All IVF ever wanted

Emma Belle
All IVF ever wanted

We are giving it one last shot. This will be our 8th round of fertility treatment following 2 losses - 1 early miscarriage and a Termination for medical reasons (TFMR) as our baby had Edwards syndrome. New protocol, new clinic, new country, one last try. This podcast is to document this round of IVF week by week, the prep, the treatment, the waiting, the results, all of it. We will also be joined by experts to discuss and answer some of your questions as we go. Keep everything crossed for us and thanks for tagging along for the ride! Emma and Gareth

  1. 24/01/2022

    Ep.08 Christiana - Nurture HF. What is IVF and ICSI? best abstinence for sperm, Sperm DNA fragmentation, What questions to ask about the lab at your clinic and culturing embryos past day 5.

    Nurture.hf is a not for profit that has been created by Christiana, who is an embryologist, to support patients going through fertility treatments with evidence-based information and facts to support them in their journey. Christiana is passionate about empowering others with information about reproductive and fertility education as we are taught so little about this as part of our education when we are growing up and giving them access to what goes on behind the embryology door and to understand the science behind the process. What’s the difference between IVF and ICSI and why would you choose one over the other? We talk about Lab conditions and Male factor infertility and how the advances that have been made are now enabling male factor infertility to be treated more effectively. We talk about fertilisation after egg retrieval and the possible news that you can receive 24 hours after retrieval. We talk about how little we know about our own reproductive health and how this really does need to be included in Sex education and how we are taught everything about how not to conceive and nothing about how to plan for the families we may or may not want to have in the future. The importance of checking our fertility/reproductive health during our twenties would be so beneficial in preventative fertility health care. What tests should we be having for sperm and why? Is one sperm analysis enough? And what abstinence period should we be following and why is the current WHO advice maybe not the best advice for the best sperm sample. The lifestyle and nutrition of the sperm holder is vital in the 74 days leading up to when the sperm needs to be put in for IVF/ISCI. We also talk about how the sperm holder does need to be seen by a Urologist/andrologist and not just by the fertility consultant at the clinic who is going to be specialising in Gynaecology/Endocrinology which are for Female fertility. Sperm DNA fragmentation is now being looked at more closely and it’s important to know that it’s not always the egg. We should be looking at both Egg and Sperm with as much importance as each other. Ruling issues in and out for both sperm and egg is vital. The tests that females undergo are far more intrusive than the tests and examinations that are required for male party, yet they are looked at far less and often not until we are multiple of failed rounds in. Getting these tests done before treatment can really help shorten our path in fertility treatments. What questions should we be asking the lab at the clinic we are choosing to have treatment at? We talk about extended culture for embryos and how culturing beyond day 5 can still produce blastocyst embryos. How does it feel to deliver news on embryos to patients as the embryologist? Nurture Honest Fertility Links: FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, WEBSITE Thank you as always for listening and let us know your thoughts on the episode. You can always leave us a message or ask a question using the message button in the show notes (available on Spotify, Apple and Anchor podcasts) See stories for more on instagram @emmakbelle Join the IVF after loss facebook group HERE Find more about TFMR Mamas Support HERE

    1h 9m
  2. 18/01/2022

    Ep.07 Emma Whitney, The Evewell Embryologist - What is genetic testing, how is it beneficial, can we use Mosaic embryos and what goes on in an IVF laboratory?

    Emma Whitney, Laboratory Manager, is an Embryologist with nearly 20 years of practical IVF laboratory experience specialising in pre-implantation genetic testing of embryos with a passion to prevent the transmission of inherited genetic disease and enhancing the capabilities of embryo selection. She breaks it down for us in a way that can help us to understand what the different genetic test on embryos are and which of these tests require tests on parents to then be able to look for the conditions within the embryos and which tests are screening tests for a selection of conditions. We talk about biopsies of embryos and how this procedure is carried out and how being good on a playstation is helpful when training to biopsy as an embryologist, I’ll let you listen to it to find out more. Busting myths of the unknown and what really happens behind those lab doors. “Fear gets reduced with knowledge”. Humanising the process of what happens beyond egg collection really can help to bring reduce the fear and worry felt by patients. We talk about how to better manage expectations during the embryo development stage and is it better to receiv news on day 3 and 5 or to wait until day 5? PGT-A does not increase the number of genetically normal embryos, but it does reduce the number of abnormal embryos being transferred in the first place helping to reduce failed transfers/pregnancy loss. Emma also helps us to understand what receiving a mosaic result back from genetic testing and what that can mean and how it’s not always the end of the road. There are extra layers of testing should you receive Mosaic results back to further help you make the best decision on whether or not to transfer these embryos. Emma’s commitment to genetics, coupled with her multitude of experiences - allows for a pragmatic and honest approach when discussing embryology.  Emma believes IVF patients should have the opportunity to understand what goes on in an IVF laboratory. Her goal is to help patients alleviate some of the stress and anxiety caused by so many unknowns. “IVF is as much an emotional journey as it is a scientific one. I endeavour to protect the mental well-being of my patients through education and awareness. So no matter what science has to offer, every patient is in a better position to deal with the outcomes.” I am so grateful to Emma for her time to help us all better understand this very important part of the IVF journey. The Evewell Website  Evewell Instagram  Evewell Facebook  Emma The Embryologist Instagram Emma is also a TFMR Mama and you can read her story HERE  Thank you as always for listening and let us know your thoughts on the episode. You can always leave us a message or ask a question using the message button in the shownotes (available on Spotify, Apple and Anchor podcasts) See stories for more on instagram @emmakbelle  Join the IVF after loss facebook group HERE Find more about TFMR Mamas Support HERE

    50 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

We are giving it one last shot. This will be our 8th round of fertility treatment following 2 losses - 1 early miscarriage and a Termination for medical reasons (TFMR) as our baby had Edwards syndrome. New protocol, new clinic, new country, one last try. This podcast is to document this round of IVF week by week, the prep, the treatment, the waiting, the results, all of it. We will also be joined by experts to discuss and answer some of your questions as we go. Keep everything crossed for us and thanks for tagging along for the ride! Emma and Gareth

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign-in or sign-up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada