Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Fertility In General Practice

In this episode of the GP Series, host Dr. Ali Hodgkinson is joined by distinguished fertility specialist Dr. Simon Nothman for a comprehensive look at the management of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

 Dr. Nothman provides clarity on the diagnostic criteria, the four different PCOS phenotypes—including the distinctions of Lean PCOS—and the crucial importance of ruling out confounding diagnoses like hypothalamic amenorrhea.

The episode delves into the significant long-term health considerations, detailing the high metabolic, gynecological, and often-overlooked mental health risks associated with PCOS. Furthermore, it offers practical, evidence-based advice on management strategies, including optimal contraception choices, lifestyle intervention, and the role of medications like Metformin and GLP-1 agonists. Ultimately, the discussion frames the GP as the central conductor in a necessary multidisciplinary approach, coordinating a team of allied health professionals and specialists to provide holistic and effective care for every patient with PCOS.

This is a must-listen guide for General Practitioners seeking to optimize the care and long-term health outcomes for their patients with PCOS.

To learn more about Dr. Simon Nothman's work, you can visit his website, drsimonnothman.com.au, or find him on the Genea website. More details are in the episode notes.

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In this special episode, host Dr. Ali Hodgkinson steps away from the specialists to focus on the patient experience. She is joined by Yaelle and Lucy, the inspiring hosts of the podcast IVF Real Talk.

The two women share the raw, personal, and challenging details of their respective three-year fertility journeys and experiences with IVF.

This episode provides valuable, firsthand insights for General Practitioners on how to better support patients navigating the physical and emotional complexities of trying to conceive.

Listen to more from Yaelle and Lucy and connect with them on social media with these links:

• IVF Real Talk Podcast (Apple Podcasts): IVF Real Talk
• Instagram: IVF Real Talk Podcast (@ivfrealtalkpodcast)
• TikTok: IVF Real Talk Podcast (@ivfrealtalkpodcast)

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GPs have an important part to play in addressing fertility challenges, but so many talented specialists on our show have reminded us of the unique position GPs are in when it comes to early detection, preliminary testing and being a solid support system.

Today we are discussing recurrent miscarriages – for patients desperate to start or expand their family, this can be one of the most physical and emotional challenges to deal with. A rollercoaster ride of feeling excited, anxious followed by grief and isolation. Recurrent miscarriages leave patient’s feeling confused and hopeless because even the most meticulous medical investigation often can’t provide clear answers as to why it keeps happening. 
Here to help us understand more is Dr Anthony Marren who is Medical Director at Genea’s Flagship clinic, in Sydney’s CBD. He’s trained in obstetrics and gynaecology, and is a certified sub specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He has an interest in recurrent pregnancy loss and implantation failure, and pre-implantation genetic testing. 

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Today, we are putting the spotlight on some risks associated with artificial reproductive technologies and how they might differ to spontaneously conceived pregnancies.
IVF and ICSI – where eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body – have helped countless families across the world realise their dreams of parenthood, providing hope to those struggling with natural conception. But it’s important for GPs to understand the potential risks and management of conditions, not just during conception but for pregnancy and birth outcomes too.

This episode we are joined by an expert in this field, Dr Matt Holland, who is a busy father of six and specialist in early stages of fertility treatment through to obstetric care during pregnancy. Based in New Lambton Heights in New South Wales, he works with patients from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland at Lingard Hospital and Newcastle Private Hospital. 

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Today, we’re diving into AMH testing and how GPs can use it as an important tool in understanding a woman’s fertility challenges. While it’s a helpful part of the puzzle, there’s still some uncertainty around what AMH results truly indicate, and whether they’re being interpreted appropriately in clinical practice.
To help unpack the facts and clear up some common myths, we are joined by obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Andrew Wong. Dr Wong has been practising at the Genea clinic in the regional town of Orange, New South Wales, for over 30 years, with a particular focus on fertility and IVF. 

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Surrogacy is on the rise in Australia due to many factors such as families choosing to have children later in life, more social acceptance of diverse family structures and a decline in adoption rates. 

Joining us to unpack the emotional, physical and legal journey of surrogacy is Dr Myvanwy McIlveen who has worked at Genea for 20 years and is the Medical Director at the clinic in Newcastle. She has completed the Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and was impressively named as the Fertility Specialist of the Year at the 2024 Australian Surrogacy and Donor Awards.

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In today’s episode, I’m joined by Dr Becky Taylor, a fertility and gynaecology specialist who joined Genea in 2024. Originally from the UK, Becky studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and worked in Scotland before moving to Australia. She now consults in Glebe and Sydney CBD, and operates at the Mater Hospital and Genea Day Surgery. Becky is also a Visiting Medical Officer at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

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Join Dr. Ali Hodgkinson as she speaks with talented fertility specialist, Dr. Vanessa Tatham, to peel back the layers of Tubal Factor Infertility (TFI). TFI is one of the most common causes of female infertility, accounting for 25% to 35% of cases.1
In this episode, you will learn:

• What is TFI: An explanation of the fallopian tube's vital, active role and how a blockage prevents the egg and sperm from meeting.1
• Common Causes: The main players, including Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) (50–60% of damage) and Endometriosis (10–15%), as well as the impact of prior surgeries and ectopic pregnancy.1
• Diagnosis and Testing: A breakdown of how to raise suspicion for TFI during a patient history and the investigative path, from a general pelvic ultrasound scan to more specialized tests like the HyCoSy and fertile-oscopy.1
• Management Strategies: When to consider preserving the fallopian tube (e.g., opening an extrinsic blockage with laparoscopy) versus when removing the tube (e.g., when it contains embryotoxic fluid for an IVF candidate) is the better path.1

Dr. Tatham's key take-home message for GPs is to follow their suspicion: if a patient's cycle and sperm tests are fine but they're still not conceiving, they should investigate TFI early to avoid unnecessary delays in a couple's assisted fertility journey.1
Dr. Tatham has appointments in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, including Wollongong Day Surgery and Wollongong Private Hospital. She specializes in general gynecology, chronic pelvic pain, female sexual dysfunction, and has a particular interest in endometriosis. GPs can find more information or refer patients via the website: drtatham.com.au.1

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In this episode, she highlights why an early diagnosis is so pivotal, particularly for a woman wanting to fall pregnant, while also revealing just how common the condition is.

She provides GPs with tips on recognising the telltale signs of endometriosis and emphasises why symptoms should never be dismissed as just a normal part of menstruation.

Dr Danielle Robson is an experienced gynecologist who has worked and trained in hospitals in Sydney, Brisbane, and Darwin. Danielle has completed a Masters in Reproductive Medicine, graduating with Excellence. Danielle has completed the Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (CREI). Danielle is a highly motivated specialist and remains heavily involved in medical education. She works as a visiting medical officer in obstetrics and gynaecology at both Royal North Shore Public Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, training and educating junior doctors.

For more Information and where to contact Dr Robson go to drdaniellerobson.com.au or
follow he on Instagram or Facebook.

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Dr Anne Clark trained as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist before becoming the first female doctor in Australia to obtain the CREI subspecialist qualification in reproductive medicine and fertility more than 28 years ago. 

She is currently the Medical Director of Fertility First, which is an IVF and Fertility Clinic that also focuses on lifestyle modifications and peri-conception health to maximise a couple’s fertility and healthy ongoing pregnancies. 

Fertility First is also one of the largest donor sperm practices in Australia and recently partnered with Genea.

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Often as GPs, we are the first to hear about a patient’s concerns with heavy periods, pelvic pain and struggles to conceive, so understanding more about these conditions helps us to know when and how to investigate further and subsequently refer to a specialist. 
My guest today is Dr I-Ferne Tan, who is both a reproductive surgeon and fertility specialist, working at Royal North Shore and Mater hospitals, in Sydney.  
She is an expert in hysteroscopy and is one of the very few gynecologists in Australia able to perform an awake hysteroscopy to treat polyps, fibroids, scar tissue, trapped IUDs and miscarriages.

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Today we are diving into a topic that affects millions of men worldwide: male infertility. Often, male infertility is less spoken about when compared with female infertility, due to a lack of awareness and stigma around masculinity. 
Interestingly, male infertility is involved in up to half of all couples struggling to conceive.
In this episode, we peel away misconceptions and explore the many factors that can lead to an abnormal semen analysis, including lifestyle contributors such as heat, and alcohol and drug use.
Fertility specialist Dr Kate Burston explains how effective vasectomy reversals can be, and discusses the important role GPs play in testing and taking patient histories before making a referral to a fertility specialist.
Kate provides comprehensive fertility care, with a particular passion for men’s health, working across neighbouring areas of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens, in the Hunter Region of New South Wales. 

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In this episode, we take a closer look at how surgical intervention can make a meaningful impact in improving fertility for patients, depending on the type of struggles they are facing.  
Joining me is Dr Lionel Reyftmann, who is a gynaecologist, fertility specialist and laparoscopic surgeon. He is a clinical academic at the University of Wollongong and at Wollongong Hospital, in the coastal Illawarra region of New South Wales. 
Incredibly, Lionel has pioneered a minimally invasive surgical technique called the fertiloscopy.

Today, he explains how the procedure works and what inspired him to come up with it in the first place.  We delve into the rise of robotics and IVF, and if these advancements mean the end of reproductive surgery. Lionel will chat about when GPs should consider referring their patients for surgical assessment, and the importance of finding a reproductive surgeon who is skilled in both the fertility and surgical aspects of care.

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Today, we are going to get the microscope out and take a close look at pre-implantation genetic testing and better understand when GPs should be considering referring their patients for such testing.  
Firstly, we start off by discussing some of the language changes in this field, which are aimed at helping patients and doctors get on the same page.  Then we chat about different types of pre-implantation testing and how these tests might be effective for some patients but not others. 

Joining me is Dr Ying Li, who is a CREI fertility specialist, who is passionate about finding answers to both male and female infertility, as well as recurrent miscarriages and fertility preservation. 

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On today’s podcast we are discussing fertility care for transgender and gender-diverse patients. Navigating fertility preservation can be complex and nuanced, and it is no secret some GPs may feel out-of-their depth due to their limited experience in what is an evolving field.

Here to help me unpack the fertility options available to and to discuss tips on how GPs can have a positive impact on their patients is Dr Monique Atkinson. 

Monique has her Certificate in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility training and is one of the fewer than 80 doctors in Australia who has this subspecialist training. 

In 2022, she established the Fertility Clinic at Blacktown Hospital. She also works as a paediatric and adolescent gynaecologist at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.  

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