The Fertility Podcast

Back to The Fertility Podcast archive for this episode to celebrate the release of the Netflix movie 'Joy' - Natalie has shared a conversation she had Connie Orbach about how she started her research to curate the British Science Museum's exhibition about the story of IVF.

What was discussed:

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To celebrate the release on Netflix of the new film about IVF 'Joy' this is an old episode of The Fertility Podcast, which Natalie produced in celebration of Louise Brown's 40th Birthday and the fact that at that point in time, over 300,000 babies have been born through IVF treatment with more than 1 million cycles having taken place. TheHFEA asked Natalie to make a podcast with them, so Natalie is in conversation with its chair Sally Cheshire and one of its Inspectors, a lady called Janet Kirkland MacHattie, who worked as a nurse at Bourne Hall in 1982, under Patrick Steptoe, Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy.

In fact, it was during this conversation with Janet, that Natalie first learnt about Jean, and found herself feeling somewhat ashamed that she didn't know about her sooner!

What was discussed:

To compare clinics like for like, or rate your clinic visit the HFEA website

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

The Fertility Podcastis back with an all time favourite topic… stress!

In this episode Kate is with Alice Domar to talk all about stress and how it affects your fertility. Stress and Fertility is a topic that is often asked by a lot of patients, and it is one that leaves people little answer to whether stress causes infertility. 

There is no question that infertility causes stress, through all the waiting, the tests, the remembering so many different things and then sometimes, not ever finding an answer to your unexplained infertility. 

So in this episode, Kate and Alice talk about infertility about how most of the women and men going through it have psychological issues and lots of stress. They talk about how infertility effects everything in your life, your friends and family, mental and physical health, your body image and so much more.

Alice talks about infertility is a disease, however, unlike most other diseases, you are blamed for it. She goes onto talk about how it should be seen as a mental health issue or how it should be treated as the same but it is not.

They also talk about being on hold and feeling like you can’t do anything because you don’t know what is going to happen if you do.

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Inception Fertility - Inception (@inceptionfertility) • Instagram photos and videos

Website - https://dralicedomar.com/

LinkedIn ​​https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-domar-ab03736/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inceptionfertility/

Alice’s research - The relationship between stress and infertility: 

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON WOMEN PREGNANT FOLLOWING ART: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY - 

PREVIOUS EPISODE: Stress and Fertility by Kate Davies

Welcome to another episode of The Fertility Podcast! This week is a special week as it is National Fertility Awareness week. 

Joining Kate are two incredible women, Jane and Toni, who are here to talk all about fertility and their new book, What Every Woman Needs to Know About Fertility.

This episode, Jane and Toni talk about what it is that they do. Jane, being a Fertility nurse specialist, taught Kate everything she knows about fertility awareness. And Toni, who specializes in sexual and reproductive health information.

Together, they have written a book that is somewhat a guide for a woman all about fertility. From the essentials like understanding your cycles to the bits of information that you might not know like what does IVF mean and how does it work?

They talk about how they have spent their entire professional lives talking to women who don’t have any knowledge around fertility or their body, and then are saddled with fertility issues that they weren’t aware of. 

When they wrote the book, they had the intention to deliver clear and honest information about fertility to the world, giving women the opportunity to find out more about their bodies, how they can plan or avoid pregnancy. The book is a guide, like a dictionary for those who are curious as to what a certain term means. It is there to dip into when you need it.

Lastly, they talk about going through fertility, what you can do to prepare your body for pregnancy, what menopause is like and what different terms mean in the fertility world.

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Website for Fertility Network - https://www.fertilityuk.org/

Amazon link to book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Every-Woman-Needs-About-Fertility/dp/1399814591

FNUK - https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/national-fertility-awareness-week-2024

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work where we're sharing one of our original zoom conversations broadcast in 2022. An enlightening conversation with Mike Johnson-Ellis one half of Two Dads UKwith his partner Wes and the pair have founded My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) and the Modern Family Show. At Fertility Matters at Work we're delighted to be working in partnership with MSJ and you can find out more about what that looks like by having a listen.

What was discussed:

The lack of empathy that Mike expereinced when he talked to his work about his plans.

How they had no understanding of infertility or why he would want to attend appointments with his Surrogate

How Mike had no emotional support, nobody asked him what he needed or what he was going through

His colleagues were far to afraid of saying the wrong thing so they said nothing resulting in Mike not getting any support and feeling the pressure of doing his job as he was distracted by what he was going through. t

How everyone in his work environment couldn't believe he wanted a baby

The Toxic masculinity

Lack of awareness in organisations - 10 years on from when same sex marriages became legal. At that point in time businesses should have started thinking about what that would mean and what people would need and they didn't.

How a basic employment skill is knowing your business and your people and the importance of how we learn by our curiosity - asking people within an organisation what they need support with

Why surrogacy fills people with fear -it's not just for same-sex couples it is for women who can't carry

Explaination of Intended Parents (IP's)

How organisations who proudly say they support LBGT communications - need to ask themselves has the conversation has gone deep enough to find out what they really need

Lack of people talking about policies so we need there to be more conversations

Use staff networks, ideas captures, and forums involving different groups. to raise awareness of this and get the conversation started, you can do it anonymously

The issue with the use of word adoption being used when people are going through surrogacy, you aren't adopting it you are having a biological child

Policies are very heteronormative

Why surrogacy fills people with fear -it's not just for same-sex couples it is for women who can't carry

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Book a call to speak with us here 

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to part three of this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. If you’ve not listened to Parts 1 & 2 yet, that's fine although we do suggest you give them a listen to give you a better context of the conversation. 

In this final section, we are starting to address some of the areas of intersectionality as Fertility is not one-dimensional but intersects with many of the other challenges that workplaces face when it comes to the Diversity and Inclusion agenda. One of the important nuances to consider is in relation to the impact cultural aspects have on people who are facing fertility challenges and in this final part of our conversation we spoke with  Dr Christine Ekechi, Co-Chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Race Equality Taskforce and Noni Martins, a fertility patient and founder of Unfertility, supporting black women to break the silence, stigma & shame around unconventional fertility journeys.  

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to Part Two of this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. 

We know that this affects 1 in 6 couples, 1 in 7 individuals and that the World Health Org defines infertility as a “disease of the reproductive system”. As you will hear, fertility treatment is also needed for social reasons, and as such is a necessary medical treatment to enable people to have a child, not a simple lifestyle choice as it is sometimes portrayed. Sometimes this is the only way for people to have a chance of a child, it’s also important to be aware that it isn’t a guarantee.

Here we discuss what employers need to know about being inclusive of other less commonly known paths to parenthood, such as solo parenthood, donor conception, adoption and then moving on to Surrogacy. The assumption when we think about fertility treatment is IVF – and normally with two people involved.  

You will hear conversations with Mel Johnson, HR Professional and Founder of The Stork and the UK’s first and only Solo Parenthood Coach and  Nicole Narracott, Adoptive Parent and Senior Business Change Manager. We also discuss how organisations can usualise, be inclusive of and supportive of LGBTQ+ family building with discussions with Wes Johnson Ellis, Co-founder of TwoDads UK, My Surrogacy Journey and the Modern Family Show and Laura-Rose Thorogood, founder of LGBT Mummies  

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. 

By inclusion we want you to start thinking about how you can ensure that any support you put in place for fertility is inclusive in both language and action. It’s about understanding your people and communities and how to create sustainable positive change that will represent and benefit those communities going forwards.  

In the first part of this conversation we’ll hear from  Emma Persand, Director of Lemur Health, qualified nurse and workplace health and wellbeing professional and Lina Chan, CEO and founder of Parla, a digital health company supporting people on their reproductive life journeys from periods to fertility and menopause with expert-led programmes and workshops discussing Reproductive Health and Wellbeing regarding Cis women and anyone with a uterus as it is this group that are predominantly the ones who have physical treatment and need to be present at all appointments, they’re affected by medication side effects and quite often can be all-consumed by the process.

We also spoke with Tom Webb, Director of The Easy Bit documentary Shaun Greenaway founder of Knackered Knackers, Male Support platform to discuss the importance of including and empowering men within the fertility conversation, with a focus on the cis-male experience of pressures from societal narratives leading to toxic masculinity and stigma. 

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work in this episode we're talking about how a change can come about in support of fertility struggles, from employees driving the change. You'll hear two amazing examples. The first is Natalie Sutherland from Burgess Mee, who is the UK's first 'Fertility Officer' and has led the way for her firm to become the UK's first organisation to become 'fertility friendly' with our accreditation. Then you'll hear from Kelly-Anne Morris, an employee at Cadent Gas who we've just launched our services with.

What we discussed:   

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership 

Find out more about Natalie and Burgess Mee here

Listen to Infertility in the City here

Find out more about our services here

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say

Join us on Linked In

Find us on Twitter

Welcome to episode 3 of The F Word at Work from Fertility Matters at Work ( FMAW) which we are sharing with you one week after the three of us, Natalie, Becky and Claire went to Parliament to join our guest Nickie Aiken as she launched the Fertility Workplace Pledge. Nickie is the Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster and along with the pledge, is bringing forward a private members bill for people undergoing fertility treatment.

The episode was recorded in the summer following the first reading of Fertility Treatment (Employment rights ) bill and was a conversation between Nickie, Natalie ( FMAW) and Kate Davies who is our medical advisor at FMAW. Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

 What was discussed:

Write to your MP - here's how

Find out more about our services here

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say

Join us on Linked In

Find us on Twitter

Welcome to episode 2 of the F Word at Work podcast, where all three co-founders, Natalie, Becky and Claire are here once again to discuss male infertility and how traditional gender roles play a huge part in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health and what the workplace can do to address this issue. We'll be talking with our guest Shaun Greenaway, a male fertility advocate who was diagnosed with azoospermia due to having Mumps in his 20s. After having to go through invasive procedures whilst working for the Met Police, Shaun had to go down the donor conception route to have his family. His experience has had a profound effect on him and he is now a proud Dad of twins and the founder of Knackered Knackers where he is continuing to build an amazing support platform for men dealing with infertility.

Huge thanks to our series sponsors Apricity

 What was discussed: 

Find out more about Knackered Knackers

You can also find support via this Male only facebook group

Visit Calm or the Samaritans

Find out more about our services here

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say

Join us on Linked In

Find us on Twitter

Welcome to something a little different on The Fertility Podcast feed... introducing The F Word at Work, which is where I ( Natalie ) have been hanging out in my role as co-founder of Fertility Matters at Work

The aim of The F Word at Work has been to create a very niche voice around the issue of fertility in the workplace, to educate HR / Managers / Mental Health First Aiders and all colleagues to be honest about what its like trying to cope with family building challenges whilst doing your job.

Our research shows that only 1.7% of companies have policies and 36% of us have considered leaving our jobs due to a lack of support and whilst we're working hard to change this at Fertility Matters at Work, we still have a lot to do.

The aim of the podcast is to be another place to talk and I've been sharing best practice of the organisations we're working with, hearing from some of the inspiring employees who have driven the conversation forward in their place of work and also talking to thought leaders within the workplace wellbeing space about how they feel the issue of infertility is represented in the workplace and what more needs to be done.

The reason I'm sharing this content on The Fertility Podcast feed is to help you have these conversations at work and I hope that within the episodes you get some ideas.. this may be around how to talk to your manager or it may be about engaging colleagues to form a support group. Whatever it is, its hopefully a nudge to do something.. even if that's just forwarding on an episode to a manager or colleague.

We'd love you to also support The F Word, as our next series returns in September so do hit subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts.

You can also follow us onInstagram and Linked In

Helloagain! This episode Kate is joined by the founders of the Swimmers Charity, Tara and Henry. 

In this episode, Kate talks with the couple about how this charity is the first and only charity for male factor infertility. Started as a result of their own fertility journey, this charity aims to provide support for those going through infertility and to restore sperm health. 

Before Kate and the couple dove into what the charity does and aims to do, Tara and Henry shared their own fertility story that led them to creating the charity. 

Back before Tara and Henry were to be married, they decided to check that everything was okay for them to hopefully have children in the future. Through doing all the tests, Tara found that she was perfectly healthy and that there was nothing that flagged concern. Unfortunately, Henry’s results didn’t have the same outcome. 

Henry’s results told him that he had low sperm, and that it was decreasing. However there was never an actual reason or explanation as to why this was the case. 

The couple decided to go through the IVF process but sadly, they had to abandon the cycle. Tara and Henry tried again, this time with 3 embryos, however, these embryos failed the transfer.

Through all of this, the couple were still trying to achieve their dream of one day having a family. So, after many talks with doctors they were pointed towards DNA fragmentation testing. This unfortunately, came back inconclusive, which Henry explained was incredibly frustrating. 

After this, they found out that Henry’s sperm was decreasing in numbers, so Henry made the decision to freeze his sperm, something which he recommends anyone does. Then, Henry made some lifestyle changes, like stopping drinking caffeine, taking cold diets and more.

They then started another IVF cycle and this time it was successful and now they have a baby boy. 

They both explain how through this journey, they didn’t tell their family or friends about what it was that they were going through. Although they are wanting to try IVF again, the two of them have said that they would tell their family and friends.

Kate asks about the reasons for setting up the charity and what their goals, and both Tara and Henry shared that they want to help others achieve their dreams of having children of their own. Henry tells Kate about all the exciting things that the charity is going to be doing over the next couple of months such as grants to help those fund their own fertility journey and funding research into finding out why so many people have unexplained infertility.

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Follow Swimmers Charity (@swimmers_charity) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Read more about Request a babyloss certificate here

Hello,this is a little bit of a special episode as The Fertility Podcast is sharing The F Word at Work!

We’re thrilled to have you here, and if this is your first time tuning in, we encourage you to explore our previous episodes.

They feature thought-provoking discussions about why fertility and family-building topics should be a priority on workplace wellbeing agendas. This fourth series focuses specifically on how to support colleagues through various family-building challenges.

In this episode, we’re delighted to welcome Katy Schnitzler, an esteemed trainer and founder of Mist. Katy is an academic whose work revolves around pregnancy loss, miscarriage, and the experiences of those who are childless not by choice, particularly their impact in the workplace.

She is also a lead trainer at the Miscarriage Association, and we're excited to delve into this vital conversation together.

Here’s a glimpse into our conversation:

As we approach Baby Loss Awareness Week, we encourage organisations to consider how they can acknowledge this sensitive topic thoughtfully and inclusively.

Thank you for joining us for this important discussion. We hope you find these insights helpful in fostering a supportive workplace culture.

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out more about how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate team here. We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

StayConnected:

Follow The F Word at Work for access to our free resources:

Join the Conversation:

Don't miss out on the dialogue. Follow and engage with us to be part of the movement towards fertility-friendly workplaces.

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase when you use the discount code FP15.

This weekon The Fertility Podcast, Kate is joined by a patient of hers, Alice, to talk about PCOS and how to live with it. This episode is a refreshing topic as Kate and Alice chat about looking after you first and trying to conceive second.

Alice, who has been trying to conceive for a while with her husband, came to Kate looking for a way to be able to live with PCOS. Together, they adopted the term ‘Project Alice’ which they both share is all about making sure that Alice is happy and healthy first.

In this ep, Alice talks about how her PCOS diagnosis turned her life around and has impacted almost every aspect of her life. She talks about how it took a toll on her not only physically but also emotionally. Alice explains how she struggled with the symptoms, the results of the diagnosis and the fear of the unknown.

Alice shares what her life was like before receiving the diagnosis and how she put her life on hold whilst she and her husband were trying to conceive. She talks about how she would put off holidays because she envisioned that she would be pregnant by then or weddings where she had hoped to be expecting. Alice then talks about how she felt when those events came and went and she wasn’t pregnant.

Together they talk about reaching out for help and support, how easy it was for Alice to find Kate, as well as what Alice wanted to achieve out of Kate’s consultations. She explains that she felt as though her future was uncertain and unclear but after a consultation with Kate, she found her future more clear and Alice was able to ask the right questions at her appointments and other things.

Coming to the end of this episode, they talk about PCOS weight loss injections and Alice’s journey with taking them. Although there is limited information and research upon these injections, as they are still a fairly new treatment, they seem to be having a positive effect on Alice. Kate and Alice go into a little more detail about these injections and what they are like.

Alice’s advice is to talk to everyone, to be open with not just those going through a similar journey to you, but also friends and family too. She shares that it can be quite lonely and that being able to share the burden can lessen the burden.

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

Links to the article:

Carmina E, Longo RA. Semaglutide Treatment of Excessive Body Weight in Obese PCOS Patients Unresponsive to Lifestyle Programs. J Clin Med. 2023;12(18):5921. Published 2023 Sep 12. doi:10.3390/jcm12185921

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10531549

International PCOS guidelines - https://www.eshre.eu/Guidelines-and-Legal/Guidelines/Polycystic-Ovary-Syndrome

Vertity - https://www.verity-pcos.org.uk/

AskPCOS - https://www.askpcos.org/

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Hello, and welcome to the second episode of this series! This week is a very special week as it is World Childless Week, and what better way to start this week off than to listen to Kate talk to Hazel who is an award-winning highly regarded facilitator, advisor and executive coach to high profile private and public sector organizations.

Hazel joins Kate this week to talk about childlessness and her own fertility journey. She talks about how her experiences led her to making the decision to not have children. When Hazel was about to be married to her now husband, they decided that they would like to try to have children. And after many checks with doctors and gynecologists, they were told that if Hazel were to get pregnant, she would most likely be put into a vegetative state.

This was unfortunately due to a brain surgery that she underwent years ago. Hazel describes how she felt after being told the news, expressing her sadness and numbness after the appointment. 

Hazel then goes on to talk about how she and her husband found a way to live without children, how they have almost come up with their own terms for things, like a language that only they know. Hazel shares some of the terms they use like ‘Pram Count’ when deciding on a cafe.

She also talks about some of the things they have discovered while being childless, like creating little crafts or being a cat mum to her two cats. Hazel opens a new perspective on childlessness, and offers a way of living without children.

Kate and Hazel talk about how Hazel copes with social situations that might resurface feelings of sadness about childlessness. Hazel describes it as lifetime grief, she shares that it comes around again when in situations where someone might ask about grandchildren, she talks about she and her husband deal with those types of questions.

Lastly, Kate and Hazel talk about having to rewrite your own story, finding a new path without children and coming to terms with reality. Hazel reveals that her childlessness life is actually quite fun and she basks in the time she spends with her husband and her fur-babies.

Check out these episodes about childlessness:

OUR SPONSOR:

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored byProceivewho are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

This episode is also sponsored by Ovom Care, who have partnered with GlycanAge, a testing company. Ovom Care are looking for participants to help with their research around knowing what your actual biological age is. So if you are interested in finding out more, email research@ovomcare.com or check out their website www.ovomcare.com

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Find Hazel on her website - justhazel.co.uk

Listen to Hazel's podcast  - https://justhazel.co.uk/podcasts/

Linkedin  - (41) Hazel Showell | LinkedIn

Welcome back to what is the very beginning of a new series, with new voices that bring new and different fertility information for your ears.

This episode is a special one, as Kate is joined by a very familiar voice, Natalie, the founder of the podcast and now Exec-producer. You might not know this but this year is The Fertility Podcast’s 10 year anniversary! In this episode, Natalie and Kate reflect on the last 10 years with laughter and a few tears…….

The two catch up with what they have been doing over the summer and Natalie gives an insight into the work that she is now doing with Fertility Matters at Work and The F Word Podcast. As well as this, Natalie talks about receiving the award for Best Fertility Podcast in Amsterdam. She explains that it was a surreal moment for her and the pod, which is now celebrating 10 years. 

Together they chat about the last decade and how much change the fertility world has seen, with things like the IVF add-ons and new treatments for those struggling with infertility. Natalie and Kate chat about the development of new drugs that are being tested to better fertility treatment.

The Fertility Podcast has helped so many people throughout the years, bringing patient stories and advice from experts to your ears. It has been a journey, from Natalie starting a decade ago in her booth, to Kate taking the reins solo 18 months or so ago. 

This podcast has been a way for voices to be heard and listened to, a way of letting you know that you aren’t alone and there is support out there for you. It has also helped you to advocate for yourself and both Kate and Nat feel honoured to have helped in just a small way.

Unfortunately, this episode also has an announcement that comes with a heavy heart. The Fertility Podcast will be taking a long hiatus at the end of this series. Kate is hanging up her headphones and turning off her mic and is on to pastures new. 

However, this is not the definite end of the podcast, Kate and Nat may well be popping on now and again and……..if you perhaps are thinking about starting podcasting or would like to give it a go, please do get in touch with Nat. Maybe you could be the next guest presenter of the podcast………

We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored by Proceive who are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.

Welcome to the final episode in this series of The F Word at Work, where we discuss mental health at work, and its prevalence regarding the topic of fertility in the workplace. We're delighted to be in conversation with Simon Blake, CEO of MHFA England® and a leading voice in mental health advocacy.

With a passion for driving social change, Simon champions diversity and community support. As Chair of the Dying Matters Campaign, he continues his commitment to promoting holistic wellbeing.

Here's a glimpse into our conversation:

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about  how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate teamhere.  We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

Stay Connected:

Follow The F Word at Work for access to our free resources:

Join the Conversation:

Don't miss out on the dialogue. Follow and engage with us to be part of the movement towards fertility-friendly workplaces.

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work, where we delve into the vital conversations surrounding fertility in the workplace. Today, we're honored to host Gemma Young, Senior Managing Director at Nuveen, a driving force in shaping marketing strategies across EMEA and Asia Pacific.

Gemma Young, is an esteemed marketing leader, takes center stage, steering Nuveen's marketing endeavors while chairing the business resource group "achieve," dedicated to females and female allies.

What we discussed:

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about  how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate teamhere.  We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

Stay Connected:

Follow The F Word at Work for access to our free resources:

Join the Conversation:

Don't miss out on the dialogue. Follow and engage

In this episode, we are joined by Wayne Clark - the visionary force behind the Global Growth Institute (GGI), headquartered in the UK and Netherlands. Natalie reached out to Wayne, after hearing him speak about his book 'How to become a World Class manager' on another podcast and knew he would be the perfect person to discuss how organisations can really tap into the manager mindset when it comes to getting them to appreciate the importance of the fertility conversation at work. Wayne has an amazing track record and has been recognised for 4 years by HR Magazine as one of the top 25 “Most Influential Thinkersworking and to date he has worked with more than 700 CEOs/boards and thousands of managers in over 30 countries.

What we discussed:

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about  how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate teamhere.  We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

Follow FMAW and access our free resources: 

In this episode, we are joined by Sabine Hutchison, the dynamic CEO and Co-Founder of Seuss+ and Vice President of the HBA EMEA region. Sabine renowned for her trailblazing spirit in entrepreneurship. With a knack for innovation, Sabine has spearheaded multiple ventures across diverse sectors, showcasing her prowess as a serial entrepreneur and Natalie met her in Basel, after Becky and her had presented our Fertility Matters at Work and here's why, flagship session as part of the inagural HBA Gender Summit. The chat begins with Claire and Natalie from FMAW discussing the importance of cross-industry awareness raising activity, which we facilitate.

What we discussed:

Thank you toApricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about  how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate teamhere.  We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

Follow FMAW and access our free resources: 

In this episode, we are joined by Madeleine Macy, formerly the Marketing Director at Liberty and currently the Chief Executive Officer at SkyDiamond, and Brendan Boucher, Group Treasurer at The Compass Group. Please note the sensitive content within this episode as there is talk of pregnancy loss and failed IVF and you will hear about Madeline and Brendan's alternative routes to parenthood through Surrogacy.

What we discussed:

Madeleine describes her fertility journey, spanning almost a decade and involving various treatments, including alternative medicine, medication, artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The difficulties of managing fertility treatments while working, especially in a demanding career. Madeline discusses experiencing multiple miscarriages, including one during her early days at a new job. She shares that she initially chose not to disclose her pregnancy losses at work, fearing it might affect how she was perceived professionally.

The toll fertility struggles took on her mental health, leading to periods of depression and personal challenges and how Madeleine eventually opened up about her experiences at work, receiving support from her boss and HR director.

The importance of creating a supportive work environment for those facing fertility challenges and the impact of colleagues' pregnancies on people's emotional well-being, highlighting the difficulty of seeing others go through pregnancy while dealing with loss

IVF during the pandemic and the advantages of remote work for those undergoing fertility treatments.

Exploring surrogacy as the next step in their journey after facing challenges with IVF.

The grief associated with another miscarriage during the surrogacy process and the emotional toll it takes and the importance of taking time off when needed and the need for workplaces to recognize miscarriage as a form of bereavement.

The male experience of fertility journey, including experiences of loss, challenges, and different stages of treatment.

The impact of changing jobs whilst still going through different stages of treatment including egg donation and IVF cycles, and challenges faced during the process.

How a a chance encounter with a couple on a boat in Thailand led to finding a surrogate.

Emotional impact, resilience, and the importance of support during the fertility journey.

The challenges of balancing fertility treatments with work responsibilities and the need for awareness, education, and support networks within organizations.

Conscious quitting and the changing expectations of employees regarding ethical and supportive workplaces and why organisations need to be inclusive.

Consideration of individual circumstances in workplace policies and the possibility of offering paid leave per fertility cycle.

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about  how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate teamhere. We'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

Follow FMAW and access our free resources: 

Welcome to Series 3 of The F Word at Work where we'd love your support and feedback so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to.

In this episode, we are joined by Caroline Noublanche, the CEO and co-founder of the world’s first virtual fertility set-up called Apricity discussing the evolving landscape of fertility benefits, their importance, implementation challenges, and innovative solutions to support employees through their fertility journey.

What we discussed:

Thank you to Apricity who are sponsoring this series of The F Word at Work. To find out about more about how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate team here.

Follow FMAW and access our free resources: 

Welcome to Series 3 of The F Word at Work where we'd love your support and feedback so so please do hit follow and if possible leave a review in the app you are listening to. As we get ready for another exciting year at Fertility Matters at Work, we wanted to kick off this podcast episode in conversation with our co-founders Natalie, Becky and Claire to talk about why becoming fertility friendly in 2024 really does matter. We also wanted to share some of the amazing achievements that happened in 2023 that we'll be continuing to build on this year.

What we discussed:

Thank you to our series sponsor Apricity:

Apricity is the world’s first virtual fertility clinic. They use at-home testing and scans, which means just two in-person meetings per treatment compared to around ten with the traditional model. It's fertility benefit gives end-to-end support and treatment from Apricity doctors and nurses, and transparent pricing with no hidden costs.

To find out about the unique Apricity Fertility Benefit and how they can support your employees with inclusive fertility care please get in touch with its expert corporate team here.

Follow FMAW and access our free resources:

The F Word at Work podcast welcomes you to series 3, where we continue to highlight the impact of people’s family building struggles at work and why as a business - whatever size you are - becoming fertility-friendly in 2024 should be on your priority list. You’ll hear from specific sectors on how they are addressing the issue with awareness-raising activity and training hear our updates on the work we’re doing to lobby parliament in the UK and learn more from our community about their experiences with alternative routes to parenthood such as surrogacy. You’ll also hear more insights as always from thought leaders in the workplace wellbeing space. We hope you find these conversations useful and they help you put the business case forward as to why fertility really does matter at work.

Thank you to Apricityfor sponsoring this podcast

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work. Before we begin, we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible on Apple and Spotify.

Meet a man on a mission! Holding the role of Managing Director at JAAQ at Work, founder of Includability, and co-founder of DiSRUPT, Paul Smith has dedicated his professional life to instigating transformation and nurturing spaces where every voice is valued and acknowledged. His fervor lies in uniting people and constructing communities that aren't mere existences but catalysts for change. Paul firmly advocates for the potential inherent in diverse and inclusive environments, ones that embolden individuals and spark innovation. Join him in challenging the established norms and jointly creating a substantial influence!

What we discussed:

Thanks to our sponsor Apricity Fertility

Welcome to this episode of The F Word at Work, where we are celebrating Ferring Pharmaceuticals who are now fertility friendly accredited ™️ and we're joined by Mary Knight, Head of Global Ethics at Ferring to talk about the incredible work they have been doing globally to support Ferring's employees who are building their families. We're delighted to share that Ferring Pharmaceuticals are now a fertility friendly accredited ™️ employer ( updated Jan 1st 2024 )

What was discussed:

You can watch Natalie and Beckyas part of Ferring's Fertility Awks campaign

Thanks to our sponsor Apricity Fertility

Welcome to the latest episode of The F Word at Work coming to you for National Fertility Awareness Week 2023.

We're really excited to be able to share something that has been shaped by our hard work within the workplace wellbeing space over the last two years as we've really gained a lot of knowledge from the many conversations we've had with organisations looking to implement support and the range of policies we've now seen, so to mark the week we've launching a brilliant new downloadfor you to use to shape your workplace policy and our three co-founders Becky, Natalie and Claire have a chat about it. We also caught up with Fran Steyn, VP of Clinical at Peppy healthcareabout new research they are sharing for the week about the impact fertility issues have on people's working life.

What was discussed:

Thanks to our sponsor Apricity Fertility

Greetings and welcome to a brand new episode of The F Word at Work. Before we kick things off, we genuinely value your feedback, so kindly consider leaving us a review on the platform you're using to listen, whether it's Apple or Spotify.

 Now, in this episode, we have the pleasure of being joined by Emma Flaxman. Emma's career had been centered around marketing for many years. However, in 2019, she received a remarkable opportunity to become a mental health first-aid volunteer, which proved to be a life-changing decision, eventually leading her to her current role in a PhD position.

A deeply personal reason drove Flaxman to seize this chance as she had experienced the harrowing possibility of losing her sister to suicide ten years prior. The mental health training inspired her to establish MINDS, the first DE&I Group within Ph.D. As a result, she was soon entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing Wellbeing content for the entire parent group, Omnicom Media Group (OMG).

Within her Wellbeing role, Emma created a range of resources to educate employees on the impact of mental illness on work. She initiated projects like the Open Letters series, aiming to foster open conversations about mental health experiences among Ph.D. employees. She also made mental health training mandatory for all employees, previously an optional initiative, and passionately advocated for new benefits, such as providing free therapy to all employees. This move gained overwhelming support, with Ph.D. boasting the highest number of sign-ups for this program compared to any other agency within OMG.

What we discussed:

● Introduction to the podcast and the guest, Emma Flaxman.

● Emma's background and roles as a wellbeing partner at PhD, a UK media agency.

● Emma's blog, "Insanely Normal," and her mission to promote mental health awareness in the UK.

● Emma's recent journey to becoming a mental health advocate, starting with her training as a Mental Health First Aider in 2019.

● Emma's personal motivation, as her sister's struggles with mental health inspired her to help others.

● The increase in mental health-related calls after her training, and the insights she gained from the data collected during those calls.

● Discussion on workplace support for mental health and the role of workplace wellbeing.

● Comparison of experiences in promoting mental health in the workplace between the host's project, Fertility Matters at Work, and Emma's initiatives.

● The importance of data and evidence in making a business case for workplace wellbeing.

● The relationship between building a positive workplace culture and the mental health of employees.

● The importance of mental health support in the workplace and the impact of COVID-19 on mental health discussions.

● The role of managers in promoting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

● The need for proactive mental health support and the shift from reactive to proactive approaches.

● Challenges in discussing and disclosing mental health issues, particularly in relation to fertility issues.

● Strategies for smaller organizations to address mental health without extensive resources.

● The importance of role modeling and leadership in creating a psychologically safe environment.

● The significance of education and understanding different aspects of wellness, including physical, nutrition, and mental health.

● Emma's personal experience with burnout and the importance of setting boundaries and prioritizing self-care.

Thanks to our sponsor Apricity Fertility

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work, in coversation with Rachel Suff, a seasoned policy and research professional with 25+ years of experience in employment and HR, has been a Senior Policy Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development UK (CIPD) since 2014. Her role involves shaping public policy, with a focus on health, well-being, and employment relations. Rachel discussed the CIPD's Fertility Guidelineswhich Fertility Matters at Work consulted with them on and you'll also hear our co-founder Claire Ingle talk about that.

What we discussed:

You can book a call to speak with us here

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here.

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Find us on Twitter.

Finally, we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible on Apple and Spotify.

Welcome to the latest episode of The F Word at Work, where you'll be hearing some throughts from our members, as in July 2023, we held of first in person round table event to bring together our members to share what they had been doing to implement the support from us here at Fertility Matters at Work.

We had three presentations from some of our accredited members, Cadent Gas - who received their Fertility Friendly accreditation in March 2023, the first utilites company to do so, Burgess Mee Family Law, who were the very first of our members to gain their Fertility Friendly Accreditation and the first law firm to do so and Cornwall Council, the first local authority to receive a Fertility Friendly Accreditation so as you see there are companies making waves within their sector with this type of wellbeing activity.

What was discussed:

Have a read of the blog post we shared about the event here

You can book a call to speak with us here

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here.

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Find us on Twitter.

Finally, we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible on Apple and Spotify.

Welcome to the latest episode of The F Word at Work to mark World Childless Week 2023 and in this conversation you'll be hearing firstly from our expert speaker, Katy Schnitzler founder of MIST Workshopsabout the research she's been doing around the childless community and the conversations we've been facilitating together. Our first guest is anonymous as she is sharing an extremely personal account of how she wasn't able to have a child - which was part of a session Fertility Matters at Work hosted for Zurich Insurance, we then spoke with Dr Robin Hadley an experienced early-career researcher renowned for his expertise in the intersection of male childlessness and the aging process.

What we discussed:

You can book a call to speak with us here

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here.

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Find us on Twitter.

Finally, we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible on Apple and Spotify.

We're back with Series 2 of The F Word at Work from Fertility Matters (FMAW) at Work and we're launching into our new season discussing the changes to the Surrogacy reform bill in conversation Mike Johnson-Ellis.

If you have been following us and FMAW for a while, you know that Mike is our good friend and are working closely with My Surrogacy Journey supporting intended parents with workplace issues. If you don't know Mike he is a prominent advocate for surrogacy and fertility treatments and along with his partner Wes, is the founder of Two Dads UKwith his partner Wes and the pair have founded My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) and the Modern Family Show.

You can hear our previous conversation with Mike where he talks through his personal experience at work, and what it was like as a gay man in a toxic male environment where he was told that becoming a parent was 'committing career suicide'!!

Mike and Wes have immense passion in the work they do and we're proud to partner with them as they raising awareness about the significance of surrogacy for LGBT+ couples. Mike has been recognized as a pioneering figure within the LGBT+ community and honored with The Surrogacy Professional of the Year Award and is in high demand as a speaker for various LGBT-themed events, so we're delighted to have him on the pod again.

What we discussed:

Have a listen to our past conservation with Mike Ellis about Surrogacy here.

You can book a call to speak with us here.

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here.

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Find us on Twitter.

Finally, we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible on Apple and Spotify.

Well, we made it through our first series of The F Word at Work and we can't thank you enough for listening. We'd love to hear your throughts so if you're listening to this in Apple or Spotify, please do take the time to follow this podcast and also leave us a review. We'll be back in June with Series 2, talking about the new surrogacy reform bill, as well as sharing more wise words from our members about the work they're doing and thought leadership on Mental Health at Work, make sure you've subscribed. This episode is the perfect finale to our series, a conversation with one of our trainers Katy Schnitzler, founder of Mist about her research and training around pregnancy loss and childlessness.

**Trigger warning as we talk about pregnancy loss in this episode **

This is another taboo topic within the workplace, that needs to be better understood and supported and we know you will learn a lot from what she shares.

What was discussed:

We refer to an episode of The Fertility Podcast, which is an interview with Dr Jessica Farren about her research which you can listen to here podcast link 

We also talk about Jody Day and I've shared another episode from The Fertility Podcast here which is Jody talking about why we need to talk about childless women differently. Have a listen.

You can book a call to speak with us here. 

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here. 

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say. 

Join us on LinkedIn. 

Find us on Twitter. 

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work. This is our penultimate series and we'd love to hear more of your feedback, so please do leave a review in the app you are listening to - it's possible in Apple & Spotify. Now, as we head towards the end of the series, we're once again sharing an example of Best Practice from one of our members News UK and we're delighted to be joined by Hannah Spencer Head of Finance Transformation. Hannah joined our launch event which we helf for the organisation in July 2022 and has been doing incredible work within a working group to support HR in it's policy development and also to offer that essential peers support which you will hear her explain more about. Hannah also recently joined us to speak on a panel discussing fertility issues at work, with This Can Happen

*Trigger warning* we talk about pregnancy loss and trauma in this episode.

What we discussed: 

Have a listen to our conversation with This Can Happen founder Zoe Sinclairhere  

You can book a call to speak with us here. 

Find out more about our services and sign up for our newsletter here. 

Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say. 

Join us on LinkedIn. 

Find us on Twitter. 

Welcome to The F Word at Work - we share highligts of another epic week the night before we are attending the Northern Power Women awards ( fingers crossed by the time you hear this we've won!) We also mention the This Can Happenconference we're speaking at this week.

So we've got a few remaining episodes to share in this series, so we're going to be focusing on best practices from our clients. We're having more and more conversations with companies keen to offer training to their people leaders and ensure those going through fertility issues are better supported, which is so exciting for us as a start-up. Today we're delighted to share this conversation with Jo Riddell of Selfridges, Head of ER, Policy and Wellbeing.

Did you know that Selfridges is actually the first company that Fertility Matters at Work signed? Jo explains how she first heard about us and the amazing feedback Selfridges is getting as a result of the work they are doing.

We're delighted to share that Selfridges are now a fertility friendly accredited ™️ employer ( updated 12/3/2024 )

 What we discussed: 

 WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FERTILITY ISSUES FOR YOUR ORGANISATION? 

 We have a few remaining places for our workshop on March 28th here. 

 You can also book a call to speak with us here. 

Find out more about our services and sign up to our newsletter here. 

 Follow us on Insta and find out what our community has to say. 

 Join us on LinkedIn 

 Find us on Twitter 

This week it’s both International Women's Day and Endometriosis Awareness Week. To mark the two events, we're in conversation Sophie Richardson, aka theendospectrum who explains her journey to a diganosis of the condition, which took over 5 years from aged 16 to when she went to University. Sophie underwent surgery due to having severe symptoms putting her in bed for a week during her period. She is passionate about awareness raising and along with her blog she is speaking more frequently within the corporate setting to help more people understand this complicated condition which can take up to 7 years for a diganosis.

What we discussed:

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FERTILITY ISSUES FOR YOUR ORGANISATION?

We have a few remaining places for our workshop on March 28th here.

You can also book a call to speak with us here.

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demoon our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership

Find out more about our services here.

Follow us on our Insta and find out what our community has to say.

Join us on LinkedIn.

Find us on Twitter.

Welcome to the latest episode of The F Word at Work, where we’re once again sharing a conversation from our F Word at Work series we shared on zoom in 2022. Here we’re speaking to Noni Martins, Noni is Zimbabwean British and her husband is Nigerian British and the pair have been trying to conceive for five years. Three years ago, they discovered that they needed IVF and they thought the issue initially was a male factor however further investigation has shown its a female factor. Noni and her husband are still on their journey and Noni has been doing amazing work as a blogger and a podcaster and she has built an amazing support network for black women called Unfertility It aims destigmatize this conversation within the black community and help overcome some of the shame and all the other kinds of hurdles that people have in their way when it comes to accessing treatment.

What was discussed: 

SIGN UP to our workshop on March 28th here

Have a read of the impact blog we mentioned in this episode here

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Book a call to speak with us here 

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work where we join Helen Letchfield co-founder of P&P coachingwhich she set up in 2009 based on her personal experience of the startling transition of moving from being a professional with a senior role, to a sleep-deprived, brand-new, home-alone parent – and then back again into the world of organisational politics and career demands – all on reduced hours. In this thought-provoking conversation Helen shares her insights on what has changed in the workplace well-being space over the last 16 years and what she thinks are key trends for 2023.

What was discussed:

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Book a call to speak with us here 

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work where we're sharing one of our original zoom conversations broadcast in 2022. An enlightening conversation with Mike Johnson-Ellis one half of Two Dads UKwith his partner Wes and the pair have founded My Surrogacy Journey (MSJ) and the Modern Family Show. At Fertility Matters at Work we're delighted to be working in partnership with MSJ and you can find out more about what that looks like by having a listen.

What was discussed:

The lack of empathy that Mike expereinced when he talked to his work about his plans.

How they had no understanding of infertility or why he would want to attend appointments with his Surrogate

How Mike had no emotional support, nobody asked him what he needed or what he was going through

His colleagues were far to afraid of saying the wrong thing so they said nothing resulting in Mike not getting any support and feeling the pressure of doing his job as he was distracted by what he was going through. t

How everyone in his work environment couldn't believe he wanted a baby

The Toxic masculinity

Lack of awareness in organisations - 10 years on from when same sex marriages became legal. At that point in time businesses should have started thinking about what that would mean and what people would need and they didn't.

How a basic employment skill is knowing your business and your people and the importance of how we learn by our curiosity - asking people within an organisation what they need support with

Why surrogacy fills people with fear -it's not just for same-sex couples it is for women who can't carry

Explaination of Intended Parents (IP's)

How organisations who proudly say they support LBGT communications - need to ask themselves has the conversation has gone deep enough to find out what they really need

Lack of people talking about policies so we need there to be more conversations

Use staff networks, ideas captures, and forums involving different groups. to raise awareness of this and get the conversation started, you can do it anonymously

The issue with the use of word adoption being used when people are going through surrogacy, you aren't adopting it you are having a biological child

Policies are very heteronormative

Why surrogacy fills people with fear -it's not just for same-sex couples it is for women who can't carry

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Book a call to speak with us here 

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to the first episode of The F Word at Work for 2023, where all three co-founders Natalie, Becky and Claire have come together to reflect on what was an epic 2022, and to tell you bit about what is in store in 2023 and why becoming fertility friendly should be a key part of your wellbeing strategy with good reason. 

What was discussed

Are you ready to discuss your plans for 2023, even if you’re not quite ready to start, lets talk about how you can move forward in helping those going through it and uphill your managers, Mental Health first aiders, ensure your HR team fully understand and the right kind of language is being used in policies and guidance. 

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Book a call to speak with us here 

Watch our FMAW 30-minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to part three of this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. If you’ve not listened to Parts 1 & 2 yet, that's fine although we do suggest you give them a listen to give you a better context of the conversation. 

In this final section, we are starting to address some of the areas of intersectionality as Fertility is not one-dimensional but intersects with many of the other challenges that workplaces face when it comes to the Diversity and Inclusion agenda. One of the important nuances to consider is in relation to the impact cultural aspects have on people who are facing fertility challenges and in this final part of our conversation we spoke with  Dr Christine Ekechi, Co-Chair of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ Race Equality Taskforce and Noni Martins, a fertility patient and founder of Unfertility, supporting black women to break the silence, stigma & shame around unconventional fertility journeys.  

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to Part Two of this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. 

We know that this affects 1 in 6 couples, 1 in 7 individuals and that the World Health Org defines infertility as a “disease of the reproductive system”. As you will hear, fertility treatment is also needed for social reasons, and as such is a necessary medical treatment to enable people to have a child, not a simple lifestyle choice as it is sometimes portrayed. Sometimes this is the only way for people to have a chance of a child, it’s also important to be aware that it isn’t a guarantee.

Here we discuss what employers need to know about being inclusive of other less commonly known paths to parenthood, such as solo parenthood, donor conception, adoption and then moving on to Surrogacy. The assumption when we think about fertility treatment is IVF – and normally with two people involved.  

You will hear conversations with Mel Johnson, HR Professional and Founder of The Stork and the UK’s first and only Solo Parenthood Coach and  Nicole Narracott, Adoptive Parent and Senior Business Change Manager. We also discuss how organisations can usualise, be inclusive of and supportive of LGBTQ+ family building with discussions with Wes Johnson Ellis, Co-founder of TwoDads UK, My Surrogacy Journey and the Modern Family Show and Laura-Rose Thorogood, founder of LGBT Mummies  

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to this bumper podcast episode which is sharing our Diversity and Inclusion in Fertility Round Table conversation which was held on Zoom on 8th November 2022 with the aim to help you understand how many different people are impacted by fertility challenges in a number of different ways and also to give you a better understanding of the how these communities who are impacted. 

By inclusion we want you to start thinking about how you can ensure that any support you put in place for fertility is inclusive in both language and action. It’s about understanding your people and communities and how to create sustainable positive change that will represent and benefit those communities going forwards.  

In the first part of this conversation we’ll hear from  Emma Persand, Director of Lemur Health, qualified nurse and workplace health and wellbeing professional and Lina Chan, CEO and founder of Parla, a digital health company supporting people on their reproductive life journeys from periods to fertility and menopause with expert-led programmes and workshops discussing Reproductive Health and Wellbeing regarding Cis women and anyone with a uterus as it is this group that are predominantly the ones who have physical treatment and need to be present at all appointments, they’re affected by medication side effects and quite often can be all-consumed by the process.

We also spoke with Tom Webb, Director of The Easy Bit documentary Shaun Greenaway founder of Knackered Knackers, Male Support platform to discuss the importance of including and empowering men within the fertility conversation, with a focus on the cis-male experience of pressures from societal narratives leading to toxic masculinity and stigma. 

Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership  

Find out more about our services here 

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say  

Join us on Linked In 

Find us on Twitter 

Welcome to another episode of The F Word at Work in this episode we're talking about how a change can come about in support of fertility struggles, from employees driving the change. You'll hear two amazing examples. The first is Natalie Sutherland from Burgess Mee, who is the UK's first 'Fertility Officer' and has led the way for her firm to become the UK's first organisation to become 'fertility friendly' with our accreditation. Then you'll hear from Kelly-Anne Morris, an employee at Cadent Gas who we've just launched our services with.

What we discussed:   

Watch our FMAW 30 minute demo on our services to find out exactly how we'd support your organisation with our training and membership 

Find out more about Natalie and Burgess Mee here

Listen to Infertility in the City here

Find out more about our services here

Follow us on Instaand hear what our community has to say

Join us on Linked In

Find us on Twitter

Welcome to episode 2 of the F Word at Work podcast, where all three co-founders, Natalie, Becky and Claire are here once again to discuss male infertility and how traditional gender roles play a huge part in why men are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health and what the workplace can do to address this issue. We'll be talking with our guest Shaun Greenaway, a male fertility advocate who was diagnosed with azoospermia due to having Mumps in his 20s. After having to go through invasive procedures whilst working for the Met Police, Shaun had to go down the donor conception route to have his family. His experience has had a profound effect on him and he is now a proud Dad of twins and the founder of Knackered Knackers where he is continuing to build an amazing support platform for men dealing with infertility.

Huge thanks to our series sponsors Apricity

 What was discussed: 

Find out more about Knackered Knackers

You can also find support via this Male only facebook group

Visit Calm or the Samaritans

Find out more about our services here

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Welcome to the first episode of The F Word at Work, a conversation for busy HR, D&I and well-being leads with the aim to open your minds to the vast topic of fertility at work and why it really matters for employees and businesses too.

Today you'll hear from all three co-founders Natalie Silverman, (your host) Becky Kearns and Claire Ingle sharing their thoughts on this new podcast series and what it is setting our to achieve and you'll hear our first conversation with a thought leader within the workplace wellbeing space, Zoe Sinclair, founder of Employees Matter.

Huge thank you to our series sponsors Apricity

What was discussed:

Find out more about Zoe and Employees Matter here

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Welcome to episode 3 of The F Word at Work from Fertility Matters at Work ( FMAW) which we are sharing with you one week after the three of us, Natalie, Becky and Claire went to Parliament to join our guest Nickie Aiken as she launched the Fertility Workplace Pledge. Nickie is the Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster and along with the pledge, is bringing forward a private members bill for people undergoing fertility treatment.

The episode was recorded in the summer following the first reading of Fertility Treatment (Employment rights ) bill and was a conversation between Nickie, Natalie ( FMAW) and Kate Davies who is our medical advisor at FMAW. Thanks once again to our series sponsor Apricity.

 What was discussed:

Write to your MP - here's how

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Clean out your ears as you're in for a treat. Over the coming weeks, as we will the British Summer to impress us, we're going to be sharing with you right here on The Fertility Podcast feed, The F Word at Work episodes, which is the podcast created by Fertility Matters at Work and its what has kept Natalie busy for the last 18 months and why Kate has been at the helm of The Fertility Podcast.

Hopefully it will be useful for you if you've been trying to find the words to talk about what you are going through at work, as there's lots of examples of how support has been implemented and even if you share it with some colleagues so they get a better understanding of what you are going through, that will in itself make a difference.

Be sure to subscribe if you've not already, so you don't miss anything and you can also follow The F Word wherever you get your apps and also follow Fertility Matters at Work on instato stay up to date on all the amazing work it is doing to raise awareness of fertility issues in the workplace.

In what is the last episode of this series, Kate is joined by the podcast’s editor, Ella to ask some quick-fire fertility questions.

This episode packs a variety of information, from male factor infertility, ovulation induction medication, irregular periods and what this might mean for you to what to consider when choosing your fertility clinic. Ella asks a range of different questions about topics that may peak your interest.

Kate and Ella also talk about advocating for yourself and having the confidence to do so. They also discuss the education of fertility in schools, and Kate explains how she believes that students should be taught about other fertility issues and not just how to avoid getting pregnant, which can often be the subject of most sex-ed lessons. Things like the menstrual cycle and what may affect your fertility for both females and males.

So settle down, grab a notepad, and get ready for an adventure through fertility topics as Ella racks Kate’s brain for answers!

Thank you for listening to this series of the podcast, see you in September!

SPONSORS

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - One Day Tests and @budfertility. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10. Bud make super male and female fertility supplements which we absolutely LOVE. You can use the code FP20 for a 20% discount off your order.

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Brought to you by Fertility Matters at Work CIC this conversation hopes to offer you an insight into the many challenges people face when trying to manage the day to do of working life, whilst trying to start or complete their family.

With 1 in 6 couples and 1 in 7 people dealing with fertility issues, the impact of fertility challenges is vast and the people who might be struggling are diverse.

At Fertility Matters at Work we strive to guide the workplace into better supporting people going through this, by ensuring all managers, HR and well-being leads understand the complexity of this issue.

We want to make sure people feel confident having these sensitive conversations with those going through this and that the people affected feel safe enough to disclose what is happening to them. Equally, by raising awareness internally with our range of live discussions and training we aim to achieve a cultural shift where fertility issues are recognised. We help colleagues feel able to support one another and collectively make the workplace a great place to be.

Do you have a question you'd like us to answer in our next episode? If so email us at info@fertilitymattersatwork.com. Please put 'F Word at Work' in the subject header.

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Just a little trigger warning, this episode mentions miscarriage and pregnancy loss. If today is a day you’re not feeling too strong, perhaps leave this episode for another day. We have a HUGE back catalog to dive into, so there may be something else you fancy instead. 

This episode of The Fertility Podcast, Kate is joined by Louise to talk about her fertility journey and her experiences with unexplained infertility AND all about the anxiety (scanxiety) you feel when you find out you're pregnant and you’re waiting for a scan. 

Louise’s fertility journey started back in 2020 when she came off the pill to start trying to conceive. After several months of trying without success and with one chemical pregnancy, Louise went to the doctors and was eventually told that they had unexplained infertility. Louise and her husband were referred to the NHS for IVF, sadly experiencing a miscarriage during this time. Happily, Louise and her husband conceived using her last embryo.

Louise shares her experience of waiting until 8 weeks for her first scan and being convinced that, until she could see the baby on the scan, that she had had a missed miscarriage. Luckily for Louise and her husband, this experience of her scan was really positive and ended on a high. However Louise did find that her 12 week scan was a very different experience, which caused anxiety for Louise and her husband.

Louise and Kate talk about Sonographers and the delivery of bad news to patients during a pregnancy scan. They talk about how the Pregnancy Loss Review identified that Sonographers do not receive adequate training in the delivery of bad news. Many sonographers are caring and supportive, but some may not feel equipped with the training to deliver bad news and this needs to change.

SPONSORS

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by a friend of the podcast - @onedaytests. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. 

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You can find Louise on Instagram at Odd Ones Out (@oddonesout2023) • Instagram photos and videos

Pregnancy loss review - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pregnancy-loss-review

This week Kate is joined by Clinical Embryologist Victoria Wigley a.k.a @allaboutembryology, to take you on a whirlwind of an episode on, what is quite a confusing topic, Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A). 

PGT-A was first used for those who had a family history of a condition, such as cystic fibrosis. PGT-A takes a look at the chromosomes that are in the cells of the embryo. Since we all have a set amount, PGT-A makes sure that there are no aneuploidies, or in other words - an abnormal amount of chromosomes.

Victoria talks about why clinics started using PGT-A testing and she goes into detail on what’s involved with this testing and how it is done. 

Kate and Victoria discuss the HFEA grading system, which currently grades PGT-A testing as ‘red’, meaning that ‘there are potential safety concerns and/or, on balance, the findings from moderate/high quality evidence shows that PGT-A testing may reduce treatment effectiveness’. 

Victoria also discusses her concerns that patients are being offered PGT-A when they do not need it. Victoria tells Kate how she believes that all patients should know everything about what they are being offered, including the risks and hidden costs. She goes on to explain how many of her patients struggle to find the confidence to say ‘no’ to their clinics, when being offered treatment that they don’t necessarily think they need. 

Lastly, Victoria and Kate talk about the cost of PGT-A, what you need to consider and managing patients expectations.

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by a friend of the podcast - @onedaytests. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. 

SOCIALS

You can find Victoria on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at All about Embryology (@allaboutembryology) • Instagram photos and videos 

And you check out her website Home | All About Embryology | Independent Advice and Support | UK

You can also listen back to a previous episode of the podcast all about the darker side of fertility treatments here - Navigating Private IVF & The Darker Side Of Fertility "Treatments" (thefertilitypodcast.com)

This week’s episode of The Fertility Podcast, Kate is joined by the Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, Nelly Joy @nellyjoymusic to talk about her experience of pregnancy loss. The Fertility Podcast is honored to be sharing Nelly’s story, as this is the first time that she is openly talking about her experiences. Thank you Nelly. 

As a result of her experiences, Nelly has written a breathtakingly beautiful song and we have a sample for you to hear in this episode. Nelly’s song, ‘Baby Showers’ was written after she’d organised a Baby Shower for a friend. On the way home from the Baby Shower, Nelly felt overwhelmed with emotion for her loss, and found herself crying ‘baby showers’. Baby Showers was released on the 7th June and you’ll find it ready to stream.

Nelly starts by explaining that and after numerous trips to her doctor with heavy and painful periods, and being told it’s normal to experience painful periods (note from Kate - It’s not!), she was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis. She talks about how women are often dismissed and gaslighted and the importance of being persistent and pushing for a diagnosis when you know something is not quite right.

After her diagnosis, Nelly then had surgery which changed her life for the better. Nelly talks about the relief that she had from the surgery and how it helped her with the pain she was experiencing. 

In 2017, Nelly unfortunately lost a third of her left ovary, and this started to make her think about how this might affect her fertility. In 2020 Nelly and her husband started to try to conceive. A year later, after trying naturally unsuccessfully, Nelly and her husband turned to IVF.

Nelly tells Kate that after her first two round of IVF were unsuccessful, the couple decided to try naturally again, and in October of 2023, Nelly fell pregnant. However, after 7 weeks, her pregnancy sadly resulted in an ectopic pregnancy and the loss of one of her fallopian tubes. 

Nelly has not given up and is continuing to try to conceive naturally. Nelly strongly believes that the stigma surrounding fertility needs to change and people need to start talking more, and this is one of the reasons Nelly wrote ‘Baby Showers’ as a way of breaking down taboos and to get people talking. We hope you enjoy listening to Nelly’s beautiful track. I’m sure many of you will relate…….

Thank you so much to Nelly for sharing this with us.

You can now stream the song here! Baby Showers by Nelly Joy (empi.re)

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - One Day Tests One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10. 

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In this week’s episode of The Fertility Podcast, Kate is joined by the Ro Huntriss - fertility dietitian to answer some quick fire nutrition FAQ’s. Ro shares lots of interesting evidence based facts and little tips. So buckle up for a speedy episode and don’t forget to grab a note pad!

During this episode, Ro and Kate cover topics such as whether you should stop drinking alcohol when trying to conceive, and if diet can help to improve sperm DNA fragmentation. Ro breaks down some myths and drops in little pieces of advice and information on how to optimise your fertility through diet and good nutrition.

One of the big questions was, whether the craze of having a Big Mac and Fries after IVF, is a good idea or not and is there really a best way to eat when TTC? Tune in to listen to Ro’s answer on these and many more fertility nutrition questions.

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - @onedaytests and @budfertility. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10. Bud make a Vitamin D which we absolutely LOVE. You can use the code FP20 for a 20% discount off your order.

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Ro’s book - Deliciously healthy fertility is available on Amazon

*Just a little trigger warning for this episode as there are mentions of termination for medical reasons and pregnancy loss, so if you aren’t feeling in the right place today, perhaps come back another day when you feel a little bit stronger. But don’t forget that The Fertility Podcast has plenty of back catalog for you to listen to!

On today’s episode, Kate is joined by Anita who is a fertility and pre-natal dietitian. Anita is here to talk about her making the difficult decision to end her pregnancy for medical reasons. This is called Termination for Medical Reasons or TFMR for short.

In the beginning of the episode, Anita talks about how her and her partner wanted to start trying to conceive back in 2019. After trying naturally for sometime, Anita and her husband embarked on IVF. After many rounds of IVF the couple were at at last successful and were overjoyed.

Anita shares that at her 20 week scan, the hospital staff started checking the scans and whispering to each other. This started to cause Anita concern and she just knew that something wasn't right. After a few weeks and scans later, Anita and her husband then received the information they were dreading. They knew that they had a difficult decision to make.........

Anita tells Kate in the few weeks that followed and due to the uncertainty that her pregnancy could continue, she felt the need to hide her pregnancy from her family and friends. Anita talks about how she felt receiving the diagnosis and making the heartbreaking decision to end her pregnancy. She explains that she would rather take the pain of losing her son herself, rather than Alexander, as they chose to name him, not being able to live a life. And as someone beautifully put, it wasn’t his time yet.

However, Anita's story has a happy ending. She and her husband now have their beautiful little boy, Oliver, Alexander’s little brother. Anita’s story is a rollercoaster of ups and downs, but she has proven there is always a rainbow after a storm. 

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - One Day Tests. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.

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Find Anita  - Fertility✨IVF✨PCOS✨Diabetes (@fertility.hormone.dietitian) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Find Anita also Diabetes:T1,T2,GDM| Fertility (@anitab_rd) • Instagram photos and videos here on Instagram

Fertility and Weight loss study - https://plymouth.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/2024wlm

*Just a little trigger warning, this episode mentions miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. If today is a day you’re not feeling too strong, perhaps leave this episode for another day. We have a HUGE back catalog to dive into, so there may be something else you fancy instead. *

Joining Kate on The Fertility Podcast this week is Jade. In this episode, Jade talks about her traumatic and life-changing experiences with ectopic pregnancy. For those who don’t know, an ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy that is outside of the uterus. Unfortunately, an ectopic pregnancy isn’t viable and is not able to continue. 

Jade’s story begins back in January 2022, when she first became pregnant. Unfortunately, this first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Later on, Jade fell pregnant again, however, this time, it was an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies can cause pain and in some circumstances, bleeding, however, Jade didn’t have any symptoms. It wasn’t until after a few trips to the doctor, that she was told she had an ectopic pregnancy. 

Jade eventually had surgery to remove the ectopic pregnancy. She was advised by her doctor that she had an increased risk of having another ectopic, and unfortunately, this happened to Jade again in 2023. However, this time around, Jade knew something was wrong. Jade talks about how hard it was to advocate for herself. Regrettably, this pregnancy ruptured her fallopian tube. An ectopic pregnancy is a serious medical condition which can become a medical emergency. 

Jade talks about how her experiences have left both her and her body scarred. She explains she is scared to get pregnant and risk going through it all again. However Jade is a fabulous example of the importance of being your own fertility advocate and being persistent if you think something is wrong. In Jade’s words “We do always have more strength than we think we have”.

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - One Day Tests and Bud Nutrtion. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.

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Find The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust - Support For You And Your Loved Ones for more information

Find Request a baby loss certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

Find The Premature Menocast podcast

Read Endometriosis time to diagnosis report

To kick start this new series of The Fertility Podcast, Kate is joined by a returning guest and friend of the podcast, Lucy Lines. Lucy is an embryologist in Australia, she is also a fertility educator and advocate. On today’s episode, Lucy is chatting all about embryo grading and what it is and how it’s done.

Lucy explains how to grade an embryo and how a decision is made on which embryo to transfer. Lucy then delves into what it is like to be an embryologist, talking about the training period and the subjective nature of grading embryo’s and how this will differ from one embryologist to the next.

Kate and Lucy move on to talk about which day post collection an embryo should be transferred. Lucy tells Kate that there is a lot of debate around whether day 3 is the best day or day 5 is. More often than not, clinics will prefer to transfer on day 5, as it usually has a higher success rate than day 3 and there are interesting reasons as to why this decision is actually made……..

Lastly, Kate and Lucy talked about batching and what to do if you are thinking about batching embryos. Lucy’s answer is that there is a lot to take into consideration when thinking about batching. Considerations with regards to your age, your AMH, the stability of your relationship with your partner and what to do with the frozen embryos when you have completed your family. 

A little bit of advice to take with you from Lucy is when choosing a fertility clinic, take a look at the live birth rate per cycle, how many women who started a cycle ended up with a baby? And, a question to ask at you appointment is how far below the threshold would they grade the embryo?

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the podcast - One Day Tests and Bud Nutrtion. One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10. Bud nutrition make a super Omega 3 which we absolutely LOVE. You can use the code FP20 for a 20% discount off your order.

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Follow Lucy Lines - Embryologist | Fertility Educator | IVF Advocate (@twolinesfertility) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

*Just a little note: There is a little bit of background noise as Kayleigh joins me from a busy office. We’ve done our best to minimise it, but apologies if you hear a bit of background noise. *

In what is the last episode of this current series, I am delighted to be joined by Kayleigh the founder of Fertility Mapper. 

Fertility Mapper aims to personalise and humanise the access to high quality fertility care. The site allows you to choose a fertility clinic based on geography, cost and patient reviews. There is also a calculator to help you identify whether you are eligible for NHS funded fertility treatments, and handily includes information on your local ICB, to help you really understand what is available for you and your specific circumstances.

Kayleigh’s advice to anyone looking to access fertility treatments, is to take your time to gather all the information that you need, compare clinics and costs. She also advises to look around and read the stories of others, to help you in deciding which clinic is the right one for you.

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Find Fertility Mapper | Our stories change everything. For more information and support

Follow Fertility Mapper (@fertilitymapper) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

In this episode of The Fertility Podcast, we are joined by a friend of the podcast, and as this episode comes out just a few days after International Women’s Day - one hell of a woman - Jessica Hepburn. Jessica is an author, arts producer and, using her own words, ‘the most unlikely adventure activist’! Jessica returns to talk about her latest book, Save me from the Waves. However, for those of you who have not yet come across Jessica (and there really can’t be many as she is a living icon!) she also shares her fertility journey so you can get up to speed..

Jessica’s fertility story lasted a decade, and through her journey of 10 cycles of unsuccessful IVF, she has experienced profound loss, but has found new treasures and a new career. Her books, The Pursuit of Motherhood, 21 miles and now Save me from the Waves, take you on an alternative adventure through the ups and downs of her life and provide advice and comfort for those who are on a similar journey.

Through Jesssia’s many achievements, she is the only woman in the world to have completed The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge. From running the London marathon, swimming the English Channel and then to only going and climbing to the tippy top of Mount Everest! I am in awe. 

A common feature of the podcast is for me to ask our guests for a piece of advice or what they wished they knew sooner. Jessica answered both. Her advice to you is to be braver sooner, Jessica uses the hashtag #livebigandbrave wherever she can. When it comes to Fertility, her advice is that she wants people to know that there are many roots to parenthood. There are many ways to create a family, many ways to be a mother in the world. Wise words indeed!

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Find Jessica’s books here Books - Jessica Hepburn

Go and have a look at Jessica’s website Jessica Hepburn - Jessica Hepburn

You can find Jessica on Instagram at Jessica Hepburn (@jessica_hepburn_) • Instagram photos and videos

In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Andreia Trigo @andreiatrigorn, a fellow nurse and the CEO and founder of Enhanced Fertility. We’re talking all about Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser also known as MRKH. 

Yep, you can be forgiven for not knowing much, if anything about this rare condition that severely impacts your fertility potential. Essentially if you have MRKH you’re born without a womb. Can you imagine how devastating that diagnosis would be and how it would impact you? Imagine finding this all out as a teenager and then in later years realising how this would impact your ability to create a family! Andreia talks about her diagnosis, what she experienced to even get diagnosed in the first place, the accessibility for those who are diagnosed with MRKH, and the first UK uterine transplant.

Andreia’s fertility journey began when she was 17. She was concerned that she hadn't yet had her first period. After being told to come back after a year, she eventually had tests and scans done and one of the scans reported that a uterus was seen on the scan. It wasn’t until later that it turned out to not be the case and Andreia had been incorrectly diagnosed.

A year later, when Andreia was 18, she was diagnosed with MRKH. The process that she went through to get that diagnosis took just over 3 years. This involved invasive and painful investigations and procedures to reach a diagnosis. Something that still haunts Andreia to this day. We talked about whether there has been a change in the way that MRKH is diagnosed in the UK. Andreia tells us how it has and now there is a lot more support and tests that are available to be able to effectively diagnose MRKH promptly. Incredibly, 1 in 5000 women are diagnosed with MRKH. Later on, we talked about the first UK uterine transplant and what this means for women like Andreia. 

Andreia is passionate about improving access and decreasing the time to diagnosis and helps women find their way through diagnosis and the next steps. Andreia’s advice to anyone on a fertility journey is, if you feel there is something wrong be persistent and feel empowered to investigate why.

Find out more about Andreia at - https://efp.clinic/

Follow @andreiatrigorn on Instagram

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This episode of The Fertility Podcast I am joined by Gemma. Gemma is going to be sharing her IVF journey with us as she goes through the process and on to the next step of donor conception. From this episode onwards, we are going to be keeping up to date with Gemma, so tune in each episode to hear a little update from Gemma.

In this episode, however, Gemma starts from the beginning. After going through many tests and everything coming back as normal, they decided to take matters into their own hands and started using the cycle and ovulation monitor -  OvuSense. 

As time went by Gemma started NHS funded IVF and sadly had two unsuccessful cycles. At this point Gemma started to look at accessing IVF abroad. Overall, Gemma went through 6 rounds of IVF in a year, unfortunately, all of them unsuccessful and this led Gemma to the prospect of using donor conception to create her family. Gemma shares how, initially, this prospect took a toll on her mental health. 

However, Gemma has now come to terms with her decision, has had all the tests required and is now waiting for a donor match. Keep tuned as we’ll be hearing from Gemma again in the next episode. 

If you are thinking about the next steps in your fertility journey and are perhaps considering donor conception, Gemma has found 2 places that she has found to be really helpful - The Donor Conception Network and Becky Kearn’s Paths to Parenthub.

This episode is sponsored by our friends at  OneDayTests.  One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.

Socials:

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow@TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow @onedaytests on instagram 

Find Paths to Parenthub - Support and Connection for Donor Conception for more information on Donor Conception

Find Donor Conception Network | Supporting families through donor conception (dcnetwork.org) for more information on Donor Conception

In this episode of The Fertility Podcast, I’m discussing how to navigate through the private IVF system. It’s a topic I’ve wanted to record for an age, mainly because many of you book in to see me for advice and support on this very topic. It seems to be a big pain point. In the UK we’re not familiar with accessing private healthcare, so how do you do it? And importantly how can you change your mindset from a patient to a consumer and why is this important? I also share some great tips on how to choose the right clinic for you and what questions to ask at your first IVF appointment. 

Later in the pod, I’m joined by freelance journalist Antonia Hoyle @greenerlanes who recently investigated the darker side of fertility ‘treatments’. We talk tarot card readings (yes really!), alternative therapies, and immunology.

We talk about how these alternative ‘treatments’ and IVF Add-ons do not have the evidence to support their use. And that vulnerable women being taken advantage, both emotionally and financially of by unregulated and self-styled fertility ‘experts’ who are offering false hope.

We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the Podcast. Firstly,  The Lowdownis the place to get the lowdown on your reproductive health. Learn about your fertility, share your experiences and read those of others. And One Day Tests your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.

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Happy New Year and welcome back to The Fertility Podcast. In this first episode of the new series, I'm joined Professor Helena Teede all the way from Australia!

Helena is one of the authors of the International PCOS Guidelines and is here to talk about the changes to the PCOS guidelines and the proposed PCOS name change.

We discuss PCOS in general, chatting about the symptoms of PCOS, both the common ones and the not so common. Helena and I discuss weght stigma and how the new guidelines move away from this and instead why we should be helping women to just be healthy to manage their PCOS proactively.

Helena talks about the potential risks around pregnancy and that it is not often identified, as well as the support for pregnant women with PCOS, or sadly the lack of. She tells me how she supports women with PCOS, and the steps she takes to help them manage their condition and optimise fertility.

We talked about diets and eating right, Helena explains that there is no one diet, or right way to eat when it comes to PCOS. A start contrast from what you find if you consult Dr Google! I ask Helena for her opinion on the supplement Inositol, listen in to see whether she says yes or no! We discuss the new App ASKPCOS that can really help you on your journey to understanding and managing PCOS.

Lastly, Helena tells me about the proposed PCOS name change. Helena talks about the fact that PCOS is not an ovarian disease so therefore the name is incorrect. Below is a link to vote for the name change. So have your say and vote as getting the right name for this is important and your support will really help. 

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Go and have your say - PCOS Name change

Have a look at Home | AskPCOS

International PCOS Guidelines

Morven is an independent fertility nurse specialist living in rural Scotland, and also a nurse working in cancer care within the NHS. She joins the podcast to talk about the difficulties faced by women and couples accessing fertility treatments in Scotland and the general lack of provision across the country.  

What we discussed: 

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Follow Morven RN BSc | Independent Fertility Nurse Specialist (@wildraefertility) | Instagram on Instagram

Follow Deborah James (@bowelbabe) | Instagram on Instagram

Mikeysline - mental health support

The Women’s Health Strategy

Trigger Warning - This episode contains discussion surrounding Pregnancy loss. If today is not a good day, please come back to this episode when you're feeling a little stronger. Here at The Fertility podcast, we're always here for you.

We're delighted that this week's episode is sponsored by The Lowdown - the place to get the lowdown on your reproductive health. Learn about your fertility share your experiences and read those of others.

In this week’s episode of The Fertility Podcast, I am joined by a patient of mine -  Katie. Katie @secondary_infertility_life shares her story of secondary infertility, IVF and pregnancy loss.

Katie knows that she is really lucky to have her little boy Jake. Jake is everything to Katie and more, however she just feels that, as yet, her family is not complete. However Katie found the process of trying to conceive again really isolating. Somehow it just felt harder to find support when you already have a child. I firmly believe that trying to conceive the second (or third, or fourth) time around is different as not only do you want a baby for yourselves but you desperately want a sibling for your existing child. So that they don’t grow up alone in life. This is exactly how Katie felt.

After trying unsuccessfully for a year or so, Katie and her husband finally found out that they were pregnant. Fantastic news! However, Katie could tell something wasn’t quite right with the pregnancy, and sadly at 8 weeks they went for a scan and there was no heartbeat. Katie ended up miscarrying at home and she talks about how she felt OK physically, but took time for her to heal emotionally.

After trying for another 6 months, Katie and her partner decided to start IVF. Katie had a top grade frozen embryo transfer in November last year and got a positive pregnancy test. Sadly, at Christmas, there was no heartbeat again and Katie had a miscarriage in the hospital. Katie talks about her positive experience of miscarrying at the hospital and how she got all the support she needed.

Katie went for her 3rd transfer, which was sadly unsuccessful again and by this point Katie says she knew something else was wrong. She wanted to find out more and made the decision to have NK Cell testing. This identified a high level of natural killer cells which has informed her treatment going forward. At the time of recording Katie was about to embark on her next round of treatment and I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing her the very best. We’re hoping this is the one Katie!

Katie’s advice to listeners is to trust yourself and your gut, to keep driving and find out what further investigations are out there for you and get knowledgeable. Make your own decision on what’s best for you and you alone.

Socials:

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In this episode of the Fertility Podcast, I am joined by Mike Johnson-Ellis who is here to talk all about surrogacy. We talked about the ins and outs of surrogacy, his own surrogacy journey and how that led to the launching of TwoDadsUK and Your Surrogacy Journey. Mike and his partner Wez aim to support couples who are starting their own surrogacy journey, and are passionate about paving the way for a better future for surrogacy. 

What we discussed:

Mike’s 3 top tips for those considering surrogacy are: 

Do your research - don’t rush into surrogacy, do your research on the organisation or the country your doing your journey in.Always get legal advice - just in case. Understanding that like everything, surrogacy has its highs and its lows.

Socials:

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Follow Michael Johnson-Ellis (@twodads.u.k) | Instagram on Instagram

Follow My Surrogacy Journey (@officialmysurrogacyjourney) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Find Best Surrogacy Agency in UK for Surrogacy Support in UK and US (mysurrogacyjourney.com)  

Find My Surrogacy Journey - Season 1 | Podcast on Spotify on Spotify

This week is National Fertility Awareness Week and we thought it was important to discuss male factor infertility. MFI is sometimes hidden in plain sight, as far too often (both by medical professionals and the TTC community) the focus is on the impact on us women. Therefore, joining me today on the Fertility Podcast is Frank Fallon a.k.a @betatwindad to talk about male factor and infertility. Frank and I talk about his diagnosis and the lack of answers from doctors, how he learned to advocate for himself and his drive to seek out his own support. 

Frank shares how low and shell shocked he felt when he was told that he was infertile.This was compounded sadly by his experience of unhelpful the doctors. Frank talks about how he was directed straight to IVF with no explanation or answers about the cause of his infertility. 

Eventually Frank was told that he had low sperm motility and that trying to conceive naturally was unlikely, however he felt there had to be a reason for his infertility and wanted to find out.

Frank describes how he felt guilty and shameful, but the biggest part of it all was not having anyone to talk to. Frank wasn’t offered any support, so made the decision to seek it out himself.

Frank talks about how fortunate he and his partner were to conceive on their first round of IVF and twins at that! After having the twins in 2022, Frank explains how he found out that there were tests that should have been done at the beginning of their fertility journey but were not done. Frank has now been diagnosed with a varicocele. Had this been diagnosed they may not have needed IVF treatment.

Frank's advice to listeners is to find out as much as you possibly can about tests and treatments that are available to you, and make sure you reach out for the support you need.

Socials:

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Follow @betatwindad on Instagram

In this episode of the Fertility Podcast, I am joined by Doctor Siobhan O'Sullivan and my friend and colleague - Women's Nurse Specialist Kate Pleace to talk about premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and World Menopause day. We talk about Siobhan's experience of being diagnosis with POI in her early 30's, and Kate discusses the fertility options available and what it's like growing older with POI.

To start us off, Siobhan shares her story of talks stopping the contraceptive pill and experiencing hot flushes. At first, Siobhan thought nothing of it until it got worse over the winter. Siobhan decided to get some blood tests done and how she felt when she received her results.

Siobhan makes the decision to access private care and was told that she had no ovarian reserve left. She tells us about how she wasn’t able to process it all and that she found herself not really wanting to accept her diagnosis. She felt too young for this to be happening to her and she felt that there was a part of her missing.

Sadly, Siobhan diagnosis coincided with a break up from her long term partner and she explains what it is like to cope alone without the support of a partner.

Over time, Siobhan has came to terms with her diagnosis of POI however she says that she is still processing it all. We talk about the impact of a diagnosis of POI on relationships and work. Kate refers to a woman in Leicester who had to quit her job because of the lack of understanding/support that she received during her menopause transition and how this is now being heard by an employment tribunal. This could pave the way for significant changes in how the menopause is viewed in the workplace.

When then move on to Kate who share talks her own experience with POI and how different it can be depending on your age. Kate also talks about fertility treatments for POI including egg donation.

Both Siobhan and Kate share one piece of advice for you if you are finding yourself in a similar situation. Siobhan’s advice is to get support from those who are on the same or a similar journey to you and to never be afraid to reach out for support. Kate advises to take your take your time in finding the right fertility treatment for you.

You can also read Siobhan’s book ‘My life on pause’, check out the link below!

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow Kate P, RN, MSc, Independent Women’s Health Nurse (@fertility_menopause_support) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

My Life on pause by Siobhan O'Sullivan

Daisy Network - for advice and support on POI

HFEA IVF Add ons - New HFEA IVF add ons rating as mentioned in this episodes intro

This week's episode comes with a trigger warning as we are discussing pregnancy loss. If you are struggling right now, perhaps leave this episode for when you are feeling a little bit stronger and please do access all the support out there that is available to you.

On what is Baby Loss Awareness Week, I am delighted to be joined by the lovely Tess Souray, model, actress and wellness influencer in the US. Tess shares her experiences of IVF, pregnancy loss and her decision to try genetic screening.

Socials:

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Follow Tess Annique Souray (@tessannique) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

Baby Loss Awareness Week

Pregmune

This episode of The Fertility Podcast is all about the practice of Fertility awareness. Fertility Awareness may not be a term that you’ve heard previously, or you might be an expert! Essentially the term means understanding your body and becoming more aware of the changes throughout your cycle. I discuss how you can become more aware of what is happening in your body and just how to become fertility aware. 

In the second half of the episode, I’m joined by my colleague Laura, who has developed the ‘Read Your Body’ App. This fabulous little App, which I highly recommend, helps you get to know and understand your body. Listen in to hear what Laura has to say about her app and how it can help you when trying to conceive.

What’s in this episode:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow Read Your Body (@read.your.body) | Instagram on Instagram

Look at Read Your Body (RYB) - Home website

The OvuSense Fertility Monitor

Find out more about Ovom Care here

Joining us this week, on what is World Childless Week, is a familiar face. As some of you will know, Kate Pleace is one half of the ‘Kate’ double act, as she works with me in my practice seeing many of our fertility and menopause patients. However, Kate is more than just that - she’s also my beautiful friend.

Kate and I first met here on The Fertility Podcast, many moon's ago, when Nat and I interviewed her to find out more about her experiences of a rare condition called progesterone sensitivity, which sadly ended her fertility journey. Kate is living a life without children but that hasn't held her back from living her life to the full.

What we discussed:

If you would like to listen to more episodes on The Fertility Podcast that cover childlessness take a look at these:

https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/childless-not-by-choice/

https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/worldchildlessweek/

https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/robin/

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow @fertility_menopause_support on Instagram

World Childless Week

*Trigger Warning: Mentions of pregnancy loss*

In this episode of The Fertility Podcast I chat with the Infertile Midwife, Sophie Martin about infertility, IVF and pregnancy loss. Sophie’s experiences inspired her to write a deeply personal and moving memoir and changed her perspective on her practice as a midwife. Sophie shares how pregnancy loss can impact on the wider family, something we might not have the emotional energy to consider at the time. We also talk about the publication of the recent Pregnancy Loss Reviewand Sophie’s hopes for change as a result.

What we discussed:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow Sophie Martin (@the.infertile.midwife) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

You can pre-order Sophie’s book here The Infertile Midwife: In Search of Motherhood - A Memoir (geni.us)

You can check out the Pregnancy Loss review here Pregnancy Loss Review - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You can find out more about Sepsis here Symptoms of sepsis - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Welcome back to the Fertility Podcast, after our summer break we return with Fertility Coach Sarah Banks to talk about support (or sadly the lack of) in IVF clinics. Both Sarah and I hear frequently, from the people we support, that there is just not enough emotional support in clinics. Sarah is working hard to raise awareness of this with fertility clinics, and has recently completed a survey with her support communities to assess the degree of emotional support provided in clinics.

This is what we discussed:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

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Follow Sarah Banks | Fertility Coach (@ivfpositivityplanner) on Instagram

Find IVF Positivity Planner – Sarah Banks Coaching 

BICA - https://www.bica.net/

Fertility Coaching with Kate and Sarah

Episode Sponsor @ovomcare on instagram www.ovomcare.com

This week we have a friend of the podcast returning to chat. Shaun a.k.a @knackered_knackers was previously on the podcast talking about his fertility journey using donor sperm. You can check out his previous episode Sperm Banter on the Fertility Podcast website. Now he is back with updates and more! Tune in to listen to what he is doing now and how his experiences have changed his life.

Here is what we discussed:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow @knackered_knackers on Instagram

Find Shaun’s previous episode here Sperm Banter • The Fertility Podcast

This episode of the Fertility Podcast, Zoe is joining me as we talk about the importance of feeling empowered on your fertility journey and being able to advocate for yourself. Zoe talks about her infertility and how it led her to using donor eggs and the obstacles that she and her partner faced in order to create their family.

What we discussed:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Mitochondrial Donation Treatment - https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/embryo-testing-and-treatments-for-disease/mitochondrial-donation-treatment/

The Fertility Podcast is honoured to be joined by Martha, founder of Martha Brook Stationary. Tune in to listen to Martha as she talks about the origins of Martha Brook Stationary and her own fertility journey involving 7 rounds of IVF and a battle with endometriosis.

What we discuss:

Socials:

Follow @TheFertilityPodcaston Instagram

Follow @YourFertilityNurseon Instagram

Follow Martha Brook (@marthabrookldn) | Instagram on Instagram

The Martha Brook IVF Journal

Go to The Martha Brook Story | Martha Brook for more! 

Warning: Explicit content

Welcome to the Mindfulness episode! Joining me today is Amy Polly who is a Mindfullness Teacher and we will be talking about how mindfulness can help with fertility. Amy will give some tips on how you can have a go at mindfulness in your daily life. 

What we discussed:

Socials:

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Follow @ThisisAmyPolly on Instagram

Find Amy Polly on LinkedIn 

Trigger Warning: mentions of domestic abuse and infant loss

In this episode, I am joined by Social worker Rachel who became a young mum and experienced many hurdles through her fertility journey. Rachel talks about her son being diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease and the journey they went on, the aftermath and starting trying to conceive. 

What we discussed:

Socials:

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Follow@YourFertilityNurse on Instagram

Follow @DancinginBabydust on Instagram

Follow@Fatpositivefertility on Instagram

Find out more about Hannah Pearn at Acupuncture Fertility London - Hannah Pearn Acupuncture

Tune in to listen to me talking about stress and how it affects your fertility journey. Take an opportunity to put the kettle on and relax while listening to this episode as I bust some myths about stress.

What I discuss:

Socials:

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Follow @YourFertilityNurseon Instagram

Find out more about Jacky Boivin Professor Jacky Boivin - People - Cardiff University

Welcome back to The Fertility Podcast. We’ve had a bit of a break and now we’re back sounding a little different! It’s just me - Kate. Nat is off working hard with her Fertility Matters at Work co-founders and so, I’ve taken control of the reins!

In this first episode, my guest is Paulina, Paulina, who was diagnosed with PCOS 4 years previously, then received the shocked diagnosis of a Borderline Ovarian Tumour in 2020. She talks about what it felt like when she received this diagnosis and what this means for her fertility going forward.

Paulina’s journey proves that if you feel something is up with your body that you should find out as soon as you can. Despite all the surgeries and scans, Paulina still wants to conceive and have a child. 

What we discussed: 

Socials:

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Follow @YourFertilityNurseon Instagram

Follow @OvaryOff on Instagram

Have a listen to hear what you can expect from the new look podcast, now hosted by Kate Davies, as of Monday 6th March.

So this is a goodbye from me - Natalie, but it's going to be a Hello from Kate... and in this slightly indulgent final episode, you'll hear a little bit from me as to my decision to stop publising this podcast with me at the helm and my plans to hand over the mic to my trusty co-host Kate Davies who is soon going to be sharing more about her plans as I leave this feed in her capable hands for 2023.

If you've just found this podcast, please do explore our back catalogue which can be found in all your favourite podcast apps, under the following:

Getting Pregnancy Ready

Male Fertility

Pregnancy Loss

Infertility Support

Donor Conception and Surrogacy

Meanwhile if you'd be so kind to leave a review on the podcast if it's helped you in anyway, please do so here

You can also keep in touch with me on my insta

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize. We are in conversation again with Dr Theodorou, a Consultant Gynaecologist and Specialist in Reproductive Medicine at theCentre for Reproductive and Genetic Health explaining what patients can expect during their first consultation with a fertility consultant 

What we discussed: 

You can find out more aboutCRGH here

Subscribe to The Fertility Podcast 

Follow Fertility Podcast onInstagram

Earlier in this series, we spoke about the Corporate world of IVF and how clinics around the world were consolidating, and what that meant for you the patient. In this episode, we’re looking at the future of IVF and our first conversation is with Stuart Lavery, a senior consultant gynaecologist, a well-respected member of the global human fertility community, and a founding director of Aria Fertility, our second guest is Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director of The London Women’s clinic and Medical Advisor at Verso. 

What we discussed: 

Follow us on our socials!!!

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you.

Please email. 

Fertility Poddy on Insta

Kate on Insta

 Aria Fertility on Insta

Aria Fertility website

The London's Women Clinic on Insta

The London's Women Clinic website

Welcome to another episode of The Fertility Podcast bitesize, with The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH) in this snippet, we’re going to be hearing from Xavier Brunetti, Deputy Head of Embryology to talk you through the lab set-up at CRGH. It’s fascinating getting to understand more about what happens post egg collection in the lab and how the Emrbyologists work and how they feel about sharing the news of what is going on with your precious embryos. So have a listen to Xavi explain more about the process. 

We discuss: 

Find out more about CRGH here

Follow CRGH on Instagram

Follow Fertility Podcast on Instagram

This episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize is a conversation with Dr Matt Prior, a doctor in Newcastle, and an NHS consultant one of 143 experts is answering more of your questions over at fertially.com who we've worked with to make this bitesize chunk for you. In this episode Matt explains what tests you can expect prior to starting IVF treatment, how you can prepare for your first cycle and he also explains why it might not work. Nothing can take away the heartache of a failed cycle, however hearing an expert validate that it's not your fault can sometimes ease the pain, which is why we wanted to share this bitesize snippet.

What we discussed:

SOCIALS:

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Find out more about Dr Matt Prior

This is a timely episode as the HFEAhas just announced a change in the law for the storage of our frozen eggs, embryos, and sperms. From 1 July 2022, all patients can store their eggs, sperm, and embryos for their own treatment for up to 55 years, you just must make sure you provide consent every 10 years. Frozen Embryos are a topic that I do find quite triggering to be honest, as we didn’t go on to use ours. We donated them to science which is something I have spoken about on this podcast before.  Frozen embryos cause a lot of anguish to fertility patients when they don’t know if they can handle more treatment or if they can’t afford it, but it feels so unfair not to hold on to this precious material. But then as the popularity of IVF continues to grow and become more aware of it and have more access to it and sadly need it, there ultimately becomes more and more embryos in storage. We speak to embryologist Giles Palmer about this issue 

What was discussed: 

SOCIALS:Follow us 

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you. Please email 

info@thefertilitypodcast.com

Fertility Poddy

Kate 

Giles Palmer onInsta

Webinars - https://ivfmeeting.com/

HFEA onInsta 

HFEA press release

We’re in a conversation about what happens to our frozen embryos and the future of cryo storage with Cynthia Hudson, VP of Clinical Strategy & Specimen Services at TMRW, and Elizabeth Carr, the first IVF baby born in the United States. To give you a bit of background, Cynthia is an embryologist and medical technologist with over 20 years of experience in reproductive technology she has worked in, and founded, a number of leading IVF practices and designed multiple IVF laboratories and Natalie met with her in London to get a live demo of their technology. Elizabeth works with the company as part of their marketing team and shared her experience of life as the first  IVF baby in the US, and her decision to become work in the world of ART. 

What was discussed 

To find out more visitTMRW 

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether you think about where your embryos are stored and if this episode has got you thinking, so please email  info@thefertilitypodcast.com

Insta:

TMRW

Fertility Poddy

Kate 

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize. We are in conversation again with Kirsty Lee Wright and Joycelia Green, two Senior Nurses at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health explaining how valuable getting emotional support during your treatment is, whether it's from professionals or from your friends. Plus the importance of setting boundaries. 

What we discussed: 

You can find out more aboutCRGH here

Subscribe to The Fertility Podcast 

Follow Fertility Podcast onInstagram 

In this episode of Behind the Scenes of IVF, we’re looking at who owns the clinics, with there being more groups, more venture capitalists, and more private equity. What does this mean for you, the patient? How might it impact your decision-making? What might the benefits be? We’re in conversation with James Nicopoullus, Medical Director at The Lister Fertility Clinic, Peter Reeselv - Founder and CEO of The Fertility Consultancy, and Griffin Jones founder of Fertility Bridge

What was discussed: 

SOCIALS: 

We really want to hear your thoughts on what helped you choose your clinic?. Please email 

info@thefertilitypodcast.com

Fertility Poddy's Insta

Kate's Insta

Fertility Consultancy on LinkedIn

The LIster's Insta

Fertility Bridge's Insta 

In this episode we’re talking to some incredibly passionate people who absolutely love their jobs - meet the Embryologists and learn about the highs and lows of their work as we talk to 3 female and one male embryologist - in a field that is over 75% female. We hear from Alease Daniel, Victoria Wigley, Dani Smale, and Giles Palmer about what makes them happy and sad in their work. 

What was discussed: 

This series of The Fertility Podcast is sponsored by TMRW

 SOCIALS:

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you. Please email 

Fertility Poddy

Kate 

Alease Daniel 

Victoria Wigley 

Giles Palmer

IVF Initiative Webinars - https://ivfmeeting.com/

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize. We are in conversation with Kirsty-Lee Wright and Joycelia Green, two Senior Nurses at The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health who are sharing some top tips for your IVF cycle that they gathered from the 28 strong nurse team at the clinic. The nurses are always on hand to hold your hand, literally as well as answer any questions you might have in between your consultations and stages of treatment and these tips are really handy. 

What we discussed: 

You can find out more aboutCRGH here

Subscribe to The Fertility Podcast 

Follow Fertility Podcast onInstagram 

Welcome back to The Fertility Podcast, yes it’s been a while since our main series was published and with this one, we’re going Behind The Scenes of IVF and in our first episode, we’re starting a conversation about the IVF sector’s green credentials. We hear from locum Embryologist Dani Smale, who started her training at CARE Fertility London where she undertook small research projects, including looking at the environmental impact of IVF, mainly plastic use. We also talk to Annemette Arndal-Lauritzen, the CEO of the European Sperm Bank about the Communication on Progress (COP) report and talk about how whilst their primary focus is on creating healthy babies, they also want to make sure that current, as well as future generations of donor children, grow up in a healthy world and that their families are on an equal footing with any other type of family.  You will also hear a snippet from Dr Emma Saunders and  Ricard Ledin da Rosa, Sustainability Specialist at Vitrolife. 

What was discussed: 

We talked about the International IVF Initiative and a session they held called ‘How Green is your IVF’ which you can watch here

Get in touch: 

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you. Please email 

info@thefertilitypodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram

Fertility Poddy

Kate 

This episode is sponsored by TMRW

This episode of The Fertility Podcast Bitesize is in partnership with Mira, and you’ll be hearing from its founder Sylvia Kang to explain why it’s important to understand your fertility hormones and how monitoring them is a great way to help you understand whether or not you are ovulating and what might be going on with your menstrual cycle. Mira describes itself as offering personalized cycle prediction by measuring an exact number of hormone concentrations in urine samples, which can tell women their full fertile window, pinpointing ovulation, revealing hormone imbalances, and pregnancy status.

What was Discussed: 

Visit Mira to get your 10% and add THEFERTILITYPODCAST to your order.

Follow Mira on Insta

Follow The Fertility Poddy

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast bite-size. We are in conversation with Dr.Theodorou,  Consultant Gynaecologist, and Specialist in Reproductive Medicine atThe Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health about Egg Freezing. If you want to understand more about whether this could be an option for you then this snippet will give you plenty to think about. 

What we discussed: 

Find out more aboutCRGH here

Subscribe to The Fertility Podcast 

Follow Fertility Podcast onInstagram 

Egg health is a topic Kate and I are always asked about and having spoken with Embryologist Lucy Lines, on the podcast before we knew she’d be perfect for sharing bitesize chunks of helpful information on the matter. Lucy’s career as an embryologist began with Monash IVF in Melbourne in 2001. Since then, she has worked in Sweden, the UK, Ireland, and Germany. Lucy is one of 143 experts answering more of your questions over atfertially.com and we've worked to make this bitesize chunk for you.  

What was discussed: 

Find out more about Lucy here 

Follow Lucy on Insta

Follow FertiAlly on Insta

Subscribe to The Fertility Podcast 

Follow Fertility Podcast on Instagram 

Welcome to the latest episode of The Fertility Podcast bite-size where we are in conversation with Dr. Waal Saab, Deputy Clinical Director atThe Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health about Sperm Health. It’s important to understand that infertility is a male and female issue and you will learn more about sperm health and what you can do to improve it. 

What we discussed: 

Find out more aboutCRGH here

Today’s bitesize is with

Kate - co-host of The Fertility Podcast where you can find yourfertilitynurse

Are you currently trying to conceive but nothing is happening?

Do you find it hard to access your GP for help and would like to move forward on your fertility journey?

Kate explains how she is now offering blood tests as well as her normal fertility consultation.

So you can now choose to book a Preparing for Pregnancy home blood test &

fertility consultation package or the Ovarian Reserve (Fertility MOT) home

blood test and fertility consultation package.

Here's what's involved in both:⁠

• Book the Planning for

pregnancy blood test and a fertility consultation to review your results and

receive bespoke advice on information on how to optimize your fertility.⁠

• Simple and easy-to-do finger-prick blood test.⁠

• Blood test checks your full hormone profile, Thyroid, prolactin, and vitamin D⁠

• 60-minute consultation provides personalized medical and lifestyle advice to optimize your fertility.⁠

Get in touch via https://yourfertilityjourney.com/ and make sure you tell her you heard about her right here.

Get in touch with

@fertilitypoddy