The Fertility Podcast

This week we’re talking about the TWW which is that period of time from embryo transfer to when you can do a pregnancy test. Natalie has been through it once, having had success on her first attempt at IVF however we know, for many of you it can be something of a Groundhog Day experience and we wanted your thoughts on how to cope with it. Kate talked about how she tells her clients to set an inten...

This week we’re talking about egg collection and embryo transfer with former podcast guest Alpesh Doshi.  We discuss how it all works and how the hormones are used to stimulate the ovary to produce follicles.  Do numbers matter?  We discuss the importance of managing your expectation in terms of what it all means, what size means, what % of follicles will result in an egg, and what...

This week we’re talking about the drugs teach, which in normal terms means - how the hell do you do your injections when going through IVF, especially if you’re scared of needles.  We’re joined by Kate Pleace who is a lovely lady and part of Kate’s team of nurses at Your Fertility Journey.  Kate talks us through how it all works when it comes to taking your drugs for IVF. Unfortunat...

In this episode, we’re talking about what to expect in IVF which we hope you take as an overview as everyone’s experience is different. Of course, there will be some commonalities in terms of treatment plans, which is what our expert Dr. James Nicopollus will be explaining.  First up we discuss a conversation from social media that has been front of mind and that is about the latest data on t...

So what is the Postcode lottery?  Well we’ve been talking about it here on the podcast for years ( since we started to be honest ) and if you’d like to hear previous episodes on it here is Susan Seenan the former CEO of Fertility Network in 2015 Then we spoke about it in 2017 when Fertility Network launched its Right to Try campaign . So you can see, this issue has been impacting our access to tre...

Hope.. and what it means to you This week’s podcast episode is a little different as it’s Kate and I sharing our thoughts on what we’re doing for the rest of the year.  We relaunched this podcast in February as we were really keen to try and map out what we thought you would want to know if you were just starting to try for a baby.  I felt quite strongly that the podcast lacked a bit of...

In this week’s episode, we talk to fertility consultant Rami Wakim. Rami, among other areas of expertise, specializes in Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). We wanted to chat with Rami to find out if these days IUI is really worth it or should you go straight to IVF. Kate mentioned that, in her opinion, she has seen fewer and fewer IUI procedures performed over recent years. Is IUI on the decline? Ra...

Earlier in June, a hugely important review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was published. This review produced guidance to help fertility clinics comply with their consumer law obligations but also provides guidance for you when considering purchasing IVF treatment. The word ‘purchasing’ there is massively significant because as well as being a patient, you are also a consumer and i...

Dr. Zeynep Gurtin, a Lecturer in Women’s Health at the Institute for Women’s Health at UCL, and holds an Affiliate Lectureship at the University of Cambridge Sociology Department.   In 2020 - spoke to a sample of 457 women to find out their experience of fertility treatment whose treatment has been delayed due to clinic closures. The questionnaire was live for 6 weeks during May-June 2020 &nb...

This week we have a bumper episode and have not one guest, but three! Our episode is all about the fact that infertility knows no colour, meaning that infertility doesn’t care about the colour of your skin – it impacts us all regardless but there are very unique challenges, and some similarities faced by differing communities.   First up we chat to Vanessa Hay   Talking about the issue o...

This week to mark Men's Mental Health Week, we are putting the spotlight once again on Male Fertility issues with two conversations to share with you. We welcome back to the podcast Professor Sheena Lewis to talk about DNA Fragmentation. Sheena is the CEO of Examen and a professor in Reproductive Medicine and has been working on male fertility tests for the last 25 years. You'll also hear from Sha...

Unexplained Infertility   In this episode, we’re together, in person and in the same room!! What a novelty. We’re talking unexplained infertility and whilst together we had a quick chat with the lovely Jen who is @jens_endlesshappydays on Instagram   Jen has been diagnosed with unexplained infertility and is struggling with PCOS, however, her doctors don’t feel that PCOS is impacting her...

This week we’re joined by Alice Rose who you may know on Instagram as @thisisalicerose. Alice is a former fertility patient, mum of two, campaigner and a mindset mentor. Alice’s ‘Think not What to Say’ campaign has been a trailblazer within the community, helping to bridge the disconnect between patients and their doctors and help friends and family to communicate better with their loved ones navi...

This week we are talking about Solo Motherhood with Mel Johnson and Genevieve Roberts, both former guests of the podcast so check out the links to those conversations at the end. Travelling as a solo mum. We last spoke to Gen - in Barbados as she’d gone to review a single mum package. Mel travels with Daisy and has been to Bali, Budapest, done lots around the UK to see friends but she needs it to...

This week we welcome Laura Rose Thorogood to the show. Laura is the founder of the LBGT Mummies Tribe, an LBGT+ activist, a lesbian mother of two by IUI, and is currently pregnant again after 5 rounds of fertility treatment.   Laura’s organization supports, celebrates, and reunites the LGBT community on their path to parenthood providing information and guidance on whichever route you choose...

In this week’s episode we are discussing miscarriage and loss,so before we go any further we are putting a trigger warning firmly in place here. If you’re not feeling strong today, then maybe wait and listen another day, or make sure you have lots of support around you as our guest does go into detail of her own loss. Please know, you can always reach out to us on our socials if you need a bit of...

This episode focuses on the impact fertility has on your emotional health and we’re delighted to have Abbie and Karen from Fertility Circle join us on the podcast.   Abbie tells us how she searched for fertility support when she was trying to conceive 7 years ago and how she felt completely lost. Tragically Abbie made some poor decisions on where she looked for support that has impacted her h...

So what is Secondary care and what should you expect to happen?   Well, we want to make sure you understand this, as we don't want you to get to the end of the year and find there is actually a problem because you have been dismissed along the way.  There are better tests that can’t be done in Secondary Care that can’t be done in Primary Care, which means at the GP and we've discussed th...

In this episode, we’re focusing on Male Infertility which is still not understood well enough and it’s something Natalie has been passionate about giving a voice too. As it was her and her husband’s experience and the pair felt very unsupported when going through treatment. Since its launched The Fertility Podcast has shared numerous episodes about Male Fertility explaining the issues that affect...

We have spoken about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) on the podcast numerous times in the past so make sure you scroll down to find links to previous episodes. Kate is an expert on the topic, working with women on a daily basis to support them with their diagnosis, and in this episode, we've shared a previous conversation we had with Professor Adam Balen discussing the latest PCOS guidelines. P...

It’s episode number 7 and Natalie’s flying solo. She interviews Deborah Brock – Founder and CEO of Nua Fertility.   Have you heard of the microbiome? No, well you’re not alone…..   We have microbiome’s everywhere – skin, gut, vagina – you name it. The gut microbiome may not be the first thing you think about when you consider fertility but it’s HUGE. The size of two tennis courts of micr...

To mark the end of Endometriosis month and we wanted to share with you a bumper episode - a guest interview with an expert and a true-life patient story. First up we chat with Andrew Horne - Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at Edinburgh University and an all-around expert when it comes to endometriosis. Andrew is currently involved in ground-breaking research into a drug treatmen...

This week, on the pod, we’re talking about that conversation with your GP. It can be difficult to make this first step when trying to conceive and you often don’t know when you should go and what to ask. Plus we often hear from you that you don't feel heard or taken seriously when having these initial conversations.   When you’re struggling to conceive there is no reason why you can’t access...

In this week’s episode, we’re talking all about testing your fertility at home. You’ll hear a snippet of a previous chat we had with Exseed Health founder Morten Ulsted. Exseed is a male fertility test to be done at home and you can hear the full conversation here   We welcome, to the podcast, Dr. Helen O’Neill – a lecturer in Molecular genetics and co-founder of Hertility. Hertility is an at...

 We can’t believe it’s episode 3 already! Where has the time gone? We’re loving all your messages since we’ve been back – so keep them coming.   So, in this episode, we’re still chatting about preconceptual care. All you need to know is to help you conceive naturally. We start off by talking in more detail about the methods that can help you….   Have you heard of Mosie Baby? Mosie B...