Big Fat Negative: TTC, fertility, infertility and IVF

It's Gabby's last spin of the wheel, as she uses her final embryo. How did it go? Find out here.TRIGGER WARNING: This episode reveals the result of a round of IVF. If you are not ready to hear that, please look after your heart and listen some other time.Contains swears. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bonus episode: Gabby prepares for the transfer of her final embryo.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surprise! We're here on a Friday to give you a little something extra: an interview with the screenwriters of the new Netflix movie Joy, which comes out today, starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton and Bill Nighy, about Jean Purdy, Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe, the creators of IVF. Rachel Mason and Jack Thorne tell us about how their own experiences of IVF informed the narrative of the movie, why it was important to centre the story on Purdy, and which of the stars is the most beautiful cryer.No Prof Tim this week - see you on Tuesday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last time we spoke to the author, adventurer and arts producer Jessica Hepburn was way back in 2019, when we talked about how she swam the English channel. Now she's back, to talk about her climb up Mount Everest - and why she listened to the entire back catalogue of Desert Island Discs while she did it.Meanwhile, Professor Tim is talking sperm cups: do they work?The link to the Guardian piece Emma read is here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/nov/16/friendship-after-motherhoodSwears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bafta-nominated actor and director Maxine Peake and the actor and writer Hayley Standing discuss their new short, Incompatible, which tells the story of a pregnant woman who is told her baby is incompatible with life, and their experiences of infertility. You can watch the film at https://vimeo.com/713200159, or see the trailer on its Instagram account: @incompatibleshortfilm.Meanwhile, Professor Tim addresses natural killer (NK) cells: should you be tested? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second of our duo of episodes on surrogacy, Ariel Taylor, the founder of fertility and surrogacy organisation Carried With Love, talks about being a gestational carrier five times - and how it felt when she lost one of those pregnancies.Meanwhile, Prof T talks beta tests - why do some clinics do them and others don't?Scroll to 53:21 to hear Gabby's absolute banger. And if you want to check out Emma's interview with Jessica Valenti, you can read it here: https://www.thepersistent.com/us-presidential-election-abortion-voter-issues-jessica-valenti-interview/.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ginanne Brownell is a journalist whose jourrrrney took her to surrogacy via failed rounds of IVF and a very snazzy tattoo. Her new book, ‘Elusive Mommyhood: An Investigative Reporter's Personal Journey Into IVF and Surrogacy’ explores the history and politics of surrogacy in detail.And if you also want an Aku'aba tattoo, here it is.Meanwhile, Prof Tim talks about sex (baby): how often should you be Doing It? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The poet Harry Baker went viral this summer for his poem Trying, a heart-rending description of the anguish of infertility (/ode to German linguistic precision).He joins us today to talk about his creative process and why putting into words what you are going through is so important.Meanwhile Prof (or is it Dr?) Tim talks about antibiotics: can you have them during pregnancy?Find Harry merch (and his books) at www.harrybaker.co. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you make it past the unusually rambly intro, this episode we talk to Marea Goodman, a midwife who specialises in helping queer couples to conceive. We discuss at-home IUIs and the dangers of buying sperm online.Meanwhile, Professor Tim is talking about sex: should you do it after an embryo transfer?Swears, probably. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poppy Child isn't our usual guest: she's a doula whose social media feeds are stuffed with advice on giving birth. But she has also experienced pregnancy loss, and that's what we're talking about today.TRIGGER WARNING: This episode covers pregnancy loss and miscarriage in detail. Please don't listen if you can't.Meanwhile, Professor Tim is talking about recurrent implantation failure: what tests should you do? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Leah Hazard, the author of Womb: The Inside Story of Where We All Began. We talk about the things we don't know about the womb - like sperm crypts! - and current research which gives those suffering infertility just the tiniest glimmer of hope. Meanwhile, Professor Tim is talking about sugar - should we avoid it when we're TTC?Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're joined today by the TV host Scarlette Douglas, who tells us about her experiences of freezing her eggs. There's a bit of chat in here about possible side-effects of egg freezing: suffice it to say that if you experience numbness during your stim cycle, please go straight to A&E. Meanwhile, Professor Tim is answering an interesting question: are babies born from the same egg retrieval likely to be the same sex?Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're kicking off the seventh series by examining the problem of childless cat ladies: who, exactly, were JD Vance's comments aimed at? Not us, apparently - and yet we have taken great offence anyway. We're joined by Kat Brown, a self-confessed childless cat lady, to discuss what it all means.Meanwhile, Professor Tim is looking at probiotics - can they help implantation?Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*** TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE INCLUDES DISCUSSION ABOUT A PREGNANCY TEST RESULT AFTER AN IVF ROUND. PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN IF THIS ISN'T THE RIGHT TIME FOR YOU ***It's the end of the TWW, which means... pregnancy test time. But it isn't straightforward for Gabby. The girls discuss the result of the (eventual) test, how it feels when she already has one child and what it means for her future.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's just after transfer day and Gabby, stuck in the two-week wait (TWW) isn't doing well. The girls discuss symptom spotting, when to test and how to get through the TWW without losing your mind.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi! Are you a new listener? We suggest you go back and start from the beginning, so you get to know us properly.BFN is back for a special mini-series, as we follow Gabby on her second jourrrrney! In the second episode she prepares for her transfer, enjoys a moment of notoriety and worries about her scan - for an uncharacteristically gross reason.Enjoying the series? Please rate and review it - it helps others to find the podcast.Swears, as always, throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi! Are you a new listener? We suggest you go back and start from the beginning, so you get to know us properly.BFN is back for a special mini-series, as we follow Gabby on her second jourrrrney! In this episode we're talking about her decision to go again, the process so far and why she's worried about her timing.Enjoying the series? Please rate and review it - it helps others to find the podcast.Swears, as always, throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the last episode of the series, so we've got a special guest for you: Izzy Judd, one of the first celebrities to speak out about her infertility. We talk about what it was like to go through IVF in the public eye, and how she discovered what had stopped her periods. Meanwhile, Prof Tim is talking about endometriosis - can it prevent implantation?Swears - including one big one - throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'Embabies', 'frosties' - we give our embryos many names, but there may come a time when we reach the end of the TTC road and have blastocysts left over. Today we speak to fellow fertility podcaster Natalie Silverman about how she came to the decision to say goodbye to hers, while embryologist Millie Kanani explains how the process works.Meanwhile, Prof T addresses bleeding during the TWW - is it always a bad sign? If you want to skip Emma's bit, stop listening after Prof T - around 53 minutes.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're joined by Natalie Sutherland, the world's first fertility officer, and Somaya Ouazzani. With a shared background in corporate law, the two have started In/Fertility in the City, a space to share stories about going through fertility struggles while working in high-powered roles. Meanwhile, Professor Tim addresses Covid and its effect on embryo quality. If you don't want to hear Emma's part of the podcast, switch off after Professor Tim - at about 47:30.Swears throughout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.