Fertility News | Developments in IVF & Treatments

‘Conceivable’ Jheni Osman and Dr Ed Coats on IVF – Webinar

'Conceivable' Jheni Osman and Dr Ed Coats on IVF - Webinar Women's health charity Wellbeing of Women recently hosted another excellent webinar where Jheni Osman and Dr Ed Coats discussed what Osman had learnt during her career both as an experienced science journalist and as someone who has been through the IVF process herself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Meg9qM7uG08 Video Transcription Janet: Hello, everybody, I am Janet Lindsey, from Wellbeing of Women, I’m going to wait a few minutes before we start. I’m just looking at the bar at the bottom of my screen and it tells me that participants are joining at this very moment. So, let’s give it a couple of minutes, and we’ll wait for more people to join. I’m working remotely from home, so, that’s London for me in Clapper. What about my two lovely panelists? What about you, Jheni? Jheni: I’m in Bristol, at home in my small but cozy office. Janet: Small is good. Dr. Ed: I’m in Oxford Janet, today. Ja…

1 in 20 Babies Born Via IVF in Australia

The latest report by The University of New South Wales, Assisted Reproductive Technology in Australia and New Zealand 2018 found that during 2018, 14,355 babies were born via IVF which represents one in twenty of all babies born in Australia. With 84,064 initiated IVF cycles and 14,355 babies born, this gave a live birth rate per embryo transfer of 27.3%. This is significantly greater than the one in fifty of all babies born in Britain. It is estimated that in the last 40 years, more than eight million babies have been born through IVF globally.

The Age Old Question of Age

By: Dr. Ed Coats “How old is too old to have a baby?” is a really common question I frequently get asked in clinic and by friends and colleagues alike. There has been a lot written on the topic of ageing and fertility, and there is no doubt that age is one of the single most important factors to consider when looking at chances of natural success and with fertility treatments. Ageing eggs and sperm can both have an impact on fertility but at different stages. "Most women believe their chances to conceive naturally declines at the age of 35, but this is not accurate". Most women believe their chances to conceive naturally declines at the age of 35, but this is not accurate. At birth a female fetus has around 5 million eggs stored in the ovaries and by the time menstruation starts around 10% of these remain. Numbers continue to fall as an egg is recruited from a pool of follicles each menstrual cycle, so that by the age of 37 there are about 25,000 eggs r…

London, Lockdown and Lessons from Covid-19

As lockdown eases and the UK economy restarts, fertility clinics are also starting to return to normal. What exactly is the new normal though? It remains something that many of us are still trying to figure out. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK regulator of assisted conception treatments, has drawn up specific criteria that clinics must meet before they can reopen. Any clinic that is now open will have passed these rigorous HFEA assessments to be able to offer IVF treatment to patients safely. Just weeks after the initial government announcement of a UK-wide lockdown the Health Secretary declared that IVF treatments could resume. This news will have been a surprise to some and a great relief to many. There has naturally been a strong recoil of patients keen to continue with their treatment. Waiting for even just a few days in a fertility journey can feel like months. The emotion and pain of subfertility does not fade during a global c…

Dr. Ed Coats Features on Channel 4 NHS Heroes: Fighting to Save Our Lives

Total Fertility co-founder Dr. Ed Coats features in the upcoming Channel 4 documentary, NHS Heroes: Fighting to Save Our Lives, this Wednesday the 6th May at 9pm. https://youtu.be/JLG0SmYTpqA This special documentary follows a number of NHS workers both at home and at work as they continue the struggle of balancing home lives and their hospital duties during the Coronavirus pandemic.

IVF Treatments to Begin Again After Lockdown

Just announced in the last few hours, fertility clinics will be allowed to open again after the 11th May following the suspension of all treatments on 23rd May. The fertility regulatory body the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) will first need to be assured that each clinic, both NHS and private, can provide safe and effective treatment including restrictions with regard to social distancing and the effective use of PPE. Increasing the number of fertility treatment related consultations performed over the telephone or via video consultation is an obvious avenue to pursue for IVF clinics across the UK to minimise face-to-face interactions. We will update this post as we learn more.

Coronavirus & Pregnancy Webinar

Coronavirus (Covid-10) & Pregnancy Webinar with Dr. Ed Coats The COVID-19 pandemic has left many expectant mums feeling uncertain about the months ahead. Dr Ed Coats, Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and accredited sub-specialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, talks here about COVID-19 and pregnancy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wn4O8KFlAE Video Transcription Janet Lindsay: Welcome to the first “Wellbeing of Women” webinar. I hope we've got a full audience today. I'm Janet Lindsey, and I am the CEO of Wellbeing of Women. Thank you so much for joining us today. And also thank you to our brilliant speaker, Mr. Ed Coats who's consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Royal United Bath Hospital, and he's also a specialist in fertility. Before we start, I would like just to cover a little bit of housekeeping. We are recording this so if you want to turn off your video, now is the time to do so. We are also askin…

Coronavirus (Covid-19) and My Pregnancy

By: Dr. Ed Coats As the Coronavirus pandemic surges on, there will be many concerned about the impact that this new virus may have on pregnancy. We wrote about Covid-19 and Fertility Treatment recently with so much uncertainty in the months ahead for those trying to conceive. Those trying to conceive, newly pregnant or perhaps more established in pregnancy will be anxious to understand what lies ahead. We wanted to address the facts and what we know so far about Covid-19 and how to prepare mentally and physically for the months ahead. The Current Situation The latest coronavirus (Covid-19) began in Wuhan, Hubei province in late 2019 and since then has spread globally. There has been a massive effort to gather data from those infected to help understand how it affects us all. Pregnancy is a unique state that needs specific attention as the immune system’s response to infection can differ. On 16th March the UK Chief Medical Officer categorised pregnant woman as a…

Coronavirus (Covid-19) and My Fertility Treatment

By: Dr. Ed Coats As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe and remains a serious threat to all our lives many will be wondering what lies ahead for my fertility treatment. One thing that is certain is that uncertain times lie ahead for both patients and clinics. It is hard to give concrete advice in such a rapidly changing landscape, but at the time of writing this article this is where we are. We will update this article as new developments occur. COVID-19 is the seventh coronavirus to transfer from animals to humans and specifically this type of virus attacks the lungs and airways. It can be fatal to the older generation and those with co-existing medical illnesses. However, it is not exclusive to this group and the novel nature of this new virus is disconcerting. As the scientists and experts search for a suitable vaccine and the epidemiologists work on tactics to suppress the virus the rest of the world watch and wait. Just this week Fertility Organisations arou…

Wellbeing of Women Charity Challenges 2020

Wellbeing of Women have a number of exciting challenges lined up for 2020 in the UK and abroad. This is a chance to have an adventure in the outdoors and raise some valuable funds for women's health. Contact Wellbeing of Women directly via the email address provided for more details.

Jurassic Coast Challenge 5 - 7 June 2020

Machu Picchu Challenge 18 - 27 September 2020

Wellbeing of Women Events

Will the egg freezing limit be extended?

The growing popularity of women choosing to freeze their eggs if they are at present not ready to have children or the circumstance don't allow it, is evident in the numbers: 2012 - 395 egg freezing cycles 2013 - 551 egg freezing cycles 2014 - 677 egg freezing cycles 2015 - 1069 egg freezing cycles 2016 - 1171 egg freezing cycles 2017 - 1462 egg freezing cycles In the space of 6 years there has been a four-fold increase in the numbers of cycles undertaken. The 10 year limit on the amount of time that eggs and sperm can be kept for was set in 1990 and understandably the reliability of egg freezing and thawing techniques has improved significantly in 30 years. A minister for the Department of Health, Caroline Dinenage said: "Although this could affect any one of us, I am particularly concerned by the impact of the current law on women's reproductive choices," "A time limit can often mean women are faced with the heart-breaking decision to destroy their frozen …

Choosing an IVF Clinic Abroad

By: Dr. Ed Coats Increasingly people are choosing to have IVF treatment abroad. This trend has been growing for a number of reasons. Fertility treatment can be cheaper abroad with shorter waiting times and different legal implications when having treatment with donor eggs and sperm. The freedom of movement of people and business around the EU has made this easy. However, this can be a difficult area to explore as there are so many different fertility clinics abroad and they may follow different processes and procedures to those regulated by the HFEA in the UK. There is a lot to consider when travelling abroad for treatment and we hope this article will help you ask the right questions early on and help you to select the fertility clinic that is best suited to your requirements. There is no certainty yet on what the impending BREXIT decisions will mean for fertility treatment in Europe for UK citizens but we will write again soon as this evolves. Most people will start …