Goodbye 2020 - Merry Christmas from us

BONUS: Visions of Reproductive Health from Being Human Festival

Last November, I was asked to partner with the Being Human [https://beinghumanfestival.org/] Festival curated by Queen Mary, University of London. The event was part of a series called ‘Navigating New Worlds'. This event is funded by the Wellcome Trust. The webinar they were hosting was looking at the many ways the interior body has been revealed by a variety of visualizing techniques. This includes ultrasound scans and images of embryos that have long left the lab and are increasingly appearing in the news, in commercial advertising, in classrooms, in family photo albums, and on social media. I hosted a panel discussion with historians, artists, and sociologists to explore the meaning, making, and circulation of biomedical and artistic representations of reproduction and discuss how images emerge from particular social, cultural, and historical contexts. The panel included: Tabitha Moses (artist) [http://www.tabithamoses.co.uk/]   Dr. Isabel Davies (Birkbeck University)  [http://www.bbk.ac.uk/english/our-staff/full-time-academic-staff/davis] Liv Pennington (artist) Artist and, a Ph.D. student at UCA [http://livpennington.com/works/private-view] Professor Nick Hopwood (Cambridge University) [https://www.people.hps.cam.ac.uk/index/teaching-officers/hopwood] Dr. Josie Hamper - Post Doctoral Researcher [/journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1357034X19898259] During this discussion, you will hear me introduce the speakers as well as talk about questions that the audience was asked to interact with. First up is Dr. Josie Hamper who talked through the main research findings, from how the conversations were carried out with the sample audience of 100 people discussing options on images such as an embryo on day three and time-lapse technology. The interviews aimed to gather the perspectives or uses of this technology in both professionals and patients. Tabitha Moses discussed 'Visualisation of pregnancy’ and a very personal account of her experience of pregnancy and loss as she talked through her artwork which she created after her experience of IVF. Tabitha talked about how each image brings you one step closer to the baby. She created a series of images using light boxes representing her embryos along with embroidered gowns. Isabell Davies discussed the issue of imagining a pregnancy and the impact of feeling like you are pregnant when you are not. She also discussed the two-week wait and the pressures during that time also being between ovulation and finding out if you are pregnant naturally as well as after embryo transfer and doing a pregnancy test. I have spoken with Isabella before on her work around people's past experience, before pregnancy testing  which you can have a listen to here  [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/history/] Artist Liv Pennington discussed her work a ‘Private View’ explaining the two parts of her show which are all focused around pregnancy tests and Liv talks through the amazing insights she gained from creating her work in different settings, at different points in time. She also discussed her own realizations of the impacts of these tests. Professor. Nick Hopwood from the University of Cambridge is going to be outlining how since the 18th Century, the images we see, that are associated with pregnancy have progressed. Do let us know what you think of this conversation and whether you would like us to share more of the webinars we are involved in hosting. Email info@thefertilitypodcast.com [info@thefertilitypodcast.com] Also if you want to continue the conversation about fertility issues and are looking for a safe community to gain further support from, visit our closed Facebook group  [https://www.facebook.com/groups/talkfertility] You can also follow our Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/]

Goodbye 2020 - Merry Christmas from us

Well, it's our final chat of 2020 and we actually did it on Insta live which is what we've shared here. It's been a difficult week for many in the UK this week, as for a lot of people Christmas hopes have been dashed and there's not much we can say to console you, except we're nearly through this awful year and we know there is a potential end in sight. So, this is a short and sweet note to say, seasons greetings and we'll be back in 2021 with a new look and sound for The Fertility Podcast as we are having a relaunch. Please do make sure you've subscribed via your podcast app, so you don't miss an episode and you can follow Kate and me on our socials. I'm @fertilitypoddy [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/] Kate is @your_fertility_journey [https://www.instagram.com/your_fertility_journey/] See you in 2021 xx

What is Reproductive Immunology?

In this week’s episode, we welcome Naava Carmen, fertility acupuncturist and founder of The Fertility Support Company, who is on a mission is to tackle the underlining causes of infertility both in natural fertility and assisted conception. We're also going to be speaking with Dr. Yau Thum Fertility Specialist at The Lister and the pair have found an interesting working relationship we wanted to discuss. Dr. Thum has done loads of research into reproductive immunology, Natural Killer Cells, recurrent miscarriage, and failed implantation. Dr. Thum starts off with a bit of a science lesson for us, explaining the ins and outs of the immune system, why it’s so important, and its role with regards to implantation and miscarriage. Naava shares with us her insights into how Chinese medicine can assist in the medical treatment of immune issues and with Dr. Thum the way in which their two approaches complement one another. Whilst complementary therapies are becoming more and more accepted within westernized medicine, there is still unfortunately a lack of research to support their use. Dr. Thum explains how in China, IVF is a blend of westernized and Chinese medicine which achieves very good outcomes. Next, we delve into the fascinating and controversial area of natural killer cells. Dr. Thum discusses the difference between the NK cells in the blood and the uterus. From his research and the research of others, he believes that there is no difference with regards to using choosing peripheral blood or uterine cells when investigating the immune system. It is worth noting that at present the HFEA considers immunology testing an add-on where there is no robust evidence to show that it can improve the live birth rate and that there is evidence to show that the add-on is unsafe. Dr. Thum recommends that patients considering this treatment discuss this in-depth with their doctor to understand any benefits and side effects. Naava shares with us the importance of patients asking the right questions of their doctors and finding out why their clinician may have decided on a particular treatment. Particularly making sure that your doctor has a good rationale for why they have chosen a specific drug for you. Naava recommends that if you are considering Chinese medicine that you start working on this 3 months before treatment. Naava also trains fertility acupuncturists and Chinese medicine practitioners. You can find a Fertility Support trained acupuncturist via Naava’s website [https://www.fertilitysupport.co.uk] and you can get in touch with Dr. Thum here [https://listerfertility.co.uk/about/meet-the-team/doctors/]SOCIAL MEDIA Naava Carmen [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitysupport/]The Fertility Podcast [https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy]Kate Davies  [https://www.instagram.com/your_fertility_journey/]Disclaimer: The views expressed in the podcast episode are those of the guest experts and not necessarily those of the podcast hosts. When making decisions about using Chinesemedicine in conjunction with IVF treatments, please seek advice from your clinician before commencing treatment.

The Early Years: How to Preserve Your Fertility Before You Transition

Imagine not feeling comfortable in your skin and feeling totally overwhelmed about where becoming a parent might fit in with your plans? Natalie spent some at The Agora Clinic in Brighton, to capture the stories of its diverse community, and created a podcast series called The Agora Journals which you can listen to here [https://agoraclinic.co.uk/agora-stories/agora-journals/] Here you can hear one of the episodes as we're sharing it here. Meet Satch, a Brighton-based musician who spoke to Natalie about the hurdles he had to overcome in order to preserve his fertility before transitioning.  Satch talked about his experience of treatment and how he now feels about having 12 embryos to use with his fiancee Lisa when they are ready to start their family. Satch was so open and honest, describing the 'wild femininity of what it is for a man to go through and talk through. What it was like overcoming the challenges of the invasive treatment.  From having the examinations to choosing a sperm donor and the triggers along the way. He spoke about how before he went onto testosterone he had signed up to the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC). How the side effect of testosterone is that you will likely lose fertility.  Therefore knowing your options in terms of treatment available, is key. Satch made the decision to have the treatment before this stage. He talked about the struggle to find out this information,  how most transgender health information online isn't reliable, that is is mainly for Cisgender and heteronormative couples with some for gay and lesbian families. He also talked about how the painful paperwork. How the forms they were filling in had the wrong pronouns and how that can be very triggering. Since his treatment,  Satch has been working with The Agora on their paperwork. To get even more support and access to our archive plus we have live events coming up, Become a Patreon of The Fertility Podcast [https://www.patreon.com/thefertilitypodcast]

What support is available to help me whilst I'm trying conceive?

Firstly a big thank you to our episode sponsor Parla where you can access free self-assessment tools, at-home fertility tests, meditations, health guides, and a community of qualified fertility experts. All at your fingertips!  To support our listeners Parla is offering a 3-month free trial and 50% of their fertility test all worth over £100 in discounts! Go to http://www.myparla.com [http://www.myparla.com] or download their app to redeem the offer. This episode aims to highlight our 'Infertility Support' category giving you a taster of several episodes. Firstly, to highlight the #fertilityinequalities theme, of day 1 of  Fertility Awareness Week UK, we wanted to share our conversation with Dr. Christine Eketchi who spoke about the ethnic disparity of health outcomes among Black and Asian women in the UK and the issue of fertility education and infertility, from her own experience. We discussed why there are so few BAME women listed in the HFEA research in 2018 actually accessing fertility treatment and what can be done about it.   Listen to the full episode [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/why-are-the-numb%E2%80%A6ments-are-so-low/] You also hear from  Amy Bennee, trustee and chair of the Daisy network and the support it offers to women dealing with POI or  premature ovarian insufficiency listen in full here [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/primary-ovarian-insufficiency-poi/] We spoke to Professor Luciano Nardo, from the Reproductive Health Group talks about unexplained infertility and what the diagnosis means, and what other tests you can think about requesting. Listen in full here  [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/subfertility/]  We also heard from Lucy, founder of the Rainbow Running club about how her experience of multiple miscarriages and going through fertility treatment then led to OHSS (Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome ) and how she found running and how it helped her mental health. Listen here [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/what-does-ohss-feel-like/] Naava Carmen explains how acupuncture can help your fertility and you and you find out why she calls herself a 'Fertility Detective' and what she can find out, by hearing the full conversation listen here [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/naava/] And you know how important your mental health is to us, and this is the chat Kate and I had with Dany Griffiths who I have trained under to become a Freedom Fertility Formula specialist. Find out what it’s about in full here [https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/the-freedom-fertility-formula/] SOCIAL MEDIA: @fertilitypoddy [https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy] @your_fertility_journey [https://www.instagram.com/your_fertility_journey/]