Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me This?

Mel is a solo mother and has used her experience to help others on this journey. She can be found on social media @the_stork_and_i and is The Solo Parenthood Coach ™

Mel is an experienced Life Coach, with a coaching qualification from CoachMatch and over 15 years of personal development and leadership coaching, with the last 6 years focusing solely on Solo Parenting. She uses the blended approach of coaching, research based information and resources, and personal insights from her own journey to provide support to explore options and to help support those who are deciding to go down the same path. She has grown a like minded community full of amazing women who are all here to help and support each other, and through the content she shares, 1:2:1 coaching, group coaching programmes and through her membership, she supports women from around the world to feel empowered and in control of their route to parenthood.

Mel talks about why she decided to become a solo mother, what her friends and family thought about it, and the biggest challenges she has faced.  For solo mothers – there are various ways to obtain donor sperm such as through a fertility clinic, with a friend, or through meeting someone on line. The latter option can be problematic as highlighted in the Netflix series – The Man with 1000 kids. Most solo mothers are honest with their children from the start and tell them that they were conceived using donor sperm.  The donor conception network produces excellent books called Our Story which help different types of families explain how they conceived to their children. Mel explained that it can lead to problems if families are not open.  

Further information can be found at https://www.dcnetwork.org/ and https://www.eshre.eu/irhec

 Date of episode recording: 2024-07-04T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 00.45.55
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter:Professor Joyce Harper
 Guests: Mel Johnson
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Tim is Associate Professor of Reproductive Medicine in the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford. Tim studied medicine at the Universities of Cambridge and London, followed by postgraduate training in Oxford and a 2 year Fellowship at McGill University in Montreal where he worked on oocyte In Vitro Maturation, a drug-free version of IVF. He then returned to Oxford and in 2007 led the team behind the first UK babies born using the technique – twins. He got his research MD from the University of London, with a thesis titled 'Clinical and ultrasound prediction of outcome in unstimulated oocyte in-vitro maturation cycles. Tim is on the Board of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and Chairs the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC). Tim was a member of the 2013 NICE Fertility Guidelines Group. He is co-author of the UK’s highest selling Obs and Gynae textbook and has published over 100 research papers and chapters. Tim is a firm believer in Evidence Based Medicine and has undertaken many trials assessing assisted conception interventions. Tim runs regular patient-focussed Instagram Lives on his channel @drtimchild  

Tim explains how to get pregnant naturally and how to get pregnant using fertility treatments. We discuss when the fertile window is, how fertility declines with age, how to prepare for pregnancy, what Tim thinks about nutrition, supplements and lifestyle, and what to do if there are problems. Tim explains how long couples should try naturally before they seek medical help. the most common causes of infertility, the different types of fertility treatments and the success rates. We discuss the role of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and how they have regulated IVF add-ons – additional treatments that usually claim to increase your chances of getting pregnant. We finish the podcast talking about some of the new technologies being developed such as using adult cells to make eggs and sperm which would totally revolutionise how we have children in the future.  

Further information about some of the topics we discussed can be found at https://www.eshre.eu/irhec

Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Date of episode recording: 2024-07-04T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 01.01.37
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Professor Joyce Harper
 Guests: Professor Tim Child
 Producer: Joyce Harper

Athena Lamnisos is CEO of the leading women’s health charity, The Eve Appeal which is focused education about the five gynaecological cancers and their prevention.

Athena is experienced at forging partnerships between private, public and not for profit sectors. She has a track record of directing successful change programmes in the arena of public health and oncology and is passionate about making the publics voices heard. Her career spans working for Friends of the Earth where she led the communications and fundraising directorate through to leading public sector campaigns as a founding Board director of Forster. She has held numerous trustee roles including at food waste charity FareShare and as a founding trustee of restorative justice charity The Forgiveness Project.

In this podcast we discussed the importance of raising awareness about the 5 gynaecological cancers: womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal. Athena shared her experience as CEO of the Eve Appeal, highlighting the charity's focus on prevention and early diagnosis through partnerships with private, public, and non-profit sectors and some of the amazing research they have supported. We also discussed the importance of educating children and adults about female anatomy, using proper terminology, and avoiding shame or embarrassment to prevent cancer.  Athena stressed the importance of early detection and prevention of gynaecological cancers and the need for more awareness and education and the HPV vaccination. She gives some important tips to help women identify when something might be wrong.

Transcription link: 

www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Duration: 48:53
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter:Joyce Harper
 Guests: Athena Lamnisos
 Producer: Joyce Harper

Susan Saunders is a health coach helping women over 50 reduce dementia risk and optimise brain health with science-backed habits. She's the author of three books about healthy ageing and longevity. She co-wrote the bestseller The Age-Well Project (and the blog of the same name) and authored The Age-Well Plan. Her most recent publication is The Power Decade: how to thrive after menopause - and it's out now. She has a high-level qualification as a dementia prevention coach with neuroscientist Dr Dale Bredesen (author of The End of Alzheimer's) and was one of the first coaches in the UK to qualify as a coach on his programme. She's coached hundreds of people globally to build habits scientifically-shown to reduce dementia risk. SOCIALS: Instagram @susansaundershealth Website https://susansaundershealth.com 

How can we age well? Susan says it is in our hands. If we look after our lifestyle – we can age well and reduce the risk of dementia. Susan has dedicated her life to examining aging well since her mother got dementia. In The Power Decade she talks about the '3 Ms' - mindset, meals and movement', and in her coaching practice she talks about six pillars of better brain health - nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, cognitive engagement and environment (social and built). We discuss these topics, from the myths around nutrition, to the myths around which exercise post menopausal women should do. Susan feels that managing stress is an essential life skill, and exercise is no longer an option. It is time to rediscover our creativity and find our tribe. This podcast is filled with brilliant advice on how to age well. 

Transcription link: 

www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Date of episode recording: 2024-05-15T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 01.14.22
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter:Joyce Harper
 Guests: Susan Saunders
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Mel Berry is co-founder of Her Spirit with her friend Holly Woodford. Mel is an experienced triathlon and swimming coach and leads the swimming coaching groups and the development of the overall Her Spirit coaching programme. Mel has worked with some of the best athletes, coaches and business owners in the world. Supporting these experiences has been her chance to help so many people transform their lives. She believes that anyone can achieve anything they want to. But to enable this to happen, you need good people around you to realise this. This is one of many reasons she set up Her Spirit. Mel loves to swim and currently training to swim the length of Coniston twice in one weekend and Lake Windermere one way for charity. 

Exercise is so important for our physical and mental health and reduces the risk of many major diseases such as cancer, dementia, and more. But women around the world do not do enough exercise and movement. Her Spirit is here to help. Through the Her Spirit app and web site, Mel and the team are trying to make communities of women who can enjoy exercise together. Her Spirit also lead a number of campaigns including the 4-week virtual swim challenge to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Now. And in July, they are launching the Her Spirit Women’s Sports Fund to increase the accessibility to sports. 

Transcription link: 

www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Date of episode recording: 2024-05-17T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 01.00.23
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter:Joyce Harper
 Guests: Mel Berry
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Laura Spoelstra has been involved in the fertility sector as an expert in donation issues for almost 15 years. During that time, she was involved in various national policy working parties including the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Nuffield Council on BioEthics and the Joint Committee on the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill. More recently she has been focusing on wellbeing of young people and mental health. And she’s been a listening volunteer for Samaritans, a national organisation providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide.

Laura is a Samaritans Branch Deputy Director, a Regional Officer and a qualified Mental Health First Aider. Mental health is, in a sense, the same as physical health. It’s intrinsic to who we are, and it’s our ability to cope with life. A third of illnesses are caused by poor mental health as this can impact our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. And as we go through life, we face different challenges that affect our mental health. Covid caused a big spike in mental health issues. Young people are facing huge challenges for their mental health, with pressures from social media and hectic lifestyles. Suicide has increased over recent years and the data shows that men are more likely to commit suicide than women, at all ages. But there are ways to improve your mental health, including talking to people if we have issues, but also lifestyle changes such as being outside, exercise, nutrition good sleep and friendships. There are also several medications that can be used. The Samaritans are there ‘’Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We're here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year." https://www.samaritans.org/ 

Transcription link: 

www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Date of episode recording: 2024-05-09T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 00.49.03
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Joyce Harper
 Guests: Laura Spoelstra
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Tessa is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Sydney School of Public Health. Her research focuses on the psychosocial impacts of disease labels, overdiagnosis and evidence-based reproductive healthcare for women. Her PhD research examined the benefits and harms of a polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis, and this research has been published in high impact journals in the field. In this episode Tessa explains what women’s health tech and Femtech are, and ideally how they should be developed, with a basis on evidence-based medicine. Health tech companies probably have two aims – to improve health and to make money but maybe along the way, they get hijacked by making money. There is a saying that health tech fakes it until they can make it. Which is what happened with Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, who is now in prison for fraud. Tessa explains that regulation of tech is inadequate, and it may confirm that a test is testing what it says it is, but it does not mean that the test is of any use to the public. With social media and celebrities endorsing health tech, it makes it difficult for people to know what will be valid. But does it matter – surely health tech does no harm, except on the wallet? Tessa explains that it can do harm, using the example of Anti Mullerian Hormone (AMH) testing. Tessa discusses her recent paper titled Marketing empowerment: how corporations co-opt feminist narratives to promote non-evidence based health interventions. We also discuss period tracker apps, IVF add-ons and menopause. Will anyone take any notice of research such as Tessa’s, or will marketing take over allowing unproven health tech to thrive? 

Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

 Date of episode recording: 2024-04-11T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 00.56.49
 Presenter: Joyce Harper
 Guests: Dr Tessa Copp
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Dame Lesley Regan is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Imperial College, St Mary’s Hospital, London. Having graduated from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London in 1980, Professor Regan pursued her career at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where she first became enthused by clinical & laboratory research, completing an MD on miscarriage, the commonest complication of pregnancy. She went on to set up the world’s largest recurrent miscarriage clinic at St Mary’s. Professor Regan was the 30th President (2016-2019) of the RCOG, during which time she co-chaired the national Women’s Health Task Force and published the RCOG Better for Women report which highlighted the need for an NHS led women’s health strategy. Lesley was awarded a DBE for her services to women’s health in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. She was appointed chair of the WoW charity in October 2020 and became the first ever Women’s Health Ambassador for England in July 2022, to help implementation of the Government’s recently launched Women's Health Strategy to improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women nationally. 

In this episode we discuss some of the key topics in women’s health as Lesley’s interests span from the cradle to the grave. As well as her pioneering work on miscarriage, Lesley has been helping women with menstrual issues, fertility and infertility and menopause. She has been trying to deal with the many obstacles and myths around women’s health. In 2009 she presented a TV series called Professor Regan Investigates looking into how some companies use science to sell. This issue is even more important now, as women’s health tech has become a booming industry. Through her work, education has been key for Lesley to ensure all women lead their best and healthiest lives. 

 Date of episode recording: 2024-03-15T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 01.14.35
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Joyce Harper
 Guests: Professor Dame Lesley Regan
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 

Lavina Mehta, MBE, is an award winning personal trainer, wellness coach, mum of 3, was awarded an MBE in 2020 for her work in health and fitness over the pandemic and she is on a mission to help all ages feel good physically and mentally. Her slogan is Exercise for sanity not vanity. She has also done a great TED talk in a school to encourage young people to exercise. And is a patron of menopause mandate and an ambassador for diabetes UK, the Alzheimer’s society and Wellbeing of Women. The Feel Good Fix by Lavina Mehta is publishing on 30th May 2024 and is available for pre-order now (Penguin Life, £16.99) Follow Lavina on social media: @feelgoodwithlavina Lavina has not always been into exercising. She was the arty kid at school and had a very successful career in the corporate world. But over recent years she has been doing a huge amount of work to encourage everyone to exercise – exercise snacking whenever they can: whilst cleaning your teeth, cooking, on an aeroplane. Her work has also taken her into schools to talk about how exercising can help reduce mental health. Of course we talked about the importance of exercising during the perimenopause and beyond. And the importance of exercising outside, with friends. We can all do this – exercise snacking works and helps lead us to the Feel Good Fix. 

 Date of episode recording: 2024-02-20T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 00:47:44
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Joyce Harper
 Guests: Lavina Mehta. MBE
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 
Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

Mike Tipton, MBE, PhD, MSc, FTPS is Professor of Human & Applied Physiology, In the Extreme Environments Laboratory, School of Sport Health & Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK. Mike has worked at the University of Surrey and University of Portsmouth. In addition, he was based at the Institute of Naval Medicine (INM) from 1983 to 2004 and was Consultant Head of the Environmental Medicine Division of the INM from 1996. He has published over 800 scientific papers, reports, chapters, abstracts and books in his research areas of drowning, thermoregulation, environmental and occupational physiology, and survival in the sea. He is an honorary life member of Surf Lifesaving GB and was a Trustee/Director for ten years, he is a member of the Council of the RNLI as well as a Consultant to the Medical Director of the RNLI. He has been a consultant in survival and thermal medicine to the Royal Air Force, UKSport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS). He chaired UKSport’s Research Advisory Group and sat on the EIS Scientific and Ethics Advisory Group. He sits on the QinetiQ ethics committee. Prof Tipton as edited several scientific journals including The Physiological Society’s “Experimental Physiology”. Mike is a visiting Professor at King’s College, London, and an Adjunct Professor at Waterford Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and The Physiological Society. He was awarded his MBE for services to physiological research in extreme environments; the Ireland Medal for saving lives from drowning worldwide; and the H&L Swiftwater rescue lifetime achievement award from the USA. 

Why do people swim in cold water – and what are the benefits and dangers? Mike explains what happens to our body when we immerse ourselves in cold water and if this is good for our health. It can make us ill and even cause death. He gives important tips for those who are thinking of starting. As always there are many myths. Cold water swimmers religiously drink a hot drink after swimming. Mike says it is a myth that it is warming us up. And eating cake is lovely, but we do not need it! And the best way to warm up after cold water swimming? A warm bath or sauna. We discuss our latest research on cold water swimming and menstrual and menopause symptoms. And what’s it like training for Ironman when you are in your mid 60s! 

 Date of episode recording: 2024-02-23T00:00:00Z
 Duration: 01:08:20
 Language of episode: English
 Presenter: Joyce Harper
 Guests: Professor Mike Tipton
 Producer: Joyce Harper
 
Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts