In this episode I welcome Emma Haslam from Your IVF Abroad. Having navigated IVF herself, Emma brings her advice, guidance and expertise and we have a very open discussion about everything we think you need to know before starting IVF and choosing a clinic. Emma is a breath of fresh air if you are navigating IVF! 

You can follow Emma on instagram too - @yourivfabroad and more details below: 

Free short guide to the process of having fertility treatment abroad 

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/step-by-step-guide-to-having-fertility-treatment-in-europe

Free short guide to the 7 things you need to know before having egg/sperm donation abroad 

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/condsidering-donation-in-europe

My podcast https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/podcast 

Services

https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk/services

Maria is a Personal Trainer who founded Fitness Fertility, a specialist PT service for women who are struggling to conceive or undergoing fertility treatment. In this episode we bust some myths around exercise and TTC and Maria explains why we should be exercising for health first and the benefits for fertility. 

You can also check our Maria's instagram @fitness_fertility 

Join Andrologist Olivia Musa and myself to discuss the factors which can affect male fertility, what a semen analysis actually means and a holistic approach to improving sperm parameters. 

Olivia Musa Founded The Male Fertility Clinic which offers private semen analysis in Central London whether you are trying to conceive or just want to know whether your sperm are in good health. 

Worried you might have endometriosis? Concerns post surgical management of miscarriage? Haider Jan, Consultant Gynaecologist, Obstetrician and Clinical Director for Women's Health at Epsom & Surrey NHS talks us through these conditions and will give you practical tips about what to do next. 

Haider Jan is based at Epsom & Surrey NHS and also privately at Parkside Hospital, CRP clinic & Ashtead Hospital. You can contact his wonderful secretary Helen on: 
07757 310098 or pa@migynaecology.com

Nicola Headley previously worked as a Midwife, Health Visitor and Birth Trauma Specialist.  But it was her own difficult journey to motherhood which led her to train as a fertility coach. 

Nicola specialises in supporting women following pregnancy loss or who are going through IVF or fertility treatment to take back emotional control of their fertility journey.  Because infertility takes over every area of life.  It affects our mental health, confidence, and feelings of self-worth.  Which is why looking after how you’re feeling during this time is so important. 

Her unique programme is a mix of counselling, coaching and hypnotherapy techniques.  To support you to release what’s happened in the past, start living in the now and look to the future with hope and optimism.

We discuss:

 - Why mindset matters when TTC  & your Subconscious thoughts

 - Common emotions that arise when TTC

 - Ways to manage these emotions and why it’s important to address them

 - Exploring PTSD around fertility treatment

 - What fertility coaching is and how it can help

Nicola is a fat-positive fertility coach and author of “Fat and Fertile”.

She helps fat folks navigate getting pregnant in a weight-obsessed world and advocates for change in how fat people are treated whilst accessing help with their fertility.

Nicola uses her unique fat positive framework to support people in finding their own version of health without diets, advocate for their bodies, relearn how to trust their body and believe in their ability to get pregnant.

In this episode we discuss: 

 - Why women in bigger bodies are often discriminated against in the fertility world
 - Why BMI should not be used to determine who is entitled to fertility treatment or not and the reasons behind why it's currently used!
 - Why weight does not always have a direct correlation to a woman's fertility
- Ways you can approach medical professionals in a non confrontational way with the evidence base to get the care you deserve.
- where to go to find evidence around weight and fertility

You can find many more resources at Nicola's website. 

Becky is the founder of 'Paths to Parent Hub' which is an online support network & community for couples going down the route of doner conception. She also co-founded 'Fertility Matters at Work', a company which  is dedicated to raising awareness and education of fertility issues in the workplace. 

In this episode we discuss: 

- When to consider, or when you might have to consider, donor conception

- Different types of donation - ie: egg, sperm, embryo, double

 - The main things to consider when choosing a donor 

 - Where to go to start choosing a donor

 - The implications of Donor Conception, attachment, bonding, anonymity and potential implications for the child/parent relationship.

If you are considering Donor conception then this episode is for you!

Hannah Pearn is a fertility and women’s health acupuncturist who runs a practice in South London. She is also a passionate educator on all things women’s health, fertility and menstrual cycle related, so much so she has even designed her own online course, teaching to conceive.

In this episode we discuss how acupuncture actually works and how it can support fertility, we also bust a few acupuncture myths!

Click here, if you are looking for a fertility support trained acupuncturist near you! You can also check out the British Acupuncture Council for a list of qualified Acupuncture practitioners near you. 

Rebecca Hay is a qualified midwife and private fertility nurse at The Evewell Clinic in London and in this episode we are discussing IVF.

We talk through choosing a clinic or consultant, the very first appointment and all the paperwork you will need to complete to what actually happens in each part of an IVF cycle. Rebecca explains the differences between protocols, IVF & ICSI and  what you can expect at each part of the treatment. She even talks about how you might feel emotionally during each part if the treatment! If you are about to start fertility treatment or are even considering it then this episode will be invaluable for you.

You can contact Rebecca via The Evewell Clinic. Please note the wait time for an appointment at The Evewell is now much shorter than mentioned in the podcast! 

Emma is an embryologist and the lab manager at The Evewell fertility clinic in Harley street and previously spent 13 years at the lister fertility clinic in London. 

Emma specialises in pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos and she has a passion for preventing the transmission of inherited genetic disease and enhancing the capabilities of embryo selection. 

Emma believes IVF patients should have the opportunity to understand what goes on in an IVF laboratory. Her goal is to help patients alleviate some of the stress and anxiety caused by so many unknowns by championing education and awareness around IVF and embryology. 

In this episode we discuss: egg quality (obviously!), PGT-A testing, what happens to your embryos in an IVF cycle and much more! 

Dr Hassan Shehata is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and a subspecialist in Maternal Medicine. He is the clinical director for south west London maternal medicine network. He has a specific interest in reproductive immunology and it’s impact on fertility and pregnancy. He founded the Centre for reproductive immunology and pregnancy miscarriage clinic in Epsom and this is where he is primarily based. He also its on the royal college of obstetricians and gynaecologists council. 

In this episode we discuss how the immune system can cause recurrent miscarriage, unsuccessful IVF cycles and so called 'unexplained infertility'. Dr Shehata highlights the differences between NHS treatment for reproductive immunology and those of private clinics and why. We also touch on signs and symptoms of potential immunology issues and treatment protocols. 

Dr Lauren Rockliffe is a Chartered Health Pyschologist and pregnancy health coach and founder of Bloomwell Pregnancy supporting women throughout any stage of their fertility and pregnancy journey. 

In todays episode we discuss: 

The emotional impact of TTC, triggers and how hard & overwhelming it can all be 
Tools to help manage this and foster self compassion 
How self compassion can help with TTC and why its important 
Practical tools and tips for cultivating Self Compassion  

You can book a free call with Lauren via her website or follow her on instagram at @bloomwellpregnancy 

Professor Sheena Lewis’ research has been focused on male infertility and in particular sperm DNA damage testing, where her goal has been to identify causes of and treatments for male infertility by developing novel biomarkers.

Sheena has published over 120 full papers plus book chapters and numerous reviews.    Her research has led to the formation of a University spin out company; Examen  marketing male fertility tests. She also has a strong commitment to public engagement with research and regularly communicates her group’s latest research findings through international TV, radio and online interviews.

Today we talk all about what sperm DNA fragmentation is, how it affects fertility and how to go about understanding whether this may be an issue for you.

Examen have recently launched semen analysis testing in Belfast. You can book your test and find out more about your fertility here. https://examenlab.com/book-a-semen-analysis-test-at-our-belfast-hub/ 

Karen Hanson is the founder of Aura Fertility, which is an app designed to support and empower couples going through fertility struggles by providing personalised support and whole person care. The app was recently voted number 2 for fertility support in the app store and is growing quickly. 

Karen had her own fertility journey which led to the birth of her son and she is currently pregnant with her second child.  In this episode, she’ll be discussing how being diagnosed with unexplained infertility led her down the path of getting a diagnosis and advocating for women in a similar position to do the same. 

In this episode we are joined by the wonderful Claire Mooney, andrologist, embryologist and founder of Fertility Solutions, a specialist male fertility clinic in Beaconsfield, Herts.

Claire brings her wealth of knowledge to the table to discuss:

What is sperm DNA fragmentation and how it can affect a man's fertility
The importance of optimising sperm and how you may be able to avoid IVF with better sperm health
Bacterial infections and how they harm sperm
Treating couples to improve fertile parameters before signposting them straight to IVF and the ideal scenarios for IVF preparation if necessary

Claire offers short fertility consultations to discuss male fertility test results and offer support and guidance here. You can undergo a wealth of male fertility tests at Fertility Solutions including consultations with renowned Fertility Urologist Jonathan Ramsey. 

Dr Katie Lee is a dentist and author of 'Saved by the Mouth' 

Join Katie & myself to discuss:

• Fertility Facts: the connection between oral health and fertility, your oral health can be vital for fertility amongst other things
• Red Flags for Oral Health, signs and symptoms there maybe some work to be done!
• How to look after your Oral Health and testing for the Oral Microbiome

Katie is based in Colorado, USA and offers telehealth consultations and saliva testing for the oral microbiome, you can get in touch with Katie via her website or her instagram. 

Emma Harding is our Fertility Suite Reproductive Reflexologist, trained under expert Barbara Scott to support you with your fertility. We discuss:

How reflexology actually works
How it can support fertility and conditions affecting fertility
How it supports an IVF cycle
Reflexology in early pregnancy
What to expect at your first appointment.

You can book an appointment with Emma here or reach out to her on instagram @reflexologywithemma 

Louise Collyer is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, specialising in endometriosis and fertility. We discuss the complexities of Endo and considerations you need to make for your fertility: 

 - How endo affects fertility 

 - The Links with your vaginal microbiome 

 - The Links with your gut microbiome 

 - Nutritional support for Endo 

 - How acupuncture and herbal medicine can help 

 - Other practical tips to help Endo

You can contact Louise via instagram @_louisecollyer_

www.louisecollyeracupuncture.co.uk

She also has an online Endo Support Plan - Endo Fertility Solution 

Victoria Wigley , Embryologist tells us everything you need to know to improve your chance of success with IVF. We discuss: 

- What it means to have ‘good egg quality’ 

 - Embryo grading & PGT-A testing

 - What factors will affect how many blastocysts you could get

 - How important the lab is when choosing an IVF clinic and what should be the basic requirements 

 - The importance of improving sperm health before an IVF cycle

 - Top tips to improve your chance of getting good quality embryos

Victoria runs independent IVF advice service 'All About Embryology' and has previously worked at New Life clinic, CRGH and The London Fertility Centre. 

Andrew Coutts of the International Fertility Company tells us everything you need to know about having IVF abroad. For anyone considering IVF this is a must listen! 

We discuss: 

What are the benefits of having IVF abroad 
What are the standards of clinic like abroad
Do the clinics abroad offer ‘better’ more up to date treatment options than UK clinics Are there big cost differences
What are the pitfalls/potential downsides of IVF abroad
How do you start to look for a clinic 

Golnoush Golshirazi, molecular biologist and founder of Screen Me joined me to discuss the vaginal microbiome and its importance for fertility & loss. Golnoush also discusses how her own experiences have shaped the community she has built and fuelled her research in this area. ScreenMe offers vaginal microbiome and seminal microbiome testing, paired with education, support and care to help people improve their intimate health. 

We covered: 

What is the vaginal microbiome? 
Why is it important to test your intimate health
How does this relate to fertility & Loss
How the vaginal miocrbiome can affect IVF success
What can be done if you have an imbalance & treatment plans