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Jennifer Saunders calls attention to ‘chronically underfunded’ women’s health research

Jennifer Saunders warned BBC Radio 4 listeners today that women’s health research is “chronically underfunded” as she delivered her first Charity Appeal on the station. On Sunday 29th November, the comedian said that "reproductive health doesn’t always receive the attention or investment it deserves” as she expressed her support for Wellbeing of Women, a charity that invests in women’s health research. Telling the story of Amy, whose ovarian cancer tumour was the size of a mango by the time it was detected when she was just 36, Jennifer explained that the lack of priority given to women’s health research means that women are suffering in silence. “Women play such an incredibly important part in our society; we make up more than half of our population, after all,” she said. “Yet many women’s health issues are often overlooked.” She explained that Amy’s cancer is particularly difficult to treat as it has become resistant to chemotherapy, a common occurrence with ovari…

Jheni Osman on “Fertility Education”

Jheni Osman is a science journalist, author and presenter. She is adept at making tricky science topics understandable and entertaining to non-experts. She is the former editor of the award winning science and technology magazine “BBC Science Focus’. She is also a former Great Britain Tennis player who played at Junior Wimbledon. Jheni’s personal experiences of infertility led her to write the book “Conceivable” teaching patients everything they need to know about fertility and IVF. Jheni is passionate about raising awareness around Fertility Education. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFRmZPEOoq8 Follow Jheni on her website & on Twitter

When IVF Doesn’t Work

When IVF fails it is devastating. Fertility treatments offers hope to many, so to engage physically and emotionally with such a demanding and expensive treatment can leave you feeling very empty when it doesn’t work. The reality of fertility treatments is that they don’t have a 100% guarantee of success. It is often not fully appreciated that the majority of IVF cycles will not work. About two-thirds of fertility treatment cycles fail. Obviously this statement is a huge generalisation and some patients will have higher chances of success than others. If you are embarking on fertility treatment for the first time, or have had an unsuccessful cycle already, how should you prepare for the day when treatment doesn’t work? The inevitable sadness that comes when a cycle fails is normal. The best advice is not to panic but to begin to talk constructively to someone about how you are feeling and agree on the next steps. If you are going through treatment with a partner it may …

Mental Health and Life after Fertility Treatment

By Kelly Da Silva - The Dovecote: Childless Support Organisation After spending years trying to conceive, undergoing various rounds of fertility treatment, I know only too well that realising that you are never going to have children is absolutely heart-breaking - and has a significant impact on one’s mental health. Loss, grief, anxiety, sadness and feeling like a failure are just some of the feelings associated with unsuccessful treatment. For me, and many whose childlessness has not been a choice, the prospect of facing life without children was initially all-consuming, challenging and utterly devastating. Therefore, faced with the prospect of having to live a ‘life without children’… being able to live a happy, fulfilling and purposeful life can seem like an impossible task. From challenging your identity, wondering what to do with your life now treatment has finished, dealing with social exclusion to healing the deep sadness which lies within your heart and soul; …