the point of exhaustion. For men<br />
don’t overheat the testicular area, as this can<br />
temporary cause low sperm count. The testicles<br />
secrete male hormones and also help in sperm<br />
production, and for the testes to function<br />
properly they need to be cooler than rest of the<br />
body. That’s why the testes are anatomically<br />
structured to hang outside the body. The ideal<br />
temperature for sperm production is around<br />
34.5C, which is slightly below body temperature<br />
(around 37C). If the testes are exposed to high<br />
temperatures, then the increased heat could kill<br />
the sperms and cause low sperm count.<br />
For better sperm<br />
production avoid:<br />
• Wearing tight underwear<br />
• Tight trousers around the groin area<br />
• Sitting for long periods of time<br />
• Having laptops or tablets resting on your lap<br />
• Taking hot baths and saunas<br />
Whilst exercise makes you feel good it can<br />
affect your fertility, you need to find a balance<br />
between under or over exercising to optimise<br />
your body’s functions. So, if you need to lose<br />
a few pounds, or gain a few, it’s important to<br />
review your lifestyle, diet and exercise levels to<br />
get healthy to boost your fertility. By combining<br />
healthy eating with exercise in moderation,<br />
both you and your partner will benefit and<br />
become <strong>Fertility</strong> Fit, to optimise you changes<br />
for a healthy conception and pregnancy!<br />
Lisa is a mother of 3 IVF children and has<br />
produced her own <strong>Fertility</strong> Yoga DVD after<br />
her 10-year journey to become a mother<br />
available from her website fertilityyoga.co.uk<br />
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BODY<br />
r arily leille<br />
How to use<br />
nutrition<br />
to improve<br />
fertility<br />
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BODY<br />
Over the past twenty years, fertility problems<br />
have increased dramatically. At least 25<br />
percent of couples planning a baby will have<br />
trouble conceiving, and more and more couples<br />
are turning to fertility treatments to help<br />
them have a family. On average, young couples<br />
can expect to wait an average of three years<br />
before conceiving, and, as a result, very few<br />
doctors will consider a diagnosis of infertility<br />
until after at least a year has passed. With<br />
a growing number of women waiting until<br />
their careers are established before they try to<br />
conceive, conception can be more difficult.<br />
Boosting fertility nutritionally<br />
Although it goes without saying that a healthy<br />
diet is crucial to a successful pregnancy and a<br />
healthy baby, many people are unaware of the fact<br />
that diet can help to correct hormone imbalances<br />
that may affect a couple’s ability to conceive. The<br />
following should be included:<br />
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables<br />
• Complex carbohydrates – wholegrains like brown<br />
rice, oats and wholemeal bread<br />
• Organic foods where possible<br />
• Oily foods such as fish, nuts, seeds and oils<br />
• Reduced intake of saturated fats from dairy products<br />
• Increased intake of fibre<br />
• Avoid additives, preservatives and chemicals,<br />
such as artificial sweeteners<br />
• Avoid sugar, both on its own and hidden in food<br />
Eating the right type of fats is particularly<br />
important for fertility. Just small increases<br />
in the consumption of trans fats can double<br />
the risk of anovulatory infertility. Also for<br />
problems with ovulation like PCOS, substituting<br />
just 5% of the calorie intake as vegetable protein<br />
rather than animal protein reduces the risk of<br />
not ovulating by 50%.<br />
Having four cups of coffee or any caffeinated<br />
drink a day makes it 26% less likely that a<br />
woman will conceive and drinking only 2 cups<br />
of coffee (200mg of caffeine) a day is associated<br />
with a 25% increased risk of miscarriage. And<br />
problems with sperm health are connected with<br />
increased coffee intake.<br />
Alcohol will also make it more difficult to get<br />
pregnant with only just three alcoholic drinks<br />
or more a week. The same is true for male<br />
fertility, as we know that alcohol can lower<br />
sperm counts and will also block the body’s<br />
ability to absorb fertility boosting nutrients like<br />
zinc. It can also cause abnormalities in the head<br />
of the sperm which is important for healthy<br />
fertilisation of the egg.<br />
Lifestyle recommendations<br />
A woman is twice as likely to get pregnant if she<br />
doesn’t smoke compared to a woman who does.<br />
And smoking is linked to 5,000 miscarriages<br />
per year.<br />
Stopping smoking is just as important for men.<br />
We know that chemicals in tobacco smoke<br />
can damage DNA in sperm which can make it<br />
harder to conceive because fertilisation can’t<br />
take place or if it is does, it can increase the risk<br />
of a miscarriage as nature will always work on<br />
survival of the fittest. Smoking can also affect<br />
the sperm count, motility and the morphology<br />
(the shape of the sperm, whereby it could have<br />
two heads or two tails if the morphology is<br />
abnormal). Smoking also has a negative effect<br />
on the head of the sperm making it harder<br />
to fertilise an egg. It is thought that nicotine<br />
overloads the receptors on sperm, affecting their<br />
ability to bind to the egg.<br />
Smoking also reduces the changes of an IVF<br />
treatment being successful. If couples smoke<br />
during the IVF cycle the number of eggs retrieved<br />
is decreased by 40 per cent and 46 per cent if just<br />
the man smokes during the cycle. Also, the overall<br />
success rate of the IVF was <strong>44</strong> per cent for nonsmokers<br />
and 24 per cent for smokers.<br />
Other simple lifestyle changes for the man can<br />
include avoiding hot baths and tight underpants as<br />
sperm production takes place at 32°C (89°F) which<br />
is lower than the body temperature at 37°C (98.4°F).<br />
The testes are on the outside of a man’s body to keep<br />
them cooler but the closer they get to the body e.g. by<br />
sitting for long periods when driving for example, can<br />
heat up the sperm and reduce the count.<br />
Men using laptops on their laps are also a problem<br />
for sperm health. In order to balance the laptop,<br />
men will often close their legs and this on its own<br />
(even without the laptop) raises the temperature<br />
of their genitals by up 2.1°C. But the laptop itself<br />
generates heat and the combination of closing the<br />
legs and the heat from the laptop causes a rise in<br />
temperature of up to 2.8°C. Just a rise of 1°C can<br />
decrease fertility by 40%.<br />
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BODY<br />
d if a oule as a omiatio of four egatie<br />
lifestyle fators iludig teaoffee smoig ad<br />
alool it a tae a oule see times loger to<br />
get regat<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Boosting Supplements<br />
e ow tat ertai utriets irease te<br />
aes of gettig regat ad stayig regat<br />
Folic Acid<br />
t is well ow tat foli aid a reet sia<br />
ifida oli aid is udoutedly imortat ut it<br />
is ust art of te ery imortat omle family<br />
of itamis tat are eessary to rodue te<br />
geeti materials ad <br />
Zinc<br />
i is te most widely studied utriet i terms<br />
of fertility for ot me ad wome t is a<br />
essetial omoet of geeti material ad a<br />
i defiiey a ause romosome ages<br />
i eiter me or wome leadig to redued<br />
fertility ad a ireased ris of misarriage<br />
i is foud i ig oetratios i te serm<br />
ad is eeded to mae te outer layer ad tail<br />
of te serm ad is terefore essetial for te<br />
ealt of serm o sow you ow owerful tese<br />
utriets are me wo were sufertile were<br />
gie a omiatio of i ad foli aid ad it<br />
sowed a irease i total serm out<br />
Selenium<br />
eleium is a atioidat tat els to rotet<br />
your ody from igly reatie emial<br />
fragmets alled free radials or tis reaso<br />
seleium a reet romosome reaage<br />
wi is ow to e a ause of irt defets<br />
ad misarriages ood leels of seleium are<br />
also essetial to maimise serm formatio<br />
eleium sulemetatio gie to ifertile<br />
me ireased serm out motility ad te<br />
umer of ormal serm<br />
Vitamin E<br />
itami is aoter owerful atioidat ad<br />
as ee sow to irease fertility we gie<br />
to ot me ad wome it me itami <br />
els to irease fertilisatio rates durig <br />
treatmets f a woma oer te age of is told<br />
tat er fertility rolems are aused y er age<br />
te it is liely tat se ould eefit from taig<br />
ot itamis ad ese atioidats ae<br />
ee sow to sigifiatly redue agerelated<br />
oulatio delie<br />
Vitamin C<br />
itami is also a atioidat ad we ow tat<br />
wome wo tae itami wile tey were doig<br />
ae a sigifiatly ireased regay<br />
rate itami is also good for me a it el to<br />
irease serm outs y u to a tird<br />
tioidats i geeral ad tat iludes i<br />
seleium itami ad itami ae ee<br />
sow to ae a maor imat o male fertility <br />
reiew of studies wit me goig for <br />
yles as sow tat we me tae atioidats<br />
teir arter is fie times more liely to ae a<br />
lie irt omared to a laeo<br />
Amino acids<br />
wo amio aids argiie ad aritie<br />
are artiularly imortat for male fertility<br />
e argiie is essetial for ealty serm<br />
rodutio ad rotets te serm agaist<br />
oidatie damage e iger te leels of<br />
aritie i serm ells te iger te serm<br />
out ad motility<br />
Vitamin D<br />
itami els to alae te immue system<br />
wi as we ae see is imortat i gettig<br />
ad stayig regat itami lie te mega<br />
fatty aids dereases te autoimmue<br />
resose ut it also els to romote te <br />
ells wi te womas ody eeds to maitai<br />
a regay y delierately maig mie<br />
defiiet i itami tey a atually mae<br />
tem ifertile<br />
itami is also imortat for male fertility as<br />
low leels of tis utriet is assoiated wit low<br />
serm motility ad more aormal forms<br />
Co-enzyme Q10<br />
oeyme is a itamilie sustae<br />
tat is otaied i early eery ell of<br />
te ody eause of its role i eergy<br />
rodutio it is a sigifiat utriet for me<br />
if serm motility is oor oeyme is<br />
oetrated i te area etwee te ead ad<br />
tail of te serm te eergy for moemet<br />
ad all oter eergydeedet roesses i<br />
te serm ell deed o it ower leels of<br />
oeyme ae ee foud i me wit<br />
oor serm motility ad sulemetig wit<br />
tis utriet led to a sigifiat imroemet<br />
t is also useful for me wo ae a iger<br />
roortio of aormal serm or serm wit<br />
ig amouts of damage<br />
or wome it is ow tougt tat oeyme<br />
may e elful for wome wo maye<br />
ae ee told tey ae old eggs eause of<br />
teir age ad tis utriet ould e elful<br />
i imroig egg uality ae a good<br />
sulemet desiged for fertility otaiig<br />
all te imortat utriets metioed aoe<br />
iludig oeyme ad itami see<br />
s daed ertility uort for ome<br />
ad daed ertility uort for e<br />
naturalhealthpractice.com<br />
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BODY<br />
Omega 3 fatty acids<br />
The Omega 3 fatty acids have far reaching effects for<br />
both male and female fertility. Sometimes immune<br />
problems may be affecting a woman’s ability to get<br />
and stay pregnant. The theory is that in order for<br />
her body to stay pregnant, her immune system has<br />
to quieten down because half the baby’s DNA is not<br />
hers. Normally if the body detects something foreign<br />
it aims to reject it and expel it from the body. For<br />
some women, their immune systems do not quieten<br />
down and so they can’t get or stay pregnant.<br />
One of the immune antibodies measured is called<br />
antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs). These bloodclotting<br />
antibodies can prevent implantation and<br />
cause recurrent miscarriage by attacking the cells<br />
that build the placenta. The medical treatment<br />
for this is blood thinners like aspirin and heparin.<br />
But research has shown that fish oil given to 22<br />
women with APAs who already had 3 or more<br />
miscarriages went on to have 23 pregnancies (one<br />
woman has twins) without a miscarriage.<br />
Omega 3 fatty acids are also important for male<br />
fertility because semen is rich in prostaglandins,<br />
which are produced from these Omega 3<br />
fatty acids. Men with poor sperm quality,<br />
abnormal sperm, poor motility or low count,<br />
can have inadequate levels of these beneficial<br />
prostaglandins and by supplementing with<br />
Omega 3 fish oils there was a significant increase<br />
in sperm count compared to a placebo.<br />
I know making these changes requires an effort<br />
on the couple’s part but as research in 2010 in<br />
the journal Andrologia stated ‘There is strong<br />
evidence that complementary treatment with<br />
an appropriate nutraceutical improves the<br />
natural conception rate of infertile couples<br />
and increases the success rate of assisted<br />
reproductive techniques. Combating obesity,<br />
correcting inappropriate diet and banning the<br />
abuse of tobacco and alcohol are part of the<br />
integrated approach’.<br />
Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD is the UK’s leading<br />
nutritionist specialising in women’s health.<br />
She is the Former President of the Food<br />
and Health Forum at the Royal Society of<br />
Medicine and the author of a number of<br />
internationally best selling books including<br />
‘Getting Pregnant Faster, ‘Natural Solutions<br />
to PCOS’ and ‘The Natural Health Bible for<br />
Women’ see marilynglenville.com. Dr<br />
Glenville runs a number of women’s health<br />
clinics in Harley Street, London, Tunbridge<br />
Wells and Ireland. If you are interested in a<br />
consultation, you can contact Dr Glenville’s<br />
clinic on 01892 515905 or by email: health@<br />
marilynglenville.com<br />
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EXPERT: Michelle Mullis<br />
SPICE<br />
FOR LIFE<br />
We all know that spices bring about an aroma that is warming and<br />
inviting and gets our taste buds tingling, but what is really going on with<br />
spices and what are the nutritional benefits for health and wellbeing.<br />
More importantly, can spices improve your fertility?<br />
Some spices were once worth their weight in gold, and it’s not because they<br />
wanted to sprinkle them on their favourite foods or to make the best curry to<br />
be ever tasted. Spices began as anything but culinary, they were used widely<br />
as medicines, from eliminating the plague to curing an infection and healing<br />
cuts and wounds and were considered to have significant value in preventing<br />
and treating diseases.<br />
The view of Traditional Chinese medicine is that spice can be added to help<br />
promote blood and oxygen flow to the uterus and reproductive organs to<br />
help improve egg, sperm and uterine quality. However, for some, the use of<br />
chilli is avoided because of its heat properties and stimulating effect on egg<br />
cell function especially for those with low ovarian reserve.<br />
This is the focus used in my clinics and spices are recommended for a<br />
whole range of health benefits which are added in our plant-based herbs<br />
for those needing that extra help to bridge the gap in their nutrition or<br />
those that have inflammatory type conditions or raised natural killer<br />
cells making pregnancy that little bit more difficult to achieve. Spices<br />
offer complemented nutritional benefits as well as allowing food to taste<br />
delicious and to be enjoyed.<br />
In general terms, if you’re wanting to improve your health with a holistic<br />
view that includes your fertility along with your immune and cellular<br />
function, you’ll want to stock up on a range of herbs and spices and use them<br />
generously in your cooking, or certainly use them on their own to enhance<br />
the absorption and benefits received into your body.<br />
When buying all fresh foods, organic is best and this includes spices and<br />
herbs, as this means you’ll be avoiding pesticides and herbicides that find<br />
their way into conventionally grown products affecting the nutritional rate<br />
and of course taste in my opinion.<br />
Spices consist of antioxidants,<br />
anti-inflammatories and hormone<br />
balancing benefits.<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> for both men and women can be improved by foods rich in<br />
antioxidants, minerals and vitamins and spices hold a wide range of<br />
nutritional benefits. Antioxidants that convinced clinicians that fruit and<br />
vegetables helped prevent heart disease and certain cancers are now known<br />
to be present in spices, and in recent research found in larger quantities<br />
than was previously thought. Modern science is beginning to uncover the<br />
ultimate power of spices and herbs, as weapons against illnesses from cancer<br />
to Alzheimer’s disease and infertility.<br />
26 | fertilityroad.com<br />
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Data collected in the United States have shown that a half teaspoon of<br />
cumin has the same antioxidant potential as a standard portion of red<br />
grapes or kiwi fruit. Equally a teaspoon of dried ginger or paprika can<br />
match a portion of tomatoes or green pepper.<br />
Australian and American researchers found that the antioxidants found some<br />
curry powders are as powerful as portions of broccoli, spinach, red peppers,<br />
carrots and other high-scoring antioxidant vegetables called ‘superfoods’.<br />
On the sweeter side of things, one teaspoon of ground cinnamon or cloves packs in<br />
as much antioxidant power as a portion of raspberries, blueberries, or cranberries.<br />
Making regular use of spices and herbs can be a healthy and economical way to<br />
enhance your fertile health and of course your cooking. Spices allow you to reduce<br />
salt, sugar and fat content in your meals and still have a tasty plate of food.<br />
Spices have differing amounts of antioxidant content, and at the top of the list<br />
suggested by the Journal of Nutrition include allspice, chilli, cinnamon, cloves,<br />
cumin, curry spice mixes, garlic, ginger, mustard, paprika and turmeric, all<br />
of which can be found as supplements as nutraceuticals have seen the health<br />
benefits of spices.<br />
However, like all supplements, they are there to add to your diet and not<br />
replace nutrient values found in fresh organic food.<br />
In places like Turkey, India and East of the world, the freshness of spices<br />
is a major factor and the aromas along with the vibrant colours found in<br />
local markets are simply breathtakingly tantalising.<br />
However, fresh herbs and spices are becoming more accessible to provide<br />
the shopper a good quality and choice.<br />
When buying spices, proper storage is essential. Avoid buying spices that<br />
have been sitting on grocery shelves for goodness knows how long, or those<br />
exposed to light and if you can purchase them in authentic and cultural<br />
food stores or certainly good quality food stores.<br />
Just adding herbs and spices to an<br />
otherwise balanced diet can improve<br />
your PCOS and fertility health.<br />
We have seen an increase in the use of spice supplements for its health<br />
benefits, and no doubt those on a fertility journey have added many<br />
supplements into their daily routine to help increase fertility outcomes.<br />
However, spice nutrition has so many other considered fertility health<br />
benefits like hormonal balance especially those for PCOS, endometriosis<br />
and fibroids as well as egg and sperm health improvements. Weight<br />
management is fast becoming an important factor as obesity increases and<br />
BMI levels are expected to reduce for those needing IVF as well as those<br />
gaining weight after undergoing IVF because spicy chillies have been seen<br />
to speed up metabolic rates.<br />
There are so many components that may be affecting fertility and stress as<br />
we know is a big factor particularly those with unexplained infertility. Many<br />
studies relate to stress and its chemical changing effect on the body such as<br />
raised inflammation, migraines, IBS, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, low sperm<br />
count, poor morphology to name a few, and nutritional benefits to help<br />
manage these types of responses in the body are becoming widely known<br />
through research.<br />
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Regularly eating ginger during pregnancy is<br />
known to alleviate morning sickness but can also<br />
help promote a detox effect and help cellular<br />
function and is regularly advised during my<br />
nutritional consultations.<br />
Many love Italian food, and on the most<br />
romantic day of the year on Valentine’s day,<br />
most Italian restaurants are fully booked and it’s<br />
no wonder, not only does the food taste great but<br />
has a feel-good factor too! Italian’s are known to<br />
use oregano, basil and marjoram in their culinary<br />
delights and studies have shown that the<br />
addition of herbs such as lemon balm, marjoram<br />
and oregano to salad, and spices and herbs to<br />
salad dressing, increase their antioxidant activity<br />
significantly with a mood-lifting feel-good factor.<br />
So, let’s spice up your life and your fertile health<br />
by adding these amazing antioxidant-rich herbs<br />
and spices into your culinary delights.<br />
Cinnamon<br />
Helps start ovulation and<br />
regulate irregular periods.<br />
It has been used in research<br />
with its positive effects for those<br />
with PCOS in both jump-starting ovulation<br />
as well as reducing the insulin resistance<br />
associated with PCOS.<br />
Cinnamon can also lower blood sugar,<br />
triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol as part<br />
of a healthy diet. Aim for one-half teaspoon of<br />
cinnamon twice a day within your porridge,<br />
yoghurt or in a chai tea.<br />
Rosemary<br />
One recent study found that people performed<br />
better on memory and alertness tests when<br />
mists of aromatic rosemary oil were piped into<br />
their study cubicles. Rosemary can help with<br />
hormonal imbalance and is also known as an<br />
antibacterial when used in aromatherapy.<br />
Garlic<br />
Garlic can not only keep<br />
sperm and eggs healthy, but it<br />
is also packed with B6 and other<br />
nutrients are proven to give fertility a boost for<br />
both men and women.<br />
Garlic is also a known blood cleanser that aids<br />
in circulation, meaning you have the stamina to<br />
make a healthy baby.<br />
Garlic is full of selenium as well as Vitamin C,<br />
which prevents chromosome defects and damage.<br />
Paprika<br />
Contains capsaicin, with anti-inflammatory<br />
and antioxidant effects and known as a fertility<br />
spice. Try sprinkling on your salads and roasted<br />
sweet potatoes.<br />
Ginger<br />
Ginger has a well-deserved<br />
reputation for relieving an<br />
unsettled stomach. Studies show<br />
ginger extracts can help reduce nausea caused<br />
by morning sickness or following surgery or<br />
chemotherapy, though it’s less effective for<br />
motion sickness. But ginger is also packed with<br />
inflammation-fighting compounds and helps<br />
to normalize the hormonal system and tones<br />
the uterus. This is also a strong aphrodisiac and<br />
essential to help pregnancy.<br />
Oregano<br />
Oregano has been seen to have the highest<br />
antioxidant activity of 27 fresh culinary herbs so<br />
add this to your salads and roasted vegetables.<br />
Chili Peppers<br />
Chili peppers add a muchappreciated<br />
heat to chillyweather<br />
dishes and should be<br />
avoided in some but can give a boost to your<br />
metabolism especially those with PCOS and<br />
retaining weight after hormonal treatments<br />
such as IVF.<br />
Studies show that capsaicin can increase the<br />
body’s metabolic rate causing one to burn more<br />
calories and stimulate brain chemicals that help<br />
us feel less hungry.<br />
Turmeric<br />
Turmeric, the goldencoloured<br />
spice, is used in<br />
India to help wounds heal and<br />
applied as a paste, it’s also made into a tea<br />
to relieve colds and respiratory problems as<br />
well as autoimmune as well as fertility health<br />
conditions and may be helpful for those with<br />
PCOS and perhaps raised natural killer cells.<br />
Modern medicine confirms turmeric is<br />
associated with curcumin, a compound in<br />
turmeric that has potent antioxidant and<br />
anti-inflammatory properties that help boost<br />
immune and certainly a must in my view when<br />
undergoing IVF.<br />
Saffron<br />
Saffron has long been<br />
used in traditional<br />
Persian medicine as<br />
a mood lifter, usually<br />
steeped into a medicinal<br />
tea or used to prepare rice. In one study,<br />
75% of women with PMS who were given<br />
saffron capsules daily reported that their PMS<br />
symptoms such as mood swings and depression<br />
declined by at least half, compared with only 8<br />
percent of women who didn’t take saffron.<br />
Parsley<br />
University of Missouri<br />
scientists found that the<br />
parsley herb can inhibit breast<br />
cancer-cell growth which as we know can be<br />
associated with hormonal imbalance.<br />
Sage<br />
Herbalists recommend<br />
sipping sage tea for<br />
upset stomachs and<br />
sore throats, a remedy<br />
supported by one study<br />
that found spraying sore<br />
throats with a sage solution gave<br />
effective pain relief. In another study, college<br />
students who took sage extracts in capsule form<br />
performed significantly better on memory tests,<br />
and their moods improved. Which hormones<br />
can have such an effect on.<br />
As considered to be one of the very few natural<br />
health experts to have studied a science degree<br />
in reproductive medicine, Chinese medicine,<br />
nutrition and natural therapies, I know that<br />
herbs and spices do much more than simply add<br />
amazing flavours to food. They are packed with<br />
antioxidants to really give your immune and<br />
body a boost whilst allowing you cut down on<br />
some less-healthy ingredients, such as salt, sugars<br />
and saturated fat, but most of all with a high<br />
pregnancy outcome for patients undergoing our<br />
treatment it’s the combination with the added<br />
spice of life that really matters and as they say<br />
the proof is in the pudding, well with a touch of<br />
allspice and cinnamon added of course.<br />
Should you wish to contact Michelle for<br />
more information how she can help you<br />
improve your fertility using her expertise<br />
email her at Info@michellemulliss.com<br />
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Relationships<br />
Keeping the love while<br />
trying to conceive<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> struggles can put enormous pressure<br />
on a relationship and it is a huge thing to go<br />
through as a couple. After time 'Project Baby'<br />
can take the focus away from you as a couple<br />
- you forget that before 'trying' you had a<br />
loving relationship and that you got together<br />
for a reason.<br />
The impact of infertility on<br />
relationships<br />
e if you ae a ery strog ad suortie<br />
marriageartersi fertility issues a still<br />
ut a strai o your relatiosi ltoug<br />
your arter may wat a ay as mu as you<br />
do teir eeriee of te roess a e ery<br />
differet to yours<br />
ememer tat your arter may e strugglig<br />
wit te iaility to oeie too eseially if<br />
te issue is o teir side ad its imortat for<br />
you to tal it troug wit tem<br />
trugglig to oeie a mae te fous of<br />
most of your disussios aout tryig for ay<br />
ad fertility treatmet maig you feel lie<br />
you ae otig else i your life ad tat you<br />
are defied y your struggle to get regat<br />
f you aet got ayoe else to tal to aout<br />
your issues you a ea feel a lot of ressure to<br />
eseem o so your arter ist worried ad it<br />
a lead to oerreliae o ea oter<br />
e te fous eomes all aout maig a<br />
ay ad reatig a family we ofte forget<br />
tat we are already a family ad tat tere is<br />
a reaso wy we got togeter i te first lae<br />
is a lead to you ot feelig uareiated<br />
uattratie ad uimortat<br />
ertility issues a also affet your se life<br />
e eomes aout maig a ay rater ta<br />
leasure wi uts etra ressure<br />
o ot sides to erform ad<br />
loses te itimay<br />
ay oules fid tat tey<br />
dot go out ad do tigs<br />
togeter lie tey used to<br />
due to saig moey for <br />
ot watig to e aroud<br />
oters wit families or ot<br />
feelig i te mood to do<br />
aytig wi agai meas<br />
your relatiosi eomes<br />
foused o ay maig<br />
rater ta eoyig wat you<br />
already ae togeter<br />
How men and women<br />
cope differently<br />
t may seem lie your arter ist as<br />
otered aout aig a ay as you<br />
are if tey dot seem as uset tat your<br />
eriod as ome or tat tey dot feel<br />
lie aig se at te est time of te<br />
mot fte tis is ust differees i<br />
te way me ad wome oe wit<br />
stressful ad usettig situatios lie<br />
ifertility or tem ot watig to<br />
uset you furter<br />
e ad wome ae a ery<br />
differet eeriee of tryig<br />
to oeie ad goig troug<br />
treatmet<br />
t is te woma tat as te<br />
eartae of seeig teir eriod<br />
arrie eery mot te woma<br />
tat as to edure te iasie<br />
side of fertility treatmet ad<br />
it is usually te woma tat<br />
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BODY<br />
has always known they wanted to be a mother, so<br />
their plan for their life is called in to question.<br />
On the other hand the man has to watch his<br />
partner go through treatment, which can lead<br />
to feelings of guilt if the issue is male factor,<br />
and many feel that they have to be strong and<br />
supportive for their partner, so hide their feelings<br />
to be the rock whilst going through treatment.<br />
Women tend to use coping strategies such as<br />
seeking social support, escape/avoidance, accepting<br />
responsibility and tackling the problem head on.<br />
They often feel more comfortable talking to friends<br />
about emotional and sensitive issues, will go on<br />
forums for advice and speak to a counsellor.<br />
However they are often more likely to feel and<br />
show their emotions more freely, want to talk<br />
about the issue more than their partner and<br />
feel more depressed that their life isn’t<br />
how they imagined it would be.<br />
Men on the other hand tend to use<br />
strategies such as problem solving,<br />
distancing and self-controlling. For<br />
men, infertility can be felt as an<br />
attack on their manhood, causing<br />
them to feel like a failure (which<br />
isn’t true). Due to this they often<br />
limit who they talk to about the<br />
problem as there is an element<br />
of embarrassment. They may<br />
take a practical approach<br />
of researching treatment,<br />
focusing on work and keeping<br />
their feeling hidden.<br />
This can mean that there<br />
are differences in what you<br />
both need for coping with<br />
infertility and treatment,<br />
and you need to ensure you<br />
work together to get through<br />
it and cope as a couple.<br />
Try to make time to see<br />
things from your partner’s<br />
perspective. Warning<br />
signs to look for:<br />
- Over-reliance on your partner – focusing only<br />
on your needs.<br />
- Under-reliance – completely avoiding the subject.<br />
- Losing perspective of yourselves as a couple<br />
outside of your fertility issues.<br />
- Losing sight of what attracted you to your<br />
partner in the first place.<br />
- Thinking of your partner as the problem,<br />
rather than the infertility.<br />
Getting through it together<br />
Remember why you are together and what<br />
you love about each other<br />
When you are struggling to conceive and the<br />
focus of your relationship has become all about<br />
the best time to try, fertility treatments and<br />
comparing yourself to others it is hard to lose<br />
sight of what you love about your partner and<br />
the reason you got together in the first place.<br />
Remember that you are not defined by your<br />
infertility, you were a couple before you started<br />
trying to conceive, with shared interests and<br />
interesting conversations.<br />
It’s always good to remember what you love<br />
about your partner (and even more importantly)<br />
remind them what you love about them.<br />
Each write down the below things, then swap<br />
them over and enjoy reading them.:<br />
- 10 things you love about your partner<br />
- Your favourite feature about them<br />
- What attracted you to them in the first place<br />
- What they do that makes you feel special<br />
- How they have supported you on your<br />
fertility journey<br />
Don't place blame<br />
It is really important to see the fertility issue as a joint<br />
issue (whichever side the problem is on). Placing the<br />
blame will create a divide between the two of you,<br />
you need to see it as something you need to overcome<br />
together. Talk about ‘our’ problem (not mine/yours).<br />
Set designated 'No baby/IVF' talk times<br />
Set time limits for how long you talk about the<br />
treatment and infertility so your conversations<br />
don’t just revolve around trying for a baby.<br />
This can add to the stress and pressure in the<br />
relationship. Also set times when you don’t<br />
discuss it – for example if you’re out for a meal,<br />
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BODY<br />
so it gies you time to fous o te oter good<br />
tigs i your life ad ea oter<br />
Plan in quality time together<br />
ae time to do tigs togeter as a oule<br />
were you a fous o your relatiosi oo<br />
a date igt or a weeed away were you dot<br />
tal aout te issues ad ust relaae fu<br />
togeter f moey is tigt it doest ae to e<br />
aytig eesie fid laes tat are free<br />
ad ae some day tris togeter<br />
Create a list of things used to do/enjoy<br />
together and do them<br />
ryig to oeie ad goig troug fertility<br />
treatmet a ofte limit te tigs you do weter<br />
tat is goig out for a few dris to limit alool<br />
itae aoidig streuous eerise or geerally ot<br />
feelig i te mood to go ad do tigs<br />
i aout te tris ad atiities you used<br />
to eoy doig togeter ad mae lie a uet<br />
list of laes to see tigs to do atiities to<br />
try ad te wor your way troug te list<br />
la i te dates you are goig to do tem ad<br />
wor tem aroud your treatmeteeted<br />
eriod date to gie you sometig to loo<br />
forward to e list may eed moderatig<br />
sligtly to aommodate treatmet et ut<br />
ee it tigs you will loo forward to<br />
Accept that you may cope differently<br />
ot assume you ow ow your arter is<br />
feelig you may ae differet ways of oig<br />
wit te ifertility ad te roess so you<br />
eed to disuss tis so you dot feel lie your<br />
arter ist as otered y it as you are tey<br />
may ust e oig differetly<br />
llow ea oter time ad sae to deal wit<br />
your emotios aroud it i your ow way<br />
eset tat you may ot e dealig wit it<br />
i differet ways ad e tere to suort i<br />
wieer way is eeded<br />
Keep talking<br />
alig to ea oter is oe of te most imortat<br />
tigs you a do tell ea oter ow you are<br />
feelig aout te roess e oest tat way<br />
you a wor togeter to get troug it ad<br />
suort ea oter i te way you eed it llow<br />
ea oter to ae your tur to tal witout<br />
iterrutio to mae sure te oersatio stays<br />
alm ad you ot feel listeed to<br />
Have some support other than each other<br />
ly aig ea oter to tal to a ut a lot<br />
of strai o te relatiosi ad may lead to<br />
oe or ot of you oldig a o ow you<br />
feel so as ot to uset your arter ts really<br />
imortat to tal troug eatly ow you are<br />
feelig so you a roess it so ti aout wo<br />
you feel omfortale talig to it ould e a<br />
lose family memer or fried a rofessioal or<br />
suort grou lso eourage your arter to<br />
do te same<br />
f eiter of you dot feel omfortale talig<br />
to someoe else you ould try writig it i a<br />
oural tat you ee riate tat way you a<br />
at least tat way you are gettig your tougts<br />
ad fears out of your ead<br />
f your arter is feelig deressed oerwelmed<br />
or aious aout te situatio a metal ealt<br />
rofessioal a el eourage tem to see<br />
el from a ifertility ousellor or oa wo<br />
are traied to suort idiiduals ad oules<br />
dealig wit ifertility ad fertility treatmet<br />
Don't just have baby making sex<br />
e you are tryig to oeie se a<br />
eome ery routie ad o demad its taes<br />
all te fu out of it we you are tryig to do<br />
it at te rigt time ad it a reate ressure to<br />
erform t is reommeded tat you ae se<br />
regularly trougout te mot rater ta<br />
ust oetratig o we you are oulatig<br />
ad tis also esures tat tere ist a ressure<br />
o a few attemts ad maes you ot feel tat<br />
you are doig it eause you wat to ad ot<br />
eause you sould e<br />
f you fid tat te fertility issues are affetig<br />
your relatiosi it may e wortwile<br />
osiderig taig a sort rea from treatmet<br />
to reidle te romae ad rememer wat it<br />
is tat you loe aout ea oter<br />
ememer you were a oule i loe efore you<br />
were a oule strugglig to oeie ateer<br />
aes wit treatmet you still ae ea<br />
oter mae sure you wor togeter to ee your<br />
artersi strog so tat you are i a etter<br />
lae to suort ea oter o tis ourey<br />
ara as is a ertility oa ad metor<br />
wo wors wit fertility rofessioals to<br />
eae teir atiet eeriee ad suess<br />
rates e els tem uderstad ow<br />
atiets feel te emotioal suort tey eed<br />
ad els imlemet suort strutures<br />
e also wors o a to asis wit wome<br />
strugglig to oeie to imroe teir<br />
emotioal state ad irease teir aes<br />
of gettig regat or furter iformatio<br />
otat er o sarah@sarahbanks.coach<br />
ara rus a free aeoo ommuity oe<br />
to all tose strugglig to oeie alled<br />
uriig ifertility<br />
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BODY<br />
YOUR FAVOURITE<br />
FERTILITY MAGAZINE<br />
COLLECTION<br />
IN ONE PLACE<br />
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MIND<br />
THE ABC OF COPING<br />
ussell ais<br />
WITH INFERTILITY<br />
What we wish we knew on our fertility journey<br />
y ife and ad oer years of infertility eperiencing it fro ale<br />
feale and een secondary infertility. f e kne ten at e kno<br />
no e beliee it ould not ae been suc a long ourney. oeer<br />
at te sae tie e are ery grateful for te tings e learnt about<br />
ourseles indiidually relationsips and life itin our ourney. ould<br />
like to sare soe of tose tings ere.<br />
ACCEPT<br />
to striig to fratially tryig to fid te oe tig you ti may mae<br />
te differee to ruig for a momet e ofte ru from aiful situatios<br />
or ee usy to reet us from feelig te ai til we aet were we are<br />
we at moe o from it e aot leae a lae we aet ee to e we<br />
try ad igore te ai ad reted tigs are differet eras wit ositie<br />
affirmatios we are ofte iddig ourseles<br />
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MIND<br />
Infertility is tough. Really tough. People just<br />
don’t understand what it’s like unless they have<br />
experienced it. A Harvard University study<br />
demonstrated that the stress levels of women<br />
experiencing infertility were equivalent to those<br />
with AIDS, cancer and heart disease. Now you can<br />
imagine why being told to relax makes you want<br />
to punch someone!<br />
It’s because no-one really understands it can<br />
be a very lonely journey. Friends and family<br />
mean well, but actually, they often say the<br />
most unhelpful things because they just don’t<br />
understand. So stop expecting them to. They<br />
mean well. Everything they say and do is<br />
motivated by love but they are limited by their<br />
own understanding and life experience.<br />
Even partners don’t often understand what it’s like<br />
for us. I know this can be truer for women more<br />
than men. My wife said to me eight years into our<br />
journey she didn’t feel understood. She felt lonely<br />
on the journey. I was shocked as I went to all the<br />
appointments. She explained she had no idea what<br />
was going on in my head. How I felt about things.<br />
Women connect emotionally. They want to be<br />
seen, felt, heard - understood. And they want to<br />
understand their partner. When I was living in my<br />
head she had nothing to go on, she had no idea<br />
what I was feeling and it left her feeling lonely.<br />
Stop running from the pain, anger and fear.<br />
Accept it’s tough.<br />
However, acceptance doesn’t mean giving up.<br />
I thought I had to stay strong and hopeful<br />
otherwise it would never happen. I believed<br />
losing hope and falling apart would mean defeat<br />
and I was not ready for that. I couldn’t imagine<br />
life without children and didn’t feel ready to start<br />
the journey of acceptance if it meant giving up.<br />
Accepting it is difficult doesn’t mean you<br />
are accepting defeat - far from it. Accepting<br />
the reality of any situation is key to creating<br />
something new. When running a marathon the<br />
runner can accept the pain, how difficult it is, but<br />
it doesn’t mean they are giving up.<br />
During our infertility journey, I felt disillusioned<br />
about life. I felt angry and fearful about never<br />
being happy. I was in a job I didn’t really enjoy<br />
but it paid well and was convenient. I was<br />
ignoring the disillusionment about my job and<br />
if I am honest other things in my life including<br />
our relationship. Keeping my head in the sand<br />
kept me from doing anything about it. It was<br />
familiar, I had worked in the same company all<br />
my working life and I was scared of changing;<br />
what happens if I move and the new job is worse?<br />
As I began exploring this, accepting my feelings,<br />
it enabled me to begin the process of creating<br />
something different and finding something I<br />
love doing.<br />
It was the same with our fertility. I was not accepting<br />
the pain, anger and fear that was inside me.<br />
Allow whatever shows up to show up. What if<br />
you didn’t need to be scared of any experience?<br />
Feelings are thought in the moment. They do<br />
not know anything about our circumstances now<br />
or in the future. The more we understand where<br />
our feeling is coming from, our thought, not our<br />
circumstances we don’t need to be scared of them.<br />
The more you resist your feelings (by resenting<br />
them, wishing you didn’t have them or trying the<br />
change them) the stronger they get.<br />
Acceptance is the WD40 of change. Once you<br />
allow what is to be you can begin to move on<br />
from it.<br />
Acceptance is not accepting failure. It is not<br />
accepting things will never change. Acceptance<br />
accepting what is today, knowing that nothing<br />
can predict the future so it doesn’t mean it is<br />
going to never change.<br />
Acceptance is not fighting reality because you<br />
think it needs to be different, or ‘should’ be<br />
different. Acceptance is recognising you have<br />
everything you need at this moment to be OK.<br />
Nothing can predict the future, come back to<br />
the here and now, that’s where you are. That’s<br />
where you find everything you need to be at this<br />
moment. We are only not OK when our minds<br />
take us out into our imaginary future, that is<br />
plausible and realistic but still, fantasy because<br />
nothing can predict the future.<br />
Belief<br />
When I talk about belief I don’t mean positive<br />
thinking and affirmations. This is about<br />
recognising what it is you believe, what is your<br />
thinking telling you about you, your life, whether<br />
you will have a baby or not. What are the stories<br />
you tell yourself? This is about recognising we<br />
live in the experience of thought. 100% of our<br />
experience comes from thought.<br />
Not just our emotions, every physical experience<br />
we have comes from thought. Even physical pain.<br />
The pain may be caused by a medical situation<br />
like a broken bone or infection in our tooth but<br />
our experience of that pain is caused by thought.<br />
Sometimes it’s agony, sometimes we are not<br />
aware of it but the source is constant.<br />
We live in the experience of what our thinking is<br />
telling us at any given moment.<br />
So great, that means if we change our thinking right<br />
we get a better experience? Good luck with that<br />
one! We cannot control our thinking. We are not<br />
thinking beings we are beings that have thought.<br />
Our thought is spontaneous and we have no<br />
control over it. But don’t worry, this doesn’t<br />
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MIND<br />
mean it’s all doom and gloom and we are<br />
destined to be on this emotional rollercoaster<br />
forever, that nothing will change.<br />
The more we recognise the nature of thought,<br />
that it’s thought, not truth or reality. That our<br />
experience is created by these spontaneous<br />
neutral thoughts we can begin to change our<br />
relationship with them. It’s not the content of<br />
thought that matters. It’s not our feelings that are<br />
the problem. It’s whether we think they matter<br />
or not. It’s our relationship with them. The more<br />
we see thought for what it is, it moves on. Fresh<br />
thinking is always behind it. We shift back to our<br />
innate wellbeing without doing anything.<br />
Think about the times you’ve felt most at peace.<br />
You drop into those moments without doing<br />
anything, when you stop trying to be OK. This is<br />
because we ARE OK in this moment. We have all<br />
we need to be OK and at peace in this moment.<br />
It’s only when we get caught up in our stories of<br />
the future (or past) we are not OK.<br />
Our thoughts create our experience. Which in<br />
turn can impact our physiology and chances to<br />
get pregnant. The more you see thoughts and<br />
feelings for what they are and the fact you are the<br />
observer of them, they are like clouds on a breeze<br />
but you are not the clouds, you are the sky that<br />
has the potential to have clouds. The more we<br />
see this the more we get connected to our innate<br />
wellbeing we were born with. When our thinking<br />
collapses we have a connection to our true self<br />
that has everything we need at this moment.<br />
A thought is like a snow globe. It settles all on it’s<br />
own when we stop trying to be OK. When we are<br />
no longer scared of our experience (by judging<br />
what it means for our future) it moves on, our<br />
mind settles, we come back to the here and now.<br />
We reconnect to our full range of resources that<br />
know we are OK. In this moment you are OK.<br />
This is the only moment that exists.<br />
Care<br />
By care, I mean self care. So often on this journey<br />
we can be striving for the next thing that can<br />
be ‘the’ thing that makes the difference. We<br />
are filling our day with so much to do and<br />
think about. Nutrition, supplements, herbs,<br />
acupuncture, yoga, losing weight, trying to relax,<br />
tracking cycle, journalling, mindfulness, the<br />
timing of sex, researching what else could be out<br />
there...as well as everything else in life. It’s not<br />
what you do it’s why you do it. If you are doing<br />
things out of fear of not doing enough or missing<br />
the thing that could make the difference then a)<br />
that fear will be undermining the good thing you<br />
are doing and b) it could actually be fuelling the<br />
fear. Do what you feel inspires you. Trust your<br />
instinct. Stop doing what you think you ‘should’<br />
be doing, even temporarily, you may come back<br />
to it in the future but maybe giving yourself a<br />
break from some of these things will serve you<br />
most right now.<br />
What do you do for fun? For play? Play is doing<br />
something just for the hell of it because it feeds<br />
our soul. What do you do for you, your soul?<br />
Not your fertility. Your soul. What feeds your<br />
soul? Whether it be a long hot bath, amateur<br />
dramatics, meeting with friends, do more of it.<br />
These things often get left out of our lives when<br />
we are locked on to Project Baby. These things<br />
keep life flowing, which in turn keeps your body<br />
flowing. The mind and body are one system.<br />
A lovely relaxation technique I teach clients is<br />
a breathing technique that works by stopping<br />
your mind time travelling. It prevents you going<br />
into la-la land future in your head that is often<br />
scary, depressing but totally made up. It keeps<br />
you in the here and now because it gets you to<br />
focus on your breath and your body is always<br />
in the present moment. What I love about this<br />
technique is that you can do it with your eyes<br />
open and no-one needs to know you are doing<br />
it as it’s not a special breath, it’s a nice relaxed<br />
breath whilst you are counting in your head.<br />
As you breathe in count to 1-3 in your head.<br />
As you breathe out count to 1-5 in your head.<br />
Repeat over and over.<br />
Find a pace of counting that gives you a nice<br />
relaxed breathe.<br />
After 3 or 5 breaths you may notice how you are<br />
feeling more relaxed, more centred.<br />
You can practice with your eyes closed but it’s<br />
great to use any place, any time, anywhere!<br />
So dealing with stress is about understanding<br />
the cause of it. That it’s thought not our<br />
circumstances. The more we understand that<br />
feelings are thought and it is not telling us<br />
anything about whether we will or will not have<br />
a baby, it is our thought in this moment, our<br />
imagination we are feeling, we don’t have to be<br />
scared of it. When we stop resenting and resisting<br />
it we find a deeper sense of peace we never knew<br />
we could have in the toughest of circumstances.<br />
We are built to thrive in reality, whatever that<br />
reality in this present moment is. And this<br />
present moment knows nothing about the future.<br />
Nothing can predict the future not even thought<br />
and feelings. We were told we would never get<br />
pregnant naturally. One in a billion chance of it<br />
happening the doctors told us. It did.<br />
Russell is a fertility coach supporting<br />
couples on their journey. You can contact<br />
him via his website thefertilemind.net<br />
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MIND<br />
“Although we don’t always have<br />
control over what happens in<br />
our lives, we can choose how we<br />
respond and move forward”<br />
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MIND<br />
THE IMPORTANCE OF<br />
RESILIENCE<br />
Learn how to develop and nurture resilience to become better equipped at navigating your way through life’s challenges<br />
By Juliana Kassianos<br />
From a young age, we hope and expect to live<br />
a 'fairy-tale' notion of life – one where we live<br />
happily ever after. We map out a timeline<br />
of our lives, which tends to go something<br />
along the lines of that old playground rhyme<br />
we used to sing: "First comes love. Then<br />
comes marriage. Then comes baby in a baby<br />
carriage." But as we grow older, we start to<br />
learn the hard truth that life doesn't always<br />
go to plan.<br />
Although we don’t always have control over<br />
what happens in our lives, we can choose how<br />
we respond and move forward. It’s our ability<br />
to work through the tough times that makes<br />
us grow stronger not only in person but in our<br />
relationships too.<br />
This soldier on attitude requires a certain<br />
amount of resilience, which isn’t something<br />
we’re born with, it’s something we develop and<br />
nurture throughout our lives. We can do this by<br />
putting into practice what I call the three A’s:<br />
Acceptance, Awareness and Action.<br />
Acceptance<br />
It’s important we accept early on that life<br />
doesn’t always play fair. Plans we make might<br />
not always work out the way we thought they<br />
would and life itself may be a little harder than<br />
we’d imagined it to be.<br />
There are bound to be some bumps, turns<br />
and dark tunnels in the road ahead of us. By<br />
accepting this, it gives us the readiness and<br />
willpower to work through any obstacles that<br />
come our way, making sure that we get to our<br />
desired destination, no matter how hard it may<br />
be or how long it may take.<br />
When we hit these obstacles it can feel like the<br />
breaks are being slammed on our life. We’ve<br />
suddenly stalled, whilst everyone else appears to<br />
be happily moving forward, leaving us behind<br />
feeling scared, lost and all alone. A feeling<br />
you might be all too familiar with if you’re<br />
struggling to conceive.<br />
As a form of control, we tend to react by either<br />
suppressing our thoughts, feelings and emotions<br />
or resisting them, but this only makes their<br />
power over us grow stronger. As Shinzen Young<br />
formulated ‘Suffering = Pain x Resistance’; the<br />
more we resist pain, the more we suffer. Think<br />
of it like quicksand, the more you struggle,<br />
the faster you sink. But if you stop struggling,<br />
it gives you more time to find a way to free<br />
yourself.<br />
Embracing the struggle isn’t easy; it’s something<br />
we have to make a conscious decision to do.<br />
To choose to accept obstacles we come across<br />
as part of our journey, to embrace them and<br />
believe in our ability to work through them.<br />
To know in advance that’s it’s not necessarily<br />
going to be an easy ride, but confidently say<br />
nonetheless “I’ve got this”.<br />
Awareness<br />
When we get knocked down, it’s tempting to<br />
hide under the duvet and shut-ourselves out<br />
from the world or go about our day pretending<br />
we’re fine, as though nothing’s happened. To<br />
be able to pick ourselves up, we need to be<br />
completely honest with ourselves, acknowledge<br />
that there’s something we need to work on and<br />
have a sense of self-compassion. To not beat<br />
ourselves up about how we’re feeling. To realise<br />
it’s okay not to be okay. To admit to ourselves:<br />
“I’m not coping”, “I’m anxious” or “I’m lost”.<br />
Certain life events such as miscarriage,<br />
termination or stillbirth can have such a<br />
traumatic impact on us mentally, physically<br />
and socially, that they can be life-changing. As a<br />
result, we can’t necessarily bounce back to who<br />
we were before, but we can grow through what<br />
we go through and use the experience to gain a<br />
better understanding of ourselves.<br />
If we suppress our thoughts, feelings, emotions,<br />
it may help us to get through each day, but it’s<br />
not going to help us heal. It’s putting a plaster<br />
over the wound. In order to heal the wound and<br />
recover, we need to acknowledge and address<br />
all that we’re suppressing either consciously or<br />
subconsciously.<br />
In order to reflect, it may be helpful to start<br />
writing in a journal every day. Writing down<br />
your thoughts and feelings can be a powerful<br />
tool to help develop and increase your selfawareness.<br />
To get into the habit, schedule a<br />
time in your day to do so, such as first thing in<br />
the morning or before you go to bed. Keep your<br />
journal and pen on your bedside table to act as a<br />
daily reminder, so you don’t forget to fill it in.<br />
Your emotions may be more deeply-rooted, so<br />
much so that you might not even be aware of<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 39
MIND<br />
their existence. One way to unearth<br />
them is to see a therapist who<br />
can help work through past<br />
events, challenge negative<br />
beliefs and reframe the<br />
way you think, enabling<br />
you to recover quickly<br />
and move forward with<br />
your life. It may make<br />
you feel vulnerable, but<br />
over time it can help you<br />
develop inner strength as<br />
you learn to take control of<br />
your mind and the thoughts<br />
that you have.<br />
“To be able to<br />
pick ourselves up,<br />
we need to be<br />
completely honest<br />
with ourselves”<br />
2. Have a balanced diet: It’s<br />
important that you fuel your<br />
body and provide it with<br />
the nutrients it needs,<br />
to make sure you have<br />
sustained energy<br />
throughout the day<br />
and the nourishment<br />
your body needs to<br />
work optimally. It<br />
also helps to create a<br />
nourishing environment<br />
for eggs or sperm to mature,<br />
conception to take place and a<br />
baby to grow.<br />
Why is this important? Negative thoughts can<br />
lead to self-destructive behaviour, which gets in<br />
the way of you accomplishing what you really<br />
desire in life, whilst positive thoughts lead to<br />
you making healthier choices in life and having<br />
healthier relationships with yourself and others.<br />
With greater self-awareness and the right<br />
mindset, you can start to create a new<br />
empowering plan to help get you back on track.<br />
With a direction in mind, focus and intention,<br />
you can then take positive action towards<br />
achieving what you want.<br />
Action<br />
A lot of the time we let our feelings dictate<br />
our actions. For example, if you’re down in the<br />
dumps, you might not feel like getting up in<br />
the morning. Try instead acting in a way that<br />
is consistent with how you want to be. Easier<br />
said than done right? Mel Robbins has a useful<br />
five-second rule that can help you take action<br />
when you don’t want to. Instead of hitting the<br />
snooze button, count backwards from five to one<br />
and launch yourself out of bed, just like a rocket<br />
launching into space. It may sound stupidly<br />
simple, but trust me it works, at least give it a go.<br />
Every day do something, however small it may<br />
be, to help you move forward. This may be just<br />
getting out of your pyjamas, going for a walk<br />
in nature or cooking a nourishing meal. It’s all<br />
about the little wins you can make throughout<br />
your day. To make time for the things that<br />
make you feel good inside, stronger in person<br />
and happier with your life. Here are 10 small<br />
wins to put into action.<br />
1. Keep physically active: Try to schedule at<br />
least 40 minutes of physical activity into your<br />
daily routine. This could be walking to work,<br />
going for a swim or practising yoga. When<br />
you exercise you release endorphins, these<br />
are happy hormones that make you feel good.<br />
Movement can also reduce stress and tension<br />
held in the body and has been shown to help<br />
improve the quality of your sleep.<br />
3. Master your breathing: Learning how to<br />
consciously control your breathing can<br />
enable you to experience both physical and<br />
mental health benefits. Just as your breath is<br />
influenced by your thoughts and emotions,<br />
your thoughts and emotions are influenced<br />
by your breath. For example, when you’re<br />
anxious, worried and upset, your breathing<br />
becomes faster. If you then consciously slow<br />
your breathing down to a gentle wave-like<br />
pattern, you can soothe your nerves, settle<br />
your thoughts and calm yourself down.<br />
4. Get enough sleep: You need sleep to be able<br />
to restore your energy reserves, to allow your<br />
whole body to repair and rejuvenate, as well<br />
as enhance your quality of life. Take note that<br />
if you’re trying to conceive, research indicates<br />
you’ve got more of a chance if you have seven<br />
to eight hours of sleep a night. Try to practice<br />
regular rhythms of sleep, by going to bed and<br />
waking up at the same time each day.<br />
5. Practice daily meditation: Meditation is a<br />
mental exercise where you practice focussing<br />
your attention on one point of reference at a<br />
time, e.g. breathing, movement or attention<br />
itself, to increase awareness of the present<br />
moment, quieten the mind and bring you<br />
into a calm state.<br />
6. Practice forgiveness: Learn to<br />
practice forgiveness, whether<br />
it is forgiving yourself or<br />
others. It doesn’t mean<br />
you condone your<br />
own actions or that of<br />
others, it means that<br />
you learn to let go<br />
and free yourself from<br />
feelings such as anger,<br />
hatred and resentment,<br />
which can otherwise<br />
make you bitter and selfdestructive<br />
in your behaviour.<br />
7. Attitude of gratitude: Gratitude is an<br />
appreciation of what is valuable and<br />
“Every day do<br />
something, however<br />
small it may be, to help<br />
you move forward”<br />
40 | fertilityroad.com<br />
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MIND<br />
“Negative thoughts<br />
can lead to selfdestructive<br />
behaviour,<br />
which gets in the way of you<br />
accomplishing what you<br />
really desire in life”<br />
meaningful to you. Research supports an<br />
association between feelings of gratitude and<br />
our overall sense of wellbeing. It can also help<br />
you regain a sense of perspective, especially<br />
when all your focus is on what you<br />
want and don’t currently have.<br />
Try keeping a gratitude<br />
journal.<br />
8. Practice self-care:<br />
Do you feel your<br />
body doesn’t<br />
deserve to be<br />
looked after?<br />
Perhaps it’s failed<br />
you in some way.<br />
Self-care is about<br />
nurturing the<br />
relationship you have<br />
with yourself, making<br />
sure that you actively take<br />
care of yourself and giving<br />
yourself permission to do so.<br />
9. Embrace your fears: Fear is that unpleasant<br />
emotion you get when you’re afraid or<br />
worried you’re in danger or you might<br />
experience pain or loss from something<br />
that is happening or might happen. Try to<br />
embrace your fears and understand what the<br />
driving force is behind them. That way they’ll<br />
become less scary and you’re more likely to<br />
overcome them.<br />
10. Live in the moment: By practicing<br />
mindfulness, you can change the hardwiring<br />
of your brain, enabling you to spend more<br />
time truly living in the moment, create new<br />
healthy habits to live by, make better choices<br />
and grow into the highest version of yourself.<br />
Juliana is a Natural <strong>Fertility</strong> Therapist and<br />
founder of The School of <strong>Fertility</strong>. A website<br />
that provides individuals with the information,<br />
tools and techniques they need to understand<br />
their reproductive health, know how to optimise<br />
their chances of conceiving and make more<br />
informed decisions should they choose to<br />
embark on fertility investigation or treatment.<br />
Juliana’s focus is on nutrition, lifestyle and<br />
mindset, whilst her co-founder Professor Charles<br />
Kingsland, Consultant Gynaecologist and<br />
Specialist in Reproductive Medicine, covers the<br />
medical side. Using a combined natural and<br />
medical approach, they hope to help individuals<br />
feel more empowered to take control of their<br />
fertility journeys. Juliana has an MA in Medical<br />
Anthropology from Goldsmiths University of<br />
London, a BSc (Hons) in Human Sciences from<br />
King’s College London, over 10 diplomas in<br />
holistic health practices, is a certified health<br />
coach and registered holistic fertility therapist<br />
practitioner. theschooloffertility.com/<br />
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MIND<br />
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42 | fertilityroad.com<br />
www.klinikkhausken.no<br />
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MIND<br />
FERTILITY<br />
JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
Welcome back to the <strong>Fertility</strong> Journeys.<br />
We’d like to welcome our new partners IVF Travel and The<br />
Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute who are offering one couple free IVF<br />
or Egg Donation treatment. You can find out more about them and<br />
how to apply on the next page.<br />
IVF Spain has selected a couple who will receive free Egg Donation<br />
treatment. We look forward to getting to know Claire and Dave and<br />
following their story.<br />
Klinikk Hausken is in the process of selecting their couple for this<br />
year and we’ll have an update in the next issue.<br />
And finally, congratulations to Heather and Brandon who worked<br />
with Oregon Reproductive Medicine last year and we’re pleased to<br />
announce they’re now pregnant. We wish you all the best and can’t<br />
wait to meet your babies soon.<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
FERTILITY JOURNEYS:<br />
FREE IVF OR EGG DONATION TREATMENT<br />
Welcome to our new fertility journey partners IVF Travel and Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute.<br />
IVF Travel came to life under the initiative<br />
of Dimitris Kavakas who after several years of<br />
consulting experience in medical travel and<br />
specifically fertility travel, wanted to offer<br />
fertility patients an affordable yet high-quality<br />
IVF programme with a refund guarantee.<br />
The portal of ivfttravel.com that is managed<br />
and run by Redia Ltd which carefully selects<br />
fertility clinics in several countries and partners<br />
with them to offer fertility patients high-quality<br />
multi-cycle refund guarantee IVF and Egg<br />
Donation programmes at affordable prices.<br />
Partner fertility clinics are located in several<br />
countries, such as Spain, Greece, Czech Republic,<br />
Cyprus, Turkey, India and Malaysia and it is<br />
constantly expanding its partner list to include<br />
more clinics in more countries worldwide. Redia<br />
Ltd is a UK fertility consultancy and primarily<br />
serves UK patients going abroad for treatment;<br />
however, increasingly it serves patients from<br />
other countries such as the USA, Australia,<br />
Spain, Germany and the Middle East.<br />
Dimitris Kavakas<br />
The refund guarantee programme gives patients<br />
the chance of having up to 3 full cycles of IVF<br />
treatment, inclusive of all frozen embryo<br />
transfers as well as all stimulation medication<br />
needed. It also includes embryo freezing and<br />
one-year storage costs. It also comes with a<br />
refund guarantee for a live birth that can be up<br />
to 100%. The programme has certain eligibility<br />
criteria and requires certain screening tests to<br />
be provided in advance of getting accepted into<br />
the programme. On average, the acceptance rate<br />
exceeds 80%. While there is no age restriction<br />
in Egg Donation and Embryo Adoption<br />
programmes, there are age restrictions for IVF<br />
with own egg cycles and refund guarantees can<br />
only be offered to women up to 39 years of age.<br />
IVF Travel also offers the possibility to UK<br />
fertility patients to spread the cost of the<br />
programme over a number of months by<br />
requesting a 50% deposit and the remaining<br />
amount is paid in six monthly equal installments<br />
free of interest.<br />
One of IVF Travel partners is Mediterranean<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Institute in Greece and the two<br />
organisations join forces to provide a free IVF or<br />
Egg Donation cycle to a UK couple.<br />
<strong>44</strong> | fertilityroad.com<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
Dr John<br />
Giakoumakis<br />
methods to achieve high results, including ICSI,<br />
IMSI, PICSI, Laser Assisted Hatching, Blastocyst<br />
culture and PGS/PGD biopsies.<br />
MEDITERRANEAN FERTILITY INSTITUTE<br />
The Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute is one<br />
of the leading fertility clinics in Greece and is<br />
amongst the most reputable IVF institutions in<br />
Europe. It is located in the town of Chania in the<br />
island of Crete, a spectacular tourist destination<br />
that allows fertility patients to relax and enjoy<br />
the days they need to be at the clinic. The<br />
Institute carries an experience of more than 23<br />
years of successes and more than 7,000 births.<br />
Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute takes pride<br />
in its average success rate of 68%, however, it<br />
treats every patient as an individual and takes<br />
time to study each case and come up with the<br />
most suitable protocol for each individual so as<br />
to guarantee the highest possible success chances.<br />
It is fully regulated by the Greek <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Authority and holds ISO 9001 and DIN EN<br />
15224 as well as UKAS certification.<br />
Having over 35 years of experience as a<br />
gynecologist, Dr John Giakoumakis, the<br />
Institute’s clinical director, is the founder of the<br />
Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute and since 1992<br />
he has helped hundreds of couples and singles,<br />
to achieve their dreams of becoming parents!<br />
His personal pursuit does not stop here. For<br />
years he pushed the limits to help patients with<br />
the surrogacy program since 2005. Wanting to<br />
constantly develop his knowledge in the field of<br />
assisted reproduction, he actively participates<br />
in conferences around the world every year. He<br />
is a active member of several organisations and<br />
is a founding member of European Society of<br />
Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE),<br />
American Society of Reproductive Medicine<br />
(ASRM), Mediterranean Society of Reproductive<br />
Medicine (MSRM), Middle East <strong>Fertility</strong> Society<br />
(MEFS) and he was Honorary president of the<br />
Medical Society of Crete.<br />
Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong> Institute offers<br />
comprehensive fertility treatments that include<br />
IVF, Embryo and Sperm Donation, Surrogacy,<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Preservation and Testicular Biopsy. Its<br />
state of the art embryology lab, lead by Dr Danny<br />
Daphnis, performs all necessary laboratory<br />
THE OFFER<br />
Redia IVF Travel and Mediterranean <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Institute are offering one full cycle of IVF or Egg<br />
Donation to a UK couple or single woman. Sperm<br />
donation can be also included if needed.<br />
The offer is for one fresh cycle but can include any<br />
frozen cycle, depending on available embryos, if<br />
success is not achieved in the fresh cycle.<br />
Dr John Giakoumakis and his dedicated team<br />
will guide the selected couple throughout<br />
their treatment cycle and we welcome<br />
applicants between 20 and 45 years old, from<br />
all backgrounds and at any point along your<br />
fertility journey.<br />
To apply visit our website fertilityroad.com/ivftravel<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
FERTILITY JOURNEYS:<br />
EGG DONATION WITH IVF SPAIN<br />
Exclusive<br />
Spanish<br />
Partner<br />
At IVF Spain we take great pride in participating<br />
in this year’s <strong>Fertility</strong> Journey organised by<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong> Magazine. Each year this wonderful<br />
initiative gives us the opportunity to help<br />
two couples that need fertility treatment with<br />
donated eggs to fulfil their long lasting dream<br />
of becoming parents. Thanks to our patients,<br />
who chose to share their journey, we can help<br />
normalise and raise awareness about a problem<br />
that affects many people and which receives very<br />
little attention On this occasion, IVF Spain’s<br />
medical team - led by gynecologist and fertility<br />
specialist Dr. Natalia Szlarb - had a particularly<br />
difficult time in choosing a couple, as more than<br />
130 participants applied for this year’s <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Journey. After reviewing applicants medical<br />
records with Skype call interviews, Claire (42)<br />
and Dave (35) were chosen as lucky recipients of<br />
the <strong>Fertility</strong> Journey <strong>2018</strong>. An adorable couple<br />
we had the pleasure to interview beforehand to<br />
learn more about how their difficult journey to<br />
parenthood is going so far:<br />
Claire and Dave<br />
We would like to know a bit more about you<br />
Claire: We have been married since 2010 and live in<br />
Bristol, England. We are a healthy and happy couple<br />
interested in sports, health and fitness. I (Claire) am<br />
42 and I am a legal secretary for a law firm, and Dave<br />
is a Business Development Director at a University<br />
College in the South West of England.<br />
Claire and Dave<br />
Why are you struggling to conceive a baby and<br />
how long have you been trying?<br />
Dave: For the past 7 years, we’ve been trying to<br />
conceive a child and start a family, but apparently<br />
there were various issues to overcome that we didn’t<br />
know about at first, like sperm morphology and<br />
motility defects, and a family genetic condition<br />
that increases the rate of failed implantation and<br />
miscarriage. Despite this situation being extremely<br />
challenging for us, we are totally committed to<br />
creating a healthy and happy family together.<br />
How has your fertility journey been so far?<br />
Claire: I underwent my first IVF cycle in Bristol<br />
back in 2011. It was an ICSI plus metformin cycle,<br />
but unfortunately, I was overstimulated and had<br />
to coast for a week. Most of the eggs developed<br />
too much for fertilisation. In the end, 2 eggs were<br />
successfully fertilised and transferred on day 3,<br />
but none of them implanted.<br />
I had a second cycle at Bristol Southmead<br />
Hospital. This time the IVF drug dosage was<br />
lowered to avoid overstimulation. 17 eggs were<br />
retrieved during egg collection, and 2 eggs put<br />
back in at blastocyst stage, but again failed to<br />
implant. Later on 2 frozen fertilised eggs from<br />
this last cycle were put back in but they also did<br />
not implant.<br />
Due to having a chromosome translocation (12 and<br />
14) in my family history and being a balanced carrier,<br />
I was advised to proceed with the PGD route.<br />
So I had a third ICSI attempt with PGD back<br />
in 2014. 7 eggs were retrieved and fertilised<br />
on low dosage of drugs, again to avoid over<br />
stimulation. PGD showed that all of the eggs<br />
carried unbalanced chromosome translocations,<br />
meaning none could be put back in. After this,<br />
we were deeply disappointed and started seeking<br />
to proceed with egg donation to avoid any other<br />
painful unsuccessful ISCI experience due to the<br />
translocation in the embryos. When we reached<br />
this point, we had no frozen embryos from<br />
previous cycles.<br />
How did you find out about the <strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong><br />
Magazine <strong>Fertility</strong> Journey?<br />
Dave: In simple terms, Facebook. One evening,<br />
Claire noticed an opportunity through the <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
<strong>Road</strong> Magazine Facebook page and we decided<br />
to apply. We had an informative Skype call and<br />
well, we are very happy to have been selected for<br />
the treatment and have this opportunity with<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong>.<br />
Were you already considering going abroad for<br />
your next fertility treatment? What are you<br />
looking for in a clinic? And how do you feel<br />
about IVF Spain so far?<br />
Claire: We were considering an egg donation<br />
treatment to increase the chances of success, and<br />
at first, we thought of having it in a UK clinic,<br />
closer to home. It is important to us that a clinic<br />
is open, transparent and patient centred because<br />
this can be an incredibly stressful experience. In<br />
short, we wanted a clinic that ‘looks after’ their<br />
patients and makes the experience as exciting and<br />
positive as possible. Although we are yet to travel<br />
to Spain to meet the IVF Spain team in person, all<br />
46 | fertilityroad.com<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
our interactions by e-mail, phone and Skype so<br />
far have been professional and friendly, and have<br />
given us hope and confidence.<br />
In <strong>May</strong> Claire and Dave will travel to Spain to<br />
meet the whole IVF Spain team. They will then<br />
have their first medical consultation with Dr.<br />
Natalia Szlarb, Medical Director at IVF Spain,<br />
whose patients always have a word of praise for<br />
her and is often defined as a great professional<br />
that gets truly involved in each case and possesses<br />
great empathy.<br />
‘We face each <strong>Fertility</strong> Journey as a thrilling and<br />
exciting challenge, and in this case, we are looking<br />
forward to warmly welcome Claire and Dave. We<br />
will study their case thoroughly to find the best<br />
solution to their fertility issues. It is amazing<br />
that Spanish legislation allowed for anonymous<br />
egg donation 30 years ago. At IVF Spain we treat<br />
more than 1000 patients every year from all over<br />
the world for egg donation, which is considered<br />
to be the final step in many couples’ infertility<br />
treatment. We will do our best with Claire and<br />
Dave to make their dream of forming a family<br />
with a healthy baby come true. I wish them a<br />
successful treatment at IVF Spain in <strong>2018</strong>,’ points<br />
out Dr. Szlarb.<br />
We would also like to seize this opportunity<br />
to tell you about our couple from last years<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Journey.<br />
In <strong>May</strong> Kathryn and Richard will finally be able<br />
to hold their baby in their arms. On behalf of the<br />
whole IVF Spain team, we wish them the best of<br />
luck in their planned C-section. They have agreed<br />
to share with us how their pregnancy is developing<br />
and some other scoops:<br />
Kathryn writes...<br />
Kathryn<br />
The pregnancy has gone quite well. I have suffered<br />
from a few ailments like leg swelling, a pregnancy<br />
rash and a few bleeds but the baby has stayed<br />
healthy so far (touch wood) throughout this. We<br />
have been under consultant care throughout the<br />
pregnancy and the hospital has kept a close eye<br />
on us thankfully. We already knew that I had a<br />
fibroid low down in my uterus and as a result of<br />
this, we are having a c-section at 38 weeks + 5 days<br />
on Friday 4th <strong>May</strong>. I will have 2 steroid injections<br />
a week prior to the operation to ensure the baby’s<br />
lungs are developed enough.<br />
At 35 weeks, the baby weighs approximately.<br />
6lbs so he or she (we don’t know the gender yet)<br />
is in the 90th percentile. This is quite large but<br />
healthy!!! Alongside the baby, we have finally<br />
been able to plan our wedding for April 2019. We<br />
count ourselves so lucky and fortunate to have<br />
been given the opportunity to part of the fertility<br />
journey in 2017 and can’t thank IVF Spain enough<br />
for their support and commitment to us.<br />
The clinic has been attentive throughout the<br />
whole process: pre, during and for the followup.<br />
We feel that we have had the best care and<br />
attention that we could have possibly received<br />
and have recommended IVF Spain to a number<br />
of couples. We have also met up face to face with<br />
another successful couple whose little boy is 10<br />
months old now. This has been very worthwhile<br />
as we are aware that the treatment we have<br />
experienced is alternative and not the ‘norm’ for<br />
most people.<br />
We will be in touch as soon as the baby is here. As<br />
the Star Wars quote goes ‘<strong>May</strong> the 4th be with you!’<br />
Lastly, we would like to talk to you about Alka<br />
and Rhod, Runner-ups in 2017. As you probably<br />
remember, this couple underwent numerous<br />
unsuccessful IVF treatments in the UK, so they<br />
decided that their best possible option to achieve<br />
a pregnancy would be to choose an egg donation<br />
treatment - which has higher success rates - in<br />
order to avoid having to go through yet another<br />
failed attempt.<br />
During their visit to IVF Spain, Dr. Álvarez<br />
examined the couple and performed various<br />
tests with the aim of developing the best possible<br />
strategy for their case. The doctor analysed Alka’s<br />
ovarian reserve, which turned out to be quite<br />
low. Her ultrasound scan showed very few active<br />
follicles and her AMH was very low. On top of<br />
that, her endometrium (uterus lining) - where the<br />
embryo must implant and develop - was extremely<br />
thin. Despite all this, Alka’s endometrium<br />
responded perfectly to the medication and the<br />
embryo transfer went smoothly. 10 days later,<br />
the ‘beta’ test (pregnancy test) was positive. Alka<br />
is currently going through the second trimester<br />
of pregnancy, and both she and Rhod await with<br />
excitement the birth of their baby in August.<br />
Alka and Rhod<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 47
FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
FERTILITY JOURNEYS:<br />
FREE IVF TREATMENT... WITH KLINIKK HAUSKEN<br />
Klinikk Hausken Joining the <strong>Fertility</strong> Journey <strong>2018</strong><br />
THE CLINIC<br />
We are so excited about joining this year’s<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Journey. And we are getting closer to<br />
the day in choosing the couple who will go on<br />
this journey with us. We are looking forward<br />
to introducing Norway and our clinic to the<br />
chosen couple. Norway is constantly voted the<br />
best country to live in with a publicly funded<br />
healthcare system, known for its high-quality of<br />
care and efficiency. When it comes to Klinikk<br />
Hausken, we are the largest IVF clinic in<br />
Norway carrying on the quality and efficiency<br />
the Norwegian Health Services are known for.<br />
We also pride ourselves on our individualised<br />
care, innovation and good results. All of which<br />
the couple will experience throughout their<br />
journey to parenthood with us.<br />
THE PROCESS<br />
We can’t wait to get to know our <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Journey couple, to be able to join them on<br />
their journey to parenthood. To make them<br />
feel safe, relaxed and supported.<br />
The chosen couple will only need to visit our<br />
clinic in Norway twice. The first trip will be for<br />
investigative tests and planning of protocol.<br />
The initial meeting is extremely important to<br />
us and it’s where we get to know each other.<br />
This is where we build the foundations for<br />
a successful partnership moving forward.<br />
We will work with you to design a treatment<br />
plan tailored specifically to your needs which<br />
will include personalised care and detailed<br />
information regarding the entire process. At<br />
every stage of your treatment with us our<br />
knowledgeable and helpful staff he will be<br />
on hand to answer any questions or concerns<br />
that you may have. The key to planning an<br />
optimal treatment protocol for the couple<br />
lies in effective two way communication and<br />
that’s why we believe listening to the couple is<br />
paramount to the treatment process.<br />
The second trip will be the actual egg collection<br />
and transfer. The couple will stay in Norway<br />
for one week during this stay. This is the perfect<br />
opportunity take some off to relax and focus<br />
on each other and the treatment ahead without<br />
worrying about daily life at home.<br />
EXPLORING NORWAY<br />
The couple will also have the opportunity to<br />
experience the Norwegian culture during their<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
visit. Taste our weird and wonderful food,<br />
explore the stunning scenery Norway has to<br />
offer and get to know the people of Norway.<br />
This will be the beginning of an adventure of<br />
a lifetime.<br />
GETTING TO KNOW YOU<br />
Klinikk Hausken has offered treatment to<br />
UK couples for the past 11 years with great<br />
success. Activities such as the <strong>Fertility</strong> Show<br />
in London and Manchester, roadshows such<br />
as Routes to Parenthood and the <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Journey has made it possible for us to optimise<br />
the treatment process for our UK couples.<br />
Even though the UK couples only make up<br />
10% of treatments done at Klinikk Hausken<br />
per year (700 UK couples so far) it has helped<br />
us achieve an even higher level of quality<br />
on our services, especially on customer<br />
focus. Meeting potential clients through<br />
different channels gives us new impulses and<br />
engages the staff even more. We feel we take<br />
something useful away from each and every<br />
one of the events and meetings we have with<br />
the UK public. And we have learnt a lot about<br />
the UK culture. All of our staff are fluent<br />
in English and we have event picked up a<br />
few English sayings along the way which we<br />
frequently used around the clinic. A more<br />
polite and well-spoken nation is hard to come<br />
by and we thoroughly enjoy working with<br />
our UK clients. And I think the UK couples<br />
enjoy coming to us. Here’s a quote from one<br />
of our UK based couples enjoying their time<br />
in Norway:<br />
“Coming to Klinikk Hausken and to Norway<br />
has been lovely. Both Bergen and Haugesund<br />
are beautiful towns which has made our stay<br />
quite peaceful. The staff at the clinic has been<br />
so friendly as well. We are so glad to have<br />
come to Klinikk Hausken”<br />
SPECIAL OFFER<br />
We have had a humbling amount of interest<br />
from couples wanting to join us on this <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
Journey. We will be announcing the chosen<br />
couple in the next issue of the <strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong><br />
Magazine, but we really would like to help more<br />
than just the one couple in their journey to<br />
parenthood. This is why Klinikk Hausken has<br />
decided to give all of our readers a free virtual<br />
consultation with our Medical Director and IVF<br />
Specialist Dr. Jon Hausken. All you need to do is<br />
contact our International Manager on camilla@<br />
klinikhausken.no to make the request.<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 49
FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
FERTILITY JOURNEYS:<br />
DONOR EGG IVF WITH GENOMIC SCREENING...<br />
WITH OREGON REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE<br />
After nearly ten years trying to build their family, Heather and Brandon are truly on<br />
their way to becoming parents. Following Heather’s embryo transfer in late February,<br />
her hCG tests and ultrasound have given them the news they’ve been waiting to hear,<br />
and then some! Heather is pregnant – with fraternal twins!<br />
Heather writes…<br />
Tuesday, February 20th, my mother and I boarded<br />
our flights to Portland, Oregon for my frozen<br />
embryo transfer which was scheduled for the<br />
following day. Brandon stayed home as opposed<br />
to accompanying me for this trip. We could not<br />
afford for us to both be off work for the four days.<br />
We tried to be practical and have Brandon save<br />
some additional vacation days so that we could use<br />
them for any emergency that might present itself.<br />
My mother is retired so she was able to join me for<br />
the four days. Our long travel days gave us plenty<br />
of time for bonding, resting, reminiscing about<br />
the good old days, and preparing my mind for<br />
what was to come. We also got to relax a bit and<br />
catch-up on a few in-flight movies.<br />
It was special for my mother to be able to join me,<br />
as she and my father helped us financially pay for<br />
the trip and hotel stay. We’re extremely grateful<br />
to them for their support and their financial<br />
assistance through this process which has been<br />
emotionally and financially exhausting.<br />
On Wednesday, February 21st, my mother and I,<br />
full of anticipation, walked across the street from<br />
the Hotel deLuxe to ORM. My embryo transfer<br />
was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. I was given a valium<br />
prior to the procedure to relax my uterus. I also<br />
played a mediation recording in my headphones<br />
to keep me calm, focused and relaxed throughout<br />
the process. Many of the members of the ORM<br />
team who I have worked with stopped by to say<br />
hello and provide hugs prior to the procedure.<br />
Dr. Barbieri escorted me into the procedure<br />
room where I was able to see the two embryos<br />
on the large screen prior to the transfer. We<br />
chose to transfer one boy and one girl from our<br />
14 embryos. Dr. Barbieri talked me through the<br />
entire procedure which was quick and she held my<br />
hand as she returned me to my in-patient room<br />
where my mother was patiently waiting for me.<br />
ORM’s protocol is for bedrest following an<br />
embryo transfer. So I remained in my in-patient<br />
room laying down for 45 minutes before I was<br />
released. Via wheelchair, I was escorted back<br />
across the street to the front steps of the Hotel<br />
deLuxe. I only walked up the entry steps, to the<br />
elevator and down the hall to our room.<br />
I remained on bed rest for the remainder of<br />
Wednesday and all of Thursday. I only got up<br />
to relieve myself and was provided with strict<br />
instructions not to shower or wash-up until<br />
Friday. Essentially, ORM did not want me to be<br />
on my feet for more than 15 minutes. For the<br />
next two days, room service was our best friend!<br />
On Friday, my mother and I headed back to the<br />
airport for our flight home. For the weekend, I<br />
took it easy. Brandon took care of me and made<br />
sure I had breakfast, lunch and dinner before<br />
starting the next work week on Monday.<br />
For the next week, I continued to take my daily<br />
prenatal medications, daily progesterone shots<br />
and twice a week delestrogen shots. On Friday,<br />
March 2nd, I had my first hCG blood test drawn at<br />
7:00 a.m. so that I wouldn’t be late for work.<br />
Christina, my coordinator at ORM, had told me<br />
that if I had an hCG level of 50 or higher on my<br />
first test then that would mean I was pregnant. She<br />
also told me that I would have two more tests to<br />
take, one on Monday, March 5th and another on<br />
Wednesday, March 7th. She said that if my hCG<br />
levels doubled each time I took the test then it<br />
would indicate that the pregnancy was developing<br />
normally at that early stage.<br />
I have to admit that the waiting is torture. You<br />
are miserable, lost and feel inept. Later in the<br />
day on Friday Christina left me a voicemail. She<br />
had the results from my hCG blood test. I was<br />
honestly terrified to call her back. I guess I wasn’t<br />
ready to hear more bad news, but I reminded<br />
myself that we had 12 embryos in storage so<br />
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FERTILITY JOURNEYS <strong>2018</strong><br />
if this transfer had not worked then we could<br />
always try again.<br />
I waited until I was heading home from work to<br />
call her back. After staring at the ORM phone<br />
number for an eternity, I found the courage and<br />
called. My hCG level was 529. We were pregnant!<br />
I screamed at the top of my lungs and cried<br />
uncontrollably with joy!<br />
I thanked Christina and immediately called Brandon<br />
at his work. He had to remain calm in front of<br />
his colleagues who are clueless as to what we are<br />
going through. I told him my hCG level and he got<br />
incredibly quiet and said, “I need to take a walk.”<br />
Once, I got home, I laid down in the bed with<br />
Duke, our dog, by my side and waited patiently<br />
for Brandon, who arrived home less than an<br />
hour later. He was still in shock and needed<br />
reassurance so we called Christina by speaker<br />
phone so she could tell Brandon what I had<br />
already shared with him.<br />
When you’re so used to hearing “ No”, you need<br />
reassurance from the experts that the cards are<br />
finally in your favor. We were so excited we<br />
decided to quietly celebrate! We went out to<br />
dinner at a local authentic Mexican restaurant<br />
and had one of our favorites, enchiladas.<br />
We made an agreement not to share the news with<br />
our parents until we had received the results for the<br />
next two tests to ensure we had a health pregnancy.<br />
On Monday, March 5th<br />
my hCG level was 2,601.<br />
We had more than doubled!<br />
On Wednesday, March 7th<br />
my hCG level was 5,748. We had<br />
doubled again!<br />
On Saturday, March 10th, we shared the news<br />
with our parents, my mother and father and<br />
Brandon’s mother. They were all uncontrollably<br />
happy and excited that their individual journeys<br />
to becoming grand-parents were within reach.<br />
We were clear with them that we are not sharing<br />
the news with any other parties until the end of the<br />
first trimester. We are not making plans for baby<br />
showers or picking out names or buying clothes. We<br />
After staring at the ORM<br />
phone number for an eternity,<br />
I found the courage and called.<br />
My hCG level was 529. We were<br />
pregnant! I screamed at the<br />
top of my lungs and cried<br />
uncontrollably with joy!<br />
Dr Barbieri comments on Heather and Brandon's journey<br />
are taking this journey day<br />
by day with gratitude and<br />
patience.<br />
We had our 6 week<br />
ultrasound Monday,<br />
March 19th and found<br />
out that both embryos<br />
had taken. We are<br />
having fraternal twins!<br />
Baby A had a heart rate of<br />
114 and Baby B had a heart<br />
rate of 111 both are above the 100<br />
rate which is considered normal. We<br />
are ecstatic! Wow, we got here.<br />
We weren’t sure if anyone would ever believe in<br />
us. We weren’t sure that anyone would take the<br />
additional time to help us overcome this ten year<br />
obstacle. We are so grateful to ORM.<br />
We realize that this is only the beginning and<br />
are doing our best to take things step-by-step, but<br />
we are extremely thankful and doing our best to<br />
live in the moment and appreciate the gifts of life<br />
bestowed upon us through this journey.<br />
The entire ORM team is truly overjoyed with the wonderful news of Heather’s<br />
twin pregnancy.<br />
Everything we do at ORM is with the goal of helping our patient become<br />
parents, and for them to be able to have success and a healthy baby on their<br />
first attempt.<br />
Heather’s pregnancy is developing as expected and is now well-established. She has graduated from our<br />
care at ORM, and I know that she will be happy to be done with all her various injections which are part<br />
of the IVF process. She will now be looked-after during the rest of her pregnancy by her local physician.<br />
We are honoured to have been able to help Heather and Brandon and will be continuing to follow their<br />
journey closely in the coming months ahead.<br />
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fertilityroad.com | 51
FERTILITY 360<br />
r arolie illis<br />
Founder of <strong>Fertility</strong> Clinics Abroad<br />
fertilityclinicsabroad.com<br />
IVF ABROAD<br />
TOP FIVE<br />
TIPS FOR<br />
THE OVER<br />
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine estimates that infertility<br />
affects 6.1 million North American women; roughly one in eight couples<br />
of reproductive age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<br />
estimate that six percent of married women in the U.S. are unable to get<br />
pregnant after a year of trying, and 12 percent of women aged 15 to <strong>44</strong><br />
have difficulty getting pregnant.<br />
ey otriutory fator to deliig fertility rates omes dow to age<br />
of oetio e oit at wi ort merias egi to ti aout<br />
aig ildre as sifted oer te ast few deades refletig ultural<br />
treds of wome i iger eduatio ad te worfore as well as risig<br />
diore rates ireasig seod time roud families e et result is<br />
a rise i te umer of wome of or oer aig ildre a oit at<br />
wi ild earig eomes ifiitely more omle for tis age<br />
grou is ofte te oly iale otio ut te ost of treatmet i te states<br />
ats as a oerearig arrier for some<br />
e asi yle i te a ost u to or u to if<br />
you use a egg door ad is ofte ot oered y isurae y<br />
omariso a etire tri to te e euli wit ad a egg<br />
door a ost as little as e laws regardig are also less<br />
restritie i te e euli ad ertai arts of uroe ta tey are<br />
i te ad door eggs ad serm are also eaer<br />
or wome wo are ad oer wo are faed wit te igest failure<br />
rates ad o aerage ae to udergo more yles ta youger wome<br />
te roset of a more affordale otio aroad is a attratie oe ut<br />
fidig te rigt lii a e a dautig roset artiularly oe tat<br />
offers seialist treatmet ad iger suess rates for older wome<br />
e team at ertility liis road ae made te o ust a little easier<br />
40’Swit teir fie stes to suess for te oer s<br />
| fertilityroadom<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
STEP 1<br />
Which treatment?<br />
Deciding on the right treatment is the first and<br />
most critical choice in your fertility journey.<br />
As a first port of call, always seek advice from<br />
your Doctor and/or fertility specialist. Desktop<br />
research is also a quick and affordable way to<br />
access tons of information. There are plenty<br />
of resources and support groups in the U.S,<br />
including <strong>Fertility</strong> Network, path2parenthood<br />
and the International Council of Infertility<br />
Information Dissemination. Our website also<br />
features a list of European Clinics which may be<br />
useful during your search<br />
In general, the majority of women over 40 opt for<br />
donor egg treatment which provides higher success<br />
rates than traditional IVF treatment. Donor<br />
eggs are typically provided by women under the<br />
age of 35, where there are fewer chromosomal<br />
abnormalities and therefore higher success rates.<br />
STEP 2<br />
Choosing the right clinic for you<br />
If this is the treatment you have chosen, look<br />
for clinics that perform a high number of donor<br />
egg cycles per year. This is a good indicator that<br />
they have experience treating older women. A<br />
clinic that performs a lot of donor egg cycles is<br />
also likely to have a big donor database which<br />
is an advantage when looking for a good match.<br />
A clinic should always spend time discussing<br />
matching with you – the sophistication of<br />
matching is often down to the size and resources<br />
of the clinic in question, so if it’s particularly<br />
important to you, it may be worth spending<br />
a little more on larger clinics that have a<br />
dedicated matching team.<br />
When choosing a clinic, always ask for their<br />
success rate statistics. Most clinics have to<br />
submit this information to their country’s<br />
regulatory body, so it should be readily<br />
available. Be wary of clinics that publish high<br />
pregnancy rates for women over 40. For IVF<br />
treatment, the pregnancy outcomes are poorer<br />
for this age group. High pregnancy rates<br />
may also be an indication that the clinic is<br />
transferring 3 or more embryos at a time, which<br />
can result in a multiple pregnancy. This can<br />
cause serious problems for mother and baby and<br />
should be avoided. Understanding statistics is<br />
about reading between the lines and always seek<br />
advice from a professional if you’re unsure.<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
STEP 3<br />
Look after those embryos<br />
If possible, look for clinics that offer embryo<br />
monitoring and preimplantation genetic<br />
screening, or PGS. Embryo monitoring allows<br />
the embryologist to closely monitor a patient’s<br />
embryo as they develop in the incubator.<br />
This is important because it can tell them<br />
which embryos are not dividing properly and<br />
achieving their developmental milestones. For<br />
women over 40, embryos are more likely to have<br />
genetic abnormalities than a younger woman<br />
and so monitoring helps the embryologist<br />
select the best ones for transfer. PGS is a process<br />
whereby the developing embryo is checked<br />
for genetic abnormalities such as Down’s<br />
Syndrome – embryos from women over 40 are<br />
at a higher risk of these generic abnormalities.<br />
It is important to note that this process is only<br />
really necessary for IVF treatment using own<br />
eggs – eggs from donors are younger and so do<br />
not usually require screening.<br />
STEP 4<br />
Manage your risk<br />
It’s important to consider the financial and<br />
personal risks of IVF treatment. With this in<br />
mind, it’s worth having a look for clinics that<br />
offer a ‘shared risk programme’ to mitigate<br />
possible failures. For example, some may allow<br />
you to pay for two cycles, and if they don’t work,<br />
offer the third round for free. At the very least<br />
this could save you some money.<br />
Having surplus embryos which can be frozen<br />
is a bonus – but check to see if freezing them<br />
is included in your treatment price otherwise<br />
you will have to be prepared to cover this cost.<br />
Having frozen embryos means that you can go<br />
back if you want a sibling for your child, or if you<br />
were unsuccessful first time, you could go back<br />
just for a frozen embryo transfer which removes<br />
the reliance on synchronising with a donor.<br />
54 | fertilityroad.com<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
STEP 5<br />
Stay fit and healthy<br />
It is important to be fit and healthy before<br />
your trip – make sure you stick to a healthy,<br />
balanced diet, take regular exercise and find<br />
the time to relax to keep your stress levels at<br />
a minimum. The healthier you are, the higher<br />
your chances of success – also make sure you<br />
have a mammograms done and get your blood<br />
pressure checked before you embark for your<br />
treatment. Some clinics may insist on seeing<br />
recent mammograms or indeed may do them at<br />
the clinic if they have the facilities. Similarly,<br />
good aftercare is paramount. Women over 35<br />
are at a higher risk of developing diabetes and<br />
high blood pressure during pregnancy and so<br />
it is important that you are monitored closely<br />
throughout your pregnancy.<br />
Closing comment…<br />
It’s important to point out that there are<br />
many women of 40 or over that go on to have<br />
successful pregnancies without any problems<br />
at all – understanding the risks are important,<br />
but don’t let scaremongering put you off from<br />
achieving your dream. If you plan well, stay<br />
healthy and make sensible choices you have<br />
every chance of going on to have a happy<br />
and successful pregnancy. Good luck on your<br />
fertility journey!<br />
Dr Caroline Phillips PhD was senior<br />
embryologist at the Chelsea and<br />
Westminster Hospital in the 90’s. She now<br />
runs an online hub -<strong>Fertility</strong> Clinics Abroadwhich<br />
offers resources and information to<br />
people seeking IVF abroad.<br />
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21<br />
FERTILITY 360<br />
Miles<br />
Swimming in<br />
Search of the<br />
Meaning of<br />
Motherhood<br />
I sometimes feel ashamed of admitting that I went<br />
through eleven rounds of IVF. Yes, ELEVEN. By<br />
any account, it's the extreme end of the fertility<br />
treatment spectrum. It remains a lasting symbol<br />
of the depths of desperation and despair that<br />
my pursuit of motherhood took me to which<br />
I wrote about in my first book The Pursuit of<br />
Motherhood that in turn led to me becoming a<br />
columnist for <strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong> magazine, founding<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> Fest fertilityfest.com and campaigning<br />
to improve things for people who struggle<br />
to conceive. It's also led to my new book – 21<br />
Miles: Swimming in search of the meaning of<br />
motherhood out in <strong>May</strong>.<br />
I was 34 when my partner and I started trying to<br />
conceive. I thought it was the perfect age. Like<br />
many women, I’d spent my twenties trying not to<br />
get pregnant. I’d gone to university, climbed the<br />
career ladder, taken my time to find the perfect<br />
man. Shortly after my 34th birthday we threw<br />
away the contraception and started having sex<br />
for the purpose nature intended – to make a baby.<br />
That’s when I discovered that getting pregnant<br />
isn’t necessarily that easy, especially in your mid<br />
thirties. After a year of unprotected sex, ovulation<br />
kits, and knicker-watch we made an appointment<br />
with a fertility clinic. We were diagnosed with<br />
‘Unexplained Infertility’ - the frustrating answer<br />
given to roughly a third of people who struggle to<br />
conceive. It’s a terrible diagnosis because it isn’t<br />
really a diagnosis at all.<br />
What followed was a decade long journey that<br />
involved round after round of IVF, multiple<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
Training<br />
misarriages ad a etoi regay tat<br />
almost too my life e seemed to e ale to<br />
mae erfet emryos ses of life i te<br />
laoratory wi we tey got ut a iside<br />
me dissoled ad disaeared ery dotor we<br />
saw was oied tat if we et o tryig it<br />
would eetually wor o we did<br />
ts ard elaiig te ai of sometig<br />
youe eer ad ometig tat was ust a<br />
eetatio a dream at most a luster of ells<br />
wast dyig e world wast o te erge<br />
of a umaitaria disaster eause ouldt<br />
ae ildre all it te ai of eer ts<br />
symtoms ilude eer feelig lie a real<br />
woma eause you at do wat eery oter<br />
woma seemigly fids so easy to do eer<br />
eig ale to feel ay for someoe we tey<br />
aoue teyre regat witout feelig sad<br />
for yourself at te same time ad eer seeig<br />
someoe elses otos of teir ildre o<br />
aeoo witout wisig you ad otos to<br />
ost too<br />
fertility is rutal t as a souldestroyig<br />
effet o your relatiosi wit family frieds<br />
olleagues as well as your arter t deimates<br />
Taking off<br />
your self esteem ad gris you i a fear for<br />
your future e tig tat droe me troug so<br />
may yles was uite simly te terror tat if <br />
ouldt eome a moter wat would my life<br />
loo lie as it a life ee wated<br />
d lie may wo go troug tis for years <br />
suffered i silee uli was a suessful<br />
areer woma i riate was o a deserate<br />
missio to eome a moter tat eded u ostig<br />
oer d alogside did eery add<br />
o treatmet you a imagie auuture<br />
dietary sulemets teray seeral tyes ee<br />
ad a stragers wite lood ells ieted ito my<br />
arm ot as ut o amout of moey ould<br />
uy me a ay<br />
ur eleet roud of was ust efore my<br />
rd irtday ree to uality emryos were<br />
retured to my wom ll te<br />
sigs looed good ut te tey<br />
always did or te eleet time<br />
dreamed aout my due date<br />
aout writig a out of offie<br />
sayig was away o materity<br />
leae aout mummy meetus ad<br />
feedig te dus<br />
ut all it resulted i was aoter<br />
egatie regay test ad wit<br />
it te ed of oe t te same time<br />
my relatiosi started to imlode<br />
oter little aowledged fat is<br />
te imat as o a marriage t<br />
destroys your se life ad you start<br />
to uestio weter loe a eer e<br />
eoug witout a ild<br />
at was te momet deided it<br />
was time to do sometig differet <br />
tougt a o my ildood dreams<br />
Picture with Prue. One<br />
of the 21 women I met<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
The tough swim<br />
f ouldt e a moter maye ould ea<br />
ael wimmer e oly rolem eig<br />
tat it wast sometig d tougt aout for<br />
oer tirty years ated eerise ad te old<br />
wast ee a ery good swimmer ut after<br />
years of roet ay taig o a allege lie<br />
te ael to raise moey for families witout<br />
ildre ad ildre witout families gae me<br />
sometig else to ti aout<br />
s my uisig traiig sedule ommeed<br />
soo leared tat you eed to ut o weigt<br />
to stae off te old is te led to a ew idea<br />
at if were to write to a olletio of isirig<br />
wome ad as tem to meet ad eat wit me<br />
ad aswer te uestio does moterood mae<br />
you ay tougt it migt el me deide<br />
wat to do et<br />
o did ad te resose was oerwelmig<br />
rom aroesses to rofessors awardwiers<br />
to reordreaers ouseold ames to eole<br />
wo ae doe sometig uietly amaig <br />
wome from differet wals of life all of wom<br />
ad omellig truts to tell aout female<br />
fulfillmet ad te meaig of moterood <br />
leart aout te differet routes to aretood<br />
eyod te iologial adotio fosterig egg<br />
doatio ad surrogay ad also tat tere are<br />
some wome wo moter i te world witout<br />
eer eomig arets met wome wo ad<br />
ot ad ildre some y oie some y<br />
irumstae ad ee a woma reared to<br />
admit tat moterood ad ee a regret e<br />
adour of all te wome met was reattaig<br />
ad it eame te most lifeaffirmig uest <br />
wit a lot of ae<br />
t am o te etemer set out<br />
from oer i te dar taig te words ad<br />
wisdom tat ea of te wome d met ad<br />
gie me to te sea or te first few ours <br />
was ery si retig ito te water wit te<br />
guttural soud of a aimal dyig i ai ts<br />
ot a uommo ourree at te start of<br />
a ael swim geerally osidered to e<br />
rougt o y eres e siess stoed<br />
aroud aout te time te ellyfis ega ey<br />
are oe of te aards of ael swimmig<br />
ad was to fae more of tem ta teyd eer<br />
see stigig me all oer my fae ad ody t<br />
was lie swimmig troug ellyfis sou ut<br />
ee worse was to ome esite all te traiig<br />
was still a slow swimmer ad if te tide turs<br />
we youre gettig lose to rae te it a<br />
tae may ours to lad<br />
f ad ow tat swimmig te glis<br />
ael was ust lie goig troug maye<br />
d eer ae doe it ltimately you ae to<br />
aet tat ature is i otrol of your ody ad<br />
its also i otrol of te sea ature is igger<br />
ta all of us its defiitely igger ta me ut<br />
also ad o idea tat swimmig from glad<br />
to rae would eome lie my ow ersio of<br />
giig irt ours miutes ad seods<br />
of laour followed y te most etraordiary<br />
euoria tat elised all te ai d doe<br />
sometig differet ad life would eer e te<br />
same agai<br />
essia eur is te autor<br />
of e ursuit of oterood<br />
ulised ad iles<br />
wimmig i sear of te<br />
meaig of moterood out<br />
rd ay from oud<br />
e is also fouder<br />
ad diretor of ertility est<br />
fertilityfest.co<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
EXPERT: Craig Reisser<br />
BUDGETING YOUR<br />
SURROGACY JOURNEY<br />
8 FACTORS THAT CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON COSTS<br />
Craig Reisser, a parent via egg donation and surrogacy in the USA, shares some advice for<br />
intended parents who are looking for guidance on planning their surrogacy budget.<br />
An inevitable question from intended parents<br />
getting started with a surrogacy journey in the<br />
USA is, "How much is it going to cost?" And<br />
one of their biggest worries is often, "How do I<br />
minimise my risk if things don't go as planned?"<br />
Like many intended parents, in my own journey<br />
I spent hours with excel spreadsheets trying<br />
to get to the “Number”. This was made more<br />
difficult by there being so many surrogacy and<br />
egg donation agencies and IVF clinics, with each<br />
of them having their own programs and way of<br />
presenting the costs.<br />
Learning to unpick all the cost items became a<br />
necessity to understand what was included and<br />
what extras needed to be provided for. More<br />
importantly was the realisation that the total<br />
cost could not be known until it was all done.<br />
So it was also essential to understand the risk<br />
factors that could make our “Number” go up.<br />
Figuring out how to minimise those risks became<br />
a priority.<br />
I realised that there are eight major surrogacy<br />
budget “levers” that will shape your final “Number”<br />
- four choices that are within your control and<br />
four risks which you should try to manage.<br />
Budget Choices You Can Control<br />
1. Choice of Surrogacy Agency<br />
Your choice of surrogacy agency can directly<br />
determine cost items that comprise roughly 45-55%<br />
of your budget. These include the agency’s own fees<br />
and related costs; the likely amount of compensation<br />
and reimbursements your surrogate will receive; and<br />
the US legal fees associated with your journey.<br />
Agencies set the ranges of compensation levels<br />
for surrogates in their programs. These levels<br />
can differ from one agency to another based on<br />
various factors, which can include an agency’s<br />
philosophical approach to surrogate compensation<br />
or potentially in some cases screening standards.<br />
A major factor can also be from which US states<br />
an agency recruits its surrogates. Surrogates in<br />
some US states receive on average higher levels<br />
of compensation and reimbursements than<br />
in others. This can be due to both differences<br />
in the cost of living as well as demand from<br />
intended parents to work with a surrogate from<br />
a particular US state. For example, California is<br />
known for being one of the most expensive US<br />
states for surrogacy.<br />
In addition, an agency’s approach when it<br />
comes to US healthcare insurance and medical<br />
costs can have a big impact on your budget and<br />
how exposed you may be to this significant<br />
risk factor if there are medical complications.<br />
This involves both the medical costs associated<br />
with a surrogate’s pregnancy and delivery, and<br />
particularly for intended parents who do not<br />
have their own US healthcare insurance, newborn<br />
medical care.<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
2. Choice of IVF Clinic<br />
Your choice of your IVF clinic can determine<br />
roughly 30-35% of your overall budget. But it can<br />
also have a bigger influence on some of the cost<br />
risks than the choice of surrogacy agency. This is<br />
because three of the key risks are more directly<br />
related to the IVF process and your clinic’s<br />
success rates. Risk related to the medical costs of<br />
pregnancy, delivery and newborn care are not<br />
linked to your choice of IVF clinic, though high<br />
standards for medical approval of surrogates by<br />
a clinic may be a factor that helps contribute to a<br />
safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery.<br />
To be able to accurately budget the costs of your<br />
clinic it is important to know the all component<br />
elements of the IVF process and whether they<br />
are included in an inclusive pricing or will be<br />
charged separately.<br />
You will want to assess the probability that<br />
you will have to repeat any element of the IVF<br />
process, principally the egg retrieval and embryo<br />
creation and screening processes and/or an<br />
individual embryo transfer procedure. If you<br />
have to repeat any of these steps then whether<br />
these procedures are included in your clinic’s<br />
inclusive pricing or will be charged separately is a<br />
key to your budget.<br />
3. Choice of Egg Donor<br />
For those working with an egg donor who is not a<br />
friend or a family member, then this element can<br />
represent roughly 5-10% of your overall budget.<br />
When it comes to third-party egg donors in<br />
the USA, it is possible to find a donor either in<br />
a clinic’s own program, or in one of the many<br />
non-clinic egg donor agencies. The costs for<br />
these two options can be very different. In<br />
general the costs associated with donors who<br />
are part of a clinic’s program are lower than<br />
for non-clinic agency options. The level of any<br />
agency fees, the costs for medical and other<br />
screening and donor compensation will be key<br />
cost items.<br />
Whether or not your donor is “local” to your<br />
clinic (lives within daily driving distance) will<br />
have an impact on your budget. For a “local”<br />
donor, you will not need to budget for significant,<br />
if any, travel reimbursements while she is in<br />
treatment. If she is not “local” then you will need<br />
to budget for your donor’s travel to your clinic<br />
as well as her accommodation and meals during<br />
the period of her stimulation and egg retrieval,<br />
which can be some 10 days to 2 weeks. This can<br />
add thousands to your budget. Generally having<br />
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FERTILITY 360<br />
a “local” donor is a less costly option and can be<br />
easier to accomplish by working with a donor<br />
from your clinic’s own program.<br />
4. Choice and Location<br />
of Surrogate<br />
Factors such as the state your surrogate lives in,<br />
which surrogacy agency program she has come<br />
through and whether she is a first time or a repeat<br />
surrogate can have a big influence on the level of<br />
surrogate compensation and reimbursements in<br />
your budget.<br />
Whether or not your surrogate is “local” to<br />
your clinic also can have an impact on your<br />
budget. If she is “local” then similar to having<br />
a “local” donor, you will not need to budget<br />
much, if any, for travel reimbursement. If she is<br />
not “local” then she will need to travel to your<br />
clinic potentially once for an in-person medical<br />
approval and then for each embryo transfer. For<br />
these generally short trips you need to budget for<br />
travel, accommodation and meals.<br />
In addition, if your surrogate is “local” then<br />
it’s likely that all of her pre and post transfer<br />
monitoring (blood hormone tests and<br />
ultrasounds) will be done at your clinic. In<br />
this case the costs for this monitoring may be<br />
included in your clinic’s pricing. If your surrogate<br />
is not “local” then this monitoring will have to be<br />
done wherever she lives and this is typically an<br />
added cost that needs to be budgeted.<br />
Intended parents need to know that among the<br />
relatively small number of US IVF clinics that<br />
do the majority of surrogacy cycles, these are<br />
all located in major metropolitan areas with<br />
higher costs of living and most are in US states<br />
with generally higher compensation levels for<br />
surrogates. So counter-intuitively, having a “local”<br />
surrogate may not always be a less costly option.<br />
Budget Risks You Need<br />
to Manage<br />
5. Repeating the Egg Donation<br />
and Retrieval plus the Embryo<br />
Creation and Screening<br />
This part of the IVF process represents some<br />
75-80% of the IVF and egg donor costs for a single<br />
successful journey. If the egg retrieval does not<br />
result in a sufficient number of eggs or no normal<br />
embryos were obtained, then this is the most<br />
costly part of the IVF process to have to repeat.<br />
In addition to the medical costs there is also<br />
the donor compensation and potentially travel<br />
reimbursement, as well as possibly egg donor<br />
agency fees and screening costs that would need to<br />
be paid if you have to repeat this.<br />
Some clinics may offer guarantee programs<br />
in you need to repeat this part of the process<br />
These typically will cover the cost of the clinic’s<br />
fees for the egg retrieval procedure and embryo<br />
creation, as well as possibly the stimulation<br />
medications. They may not include the costs of<br />
embryo screening and are unlikely to cover any<br />
costs associated with the donor herself, such as<br />
her compensation or any travel costs, or any fees<br />
related to an egg donor agency.<br />
Choosing an egg donor who has been medically<br />
screened to high standards, as well as potentially<br />
one who has demonstrated high fertility through a<br />
prior donation can help mitigate this risk. This is<br />
particularly important for same sex male couples<br />
selecting a donor if they intend to pursue a split<br />
donation and each desire to be a genetic parent.<br />
6. Repeating Embryo Transfers<br />
An individual embryo transfer not resulting in<br />
a live birth is the most common risk in the IVF<br />
process. To budget for this risk you need to consider<br />
the costs of the transfer procedure itself and related<br />
medications; pre and post transfer monitoring; and<br />
any surrogate travel reimbursements.<br />
The cost of procedures performed at your clinic<br />
may be included in your clinic’s inclusive pricing<br />
or they may be additional. But any costs associated<br />
with having a surrogate who is not “local” are<br />
likely to be additional.<br />
The higher the per transfer live birth success rates<br />
of the clinic you choose to work this, the lower the<br />
chance that you will have to have a repeat transfer<br />
and bear additional costs.<br />
7. Changing Surrogates<br />
This is a less common risk but it does happen.<br />
The cost can depend on when in your journey<br />
it occurs - before getting started (for example<br />
if your surrogate does not pass medical<br />
approval) or after having had a transfer. It can<br />
also depend on why you need to change – for<br />
a medical reason or because your surrogate<br />
has had a change of circumstances. Costs can<br />
involve new medical screening, and travel<br />
reimbursement and potentially fees charged by<br />
your surrogacy agency.<br />
Some clinics may offer guarantees on their costs<br />
associated with changing surrogates and agencies<br />
will have different approaches to re-match fees,<br />
but these are unlikely to cover any costs associated<br />
with having a surrogate who is not “local”.<br />
Though not a guarantee, one way to help mitigate<br />
this risk is to work with an experienced surrogacy<br />
agency and clinic that each have high standards<br />
for surrogate screening and medical approval.<br />
8. Pregnancy, Delivery and<br />
Newborn Medical Complications<br />
This can be the biggest area of financial uncertainty<br />
and depends both on how the pregnancy develops<br />
and the availability of insurance to contain your<br />
financial exposure if things do not go as planned.<br />
Typically the pregnancy and delivery medical costs<br />
are covered under a surrogate’s health insurance. So<br />
in general you only need to budget for that share<br />
of the costs that are not covered by your surrogate’s<br />
insurance. However health insurance in the USA is<br />
not guaranteed so there can be changes to the terms<br />
or availability of a surrogate’s insurance during the<br />
course of your journey. So a residual risk remains.<br />
There are specific insurance options than can<br />
mitigate this risk.<br />
Newborn care costs are more difficult or costly to<br />
insure for those intended parents who do not have US<br />
health insurance. There are only a limited number of<br />
insurance options available to mitigate this risk.<br />
The most straightforward means of mitigating<br />
these risks is to only transfer a single embryo at<br />
a time. This can significantly reduce the risk of<br />
pregnancy-related complications and pre-term<br />
delivery, which are the cases when newborn<br />
medical care costs can overwhelm intended<br />
parents’ budgets and financial means.<br />
Success the First Time<br />
Overall, making the choices that fit your budget<br />
and give you the best chance of success on the<br />
first attempt for a safe and healthy pregnancy<br />
and delivery and a healthy baby is the best thing<br />
that you can do to keep the costs of your journey<br />
in-check.<br />
Craig is a regular contributor to <strong>Fertility</strong><br />
<strong>Road</strong> on third party reproduction.<br />
Look for his upcoming articles on<br />
egg donation and surrogacy in future<br />
issues of <strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong> or contact him at<br />
oregonreproductivemedicine.com<br />
For more information on budgeting your surrogacy<br />
journey, check-out Craig’s article ‘The A to Z of<br />
Surrogacy Costs’ in the September 2017 issue of<br />
<strong>Fertility</strong> <strong>Road</strong>.<br />
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MEN ONLY<br />
How pressures of work<br />
aet ale ietilit<br />
y arry ardier<br />
nfertility affects one in en and is a<br />
groing proble orldide. ere are tougt<br />
to be any different factors inoled in ale<br />
infertility ic is te cause of of<br />
issues conceiing.<br />
ees ae a role to lay ut so do all sorts of<br />
oter fators ay of tem reole aroud te<br />
ig u of our lies tat we sed<br />
at wor<br />
tress is a serious rolem i<br />
te moder worlae ad<br />
its a serious rolem for<br />
our odies tress damages<br />
serm ad testosteroe<br />
leels maig it arder<br />
to oeie roially<br />
of ourse aig troule<br />
oeiig a also ause<br />
stress so its imortat to get<br />
a adle o wat ould oterwise<br />
eome a iious yle<br />
Even a bad day at<br />
work can have a knock<br />
eet ad lts ad<br />
das a aet eall<br />
mood, relationships and<br />
health.<br />
e stress ormoes adrealie ad ortisol<br />
ut te ody ito ig alert ts a trowa<br />
to our reistori days we stress meat<br />
sometig was asig you ad you ad to<br />
ru ut owadays our eemies aret as easy<br />
to flee eig uder ressure at wor a e a<br />
eeryday rolem ad our odies dot ow<br />
ow to adle tat oo mu of tose stress<br />
ormoes ause all sorts of medial<br />
issues ludig lowerig<br />
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tress is isidious eause<br />
it affets all areas of our<br />
lies e a ad day at<br />
wor a ae a o o<br />
effet ad lots of ad days<br />
a affet your oerall mood<br />
relatiosis ad ealt tress a<br />
lead to deressio ad aiety sleeig<br />
disorders oereatig ad oter uealty aits<br />
lie ireased smoig or driig eadig to<br />
more stress ad oorer ealt ad te iious<br />
yle otiues<br />
ou migt leae te offie at fie olo<br />
ut aes are tat lie a ireasig<br />
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day is far from oer ay eole<br />
otiue to wor at ome o a omuter or usig<br />
teir oe to sed messages ad mae alls ut<br />
tis is imortat time for rest ad relaatio tat<br />
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orig days are gettig loger wit more<br />
teology ot sorter e ressure is o i<br />
diffiult eoomi irumstaes ad emloyees<br />
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dediatio ad ommitmet<br />
ut urig te adle at ot eds doest<br />
eessarily mae you more rodutie ad it<br />
ertaily doest el we you are tryig to<br />
eome a aret aig your rai still i wor<br />
mode all eeig ad weeed stos you from<br />
gettig ital relaatio e ressure to retur<br />
emails ee if set late at igt is eoug to get<br />
may of us glued to our oes ast our edtime<br />
e gloal eoomy<br />
disruts our atural<br />
atters to ts ot ust sift<br />
wor tat migt ae to do<br />
igts ow oferee alls wit<br />
iteratioal offies suliers ad<br />
liets resoses to emails from<br />
oter timeoes all lur te lie<br />
etwee igt ad day rest<br />
ad wor<br />
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MEN ONLY<br />
s a result of ressures from wor as well as<br />
ome most eole dot get eoug slee ad<br />
are atually sufferig from slee deriatio<br />
if ot slee disorders is doest ust mae<br />
us grumy it as all sorts of ealt effets too<br />
ealt effets tat a o o to your fertility<br />
lee is a ital time for your ody to rela ad<br />
eal as well as for your mid to roess your<br />
day la of slee a lead to stress deressio<br />
oesity diaetes ig lood ressure ad eart<br />
disease d it uts you at ireased ris of<br />
aidets driig wile slee deried is as<br />
dagerous as driig wile dru<br />
eole wo dot get eoug slee are ot oly less<br />
ealty ut tey are ofte too tired to arry out te<br />
futios eessary to reate a ay i te first lae<br />
t taes time to lead a ealty lifestyle ot aig<br />
tat time is a ig reaso eole dot go to te<br />
gym as ofte as tey would lie or do oter<br />
eerise ts wy te osumtio of roessed<br />
food is oomig wile ome ooig is fallig<br />
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MEN ONLY<br />
reommedatio ut log stressful ours at wor<br />
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