The Fertility Podcast

In this episode, we're delighted to welcome to The Fertility Podcast Kate Jarman who is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Milton Keynes University Hospital. Kate is also the co-founder of the Flex NHS along with her colleague Aasha Cowey. Kate and Aasha campaign for flexible working for all and better working lives in the NHS. We really wanted to chat with Kate as we’ve heard from so many of you, who work in the NHS, about the difficulties you face in juggling your work and your fertility treatments.What is Flex NHS?Launched in November 2018 as Kate and Aasha felt there was a lot more that they could do to get equity and parity with flexible working for everybody working in the NHS. There are 1.3 million NHS employees who don’t have a lot of agency over their own time and diaries but may need flexibility for various issues. They’ve spent the last 3 years trying to amplify the voices of those staff who need flexibility in their lives.How is an organization that is so centered on a positive patient experience not reflecting this in their employee experience?Kate says that she feels many parts of the NHS do embrace flexibility but in different ways. There are huge challenges and there is no consistency across the organization. She feels, particularly as many people stay working in the NHS for their whole career, that employees need flexibility at different times of their lives for various differing reasons. This has to be two-way, there's a lot of work that we need to do with managers to enable them to feel empowered themselves to have those conversations about flexible working with their employers.Is change happening quickly enough?  Kate says that the pace of change is always an issue, and she would like to see things change faster. However, NHS England's People Plan has made flexibility from day 1 employment a contractual right. This came into effect in the middle of September this year and means you can take a job and you're entitled to flexibility from day 1. Kate feels that there does still exist a moral bar around flexible working and how we value people's time and a lot of judgment that goes into flexible working requests. By giving managers the information they need about flexible working and enabling them to feel empowered around making positive flexible working decisions will help improve this.Is the perception of part-time jobs being available correct? 96% of jobs advertised within the NHS are for full-time positions. Kate explains that there is a stigma surrounding flexible working, probably without us realizing it, and this often stops people from asking about flexible working at the recruitment stage. Kate discusses how she sees the NHS England’s People Plan to work in the context of women’s health and fertility. Kate feels that this needs to be supported by really good health and wellbeing policies that are understandable and accessible. She feels that currently, the NHS does too much work in isolation and as a workforce that is 78% women, we need to bring the issues that predominantly impact women to the fore and prioritize them as part of our work. Importance of retentionThis is a huge challenge for the NHS and we wanted to know Kate’s thoughts on how the NHS can go about retaining women in employment. She mentioned the importance of the manager taking a more active role in checking in on employees, rather than waiting for the employee to come to them with an issue. Kate mentions that there is already some great work being done to support women’s health issues, particularly menopause, through their unions, network groups, and individual champions – often off the back of their own experience. Natalie mentions that not all people going through a fertility journey will want to be an educator and that’s where the Fertility Matters at...

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 of infertility within Black communities. Vanessa described how multi-layered up fertility issues were with other social-cultural things like faith“When you are trying to build a family, you feel like everyone else is affected. Your whole family are invested and I felt it was too much pressure to go through, so it took me a while to talk about it. Then you have to deal with comments such as ‘Why you going through IVF it’s not something that we do’Vanessa chose to only share her experience after she was pregnant, she was 27 when they were trying.. She spoke about how Infertility has no boundaries in terms of what you go through and how it feels and how she felt she couldn’t get anything from her community as she wasn’t sharing so she needs to go elsewhere. She went on chat rooms… and realising there was the Instagram community… However the nuances in her journey -such as how to approach nosey aunties and uncles / the faith-based / they weren’t being covered in this predominantly white community. Vanessa spoke to Metro about her experience of going through IVF as a black woman had so much traction. People thanking her for sharing it. People saying they were also going through it.Women were saying this is something I’m going through but don’t feel comfortable talking to my friends as it’s not something that happens with Black women - started the conversation to help us feel less alone. Vanessa said how people talking back to her and she then seeing other black women bloggers starting the conversation helped her feel less alone. It was reciprocal and reassuring. She explained how ‘If there is already a perception in a community and you aren’t seeing people that look like you talking about it further breeds the idea that this isn’t the type of thing you might go through. ‘ There is still shame within Black communities assumption of virilityVanessa spoke about Noni Martens who has been talking about how black women are raised to be Mother - which s something we spoke more with Christine about later in the episode. There is an assumption that black women are apparently ‘hyper fertile’ Vanessa also explained her concerns about celebrity - saying how ‘There is also the perception of IVF is also that people are choosing what babies they have due to the celebrity association. As people don’t understand it. If someone is choosing it they are guaranteed to get pregnant, that she has decided to now get pregnant… like you are trying to take matters into your own hands She is now focusing more on Reproductive and Gynacolgical - having lost babies she has realised she still has work to do in the education she is sharing. Next, we welcome back a friend of the podcast Dr Christine Ekechi. Christine is a consultant gynaecologist at Imperial College NHS Trust and a spokesperson for Racial Equality at the RCOG. Christine is passionate about tackling the healthcare inequalities of women. We last saw, and interviewed, Christine in a very busy and noisy British Library in London, just before lockdown. We wanted to chat with Christine about the recent paper, shared by the HFEA, on the ethnic diversity infertility treatment and how using the term BAME is no longer acceptable.

Welcome back to The Fertility Podcast, yes it’s been a while since our main series was published and with this one, we’re going Behind The Scenes of IVF and in our first episode, we’re starting a conversation about the IVF sector’s green credentials. We hear from locum Embryologist Dani Smale, who started her training at CARE Fertility London where she undertook small research projects, including looking at the environmental impact of IVF, mainly plastic use. We also talk to Annemette Arndal-Lauritzen, the CEO of the European Sperm Bank about the Communication on Progress (COP) report and talk about how whilst their primary focus is on creating healthy babies, they also want to make sure that current, as well as future generations of donor children, grow up in a healthy world and that their families are on an equal footing with any other type of family.  You will also hear a snippet from Dr Emma Saunders and  Ricard Ledin da Rosa, Sustainability Specialist at Vitrolife. What was discussed: With almost 2.5 million IVF cycles completed around the world every year and the number is constantly rising - can IVF go green? It’s possible that per cycle / per consumer portion of greenhouse gas emissions could be higher than any other healthcare-related procedureDani Smale study with Care Fertility in 2018 looking at the number of cycles and the average number of different consumables for each procedure69,500 consumables about 22,800 pieces of packagingDifficult for a city-based clinic to recycle. Lab mentality - just get another one, rather than recycling NHS Labs are much more conscientious in thinking about costs Using reusable caps , but not that many units use them. People are worried about infection control so they use disposables. Repurposing = Glassware might be used in arts and crafts, schools, Girl Guides The Sustainable Development Goals from the UN to choose which applied to the European Sperm Bank  - 3 Good Health and Well-being, 5 Gender Equality, 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions  Recycle tanks  - don’t use dry ice as it requires a lot of plasticUse large tanks that can be recycled and optimised for usage Aiming to become zero neutral in 2025 in 2022 - attempting to reduce by 50% by minimising as much as possible and for the rest, they are offsetting, by planting trees. Importance of working with a company that takes pride in protecting the environment  - perception this gives to patients.We talked about the International IVF Initiative and a session they held called ‘How Green is your IVF’ which you can watch here Get in touch: We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you. Please email info@thefertilitypodcast.comFollow us on InstagramFertility PoddyKate This episode is sponsored by TMRW

Do you work for an organization that offers fertility benefits? Do you actually know what employee fertility benefits can offer you?The umbrella of fertility benefits may encompass anything from consultations to obtaining a diagnosis, medication, and treatments such as IUI and IVF. More expansive plans might include egg freezing, donor eggs or embryos, and/or gestational surrogacy. However, in the UK, fertility benefits are less commonplace compared to the US.In this episode continuing the fertility matters at work series, we’re joined by Jenny Saft, co-founder of Apryl, an organization that provides fertility benefits to companies in Europe to help overcome inequalities by supporting employees to thrive in their careers. Natalie came across Apryl in a report discussing the future of fertility and was intrigued to find out more about their comprehensive fertility benefits platform.Jenny shares her own experience of working in San Francisco and making the decision to look into egg freezing. Shortly after making this decision, she returned to Germany and was struck by the negativity surrounding egg freezing. She also found the egg freezing process really confusing and Apryl was born (excuse the pun) to help women fill in the gaps.Following on from the US trend, Apryl offers a 3 step approach for employees – know your options, find the right clinic for you, and let Apryl take over the discussions with your employer. They’re able to offer a personalized service, initial consultations and testing, treatment, and if needed adoption guidance and reimbursement of fees.Getting Apryl out there has been far from plain sailing. Jenny has heard employers having fears based on the very initially, large companies such as Facebook and Google offering egg freezing and the way in which this was viewed to keep women in employment. Unlike the US where 30% of companies with more than 500 employees offer fertility benefits, progress is slower in Europe. In the main due to the very different health care system in the US compared to the UK and many European countries.We talk about the benefits to organizations to show that they are fertility-friendly and ask Jenny if she feels that companies have a good understanding of these benefits such as retention and attracting talent? She feels that some companies, such as tech organizations, financial services, and law firms are ahead of the game compared to others.Jenny hopes that more companies will come to realize the benefits of supporting their employees financially when it comes to fertility in the future. She is already noticing that those organizations that are serious about doing so, are the ones who are ready to have these conversations. Perhaps more pressure from you, the employee, is what’s needed to make this change?SOCIALS: Apryl InstaApryl WebsiteFertilitypoddy YourFertilityNurse

As we get just over halfway through our series focused on Fertility Matters at Work, we’re pleased to be able to share a great example of how beneficial implementing training and support around fertility issues in the workplace can be and how it not only benefits a workplace from a cultural point of view, it impacts productivity, staff retention, and attraction. During the time Fertility Matters at Work has been developing its e-learning and training and policy package, Kate has very been working directly with a number of organizations, providing training and a clear understanding of what needs to be done to better support employers and one of those organizations is The Bank of England.In this conversation, we are joined by Anastasia Vinnikova Wellbeing Lead who talked about how the project came about as the bank already had a good foundation within the wellbeing space and a good level of education in core principles in wellbeing and life events, that impacted their workforce. In the conversations that came up, it was clear that colleagues felt empowered from the support being provided and the culture shift had created openness and honesty amongst colleagues.Peer SupportAnnastasia explained the existing peer support network which shares experiences with others to offer support. It aims to equip peer supporters with the next steps and onward support. The bank had experienced momentum in their journey of infertility and pregnancy loss as a result of conversation and so had set up a community and resources, along with making policy changes surrounding pay and leave. They had also been sharing experiences through blogs and podcasts Line Manager training: When talking about the role of Managers, Anastasia talked about the difficulties they can experience and acknowledged the bank still has more work to do on how they educate managers. One measure is to ensure a Manager has supported through other avenues and that employers know that their Manager isn’t the only place they can go to for support, hence the importance of the peer support network. Next steps. Whist a lot has already taken place the Bank of England are still keen to gain an understanding of why people haven’t engaged with the topic as yet and are looking into further education to help challenge the stigma and taboo around the topic of infertility as you never know how close you are to those going through these challenges?What challenges needed to be overcome and advice for other organizations: When it comes to Well-being challenges, it’s important to understand that they don’t stop the minute you walk into the office. Organizations need to understand that it is important to get past the stigma and put actions in place to get over this. Companies have a moral responsibility and should make it an imperative. Anastasia also talked about how as an organization you don’t get the same out of employees if they don’t feel supported. We also discussed the importance of intersectionality and its impact on mental health. Whilst there might be discomfort initially the fertility conversation inevitably builds momentum. From what the Bank of England has implemented to date, they have had positive feedback from individuals which will help inform and guide, however, it’s important to remember, that no one size fits all. To find out more about how your workplace can become fertility-friendly and how you can join our brand new membership visit www.fertilitymattersatwork.com[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Continuing our series on all things to do with navigating a fertility journey whilst working, we’re delighted to chat with Natalie’s co-founder and partner in crime at Fertility Matters at Work - Becky Kearns. Sadly, Claire Ingle who is also a co-founder had tech gremlins and couldn’t join us to chat. We’re also joined by Helen Burgess who, like Kate, is a partner at Fertility Matters at Work and an employment lawyer at Shoosmiths. Becky gives us the low down on the recent launch of the Fertility Matters at Work e-learning training and policy program, that supports employers become ‘fertility friendly’. E-learning helps employers understand what is involved in a fertility journey but also how to have conversations to support their employees. The e-learning covers all the different ways in which families can be made, including solo motherhood and same-sex relationships, and is suitable for all organizations whether large or small. Helen shares why her firm, Shoosmiths was keen to start talking about this topic. After talking to colleagues Helen found that, like her, there was very little support in the workplace, and as an employment lawyer wanted to shine a light on employers and organizations. Becky and Helen share their own personal experiences of their fertility journey in the workplace and the difficulties they faced. Becky experienced early menopause at the age of 28. She luckily had flexibility in her role, as an HR professional, to attend appointments but struggled with disclosing her diagnosis and the need for treatment. In particular, she struggled with the emotional aspects and juggling her workload. She just felt so alone and exhausted. Helen, similar to Becky, was in a senior position and therefore had the flexibility to attend fertility treatments and fortunately had a supportive colleague. Helen made the decision to divulge to her team, but the flip side was the need to than to tell work when a fertility treatment fails, and the difficulty of reliving it all whilst trying not to be emotionally reck at work. Claire talks about the difficulty in disclosing your fertility journey to your employer and their worries over confidentiality and the impact on their careers, but also how often disclosing can be a relief if you are given the support you need. She also talks about the constant triggers in the workplace from baby showers and new babies being brought into the office. Fertility wellbeing is so much more than just having the flexibility to attend appointments……. Kate asks Helen what organizations need to consider from a legal perspective. Sadly, currently, there is very little protection for employees. There is no legal right to attend appointments and it is down to the employer. Helen mentions that in some circumstances if you’re refused flexibility to attend appointments then it could amount to indirect sex discrimination. Employers do need to consider when employees are not on their A-game so that they can offer support. After embryo transfer, you are protected by pregnancy discrimination protection. Helen is not sure if there will be a legal change in the future but is hopeful, but certainly not in the short term. Disability employment law doesn’t cover infertility but could cover some of the conditions that lead to infertility such as severe endometriosis. Helen also discusses the complexities of same-sex relationships and discrimination. We talk about how a policy is the first step, but employers need to consider so much more such as raising awareness, recognizing the complexities of fertility in the workplace, and peer support. Employers need education on what to say and what not to say. Becky shares her advice on how employees can start a conversation with their employer. The Fertility Matters at Work, website provides lots of guidance in relation to

In this episode of the Fertility Matters at Work episode, we want to focus on the psychological aspects of juggling fertility in the workplace. We all know it’s not easy to do and certainly not a great place to find ourselves in but what really is the impact? To answer this question, we’re delighted to welcome perinatal psychologist Julianne Boutaleb @parenthoodinmind.Julianne is the Clinical Director and Founder of the Parenthood In Mind practice. She has worked for over 15 years in the NHS and private practice with parents and parents-to-be and their babies (and bumps) who have needed support with a wide variety of issues including anxiety and depression during and after pregnancy, miscarriage, and reproductive loss, attachment issues, re-emergence of childhood issues and couples’ issues.Parenthood in Mind consists of a specialist team of psychologists and psychotherapists with decades of professional experience between them in perinatal settings, CAMHs, primary and secondary care, and Early Years settings. They are experts in working with individuals, couples, and their babies in the transition to parenthood, and with parents of children up to 5 years of age. Julianne is without a doubt well placed to talk to us about the impact of juggling fertility in the workplace and consults many individuals who are struggling in silence at work. Today Julianne shared the following on her Instagram account - Help-seeking in the perinatal period.It's so difficult to reach out. To say out loud I need help.At no other point in our lives do we need help more, and yet fear asking for it.The fear of being exposed, of being judged,Of being misunderstoodOf admitting too much… Does this resonate with your experiences in the workplace? It certainly did with us.Julianne starts off by explaining the impact of infertility and pregnancy loss on our mental health and then talks about the psychological impact of infertility, referring to the work by Alice Domar who likened infertility psychological impact of a cancer diagnosis for example. Julianne also likens it to the death of the story you originally dreamed of and that it is a moment of trauma. She explains that in the workplace this trauma can show up as panic attacks, feeling that you can’t get up in the morning, a sense of dread or difficulty over what would have been normal work tasks, individuals feeling as though they’re not in control or trying to ‘front it out’ and not divulging what you’re going through to your employer. She also refers to the interpersonal conflict you might feel and sadly individuals facing grievance due to a negative change in workability. Julianne urges line managers to be aware of sudden changes in workability and behavior and to try to find out why this might be happening. Julianne shares some fantastic tips on what she advises people to actively do if they’re struggling such as the importance of Identifying a colleague to discuss this and therefore start creating a little village of support within the workplace. Julianne has seen fantastic examples of where employees set up WhatsApp groups and peer support to facilitate better support within the workplace. She also recommends short sharp wins, such as stepping away from the computer, lunch outside the building rather than leaving your employment altogether, and the isolation, this can bring.Finally, Julianne shares examples of difficult situations in the workplace she has come across from both an employee and an employer going through fertility issues at the same time and the employer being able to offer support but getting no support back and the frustrations she felt with this. Julianne also refers to a friend of the podcast - Sophie Martin @the.infertile.midwife who, as her Instagram name suggests,...

Welcome to episode 2 in our current series discussing the intricacies of fertility in the workplace. In this week’s episode, we’re joined by 4 teachers to find out just what it’s like to navigate a fertility journey whilst juggling the demands of a teaching job.We welcome Caroline Biddle who worked as a secondary school drama teacher for 9 years. Caroline is no longer in a teaching role but is committed to changing the way fertility issues in teaching are managed and as a result, set up her organization – Fertility Issues in Teaching. Fertility issues in teaching Fertility Issues in Teaching are the first and only organisation to deliver specialist consultancy and training exclusively for schools to raise awareness around the impact on staff experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss and to support schools to recruit and retain the best staff by becoming inclusive, flexible, and equitable, as they move towards fertility-friendly workplaces. Claire Walker and Nic Jessop are both teachers currently working in education and Claire Stewart-Hall, who, like Caroline is no longer a teacher, is a coach who coaches people around race, adoption, and LGBTQ in the workplace.Having to move schools Caroline starts off by telling us about her experience of going through fertility treatment in the workplace and how She moved schools between treatment and experienced two very different styles of support. Neither school had a fertility policy in place which left her feeling both vulnerable and frustrated. In one school she had to explain every appointment for the headteacher to approve and this was far from satisfactory. It was then that she started researching fertility awareness in the workplace. Getting your Union involved Claire Walker explains her experiences of going through fertility treatment with her partner who was transitioning from female-male and how she was told by her employer that ‘IVF is elective like cosmetic surgery’ without any understanding of her individual circumstance. Claire explains how she has always been, as many teachers are, totally dedicated to her job and this comment felt her feeling undervalued.Quitting your jobClaire Stewart-Hall shares with us a very harrowing experience where she experienced a missed miscarriage after being punched in the stomach by a pupil. Claire also talks about the difficulties of trying to conceive whilst juggling a busy role as a vice-principal and the taboos she felt being in a same-sex relationship and how ‘hidden’ she found fertility in general. In stark contrast, Nic has a positive story to share about the support from her workplace during her recent successful IVF treatment and frozen embryo transfer, where she says her work environment was so supportive with her employers having a good understanding of what’s involved in infertility treatments and a leader who actively tries to understand what her employees are going through. Nic feels that her experience is an example that other schools should aim to follow. On Caroline’s Instagram feed and her blog, she regularly talks about the need for schools to strive for compassion and thoughtfulness when discussing infertility. She shares examples with us where thoughtless comments have been made such as headteachers demanding that ‘scans are done on a Wednesday or at a specific time’. Leaders said that they ‘will offer paid leave for 1 treatment but not more, and even examples of where people have offered advice when they don’t have any understanding about fertility.  Claire Stewart-Hall is currently undertaking a doctorate on race and policy in schools and talks about how policy can be interpreted differently by individual schools, and that leaders will often ‘cherry pick’ what they want out of the policy or interpret...

It’s great to be back! We’ve had a bit of a break and we’re back with a new series talking all about Fertility in the workplace. As well as doing the podcast, Natalie’s voiceover work and Kate’s consulting; for the last 18 months or so, both Natalie and Kate have been working with organisations to help put fertility in the workplace firmly on their wellbeing agenda.How does the landscape at work look? Kate and Natalie discuss what we've heard from our work and how in light of, how in the last few months, a number of organisations have published fertility and pregnancy loss policies. Over the coming weeks we will be hearing from different organisations who are speaking out about their work to support employees on their paths to parenthood and this new series of the podcast has been created alongside an exciting launch of a brand new training and policy programme from Fertility Matters at Work which we'll be talking about in the coming weeks too. We’ll be sharing best and worst examples of fertility in the workplace and, as always, sharing your personal experiences, so we want you to get in touch and share yours stories which can you do right here 4 Women In the first episode of our new series on Fertility Matters at Work we’re absolutely delighted to welcome Channel 4 to the podcast. Navene Alim who is a senior lawyer within the corporate legal team at C4 and Landy Slattery, creative director of All 4, Channel 4’s(CH4) on-demand platform. Both are the co-founders and co-chairs of the 4 Women network, and we’re talking all about CH4’s Pregnancy Loss Policy that was launched in April 2021.When the pregnancy loss policy was launched, CH 4 stated that “The policy which was believed to be the world’s first is to support both women and men who have been affected: whether it happens directly to them, their partner or their baby’s surrogate mother, regardless of the nature of their loss, and whatever their length of service. It also recognises pregnancy loss as an experience not isolated to women or heterosexual couples.”Why was the policy developed? Following the huge momentum and notoriety that came from CH4's menopause policy the 4 Women network wanted to build on this. After surveying employees to find out the most important issues, pregnancy loss was identified as a huge issue for the workforce. They found that people were struggling in silence and making excuses for needing time off. CH4 were due to air a new series – Baby Surgeons delivery miracle babies ( quoted incorrectly in the pod ) and they wanted to get a policy in place to hit with the time the series aired.CH4 share how they implement the policy they developed and wanted to ensure that training would be available for managers and colleagues to help them, support employees, appropriately. They are actively trying to find the right solutions to provide the correct support. Their policy is the first step in acknowledging that pregnancy loss is part of a woman’s working life. Having the conversations and the educational piece is the first steps in changing organisational...

This week we are discussing Surrogacy, both in the UK and abroad. Our first guest is Anna Buxton, mum of three children through two different surrogates. Anna talks us through her decision of how they reached surrogacy after a long and painful gynecological history and was told Surrogacy was her only hope as she would never carry.Not carrying your child and grieving for that lossAnna voices the fear of so many people considering surrogacy, They were able to create embryos yet still it was v.difficult. Feels like you are giving up on the hope of ever carrying a child, your husband seeing you pregnant, you feel lost. Ripple effect… you think you are going to get pregnant, then you realize it's not going to happen as you thought. She couldn’t find anyone to talk to about surrogacy. Started in the UK - charities, and agencies but all had really long waiting lists and they’d already spent 5 years trying to get pregnant, and couldn’t deal with another wait of 3 years. She found a few couples to talk to but didn’t have access to the Insta community that exists today. Anna talks about how she now realizes that Surrogacy was the light at the end of the tunnel for them and how incredible the women are who do it. She describes how Surrogacy is so complex of the process was something she buried herself in which helped her almost deal with the grief of not being able to carry.Surrogacy in IndiaIndia had the longest reputation of surrogacy but had been shrouded in bad press and was halted for a while. They visited 10 clinics and found a Dr and clinic they loved who were running a lovely program all centered around the wellness of the surrogate. They started the IVF process in the UK and then had egg collection and embryos fertilized in India and then were found a surrogate. She still had nobody to talk to about this. Complications of Surrogacy Abroad The first step is to find a lawyer who is really experienced. The pregnancy was difficult - people weren’t talking about it, so Anna didn’t tell hardly anyone until about 24 weeks. It felt hard to believeShe worried that people thought she was undeserved of being pregnant because she wasn’t carrying the bump. Anna describes skulking around John lewis looking at prams, terrified someone would ask her why she was there and she was asked who she was buying the pram for and she said she mumbled ‘it’s complicated’ and walked off as she wasn’t ready to tell a stranger. Anna explained how you never know if someone is going to say ‘congrats’ or if they will ask complicated questions. She walked away and ordered everything online. Telling Work Anna explained how they talked to close friends who were really supportive but she was worried about work as she was the first person who had done it, was concerned about her position. She told them at 24 weeks, however, they had no policy for anyone doing surrogacy. How they talk to their childrenThey’ve talked about how children are bought into the world. They have pictures and memorabilia of India all around. They talk about how Mummy’s tummy is broken and another mummy helped to grow her. They celebrated Divali, making sure to normalize her culture and how she was bought into the world. Isla - 5 Always say thank you to Sheparla her surrogate and India. They don’t have a relationship with her as she didn’t want to and also doesn’t speak English. Anna writes a letter every year to her clinic with a picture of Isla both to Sherparla and her children. It’s different with the twins as they are in touch with Holly, her surrogate in San Diago, and has pictures of her in their nursery. They are still in contact with her. Surrogacy is an everyday... Our second...

In this episode, we’re talking about donor sperm and treatment abroad. We have discussed donor conception on the podcast before and refer throughout the episode to previous chats we’re had as we’ve spoken to egg donors, as well as organizations that help match you with donors both in the UK and abroad and we’ve heard your stories about having treatment abroad with a donor egg or sperm, for a multitude of reasons. The idea of using a donor to make your baby can take a lot of time to get your head around and it's so important to get support and there are brilliant organizations to guide you. We’ve chatted with the Donor Conception Network who have been around for a long time, working on the narrative about how we talk about this with our loved ones. More recently, the brilliant Becky Kearns who is @defiingmum on Instagram has launched her Paths to Parents hub which is to support people looking at donor conception and Becky is working tirelessly to provide webinars and an amazing support network to help answer the many questions that come with donor conception. Our first guest is JR Silver who has created a wonderful children's book called Sharing Seeds.JR was diagnosed with the BRCA1 and sadly lost his sister to breast cancer 9 months later. The family had realized there was a line of females that had passed away youngSister died 9 months later. It was when he went to find out about PGD testing to see whether they could take sperm and have it analyzed to see if they would only put forward healthy spermWhat is Non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA)Ended up having fertility tests - he found out that he had zero sperm which is defined as Non‐obstructive azoospermia (NOA) Definition - no sperm in the ejaculate due to failure of spermatogenesis and is the most severe form of male infertility. The etiology of NOA is either intrinsic testicular impairment or inadequate gonadotropin production.JR went on to have more tests to confirm the condition and then went on to see a Urologist and had two operations to try and retrieve sperm over the coming year. He and his wife had a strong support network and also gained more support and also funding from the Jewish infertility charity Chana  Chana is close to my heart as they also supported me in the early stages of our decision to donate our frozen embryo You can learn more about themWhat’s it like choosing a sperm donor for a guy and what advice do you have for other men? JR explained how he was on a light dose of anti-depressants felt that might have taken the edge off the choosing a sperm donor. Once the pair had got their head around it, they found it quite good fun. JR talked about how his wife didn’t want to see pictures, but it was one of his requirements. The pair are fair in the background and they wanted someone close to his aesthetic and he said that enabled them to pick the donors based on the pictures available. The donor was from Canada and the US from XytexJR says to be wary of all the advice offered and encourages Men to work with their partner and look at if they can deal with the setbacks of how it feels, see it as a joint project.How do you talk about using a sperm donor - with your friends and family? This is such an important conversation and once we’ve also discussed on the podcast with Jana Rupnow... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

In this episode, Natalie and Kate are working with Access Fertility to explain what is involved when it comes to self-funding your fertility treatment. Speaking with Professor Scott Nelson who is Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Glasgow, consultant for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as well as the visiting Professor at the University of Bristol, Scott is the Scientific Director of The Fertility Partnership and Medical Director of Access FertilityHow do Multi-Cycle and Refund packages work for IVF? There are several different ways to pay for private fertility, designed to make it more affordable and accessible for those who need it. The two most popular ways to self-fund are multi-cycle and refund programmes, which help families avoid escalating costs if more than one cycle is needed or get some money back if the treatment is unsuccessful.A multi-cycle programme is where a patient pays a fixed price for multiple cycles, and the cost is the same whichever cycle is successful, or if none of them is. Once the patient has had the cycles, there are no refunds. And if the first cycle is successful, the patient can’t access any further treatment under the programme.Up until now, these programmes have been provided independent from the medical clinics that carry out treatment, so there is a natural separation of medical and financial decisions. This means women and baby’s health is the only priority.A refund programme allows patients to recoup up to 100% of their money if their treatment is unsuccessful. Refunds aren’t offered if the patient is successful before the end of a full programme.How has the Pandemic impacted fertility treatment? It has been a huge impact in the UK and after the initial chaos, what is now left is the residual waiting for appointments and treatment. Many people have found their treatment has been delayed, or are worried that their fertility has declined, while others may have been "aged out" of being eligible for NHS or other treatments. This means that some may feel they need to rush their treatment or must access more aggressive treatment. Have a listen to our previous episode about the Postcode LotteryThere has been a lot of concern about people making quick and ill-informed decisions and both Kate and Natalie were ambassadors for the Safe Campaign,highlighting the importance of ensuring patients were making informed decisions when it comes to treatment options, despite being tempted to push their physical or mental health to the limit to get pregnant. What we discussed:The options for accessing fertility treatment The ways of paying for private fertility treatment including multi-cycle and refund programmes and the safest ways of accessing these programmesThe importance of not rushing your decisions and making informed choices How much of an impact has the closure of clinics at the start of the pandemic had on patients' decisions to self-fund rather than wait for NHS funding?How does it work when you are self-funding for fertility treatment? Why would you opt for a multi-cycle and refund package? How much money patients using Access Fertility programmes can expect to saveWhether people are aware of the risks of aggressive treatment?Scott mentioned the OPIS IVF model Socials: Access... ...

Kate and Natalie discuss the Frozen Embryo Transfer, explaining what it means when it happens and how it feels when cycles don’t work. The pair discuss how there is research to show that the success of the frozen cycle is as high as a fresh, so do not worry if you do have to freeze your embryos. With a frozen transfer, your body isn’t full of all the medication, so you’re embarking on a more natural cycle so there is also the thinking that you’re putting those previous embryos back in a more natural environment. Amber Woodward is a brilliant blogger and former book reviewer on The Fertility Podcast.How to prepare? Amber talks about how she learnt about nutrition to help her get pregnant as it wasn’t happening and she had read a lot about the impact of your nutrition. Her medical records state unexplained infertility, underpinned by PCOS, Amber has had issues with her insulin and she discusses how it can make a real difference to your nutrition. After 12 months of changing her diet, she got regular cycles and talks about how much of a difference it can make for conceiving naturally and preparing IVF. Try to improve egg quality, keep your hormones balanced which she found very difficult and food has a big impact on her emotions. What about Eastern medicine - Chinese herbs? Amber talked about trying eastern medicine. Chinese medicine in particular despite her partner Joe’s concerns and the disgusting taste. She said it also made her cycles go crazy. She didn’t leave herself enough space between starting it and then doing IVF as it’s not recommended when you start treatment. Amber talked about how the pair of them had forgotten how all-consuming ‘trying again’ was and also how the treatment felt, as well as other people announcing 2nd siblings. Working and going through FETShe was at work when she had another FET, her nutrition wasn’t great and she wasn’t really exercising, so she didn’t feel very prepared. She went into it feeling like she should have put more effort in and they had 2 embryos left and the pair had decided they weren’t doing any more fresh cycles. What about when it doesn’t work? When it didn’t work - the clinic said ‘it's just one of those things about 70% don’t take. You can do everything and it doesn't work and you can do the opposite and not prepare. On the final FET, she wanted to give it her best shot and have no regrets. They didn’t need to wait very long after the failed cycle as you don’t need to treat it like an IVF cycle as you aren't’ stimulated. They were due to have the treatment in April as Covid took hold of the world. She describes how it was the best thing for them to have some time to adjust. Her clinic reopened the day before her birthday. How long does it take? Covid changed how the clinic did the down-regulation. In January when she cycled failed, they had 1 month of downregulation and then the oestrogen for 3-4 weeks. Then you’d have a couple of scans and then the progesterone. During Covid, the clinics wanted to limit the number of times you went there. Instead, she was posted the oestrogen (which increased womb lining) Amber was on this for approx 3 weeks and then 4 days later she had the transfer and two weeks later she had the pregnancy result. So a 5-week process. What if it doesn’t work and how having that conversation about ‘what if’ helpedAmber had shared on her socials about how the pair of them had talked about alternative life plans if it didn’t work. They had prepared themselves for the FET to be their last treatment. They talked about just being able to put it all... See a...

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 stage an egg can be at. Alpesh explains how patients need to be informed at every stage of scans with how many follicles are in each ovary, what size are they, how many are they expected to grow, at the last scan, when they are ready for trigger - the patient should have more details chat about what to expect. Did you know 80% of follicles result in eggs? Typically follicles that are over 14mm in diameter What if I don’t get enough eggs? There is often a lot of disappointment that can come because patients aren’t sure how to interpret numbers. But it’s important to remember that 15 follicles don’t mean 15 eggs. Alpesh explains how important it is that patients shouldn’t fixate on a number = it could be a number of eggs and the number of embryos. The journey from the egg to the embryo is a funnel as the numbers come down. More important to focus on the embryo number.How long does egg collection take and does it hurt? It can take 15 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the number of follicles. The procedure takes place under a general anesthetic, meaning you will have been nil by mouth since the night before. Alpesh explains the procedure of draining the follicles and how once it is done, and you have one round from the anesthetic you will be monitored to make sure everything is OK before you can go home. All in all about 2 hours.  When will you hear from the clinic after egg collection? The embryologist has a conversation straight after once you are awake to explain what will happen next eg. IVF or ICSI There will then be a call the next day to updateDay 3 call - assessment Day 5 - to let you know how many have developed into Blastocyst Have a listen to a previous episode with Embryologist Rachel Cutting about ‘What an embryologist does’  What to do on the day of embryo transfer? If you have no complicated history of ET - no sedation will be needed, it’s like a smear test. You will need a full bladder, and a catheter will be passed into the cervix, using ultrasound and the embryologist will pass another catheter to release the embryo in the middle of the uterus. It takes about 20 minutes. You will be at the clinic for about 30 mins and then can go home. Hormones continued and then dealing with the two-week wait and talking to the clinic as much as you like. How to deal with the Two Week Wait #TWWNatalie talked about how important it is to give yourself things to look forward to, and how she and her husband went away for a few days, so they’d done something nice even if the outcome wasn’t what they’d wanted. Alpesh talks about the importance of the emotions between couples being supported and managed. We will be making an episode about how you cope with the TWW, so if you’ve read this far and would like to tell us please email The outcome - what if it’s not successful? What to expect from your clinic. Alpesh talks about how they manage a... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and...

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. Unfortunately, the majority are injections and you following a plan and dosages. Kate explained how important it was to talk through the different injections how they work when you need to do them, how to draw them up and prepare them, and they have mock ones to practice with How it all works? You get to practice with a fake skin pin cushion which is good to know if you have a fear of needles, you get to feel more and get to see the needle, which is tiny. If you’re scared, it’s important to spend time with your fertility nurse, have a look ad practice and find out what works, you can get your partner and have them shown. Kate mentioned breathing techniques and meditations. It may sound terrifying for people but you soon get the hang of it, Natalie certainly did after being so worried on day 1, by day 3 she was in the loo doing it, as she was hosting an event!Where should you inject? In your tummy, where your trousers sit - either side of your belly button. It’s really important to rotate around your tummy, to give the areas a break, you will get brushing as it’s a side effect of the treatment, which is why it’s good to rotate the area you inject. What about if you miss your injection? If it’s a few hours, Kate advises you do it, if it’s the next day, Kate advises you to call your clinic. What about air bubbles? There is a little air bubble on the pen ( there’s minimal evidence it will make any damage ) always give a little tap before injection, make sure fluid is at the top, pre-loaded pens are ready to go. Ways to help partners feel more involved? Natalie talked about how she and hubby named the two injections after film/cartoon characters What about nose sprays? There is a nose spray for the down-regulation, but they are mainly injectables, depending on your protocol. Your clinic can reduce the time you have to take them. Side effects of drugs? Depends - long protocol and down-regulation, can put you into temp menopause, people may report headaches, night sweats, difficulty sleeping, but these pass when on stimulation drugs. Stimulation drugs - These can make you feel bloated and fatiguedCetrotide - can make you feel like there is a bee sting when you do the injection but it disappears in about 30 min.. Natalie mentioned her own experience. You will need to listen to the bizarre side effect Natalie experienced… if you had the same experience, do let Natalie know. Kate says if you do have any weird sound effects, do let your clinic know. Kate talks about ways to tick off the injections on the calendar, Natalie talked about treating it like a science experiment. Think about how it’s not forever… Kate talks about how she helps patients celebrate their last injection with patients.  The Trigger Injection - what if you can’t do it in time? If you’re having any problems or struggling to take it, use the videos - talk to the nurse at your scan before it. If it comes to trigger time and there is a problem, contact your clinic as soon as you can, and they can advise you on what to do... See acast.com/privacy for privacy

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 the safety of the Covid Vaccine. Here’s Kate’s post that we discuss. Your initial visit to the fertility clinicJames talks about what to expect after you have an initial referral for a series of 2 or 3 diagnostic tests and how there should be a plan for you put in place. We discuss: What information should people bring with them? How clinics will have a questionnaire, including info like the previous history ( how long you’ve been trying ) any previous pregnancies, as much info as possible about your menstrual Any other info, surgical, gynecological, medicalImportant to identify any other risks complications that need to be made aware of. If you’ve had treatment elsewhere - bring all the info What about delays due to COVID: In terms of key investigations markers of egg reserve, transvaginal scan, AMH blood tests - if done within last 6 months Semen analysis within last 6 months - unless significant abnormality, it might need to be repeated. Other tests for IVF include HIV, Hep B, Hep C - within the first 3 months of treatment James gives his opinion on home blood tests and whether he accepts them and he explains how it depends on where they’ve been done and who they’ve been done through. As long as he can see where they’ve come from and ascertain how accurate they are, there should be no need to repeat them. How often should you expect to see the same Dr? James explains how you will have a point person - you will have direct access to people via email. However due to the nature of the treatment with your embryos being ready when they are ready, so it might mean that your collection or transfer might not be at a time the Dr is available. He explains how you will have continuity with your Dr, but it won’t always be just with him. Kate shared a great post on Insta about what questions to ask about IVF  Workup is keyOnce you have had the tests, then you get ready for the treatment itself - so what should you expect. James talks about the treatment and explains what it is going to be doing - FSH hormone in higher doses, with a daily injection ( on average this is about 12-14 days ) in the same time it takes for one egg to grow, we’re trying to get more. In almost every cycle, it starts just after your period, then for 2 weeks you take an injection to make your eggs grow with 3/5 scans, to see when you are ready for egg collection. You may have blood tests. All help to decide when you are ready for egg collection. The second medication is to stop your body from releasing the eggs. The main difference between long and short protocol is when the medication is changed. A long and a short protocol from period to egg collection is the same, it’s just different by the medication. Approx 2 weeks of intensive monitoring/estrogen goes up, it tends to make you feel good. It’s more likely that post embryo transfer the homes can make you feel a bit gritty. The hardest thing is the logistics. James talks about stress and the importance... See acast.com/privacy...

Hope.. and what it means to youThis 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 structure and wanted to revisit topics. We also knew the by going over this information and signposting you to other episodes we’d already shared, it would be really useful if you were already trying and at different stages as we’ve shared updated info as well as recapping things that might help. So now we’ve reached the point in our content where we are about to head through the clinic door and it felt right to stop and reflect. Our aim with The Fertility Podcast is to educate, empower and support you at every stage and if we can help you to conceive naturally by sharing the insights of our experts, which may then to you asking more questions to your medical professionals, then we’ve done what we set out to do.. to help. Alongside the education, Kate and I are both dedicated to supporting your mental health. I feel like my own personal journey with infertility has affected my life much more than I realised or admitted and have done a lot of self-development ( and continue to ) to discover ways to work through certain feeling and understand myself better.  We want to create something really special and powerful for you over the coming months and talk about Hope. What we hope to do, is to share with you some fascinating ways in which we feel you can find hope alongside you. We'd love to hear your ways to find it and how to hold on to it as we know how much it helps for everyone who listens to this pod, to hear relatable stories. So if you would like to share what hope looks like in your life and pay it forward to anyone coming into this TTC space, who needs to find a way to find hope, please do get in touch. Just email and use the subject matter: HopeSOCIALS:fertilitypoddyKate  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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?Rami starts off by giving us a really interesting insight into the history of IUI. Did you know that the first successful IUI took place in 1953? It then became more popular as a fertility treatment in the ’70s and ’80s. However, only 35 countries consider IUI as a method of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and only 30 consider it an appropriate treatment for single women. So, is it worth it or is it just sex in a clinical room?Rami spoke about how there isn’t any data about the success of IUI in the Middle East, Canada, and Australia and howEurope only started offering data in 2002. There is currently not enough studies of IUIDid you know that only 35 countries consider IUI as an ART technique?When it comes to the NICE Guidelines, the suggestion for people who have not conceived after 6 cycles of donor sperm, should be offered a further 6 cycles ( 2013). You can read more here In 2016 patients with unexplained or mild endometriosis or mild male factor should NOT be offered routine IUI, but should be advised to try naturally for 2 years before IVF consideredRami highlighted the parameters for success with IUI are: Good sperm qualityTreatment has to be well-timed with the cycle, either using ovulation induction or based on the LH surge.Double insemination seems more effective for the malefactorAs some people are very scared of IVF,  IUI is more accessible especially in communities where there is a lot of stigma around ART. People have the conviction to go for IVF after they have tried IUI, if they have been scared about the idea of it, at least they tried it.You may be offered IUI if:1.     you're unable to have vaginal sex – for example, because of a physical disability or psychosexual problem2.     you have a condition that means you need specific help to conceive. For example, if 1 of you has HIV and it's not safe to have unprotected sex3.     you're in a same-sex relationship and have not become pregnant after up to 6 cycles of IUI using donor sperm from a licensed fertility unit (the Stonewall website has more information about IUI for same-sex couples)Bear in mind that the waiting list for IUI treatment on the NHS can be very long in some areas.Costs range from about £700 to £1,600 for each cycle of IUI treatment.Source NHS   Socials:Fertility Poddy  Kate - Your Fertility Journey  Rami Wakim - See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

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 it’s very likely that you haven’t thought about fertility treatments in that way. It’s important that fertility clinics are fair and that you know your rights when it comes to consumer law. In this episode, we’re delighted to talk to two guests who have been actively involved in assisting the CMA in producing this guidance – Clare Ettinhauser Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs at the HFEA, and Patient Advocate and founder of @uberbarrensclub - Katy Linderman. Later we’re also joined by the chair of the British Fertility Society, consultant gynecologist Raj Mathur, to share his views on the CMA review. Whilst we had Clare with us, we also asked her how best for women and couples to go about choosing a fertility clinic. Clare recommends checking out the Choose A Clinic function on the HFEA website. Kate uses this with her patients and finds it super useful in narrowing down your choices and finding the best clinic for you. She also mentioned paying attention to the individual clinics Live Birth rates on the HFEA website, these are collated and ratified by the HFEA every 2 years but are unlikely to differ very much in that time. Clare also talked about the benefits of attending, either in person or virtually, clinic open days. Now on to the CMA review: Katy worked as a patient advisor to the CMA and it’s really obvious from reading the review that the patients’ best interests are at the center of every aspect. Katy talked about the need for patients to have accurate and timely information to help them make the right treatment choices and that there is a lot of work clinics need to do to adhere to this new guidance. Here is what you should now expect to fully understand when choosing a clinic and treatments:a) Details about what the consultation consists of;(b) The cost of the consultation and any diagnostic tests and scans;(c) The possibility that additional diagnostic tests, and costs, maybe necessary once the results of the first tests are known;(d) Whether the results of any tests and scans already undertaken will be accepted; and(e) Details of any cancellation charges if they fail to attend the consultation appointment.Claire talked about the HFEA’s involvement with the CMA review. Sadly, currently, the HFEA does not have any legal powers to ensure that clinics follow and adhere to the CMA guidance. We asked her if the HFEA had received any feedback from clinics since the review was published. As yet they have not but this is probably because clinics have been aware for some time that this review was happening, and that the guidance would be published. As well as publishing information for clinics, the CMA has provided guidance for patients too. This also includes an informative video voiced by Lorraine Kelly and we urge you to watch this to understand your rights. Katy talks about the need to clinics to take considered action and make the legally required changes to their website, brochures, and any patient information so that there is treatment price transparency (among many of the other requirements) and a good understanding of what is and isn’t included, from the outset. Katy also states that it is your legal right to have access to this information and if it’s not there, be your own advocate and persist in asking for it. By having this information you’ll feel more empowered on your fertility journey. Next up we get Raj’s...

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 The focus was to talk about the issues from lockdown stopping treatment. It was monitored by a multidisciplinary team of 6 - clinicians, counselor, psychologist The survey was an anonymous online long questionnaire - some quantitative, other questions asked for people to tell in their own words about the impact. For many people, it was underlined with a sense of how important the treatment was. Dominant responses were that they were much less concerned about covid than their declining fertility. People scared about how long this is going to last. How at the start there was such little clarity People were saying ‘I don’t want to look back and say that this virus is what robbed me of my last chance to become a parent.   People who were essential workers, such as nurses, had a priority of wanting to undertake treatment, yet they were very aware they had to expose themselves to the virus.. and at the time we had no idea of the impact it might have on pregnancy.. and of course, it became impossible for them to take time off - issues of there not being enough clarity on what people should do when it came to having the vaccine initially. On the other side, people who became furloughed or jobs were precarious, which made it even more difficult. People feeling anxious about how secure their employment was and what impact that would have on them having a family. Words used to describe feelings :  Powerless, helpless, frustrated, anxious, intense feelings ‘when i heard the clinic was going to close I was completely devastated, my partner isn’t getting any younger and further delays to our treatment was beyond belief. It was a particularly bitter pill to swallow with all the jokes about lockdown baby boom’ ‘i was so heartbroken to be so close to making it happen and then it was wiped away from us’ ‘i find the uncertainty of the wait unbearable ‘ People talked about it as ‘yet another disruption’ people having to halt treatment in the past due to losses, for financial reasons, to stop caring for a family member - and now there was this Patients having to undergo surgery for fibroids and just at the point when they could start treatment, it was put on halt… ‘a feeling like the world is against us.’ When will we get over the Covid crisis and when will we understand the impact it is having on the TTC community People found it really difficult to receive support - many stories of people with young children/friends or work colleagues being insensitive ‘ at least your lucky you don’t have to home school’ How the clinics let people down - lack of communication such as timelines, lack of access to staff, and also a perceived lack of care and empathy. People getting letters with black lines When clinics did offer updates - zoom meetings, webinars were really appreciated.Having a counselor or patients supporter is an enormous help and reassurance, helps them feel connected, they have a place to check-in.Hopefully, the message will be to the sector that better communication should be implemented. Some clinics have said they’ve been using the findings. It’s so important we put...