105 episodes

If you’ve found your route to parenthood hasn’t been straightforward, The Fertility Podcast is for you. From how to optimise your fertility to getting pregnant naturally, navigating IVF, understanding donor conception or surrogacy to how to prepare for a life without children. Whatever your situation, you are not alone. Created by Natalie Silverman, a former fertility patient in 2014, I then joined forces with Kate Davies, an independent fertility nurse consultant as we spoke to a range of experts and people just like you. Today in 2023, Kate is now hosting the podcast without Natalie ( who you can find hosting The F Word at Work ) here the podcast is going back to its routes to share more patient stories as we’re here to hold your hand, on your route to parenthood including how it impacts you at work.

PLEASE NOTE: The Fertility Podcast has an archive of its 300 episodes on new podcast feeds called: Getting Pregnancy Ready, Infertility Support, Male Fertility, Alternative Routes to Parenthood, and Pregnancy Loss.
Just have a look in your podcast search and be sure to subscribe.

The Fertility Podcast NATCHAT PRODUCTIONS LTD

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.9 • 11 Ratings

If you’ve found your route to parenthood hasn’t been straightforward, The Fertility Podcast is for you. From how to optimise your fertility to getting pregnant naturally, navigating IVF, understanding donor conception or surrogacy to how to prepare for a life without children. Whatever your situation, you are not alone. Created by Natalie Silverman, a former fertility patient in 2014, I then joined forces with Kate Davies, an independent fertility nurse consultant as we spoke to a range of experts and people just like you. Today in 2023, Kate is now hosting the podcast without Natalie ( who you can find hosting The F Word at Work ) here the podcast is going back to its routes to share more patient stories as we’re here to hold your hand, on your route to parenthood including how it impacts you at work.

PLEASE NOTE: The Fertility Podcast has an archive of its 300 episodes on new podcast feeds called: Getting Pregnancy Ready, Infertility Support, Male Fertility, Alternative Routes to Parenthood, and Pregnancy Loss.
Just have a look in your podcast search and be sure to subscribe.

    Kayleigh - Fertility Mapper

    Kayleigh - Fertility Mapper

    *Just a little note: There is a little bit of background noise as Kayleigh joins me from a busy office. We’ve done our best to minimise it, but apologies if you hear a bit of background noise. *
    In what is the last episode of this current series, I am delighted to be joined by Kayleigh the founder of Fertility Mapper. 
    Fertility Mapper aims to personalise and humanise the access to high quality fertility care. The site allows you to choose a fertility clinic based on geography, cost and patient reviews. There is also a calculator to help you identify whether you are eligible for NHS funded fertility treatments, and handily includes information on your local ICB, to help you really understand what is available for you and your specific circumstances.

    Kayleigh’s advice to anyone looking to access fertility treatments, is to take your time to gather all the information that you need, compare clinics and costs. She also advises to look around and read the stories of others, to help you in deciding which clinic is the right one for you.


    Socials:
    Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram
    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram
    Find Fertility Mapper | Our stories change everything. For more information and support
    Follow Fertility Mapper (@fertilitymapper) • Instagram photos and videos on Instagram

    • 38 min
    Jessica Hepburn

    Jessica Hepburn

    In this episode of The Fertility Podcast, we are joined by a friend of the podcast, and as this episode comes out just a few days after International Women’s Day - one hell of a woman - Jessica Hepburn. Jessica is an author, arts producer and, using her own words, ‘the most unlikely adventure activist’! Jessica returns to talk about her latest book, Save me from the Waves. However, for those of you who have not yet come across Jessica (and there really can’t be many as she is a living icon!) she also shares her fertility journey so you can get up to speed..
    Jessica’s fertility story lasted a decade, and through her journey of 10 cycles of unsuccessful IVF, she has experienced profound loss, but has found new treasures and a new career. Her books, The Pursuit of Motherhood, 21 miles and now 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.
    Through Jesssia’s many achievements, she is the only woman in the world to have completed The Sea, Street, Summit Challenge. From running the London marathon, swimming the English Channel and then to only going and climbing to the tippy top of Mount Everest! I am in awe. 

    A common feature of the podcast is for me to ask our guests for a piece of advice or what they wished they knew sooner. Jessica answered both. Her advice to you is to be braver sooner, Jessica uses the hashtag #livebigandbrave wherever she can. When it comes to Fertility, her advice is that she wants people to know that there are many roots to parenthood. There are many ways to create a family, many ways to be a mother in the world. Wise words indeed!


    Socials 

    Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram
    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram
    Find Jessica’s books here Books - Jessica Hepburn
    Go and have a look at Jessica’s website Jessica Hepburn - Jessica Hepburn
    You can find Jessica on Instagram at Jessica Hepburn (@jessica_hepburn_) • Instagram photos and videos

    • 33 min
    Kate & Andreia: MRKH and being empowered to keep searching for the answer

    Kate & Andreia: MRKH and being empowered to keep searching for the answer

    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Andreia Trigo @andreiatrigorn, a fellow nurse and the CEO and founder of Enhanced Fertility. We’re talking all about Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser also known as MRKH. 
    Yep, you can be forgiven for not knowing much, if anything about this rare condition that severely impacts your fertility potential. Essentially if you have MRKH you’re born without a womb. Can you imagine how devastating that diagnosis would be and how it would impact you? Imagine finding this all out as a teenager and then in later years realising how this would impact your ability to create a family! Andreia talks about her diagnosis, what she experienced to even get diagnosed in the first place, the accessibility for those who are diagnosed with MRKH, and the first UK uterine transplant.
    Andreia’s fertility journey began when she was 17. She was concerned that she hadn't yet had her first period. After being told to come back after a year, she eventually had tests and scans done and one of the scans reported that a uterus was seen on the scan. It wasn’t until later that it turned out to not be the case and Andreia had been incorrectly diagnosed.

    A year later, when Andreia was 18, she was diagnosed with MRKH. The process that she went through to get that diagnosis took just over 3 years. This involved invasive and painful investigations and procedures to reach a diagnosis. Something that still haunts Andreia to this day. We talked about whether there has been a change in the way that MRKH is diagnosed in the UK. Andreia tells us how it has and now there is a lot more support and tests that are available to be able to effectively diagnose MRKH promptly. Incredibly, 1 in 5000 women are diagnosed with MRKH. Later on, we talked about the first UK uterine transplant and what this means for women like Andreia. 

    Andreia is passionate about improving access and decreasing the time to diagnosis and helps women find their way through diagnosis and the next steps. Andreia’s advice to anyone on a fertility journey is, if you feel there is something wrong be persistent and feel empowered to investigate why.


    Find out more about Andreia at - https://efp.clinic/

    Follow @andreiatrigorn on Instagram
    Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram
    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram

    • 31 min
    Gemma: The IVF & Donor Conception Diaries

    Gemma: The IVF & Donor Conception Diaries

    This episode of The Fertility Podcast I am joined by Gemma. Gemma is going to be sharing her IVF journey with us as she goes through the process and on to the next step of donor conception. From this episode onwards, we are going to be keeping up to date with Gemma, so tune in each episode to hear a little update from Gemma.
    In this episode, however, Gemma starts from the beginning. After going through many tests and everything coming back as normal, they decided to take matters into their own hands and started using the cycle and ovulation monitor -  OvuSense. 
    As time went by Gemma started NHS funded IVF and sadly had two unsuccessful cycles. At this point Gemma started to look at accessing IVF abroad. Overall, Gemma went through 6 rounds of IVF in a year, unfortunately, all of them unsuccessful and this led Gemma to the prospect of using donor conception to create her family. Gemma shares how, initially, this prospect took a toll on her mental health. 
    However, Gemma has now come to terms with her decision, has had all the tests required and is now waiting for a donor match. Keep tuned as we’ll be hearing from Gemma again in the next episode. 
    If you are thinking about the next steps in your fertility journey and are perhaps considering donor conception, Gemma has found 2 places that she has found to be really helpful - The Donor Conception Network and Becky Kearn’s Paths to Parenthub.
    This episode is sponsored by our friends at  OneDayTests.  One Day Tests  is your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.
    Socials:
    Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram
    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram
    Follow @onedaytests on instagram 
    Find Paths to Parenthub - Support and Connection for Donor Conception for more information on Donor Conception
    Find Donor Conception Network | Supporting families through donor conception (dcnetwork.org) for more information on Donor Conception

    • 34 min
    Kate - Navigating Private IVF & The Darker Side of Fertility 'Treatments'

    Kate - Navigating Private IVF & The Darker Side of Fertility 'Treatments'

    In this episode of The Fertility Podcast, I’m discussing how to navigate through the private IVF system. It’s a topic I’ve wanted to record for an age, mainly because many of you book in to see me for advice and support on this very topic. It seems to be a big pain point. In the UK we’re not familiar with accessing private healthcare, so how do you do it? And importantly how can you change your mindset from a patient to a consumer and why is this important? I also share some great tips on how to choose the right clinic for you and what questions to ask at your first IVF appointment. 
    Later in the pod, I’m joined by freelance journalist Antonia Hoyle @greenerlanes who recently investigated the darker side of fertility ‘treatments’. We talk tarot card readings (yes really!), alternative therapies, and immunology.
    We talk about how these alternative ‘treatments’ and IVF Add-ons do not have the evidence to support their use. And that vulnerable women being taken advantage, both emotionally and financially of by unregulated and self-styled fertility ‘experts’ who are offering false hope.

    We are delighted that this episode is sponsored by two friends of the Podcast. Firstly,  The Lowdown is the place to get the lowdown on your reproductive health. Learn about your fertility, share your experiences and read those of others. And One Day Tests your one stop shop for ‘at home’ fertility blood tests and more. The lovely people at One Day Tests are offering The Fertility Podcast listeners 10% discount with TFP10.


    Socials

    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram
    Follow @your_fertility_nurse on Instagram
    Follow @greenerlanes on instagram
    Follow @get.the.lowdown on instagram
    Follow @onedaytests on instagram

    • 41 min
    Helena Teede - the PCOS name change & guidelines

    Helena Teede - the PCOS name change & guidelines

    Happy New Year and welcome back to The Fertility Podcast. In this first episode of the new series, I'm joined Professor Helena Teede all the way from Australia!
    Helena is one of the authors of the International PCOS Guidelines and is here to talk about the changes to the PCOS guidelines and the proposed PCOS name change.
    We discuss PCOS in general, chatting about the symptoms of PCOS, both the common ones and the not so common. Helena and I discuss weght stigma and how the new guidelines move away from this and instead why we should be helping women to just be healthy to manage their PCOS proactively.
    Helena talks about the potential risks around pregnancy and that it is not often identified, as well as the support for pregnant women with PCOS, or sadly the lack of. She tells me how she supports women with PCOS, and the steps she takes to help them manage their condition and optimise fertility.
    We talked about diets and eating right, Helena explains that there is no one diet, or right way to eat when it comes to PCOS. A start contrast from what you find if you consult Dr Google! I ask Helena for her opinion on the supplement Inositol, listen in to see whether she says yes or no! We discuss the new App ASKPCOS that can really help you on your journey to understanding and managing PCOS.
    Lastly, Helena tells me about the proposed PCOS name change. Helena talks about the fact that PCOS is not an ovarian disease so therefore the name is incorrect. Below is a link to vote for the name change. So have your say and vote as getting the right name for this is important and your support will really help. 
    Socials:
    Follow @YourFertilityNurse on Instagram
    Follow @TheFertilityPodcast on Instagram
    Go and have your say - PCOS Name change
    Have a look at Home | AskPCOS
    International PCOS Guidelines

    • 46 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
11 Ratings

11 Ratings

fconway ,

Informative and Educational

Love this podcast. Full of insights and invaluable takeaways.

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