The Fertility Podcast

We have spoken about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) on the podcast numerous times in the past so make sure you scroll down to find links to previous episodes.

Kate is an expert on the topic, working with women on a daily basis to support them with their diagnosis, and in this episode, we've shared a previous conversation we had with Professor Adam Balen discussing the latest PCOS guidelines. Professor Adam Balen is a full-time National Health Service consultant and Lead Clinician at Leeds Fertility, one of the largest assisted conception units in the UK. His special interests include all aspects of PCOS, Assisted Conception, Paediatric & Adolescent Gynaecology, and Disorders of Sexual Development.

In this conversation, you hear snippets of a previous episode where Adam explains what the symptoms of PCOS are, including being over or underweight and how to maintain the condition with lifestyle changes. He also talks in-depth about the use of Letrozole over Clomofin, or Clomid is most people know it. At the time of our chat, people were still needing to change their mindset regarding prescribing Letrozole, and Adam had written papers for the RCOG to support this further. Kate said she is still seeing a mix of what people are being prescribed and explained how in the UK, health trust policies can dictate what drugs are prescribed. However, Kate advises if you are on Clomid and not responding after two rounds to go back and ask if you can go back and try Letrozole.

We discuss the link between Letrozole and Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) as well as there being a lower risk of multiple pregnancies and also discuss the frequency of scans people should expect when they are on these ovulation stimulation drugs

We also highlighted the problem with home ovulation kits.

When it comes to the common issues people are still coming up against Adam explains how women are still being told they won’t get pregnant with ovulation issues

or that they are overweight because they have PCOS and they can’t do anything about it. Which isn't the case. Also, the fact that a lot of women with PCOS end up having IVF when they don’t need it which is why we want to ensure you know where to get more support. We also discuss how Ovarian diathermy or Ovarian drilling which in very rare cases is an operation used to stimulate ovulation.

When it comes to top tips you can take away to manage your PCOS, Kate's top 3 tips are:

Changing your diet to low refined carbs/sugar.

Tracking your cycle tracking

Become your own PCOS advocate

Kate has written numerous blog posts about PCOS. This one discusses how whilst it can't be cured it can be controlled. You can also read about fighting back against PCOS here and Kate also has a brilliant journal you can use

Have a listen to previous PCOS podcasts we have shared - this one with PCOS Diva Amy Medling and this one with Kym Campbell both amazing women who have overcome their PCOS and had successful pregnancies and now work to support women further with lifestyle changes.

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It’s episode number 7 and Natalie’s flying solo. She interviews Deborah Brock – Founder and CEO of Nua Fertility.

Have you heard of the microbiome? No, well you’re not alone…..

We have microbiome’s everywhere – skin, gut, vagina – you name it. The gut microbiome may not be the first thing you think about when you consider fertility but it’s HUGE. The size of two tennis courts of microbes in your body! This good bacterium supports the correct absorption of nutrients and vitamins which are so important for fertility. It also protects our immune system and offers protection against bad bacteria. Effectively it is your first line of defence.

Deborah tells us that the vagina microbiome is equally important, as the more good bacteria you have may help to improve embryo implantation and successful outcomes. There is an increase in the amount of research into the microbiome, and it’s hoped, this might just be the missing piece for many women.

As you’ll know, here at The Fertility Podcast we are always on a quest to hear about the evidence and research. In Deborah’s own fertility journey, she immersed herself in as much research as she possibly could and was blown away when she came across the microbiome.

Deborah did conceive and is now preparing to get herself in the best possible place ready for her next treatment.

Deborah is working with ABC Microbiome in Ireland, they’re a research centre and are looking at how the microbiome influences our health and well-being. Nua Fertility is keen to be at the forefront of research and development and make a difference within the fertility field.

Nua Fertility’s first product NuaBiome Women is a blend of vitamins, minerals and good bacteria to help the overall balance of the gut bacteria, support the immune system, reduce inflammation and support the vaginal microbiome. Deborah says, that despite taking supplements, it’s still vital to eat well by eating the rainbow (lots of different colour fruit and veg) and to eat more fibre to support your gut microbiome.

Nua Fertility for men hopes to be launched at the end of June – so keep an eye out for it. Deborah’s husband struggled with male factor infertility and they feel it is vital to also include a male supplement in their range.

Deborah shares with Natalie a case study from a fertility clinic doctor in Ireland who recommends Nua Fertility and has found that it reduced bloating in one of her patients.

Deborah discusses the research in the vaginal microbiome is starting to show that women who don’t have an abundance of good bacteria are more likely to have problems conceiving. Research is also looking into implantation failure. A note from us: It’s important to note that more research is required to fully understand the role of the microbiome when it comes to fertility and the benefits of supplementation.

Finally, Deborah explains that as well as Nua Fertility being the first of its kind, its ethos is driven by their own experience and also by research and development. They’re driven by wanting to ensure their product is the best for women. Lots of exciting things to come including a clinical trial! Watch this space……

You can find out more about Nua Fertility and Deborah below

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To mark the end of Endometriosis month and we wanted to share with you a bumper episode - a guest interview with an expert and a true-life patient story. First up we chat with Andrew Horne - Professor of Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at Edinburgh University and an all-around expert when it comes to endometriosis.

Andrew is currently involved in ground-breaking research into a drug treatment trial for endometriosis. He and his team identified that women with endometriosis produce excess lactate in the pelvis, compared to women without the condition, and are trialing a cancer drug to see if this will reduce the lactate levels in these women and reduce the endometrial lesions. Lactate causes pain and therefore reducing lactate may help to reduce the pain experienced by women with endometriosis.

Andrew is also currently recruiting women to be involved in a study looking at the benefits of surgery with regard to improvements in pain and quality of life. This trial will be rolled out among many Endometriosis centers in the UK.

We talk about the main misconceptions surrounding endometriosis and in particular how women are often told that painful periods are normal. Pain is not normal if it impacts your relationship, work, or quality of living. If you feel your pain is not being taken seriously by your doctor – keep going back. If you’re suffering from chronic pain you may find it useful to see a pain psychologist for support.

The symptoms of endometriosis are not just pain. Women can also experience fatigue, pain when passing urine or opening the bowels, painful sex, and infertility. We talked about the frustrations surrounding the lengthy time to diagnosis and the management using pain medications and surgery and where appropriate, complementary therapies can offer some benefit.

Many women are interested in how diet and supplements can impact endometriosis and Andrew is starting to investigate this area, and it will be really interesting to see what comes out of these studies. Keep tuned and you can be sure we’ll be the first to let you know when we hear more! You can hear previous conversations we have had with Endometriosis UK here

Following Andrew, is our chat with Gemma Watts about her lengthy diagnosis from painful periods aged 14 to years of missed opportunities for a diagnosis until she was 31. Gemma had been dismissed at so many points, it was her husband who forced her to go back to the Doctor as her periods were putting her in bed for 2/3 hours. Gemm had been told it was down to her being underweight, that she didn't really have enough symptoms as the pain went after 6 hours and she was told there was still no point in doing a laparoscopy and trying IUI.

In Feb 2020, Gemma worked with Kate and learned more about what was going on with her body and went on to have treatment for 3 IUI’s and on the first scan, at the fertility clinic, she was told she had Endometriosis, despite having always been told this wasn't the case. In fact, Gemma had a large Endometrioma often the only thing you see on a scan. 

When Gemma saw someone privately within 5 minutes she was diagnosed with Stage Endometriosis - the most excessive as it's not just in the uterus it can be all over the body

Endometriosis UK says even if you just have 1 symptom - still ask.

Gemma has started talking about it more as she was desperate to find more people to talk to about it and now has found 4 people in her church. She has found Facebook groups can be helpful - but stresses that as with all social media, you need to be in the right mindset ad remember everyone’s stories are different. She is working hard to control the condition with diet, as there is some evidence that gluten/dairy-free, and Gemma has found the... 

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This week, on the pod, we’re talking about that conversation with your GP. It can be difficult to make this first step when trying to conceive and you often don’t know when you should go and what to ask. Plus we often hear from you that you don't feel heard or taken seriously when having these initial conversations.

When you’re struggling to conceive there is no reason why you can’t access your GP as soon as you wish. If you’re lucky, your GP may suggest some blood tests and, if you’re in a heterosexual relationship, a semen analysis for your partner. When it comes to a referral to fertility doctors. This is done at the 12-month point if you’re under the age of 35 or at 6 months if you’re over the age of 35.

So, what do you need to ask? Kate recommends writing down all your questions, so you make sure you remember everything you want to ask. You may like to ask for some blood tests and a sperm test. Results are generally back pretty quickly. A semen analysis may take a little longer. You can also look at home testing for both blood tests and semen analysis.

Hopefully, your results will be absolutely normal but common abnormalities could be with your hormones, your thyroid, and progesterone. It’s worth noting that sometimes the incorrect timing of progesterone can result in an abnormal result – so make sure it’s done 7 days before your next period (difficult without a crystal ball we know!).

Be prepared if you are either overweight or underweight, this might form part of the conversation with your GP. We know that it’s not always easy to hear that your weight is not in the ideal range but hopefully your GP will offer you some guidance on how you can either gain weight or lose weight to optimize your fertility.

If you’ve had a previous pregnancy, then don’t be scared to still approach your GP for these initial tests. You are still entitled to these and as secondary infertility is really common, it’s important not to delay.

Sadly, when it comes to fertility, we often need to advocate for ourselves.

Sometimes it can take a long time for women to receive a diagnosis of conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS.

So be empowered and persistent and feel confident to ask for what you need.

Come and join our closed Facebook group and let us know more about your experience

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In this week’s episode, we’re talking all about testing your fertility at home. You’ll hear a snippet of a previous chat we had with Exseed Health founder Morten Ulsted. Exseed is a male fertility test to be done at home and you can hear the full conversation here

We welcome, to the podcast, Dr. Helen O’Neill – a lecturer in Molecular genetics and co-founder of Hertility. Hertility is an at-home hormone testing service for your fertility journey, which includes support from trusted fertility experts.

Helen’s motivation for starting Hertility was to provide women with a holistic expert service that takes into consideration all aspects of their reproductive health. Hertility considers 9 of the most common reproductive conditions such as thyroid, PCOS, and endometriosis, to mention just three. Hertility combines answers from a pre-testing questionnaire, that takes into account any symptom in isolation or collection of symptoms among other aspects to decide on which hormones to check you for and then using this test information, along with your questionnaire, provides you with either a concrete diagnosis or a suspicion of a diagnosis for anyone of the 9 reproductive conditions.

Hertility doesn’t just give you your result and leave you high and dry. They then provide support in understanding what your results mean for you and your pathway to care through interaction with fertility counselors or their team of clinical experts. You can clearly choose to take your results and share these with your GP to help move you forward on your fertility journey.

Helen also chats about the concerns surrounding young women over-exercising and how this can impact significantly their reproductive health. Over-exercising can, in some circumstances, lead to a condition called Hypothalamic Amenorrhoea (HA). With HA, women can experience the complete loss of a menstrual cycle and Helen discusses how often the lack of periods can be dismissed by a doctor when they’re not trying to conceive yet, but this delay can have a devastating impact on their future fertility. Knowledge is power when it comes to fertility and making the decision to do home testing can be a liberating, empowering, and immensely reassuring experience.

You can find out more about Hertility and home testing here:

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 We can’t believe it’s episode 3 already! Where has the time gone? We’re loving all your messages since we’ve been back – so keep them coming.

So, in this episode, we’re still chatting about preconceptual care. All you need to know is to help you conceive naturally. We start off by talking in more detail about the methods that can help you….

Have you heard of Mosie Baby? Mosie Baby is basically artificial insemination at home and can be useful when traditional methods may not be working or are simply not an option – for example for same-sex couples, women trying to conceive alone, and couples who are finding it difficult to perform on demand. Find out more about Mosie Baby below and listen to our previous conversation with founders Marc and Maureen here

Next up conception caps. Kate shares her view of FERTILILY – a hormone-free conception end that is clinically proven to increase the chance of pregnancy by 48%. It’s made of soft medical-grade silicone and is easy to insert after intercourse and is designed to push the sperm toward the cervix, increasing the chances of more sperm cells making their way into the uterus. You can read more about FERTILITY below.

On to this week’s guest - Laura Robson from The Body Literacy Collective and co-founder of the Read Your Body App. Kate and Laura met through training in Fertility Awareness with Fertilityuk and as a result of her training and previous personal experience of using fertility awareness to avoid pregnancy. The idea for creating the App was born out of a desire to offer her clients a reliable and effective app without hesitation and to have no concerns over data privacy or ineffective app features.

Over the last year and a half, Laura has been on a mammoth journey to get the app released through crowdfunding, app development, and testing to 100 beta users. The app has now been live for 8 months and is available in different languages with lots of new features. Laura recommends that women use the app alongside an educator to help them understand how to chart their fertility effectively, and if trying to conceive, help reduce the time it takes you. Read Your Body has many different features that set it apart from other apps, to name just two - It is totally customizable, and importantly users have total data privacy. Check out the app and how it could help you along your fertility journey below. Here are some details of other fertility educators Laura wanted us to share with you.

In Ask The Expert this week we’re talking about the contentious issue of IVF Add Ons and the HFEA traffic light system with Dr. James Nicopoullos. James tells us that there is no evidence to support the use of assisted hatching for IVF making it a red traffic light. The HFEA highlights endometrial scratch and embryo glue as amber meaning that there is limited evidence and is down to individual clinics as to whether they offer this.

And finally…..we have a little offer for you. Kate is offering one lucky listener the opportunity for a complimentary 20-minute cycle interpretation chat.

To be in with a chance to win email Kate at [email protected] with the email header ‘Fertility Pod’.

The first person that emails will win…..GO!

Don’t forget to join us every Thursday at 2 pm on Instagram and The Fertility Podcast Facebook group for #brewattwo

We spoke about a previous episode with Toni Weschler which you can

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It’s episode 2 of the relaunched pod! This week we’re talking about what to eat when you’re trying to conceive. This can be so overwhelming, and we want to make it easy for you to understand all you need to know. So, we’re chatting with the lovely Ro Huntriss who is a registered fertility dietician.

On the pod, we’ve spoken to a fair few people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to fertility and nutrition, but dieticians work slightly differently. Their focus is very much on evidence-based practice and their training to become a dietician involves clinical placements and training to support people with co-existing medical conditions. So, basically, they follow the medical model such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.

So, where do you start with nutrition when trying to conceive? Ro recommends that you consider your own diet and look at the changes that you feel will make your diet healthier. Keeping a food diary is a great thing to do and can give you a really good picture of what kind of foods you’re eating and where you might need to make some changes.

Let’s talk about egg health. It takes around 3 months to influence the health of the egg and some of the nutrients to include are folate (folic acid) - to help reduce the risk of neural tube defect and also help to improve egg development and quality. Omega 3 - in oily fish or as a supplement can play a huge part in improving egg quality. Antioxidants – from fruits, veg, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, and even in meat.

Ro also shares with us her recommendations for sperm health and how a Mediterranean diet and antioxidants are particularly useful such as vitamin C, E, Zinc, Selenium, and folate.

We get the low down on whether you should go gluten and dairy free – Ro makes it really clear that unless you’re a diagnosed coeliac, it is not recommended to be gluten-free to support fertility as there is not evidence to suggest that this is necessary. Wholegrain is an important part of our diet and needs to be included. If you’re worried you might be intolerant to gluten, ask your GP for a test before removing out from your diet to be sure. With regards to dairy Ro doesn’t recommend cutting it out unless necessary and if you do, make sure you get your plant-based dairy alternatives in.

We frequently talk about the importance of weight when trying to conceive and probably focus more on being overweight, however being underweight is also a consideration when it comes to fertility. Having a low BMI can cause irregular cycles and therefore ovulatory disorders. Ro recommends that if you’re underweight include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado in your diet.

Is it sensible to follow a vegan diet when trying to conceive? Ro says yes but encourages you to have a review with a dietician or nutritionist if you’re struggling to conceive. What about restrictive diets? Ro discourages this as these low-calorie diets are so restrictive and research shows that people that follow these diets don’t get the best outcomes.

We’ll be catching up with Ro in the very near future to chat about preparing for IVF but in the meantime, you can find more about Ro here:

Ro Huntriss: https://dietitianro.co.uk

The Fertility Food Formula: https://fertilitydietitianuk.teachable.com/p/food-and-fuel-for-fertility-an-online-fertility-nutrition-course

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fertility.dietitian.uk/

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THE FERTILITY PODCAST IS BACK WITH A NEW SOUND, A NEW RESIDENT EXPERT BUT THE SAME MISSION. 

We’re so pleased to be back with you, having taken some time to really work out what the best future plan for The Fertility Podcast is, and it’s to clearly guide you along the way to pregnancy. We’re going through all that we think could help and sharing previous episodes to make sure you can really get stuck in. We can’t guarantee you a baby, nobody can. But we can promise you information you can trust and a lovely community to come and be a part of. 

Our first episode back is talking about what we wished we’d know before starting to conceive. To be honest it’s what we should have been taught in school.

Those teenage years and when you’re in your early 20’s can be pretty worrying if you have unprotected sex. It’s drummed into us NOT to get pregnant and what you should do to avoid getting pregnant. Sadly for so many of us, we never realised as we were never told, that our fertility is so finite.

That is what we’re here to do. Kate is SO passionate about empowering women to understand their cycle and the pair of us are talking through what you need to be thinking about. 

Research shows that time to conception is reduced with fertility awareness knowledge so for the next few weeks we’re talking cycles and diets. 

In this episode, we discuss how best to monitor your cycle with the different methods available and in particular what works and what doesn’t!

We’ll be talking soon with a brilliant new app available to help you that has worked with women all around the globe. We also want to be very clear on the language we use as one of Kate’s pet hates is the fact that a normal cycle is often referred to as a 28 days cycle and that you ovulate on day 14. 

FACT - Women’s cycles vary hugely and can still be normal when shorter or longer than 28 days. We want to dispel this myth once and for all. 

It’s also so important that if you are trying to get pregnant in a heterosexual couple both of you understand about fertility health. Since this podcast launched in 2015 we have talked a lot about men’s fertile health and we’ll be revisiting it again, don’t you worry. The good thing is there is much more awareness today about the issue, then there was 7 years ago, but it needs to be taken seriously. We discuss the issue of protein shake use and how they can affect sperm health, as can smoking, recreational drugs and too much alcohol. It's so important that if you are in a couple you both take responsibility for this and get yourselves in the best place possible to improve your chances of conceiving. Men need to realise that infertility issues are 50/50 male to female.

We’ll be talking over the coming weeks about optimising your fertility and be sure to join us to carry on this conversation in our closed facebook group where you can also submit questions to Dr James our expert for next time. Be sure to check the Insta grid for details of our fab giveaway happening for launch week only. Closes Friday 26th Feb 11.59pm.

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Don't miss The Fertility Podcast relaunch as we return to guide you through all the many things you need to consider when trying for a baby. We'll be talking about cycles and lifestyle changes as well as other conditions or deficiencies that might be affecting your changes of getting pregnant naturally. Then we'll be moving onto what fertility treatment is all about, the options available for you, support, hollistic treatment and most importantly making sure you know that there is a community for you to join so you don't feel like you are going through this alone.

Visit www.thefertilitypodcast.com

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To mark Men’s Health Week, this week in the UK we are chatting with Tom Webb the Director of The Easy Bit, and Morten Ulsted CEO and co-founder of ExSeed.

The Easy Bit

First up it’s Tom. Tom has spoken on the podcast before and this time joins us now that his film – The Easy Bit is finished and now available to watch. The aim of the film is to help men realize that there is help and support out there for them, particularly as more often than not the focus, when going through a fertility struggle, is on the woman.

Tom has been overwhelmed by the reaction the film has had from both men and women, but he wasn’t expecting the overwhelming response from the fertility industry on how the film has opened its eyes to how men feel. Hopefully, this will result in changes to care within the clinics and consideration of the language used by men and couples. You can view The Easy Bit now on Vimeo 

Mental Health and Fertility

During the film, the men being filmed used the words such as shame, upset, anger, horrific ordeal, and emotional toil, to explain their experiences of infertility and all talked about the feeling of being ignored throughout their journey.

The film highlighted that counseling services within clinica are all set up for women and no support is available for men. However, Tom found that men do prefer to access support very differently from women such as through podcasts, peer-to-peer support, and men-only Facebook groups. To visit the Men Only Fertility Support Facebook page click here

Tom tells us how watching the film can teach men so much and validate their feelings. One of the men filmed said that being vulnerable makes you stronger

COVID-19 and Men

The new guidelines within clinics due to COVID-19 mean that men may well be excluded from the majority of appointments. Tom believes that excluding men will do so much damage, and he hopes that clinics will consider ways in which men can be safely included during this time.

ExSeed the Home Sperm Test

Morten Ulsted is the CEO and co-founder of the sperm home test ExSeed. Morten set about developing an advanced home test that is as good as clinic tests. The test uses the amazing computing power and camera technology we all have in our pockets on our smartphones.

What ExSeed Tests

Using your phone as an advanced microscope, the ExSeed test looks at sperm concentration and motility. Morten wanted to design a test that any healthcare practitioner, anywhere in the world, will look at the result and feel confident with what it says.

As well as testing, ExSeed also offers a personalised programme to improve sperm based on the test. This bespoke advice supports men to work on and improve their lifestyles to optimize their fertility. Through the ExSeed App users are also able to book a chat with a doctor, dietician, or personal coach

When should you test with ExSeed?

Morten tells us that the test can be used for men who are curious about their fertility, those who are starting out trying to conceive, and those who have been trying for some time and want to monitor any progress. The ExSeed box comes with 5 tests and Morton recommends that as sperm parameters can fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis, you should test once then wait about a week and repeat the test. It’s important to abstain from ejaculation 48 hours beforehand.

ExSeed costs £149.00 for 5 tests and is available on the ExSeed website. Check out Natalie’s Facebook Group where she’s going... 

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