Unspoken: The Fertility Network Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to Unspoken; the Fertility Network podcast!

Fertility Network UK is the nation's leading patient-focused fertility charity and have been around for over 20 years. We provide individuals with free and impartial support, resources, and information. Infertility affects 1 in 6 people, that is approximately 3.5 million people, which includes both men and women. This is why these discussions are so important and this podcast will elevate these conversations even further. We hope this podcast helps you feel less alone if you are experiencing infertility, and raises awareness so others can understand the paths people can take to parenthood.

Join the host, Anita Guru from Fertility Network UK, where you can expect to hear real and honest conversations, personal stories and journeys that really highlight the experience of infertility. You will also hear from experts in the field – No topic is off the table!

Find out more at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/

Follow us:

www.instagram.com/fertilitynetworkuk

https://www.facebook.com/FertilityNetworkUK

www.linkedin.com/company/fertility-network-uk

https://www.tiktok.com/@fertililitynetworkuk

https://x.com/FertilityNUK

www.youtube.com/@FertilityNetworkUK

Join us in our first ever episode of the new podcast with Andrea Byrne who discusses her new book ‘Desperate Rants and Magic Pants,’ and opens up about her own journey with fertility. Andrea talks about her experiences with fertility treatment, going public and the mental impact of her journey.

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

Guest details:

Andrea Byrne is one of the faces of ITV News. She anchors the BAFTA award-winning daily

news programme Wales at Six, as well as ITV’s national bulletins.

This has included ITV Weekend News, Lunchtime News, Evening News and

News at Ten. Prince Harry is among the many high-profile names she has interviewed.

Andrea also presents the current affairs programme Wales This Week; presents her own fertility podcast ‘Making Babies’; and is a Tedx speaker. She published her first book this year chronicling her fertility journey.

She is an ambassador for ‘The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme’ and a Non-Executive Director for Hockey Wales.

Andrea is married to Wales and Lions legend Lee Byrne. She is passionate about wellbeing and pioneered the introduction of Mental Health First Aiders in ITV’s newsrooms.

Away from the newsroom, she is a keen yogi, a novice stand-up paddle-boarder and a budding novelist!

Links:

Book: https://www.ylolfa.com/products/9781912631513/desperate-rants-and-magic-pants-our-fertility-story

Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/andrea-byrne

TedX Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZoVeM_9M4I

Dr Thanos Papathanasiou from Bourn Hall Clinic joins Anita Guru and talks about the history of Bourn Hall, the first ever IVF clinic, which is part of the new Netflix film Joy, released on the 22nd November, which is all about the pioneers of IVF. Dr Thanos talks about the emotional triggers of treatment, how clinics can take a compassionate approach to support patient’s mental health, navigating the start and ending of treatment, how to approach medical conditions linked to fertility, the experience of miscarriage and advocating for yourself as a patient.

Guest details

Dr. Thanos Papathanasiou is a prominent IVF and fertility specialist, serving as the CEO and Medical Director at Bourn Hall Clinic, the world’s first IVF clinic.

He earned his medical doctorate from the University of London, where he researched reproductive disorders. His clinical expertise includes managing poor responses to IVF stimulation drugs, requiring highly individualised treatment approaches. He has published influential, highly cited papers on poor ovarian response.

Before joining Bourn Hall, Dr. Papathanasiou established a successful career in Greece, recognised as an expert in fertility and endocrinology. He has published a book on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and has extensive experience in the fertility and endocrine clinics of major London hospitals.

His work consistently emphasises the integration of patient-centred care with advanced medical treatments.

At Bourn Hall, Dr. Papathanasiou has led initiatives to enhance patient support and streamline fertility treatments. He has also collaborated with Fertility Network UK (FNUK) on the “Fertility in the Workplace” (FiTW) initiative. This programme helps employers implement policies that support employees undergoing fertility treatments, addressing the impact of infertility on their professional lives. Dr. Papathanasiou advocates for flexible appointment schedules and supportive workplace policies to minimise the treatment’s impact on patients’ careers.

Dr. Papathanasiou’s dedication to excellence and compassionate care has earned him a reputation as a leading figure in reproductive medicine, and his work with FNUK exemplifies his commitment to holistic patient support.

Links:

www.bournhall.co.uk

https://www.gov.uk/request-baby-loss-certificate

Trauma research and support https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/access-support/trauma-support/

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

Jack Thorne and Rachel Mason join host Anita Guru to talk about the release on the 22nd November 2024 of the new Netflix film, Joy, which tells the story of how IVF was born and the story of the pioneering scientists behind it. Jack and Rachel are very candid and open about their own personal journey with infertility and IVF treatment, which was one of the driving forces to write the phenomenal film.

Jack Thorne is a BAFTA and Tony Award-winning screenwriter and theatre writer. His film credits include The Swimmers; Enola Holmes and Enola Holmes 2, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill and Sam Claflin; The Aeronauts, starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne; and Wonder; starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson. Thorne’s TV credits include His Dark Materials, Help and Best Interests. On the theatre side, he wrote the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and most recently The Motive and the Cue, directed by Sam Mendes.

Rachel Mason is half of The Mason Sisters artist management, who represent the multi-award-winning Charlie and Daisy May Cooper (This Country). Joy marks Mason's debut collaboration with her husband Jack Thorne, with whom Mason went through her own IVF journey, leading to their own source of joy – their son, Elliott.

Link to Guardian article mentioned in the episode - - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/10/screenwriter-jack-thorne-ivf-joy-film-netflix

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/

www.instagram.com/fertilitynetworkuk

https://www.facebook.com/FertilityNetworkUK

www.linkedin.com/company/fertility-network-uk

https://www.tiktok.com/@fertililitynetworkuk

https://x.com/FertilityNUK

www.youtube.com/@FertilityNetworkUK

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

Summary

Grace MacDonald is the second woman in the world to give birth through IVF and her story is significant in the history of reproductive medicine. Grace talks about her experiences with the early trials that are depicted in the Netflix film, Joy. She talks about her relationship with the scientists, especially embryologist Jean Purdy, how it has impacted her life and resilience through her journey.

Guest details

Grace MacDonald gave birth to her son, Alastair MacDonald on the 14th January 1979, following Lesley Brown, who was the first to undergo IVF and give birth to a child, Louise Brown, in England.

Grace, who was a teacher at the time, volunteered to participate in the IVF research after reading an article in the magazine Lancet. She had to keep her involvement a secret due to the controversy surrounding the new technique. After many failed attempts, she became pregnant on the second cycle of IVF treatment.

Grace’s pregnancy followed the pioneering work of Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards and embryologist Jean Purdy, the British doctors who developed the first successful IVF procedure.

Her case was significant as it showed the repeated success of IVF treatment, marking an important moment in the history of reproductive technology. Her contribution to IVF's success has helped shape the field, which today enables millions of families to have children through assisted reproductive technologies. Grace has recently joined Fertility Network UK as a patron and will supporting the mission of the charity.

Links:

Link to Bourn Hall - https://www.bournhall.co.uk/

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

In this episode, we are joined by Kim Stubbs from HSBC to talk about fertility in the workplace. Kim shares her own personal experiences of navigating infertility and recurrent baby loss in the workplace and shares advice for anyone navigating a journey to parenthood. Kim discusses the work that HSBC has done in supporting employees through the Employee Resource Group, Journey, and the ways that employees can advocate for themselves to ensure they get the right level of support.

Guest details

Kim Stubbs has had a successful career at HSBC spanning 20 years and is currently Head of Supported Banking Journeys at HSBC UK and Co-Chair of Journey ERG. The Journey ERG was a finalist in the Working Family Best Practice Awards in 2024 for the category of Best for Supporting Different Pathways to Parenthood.

HSBC UK recently expanded its partnership with Fertility Network UK through the Journey ERG. This collaboration allows the opportunity to build on the incredible work that has already taken place through collaboration and further support individuals navigating the many different pathways to parenthood.

Links:

Link to Fertility Network UK’s, Fertility in the Workplace resources: https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/fertility-in-the-workplace/

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

In this episode, we are joined by the amazing, eloquent and brave Ruth Corden, who talks about the experience of being childless not by choice after a long journey with infertility. Ruth talks about the mental and emotional agony living with infertility, the impact of pregnancy announcements, how she navigated relationships, and how she made the decision after much heartache to live childless.

Guest details

Ruth Corden is a podcaster and co-hosts the podcast series, Finding The Funny.

Ruth lives childless not by choice after she and her husband, Matthew, had tried to grow their family for 11 years. The season of trying was full of despair and at points, hope was lost.

Since the latter part of 2019, Ruth has made the conscious effort to live an intentional joy filled life, not being a mum has been then hardest thing she has endured, but she knows her mother’s heart with empty arms is so needed in society. Matthew and Ruth remain committed to finding the joy in a story that they didn’t think would be theirs.

Links:

Link to Ruth’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ruth_corden

Finding the Funny podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/finding-the-funny/id1518867893

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

Jessica Hepburn joins host Anita Guru to talk about her experiences with infertility, living a life childless not by choice and how adventure has formed a part of her healing journey from multiple losses due to infertility. Jessica openly shares the impact on her life, relationship and career, this is not an episode to be missed!

Guest details

Jessica is an author, arts producer and, refers to herself as ‘the most unlikely adventure activist!’

Jessica’s own fertility journey lasted 10 years with 10 cycles of unsuccessful IVF where she experienced grief and loss, but found solace in new adventures such as writing. Her books, The Pursuit of Motherhood, 21 miles and Save me from the Waves, take you on an alternative adventure through the ups and downs of her life and provide advice and comfort for those who are on a similar journey. Her books are now being released as a special trilogy.

Jessica is the only woman in the world to have completed The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge which involved running the London marathon, swimming the English Channel and then climbing to the top of Mount Everest!

Links:

Find Jessica’s books here Books - Jessica Hepburn

Jessica’s website - Jessica Hepburn

You can find Jessica on Instagram at Jessica Hepburn (@jessica_hepburn_)

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

We are now sponsored!

We are thrilled that Season 2 is sponsored by Tambre – a leading Assisted Reproduction centre based in Madrid.

Tambre believe that fertility care should be both advanced and deeply human.

Find out more about them here https://www.clinicatambre.com/en/

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

In this episode, host Anita is joined by Jeremy Edwards who talks about his experience with infertility, IVF treatment and the experience from a male perspective. He is incredibly open about the journey to parenthood and the impact on his relationship.

Guest details

Jeremy’s career began in TV and as a model when Jeremy landed the role of Kurt Benson in Hollyoaks, he has been a guest presenter on shows like GMTV, then onto Holby City and Millie Inbetween. He married Lydia Metz in 2009 and they have two children together through IVF.

Jeremy is now stepping into a bold new role — as a truth-teller, change-seeker, and passionate advocate — with the launch of his brand new Social media channel, TWIST: The Way I See Things.

Where to find Jeremy:

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/jq_edwards

https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremytwist

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

We are now sponsored!

We are thrilled that Season 2 is sponsored by Tambre – a leading Assisted Reproduction centre based in Madrid.

Tambre believe that fertility care should be both advanced and deeply human.

Find out more about them here https://www.clinicatambre.com/en/

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.

In this episode, Dr Sharleen Hapuarachi from Bourn Hall Clinic, delves into the process of egg collection and freezing, genetic testing and recurrent miscarriage. She shares some common misconceptions and great advice for anyone seeking treatment.

Doctor Sharleen is a Consultant at Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic and has established herself as a leading expert in the field of reproductive medicine, securing key roles in areas such as Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGTA), recurrent miscarriage clinics and transgender fertility preservation. Her dedication to patient advocacy and empowerment is evident in her approach to supporting individuals on their fertility journeys.

With a particular interest in fertility preservation, especially social egg freezing, Sharleen is a passionate advocate for women having the right to choose the timing of starting a family. She believes that every woman should have the autonomy to make this decision on her own terms.

In addition to her clinical work, Sharleen is committed to the education and development of future IVF specialists. She has initiated a rolling teaching program within her clinic for allied health practitioners in fertility, providing a platform for continuous learning through case reviews and reflections. This initiative has been instrumental in enhancing the knowledge and skills of those entering the field of reproductive medicine.

Bourn Hall Clinic are an official partner of Fertility Network UK, they partner with Fertility in the Workplace initiative to improve the experience for those juggling workplace commitments alongside fertility treatment and have been paramount in producing the Clinic Pledge.

Links:

You can find out more about Doctor Sharleen and Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic here –

https://www.bournhall.co.uk/clinic-team/dr-sharleen-hapuarachi/

https://www.bournhall.co.uk

If you are struggling and need support, please contact the charity at https://fertilitynetworkuk.org/ or organisations that can support your mental health are below.

Contact Samaritans on 116 123

Contact NHS on 111

We are now sponsored!

We are thrilled that Season 2 is sponsored by Tambre – a leading Assisted Reproduction centre based in Madrid. Tambre believe that fertility care should be both advanced and deeply human.

Find out more about them here https://www.clinicatambre.com/en/

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast.