Are couples being conned into IVF fertility treatment?

Fertility pioneer ROBERT WINSTON delivers a devastating attack that will send shockwaves through the health service
• Professor Robert Winston has worked in fertility for 40 years
• Says many couples are being exploited by a grasping, unethical industry
• He believes that the government and NHS are not doing enough to help
Babies are noisy, deprive you of sleep, destroy free time and are extremely expensive. Yet we feel like melting when we see them: their wide, gummy smiles, the adorable way they curl their tiny fingers around your thumb. This is not rational - it's in our genes. The urge to reproduce is burnt into human consciousness. It is innate, instinctual, essentially programmed through evolution.
But what if you are infertile? I have spent nearly 40 years talking and listening to people devastated by their lack of offspring, believing they are not 'proper' women or not 'proper' men. We have made considerable strides in fertility treatment. But the sad fact is that more and more infertile couples are being exploited by an increasingly grasping industry that frequently ignores ethical standards. And neither the Government nor the NHS are doing nearly enough to help.
It is not only some doctors who are responsible. Many commercial practices, run by people who have little or no professional training, are offering homespun treatments that simply do not work.
As a doctor who has been so closely involved with fertility treatment, I deeply regret that in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has become so commercial. I had thought practitioners would be sensitive enough to realise that they were dealing with people at their most fragile.
Such is my anger that I felt compelled to write a book. It will no doubt be very unpopular with some of my colleagues because it is critical of so much medical practice. But my aim is purely to help people to ask their doctors the right questions and to understand the treatment they are offered.
I am proud that Britain led the way in pioneering IVF. But it has become immensely profitable - and the truth about its success rates is frequently hidden. Each IVF treatment is, on average, only successful in under one-third of cases. Of course, it can be repeated - at great cost, often with much anxiety. But people are led to believe that it is the only treatment available to them - and the most successful. This is utterly wrong.
There is excellent evidence that more than half of those referred to IVF could be treated as or more successfully by far cheaper alternatives. If you went to your doctor complaining of chest pain and were immediately referred for open-heart surgery without proper investigation you would think: 'What a dreadful doctor!' That pain might be due to indigestion, chest disease, a sore rib, or a viral infection.
But now the chances are that if you complain of infertility, you will be referred straight to an IVF clinic - where there may be no proper attempt at making a diagnosis.
To fail to find the cause of any symptom is bad, irresponsible medicine. Each cause of infertility - and there are many - may need a different course of action. IVF most frequently fails when the underlying cause is not first established.
The NHS is much to blame. So often, it does not take infertility seriously. The guidelines for treatment are laughable. As soon as possible, patients are shunted into the private sector.
Then there is the cost: unquestionably, IVF should not cost nearly as much as what is commonly charged - anywhere up to £5,000. Even NHS hospitals frequently make a profit that goes to support other services.
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New fertility treatment for PCOS without hormone injections

For millions of women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), trying to conceive can be a heart-breaking experience. But a new procedure is making it easier for patients to get pregnant without hormone injections, meaning a decreased risk for certain complications. “PCOS is an endocrine disorder where women don’t ovulate on a regular basis,” Dr. Jesse Hade, medical director at Neway Fertility in New York City told FoxNews.com. “It's usually characterized by having multiple little follicles in the ovaries that appear on ultrasound, or having irregular periods, coupled with elevated male hormone levels, or elevated androgen levels.” Manpreet Sangari, 32, was diagnosed with PCOS after months of trying to get pregnant proved unsuccessful. “Basically it will be very hard for me to ovulate on my own and have kids … It would be, not a miracle, but it would just, it would take a long time, and that's when [my obstetrician] told me I should go to a fertility doctor,” Sangari told FoxNews.com. “And hearing all that was just crazy because now you're adding more people into the process of baby making, which should have been so simple.” Sangari went to see Hade, who suggested she try a less-invasive procedure like intrauterine insemination (IUI) before jumping into in vitro fertilization (IVF). But the IUI procedure did not produce a pregnancy, so Sangari tried a round of IVF. The procedure was a success and Sangari and her husband, 36-year-old Sarbdeep Mokha, were overjoyed to learn she was pregnant with twins. But their excitement was short lived when, not long after, the unthinkable happened. “I ended up [having a] preterm delivery on the 23rd week and the babies didn't survive,” said Sangari. “The procedure itself was successful, the IVF was successful -- the carrying of the babies was not successful.” Three months later, when Sangari was ready to try again, Hade suggested a different kind of fertility treatment called in vitro maturation (IVM). “Usually women with … PCOS are the primary candidates for this procedure because they have lots of little immature follicles which lead to lots of little immature eggs. We then go ahead and harvest all these immature eggs, remove them, and then mature them in the petri dish,” Hade said. With traditional IVF, patients typically inject themselves with hormone medications for eight to 10 days to stimulate the ovaries into producing multiple eggs for fertilization. This increases the chances of creating healthy embryos for transfer into the uterus. But hormone injections can be dangerous for PCOS patients because they have an increased risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) – a condition that causes the ovaries to become swollen and painful. Sangari developed OHSS during her IVF trial, making her the perfect candidate for IVM. “In in-vitro maturation, little to none of these [hormone] drugs are given initially, so what we're doing is preparing the endometrium for implantation with hormones to … prime the lining,” Hade said. “And in this process, we wait until the endometrial receptivity gets to its best point, and that's when we trigger the ovulation and remove the immature eggs out.” The treatment is still considered experimental, so it’s not covered by insurance. But Hade hopes to change that with an ongoing IVM study he is conducting that has shown success rates of 80 percent so far. Sangari had the procedure, and in October 2013 she and her husband welcomed a daughter, Zoya. They plan on trying for another child. “We're hoping Dr. Hade helps us get the second baby,” said Sangari. “We had thought of having two kids, and after the first time we got one back, and we need one more.” Article: 20th February 2014 www.foxnews.com

IVF treatment by injecting sperm used too often by fertility clinics

A technique for injecting sperm directly into unfertilised eggs to increase the chances of a successful IVF pregnancy is being used too widely by some fertility clinics, the head of the Government's fertility watchdog has warned. Lisa Jardine, who chairs the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said that some IVF clinics are using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) simply because it is easier than standard IVF, rather than because it is in the best interests of patients. "We believe it is being used far too widely because it is procedurally easy," Professor Jardine said. "The scientists who advocate it already know that a boy born through ICSI is likely to have a low sperm count. So it is a little bit worrying that it is being rolled out so widely." She recently warned on BBC Radio 4 that success rates for couples, who typically spend around £15,000 for three cycles of treatment, are "discouragingly low". ICSI was first introduced about 20 years ago, since when its use has become widespread. In 2011, more than half of the nearly 62,000 cycles of fertility treatment, involving just over 48,000 women in Britain, were done with ICSI, rather than letting the sperm penetrate the egg naturally. In many other countries – in North America and Europe for instance – the figure is even higher, with ICSI being used in as many as 90 to 95 per cent of IVF cycles. Yet some studies suggest that IVF children born from ICSI may be at higher risk of medical problems as they grow older, including male infertility. "We know that babies born from ICSI have increased risk of some problems later in life and infertility is one of them," said Allan Pacey, chairman of the British Fertility Society and an IVF specialist at Sheffield University. "For these reasons we should be prudent over the use of ICSI. So let's use ICSI when it's needed, and not as some kind of guarantee against fertilisation failure, which is how some clinics approach it." Professor Jardine, who steps down as chair of the HFEA in the new year, said she shares the concerns of some experts, who believe that many fertility clinics are opting to use ICSI simply because it is easier to achieve rapid fertilisation of an egg, rather than using it specifically as a treatment for male infertility. About half of the couples given ICSI have male-related fertility problems, while about 12 per cent have joint male and female factors, and 10 per cent have specifically female fertility problems. In 20 per cent of cases, ICSI is used for "unexplained" reasons, according to data gathered by the HFEA. One of the pioneers of ICSI, André Van Steirteghem of the Brussels Free University Centre for Reproductive Medicine, warned in 2010 that IVF clinics are routinely overusing the treatment despite the risk of long-term health problems in the children conceived by the technique. "The health of children has to be considered the most important outcome of artificial reproductive technology treatment. It's fair to say that overall these children do well [but] there are a few more problems with these children," Dr Van Steirteghem said. "It doesn't mean that when you use ICSI there will be more problems, but it is important that we have to see what comes about in the future, so long-term monitoring is extremely important. ICSI has been overused," said Dr Van Steirteghem. He advises the HFEA on new developments in fertility treatment. However, Professor Pacey said that Britain is one country that is probably not overusing ICSI overall: "As a country overall we've got it about right, because about half of the fertility problems are male related and half are female related, and there is a 50:50 split between ICSI and conventional IVF." "But there may be some individual clinics that are doing it more than they should. They are frightened of fertilisation failing. The HFEA should be focusing on these individual clinics with high ICSI levels," he added. Article: 4th November 2013 www.independent.co.uk

Deciding upon Donor Conception: The Future of the Child

The decision to have a child is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Having a child is a strong desire for most individuals, although some are unfortunately unable to do so on their own. If that is the case for you, then donor conception might be a concept that you have thought about or that you are highly considering. If so, you might be wondering how donor conception could affect your child later in life. This article will discuss some of the effects that donor conception might have on a child, as well as tips on how to prepare yourself for explaining donor conception to your child. What is donor conception? Donor conception is the use of donated sperm, embryos, or eggs in order to conceive a child. Common forms of donor conception include surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, and sperm donation. A surrogate mother is often used when a female cannot carry to term her own child, and she wants to have a child with her own genetics. In vitro fertilization occurs when the male’s sperm is not able to conceive a child; therefore the female is injected with the sperm of a donor. And lastly, sperm donation is also common among lesbian couples and single women who do not have a partner and would like to have a child. How will it affect my child? If you are planning to use donor conception, there are a few questions you will need to ask yourself beforehand, such as the following: Who will tell my child that they are a “donor” child? Will I share that information with family and friends or simply keep it private? How can I prepare myself to explain the situation to my child properly? Will I be open from the start with my child? There are many questions, but answering these few beforehand will prepare you for the process, as well as help you to make the decision in a more educated way. Another aspect to consider when considering donor conception is whether or not your child will want to know about his/her donor. If the child does want to know about the donor, it is important that you understand the process of recovering that information. When your child is 18, they will have access to the donor registry with information about their donor, as well as information about any donor siblings. This information is stored by HFEA, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority. The information is separated into two categories: non identifying information and identifying information. Non identifying information will include the physical appearance, number of children, and ethnic group of that donor while the identifying information will include the last known address, name, and date of birth of the donor. It is important that you are aware of this information and this process, and also that you receive counseling and guidance before making the decision to conceive by donor conception. Article: 31st October 2013 by Tess Young About the Author Tess Young is a freelance writer and blogger. Some of the topics that she writes about include technology, home design, travel and health. She suggests looking at the information provided by California Cryobank regarding the effects of donor conception in order to learn more about the process.

'Sperm donor the only option for me' says Big Brother contestant

Aisleyne said: ““Sperm donation seems the only logical option. I don’t need a man financially. I can do it myself. I’m 34, my biological clock is ticking and I haven’t got forever.” The party girl says she's had to rethink her priorities since the death of her mother and uncle from cancer last year. She was left devastated when mum Sophia, 54, passed away in February, then three months later in May her uncle Dennis lost his battle with the disease aged 52. Speaking to Now magazine, she said: “I was too busy having fun. I thought I was invincible and had forever. It made me realise how fragile life could be and that I wanted to become a mother. “I want that responsibility of looking after someone completely helpless, to bring them up to be decent and give them the best life I possibly can. I want to live for someone other than just myself.” Since making the Big Brother final in 2006, Aisleyne has kept her love life largely out of the public eye. She briefly dated Mike Tyson in 2009, but despite a rumoured proposal from the former boxer, has yet to find someone to settle down with. She said: “I do think a child needs a dad and that’s a big drawback to doing it on my own. But there are so many single parents or children with a bad father – in this day and age the nuclear family hardly exists. “If I do meet Mr Right he’s going to have to accept me with this child. And anyway, having no stability is more detrimental to a child than having no father at all.” Article: 16th July 2013 www.thesun.co.uk

Most exciting new breakthrough in IVF treatment for 30 years

Thousands of infertile couples could benefit from a new IVF procedure that can dramatically improve the success rate of having a baby through artificial reproduction. Scientists believe they can double or even triple the proportion of healthy babies born as a result fertility treatment with a relatively simple technique that takes a series of time-lapse photographs of the developing IVF embryos. On average only about 24 per cent of IVF embryos implanted into women in the UK lead to live births but the researchers believe this could be increased to 78 per cent using the new technique for selecting the best embryos. I believe it is the most exciting breakthrough we've had in probably 30 years,” said Professor Simon Fishel, managing director of the CARE Fertility Group, where the technique was developed. “Every IVF practice in the world is unintentionally and unwittingly putting back into the womb unviable embryos that don't make babies,” Professor Fishel said. “We hope to see a paradigm shift in terms of IVF. It's a game changer for everybody to have such an uplift in live birth rates. This is the beginning of something revelatory,” he said Each year, licensed clinics in Britain carry out about 60,000 IVF treatments but most of them end in failure, causing immense emotional upset to couples, many of whom have paid between £5,000 and £10,000 for each treatment cycle. The new procedure, which costs £750, identifies the best embryos to be implanted into the womb based on the time it has taken to develop between two key stages in the early life-cycle of the embryo. Thousands of time-lapse pictures are taken during the first few days of an IVF embryo's life and these are used to identify the time between the first appearance of the fluid-filled cavity, called the blastula, and the final moment before the embryo “hatches” from its protective shell. Scientists have discovered that when this period lasts longer than about six hours, the IVF embryo is likely to be carrying an abnormal number of chromosomes, called aneuploidy, which will lead to a failure of the pregnancy. A preliminary study, published in the journal Reproductive Medicine Online and based on a retrospective analysis of 88 IVF embryos of 69 couples, found that the time-lapse technique could have improved the success rate of life births in this particular group of patients from 39 per cent to 61 per cent. Even better success rates can be expected once the procedure is refined and applied to the wider population of infertile couples seeking IVF treatment, Professor Fishel said. “Our work has shown that we can easily classify embryos into low or high risk of being chromosomally abnormal. This is important because in itself this is the largest single cause of IVF failure and miscarriage,” he said. “The beauty of this technology is that the information is provided by a non-invasive process. So far we have seen a 56 per cent uplift compared to conventional technology, giving our patients the equivalent to a 78 per cent live-birth rate,” he added. Normally, IVF embryos in an incubator are checked manually each day by embryologists but the time-lapse cameras are able to do this automatically by taking pictures every 10 minutes without interfering with embryo development, said Alison Campbell, embryology director at Care Fertility in Nottingham, who developed the computer algorithm controlling the analysis. “With time-lapse we have the ability to view more than 5,000 images over the same time period to observe and measure more closely each stage of division and growth. As a result of continuous monitoring we have demonstrated that delays at defined points indicate abnormal development,” Ms Campbell said. Martin Johnson, a fertility expert and editor of the journal where the work is published, said further “prospective” studies comparing the technique to existing methods of embryo selection are still needed before the procedure is recommended as standard treatment. “There are caveats with this research….and for these reasons we have to be cautious,” he said. Sue Avery, director of Birmingham Women's Fertility Centre, said: “Unfortunately the study does not compare this exciting new approach with standard practise in embryology in which embryologists already look for the best embryos to place in the womb. Until the new technique is compared to current practise we cannot know whether different embryos are being chosen.” Egg timing: Key stages The developing embryo (image one, above) goes through two key stages when the fluid-filled cavity or “blastula” first forms (image two) and when the blastula is fully formed before the embryo “hatches” (image three). The time between the two is used to judge whether the embryo is viable, with no defects in chromosome numbers. If the period is longer than six hours, the embryo is at high risk of abnormal chromosomes, which will inevitably lead to complications. Time-lapse photographs can indicate which embryos have a shorter time-period between these two points, and so which embryos are best for implantation into the womb. Article: 17th May 2013 www.independent.co.uk Read more about IVF and alternatives to IVF at www.prideangel.com

Jayne Torvil's IVF misery revealed: fertility facts you need to know

Jayne Torvill has spoken out about her difficult and heartbreaking experience of trying to conceive by IVF. Despite improvements in IVF success rates, Jayne revealed how her desperation to become a mum took over her life before she came to the decision to adopt. Jayne, 55, half of the super skating duo Torvill and Dean, broke down on Piers Morgan's Life Stories as she spoke for the first time about her trials to get pregnant and how an ectopic pregnancy left her devastated. And with Anna Friel, 36, admitting she's looking into freezing her eggs for when boyfriend Rhys Ifans is ready to become a dad, we looked at what you need to know about your fertility now. IVF success rates The latest figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) show that around 25 per cent of IVF cycles using a woman's own, fresh eggs, result in a live baby at the end. However, success rates are clearly related to age. Women aged 35-37 have a success rate of 32.3 per cent but this decreases with each age group beyond 37. 27.7% for women aged 35-37 20.8% for women aged 38-39 13.6% for women aged 40-42 5.0% for women aged 43-44 1.9% for women aged 45+ For frozen egg (which is what Anna Friel is talking about), success rates were similar for each age group but slightly less successful overall, with around 22 per cent of cycles ending up with a live baby. Though Anna blithely said she would freeze her eggs, it's not quite as simple as that. Though the actress is more likely than most potential mums to be able to afford several rounds of IVF, the impact on your body and emotions is huge and shouldn't be taken lightly. Read more... Read more about IVF and alternatives to IVF at www.prideangel.com

Mother speaks out about her pioneering drug-free fertility treatment

The mother of the first babies born in Britain using a pioneering drug-free fertility treatment has spoken exclusively to The Independent on Sunday to urge others to follow in her footsteps. Tina Milkovic, 34, a project manager from Oxford, lifted a media blackout on her family to offer hope to thousands of women who may have abandoned their dream of having a child. Mrs Milkovic and her husband, Joe, 48, an administrator at Oxford University, became the first Britons to conceive using IVM – in vitro maturation – a technique that involves removing eggs from a mother's ovaries and maturing them in a laboratory. The family initially wished the twins to remain anonymous, only releasing pictures of the boy and girl, but not their names. But as Ilya and Isabella celebrated their fifth birthday last week, their parents decided to talk about their treatment and encourage others to use IVM, a safer alternative to IVF for the millions of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). IVF can be fatal for these women if they react badly to the drugs used during IVF treatment to stimulate the ovaries. The couple's decision to speak out, and the success their twins represent, will provide a big boost for IVM. Rachel Hawkes, chair of the PCOS charity Verity, said: "A safer treatment could be a help to many women with PCOS. It could be a viable option for thousands of women. One in 10 women have PCOS and around 40 per cent will need assisted conception." IVF uses high does of fertility drugs to mature eggs within the ovaries' follicles, later taking them out to be fertilised with sperm. In IVM, immature eggs are collected from unstimulated ovaries and then matured in a laboratory for up to 48 hours before being fertilised. Mrs Milkovic said: "We were trying [to have children] for two years, but, with me having PCOS, we always knew there was a slim chance of falling pregnant naturally. I was already going down the IVF route. We'd bought the drugs and were all set to start treatment, but in the back of our minds was always the risk with IVF for women with polycystic ovaries. I had read about IVM, but it was new and, I thought, not available in the UK. "The night before we were due to start IVF, we just Googled IVM and, by chance, our consultant's name, Tim Child, came up saying he'd just been licensed for it. We decided to call him the next morning to see if it was an option. It feels like fate. I just happened to Google it that night and there in front of me it said the UK had just been granted its licence. "I don't think any of us expected the pregnancy to happen because it was the first cycle. Two weeks afterwards, I was asked to go back in. I had some bleeding so I was convinced it hadn't worked. Then, when he checked the scan, I could see he was excited and he said we had twins. We were in shock. I remember sitting in the car in the car park and thinking, 'My God, it's worked'. "When the twins were born, I asked to remain anonymous so I could bond with them. The pregnancy went fantastically and the babies were a really good weight." Last month, the pair started at school. "I'm so proud of them," she said. "They have an amazing bond together. Ilya is very sporty, he loves football and tennis; and Isabella is a very girly girl, she does ballet and likes fairies and things like that." Though they don't appear any different, the twins do have an inkling of their special status. "On the internet, if you type 'IVM twins' on Google, a photo of them that comes up," their mother explains. "They love seeing themselves and say, 'Oh, that's me'." Mrs Milkovic said she feels lucky she didn't try IVF, "I'm so glad I didn't have to take that risk. I imagine there are lots of women out there who don't know that IVM is available in the UK. It's really important for this to get out so women can know." According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a relatively small number of patients have had IVM because the treatment is still in its early stages and is not offered widely. Dr Child, the Milkovics's gynaecologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, who pioneered the treatment in the UK after it had been used only a handful of times in countries such as South Korea and Canada, said IVF is risky for those with PCOS. "Women who have ovaries that look polycystic on a scan, which is about 25 per cent of women at reproductive age, are at a greater risk from ovarian hyperstimulation. It has been fatal. It's hard to say how many [have died] because it's under-reported, but in general, women who undergo ovarian hyperstimulation can develop abdominal pain and bloating and are at increased risk of blood clotting. About 1 per cent who use IVF could end up in hospital because of it." Many women with PCOS still take the risk with IVF because the chances of becoming pregnant are higher. "We've done 180 IVM cycles since we started five years ago and we've really been the only clinic doing it," said Dr Child. "In that same time we've done about 8,000 IVF cycles, which is driven by the patients. From their point of view, because their main driver is getting pregnant, they tend to choose IVF as the chances of conceiving are higher." IVM costs around £2,100 per cycle compared with around £4,000 for IVF, but it is only half as effective. How IVM offers hope In vitro maturation (IVM) is a safer fertility treatment for women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). When undergoing other fertility treatments, women with PCOS are at an increased risk of their ovaries becoming hyperstimulated by the drugs used to help eggs reach maturity before fertilisation. IVM takes eggs from the ovaries earlier than IVF and matures them in a laboratory, thus cutting out the need for fertility drugs. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a side effect of IVF for some patients with PCOS, can cause bloating, blood-clotting and, in some cases, it can be fatal. IVM is most suitable for women under 38 with polycystic ovary syndrome. IVM is cheaper than IVF because it does not require drugs, but its success rate is currently a little over half that of IVF. Article: 21st October 2012 www.independent.co.uk

New Fertility programme, DuoFertility, is now available to American couples to help them get pregnant.

Over two million American couples are having problems getting pregnant.[1] The standard treatment which can help these couples conceive is in-vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF can change lives but can also be very emotionally, physically and financially draining. The DuoFertility programme is a highly effective method to help couples conceive. The programme is totally non-invasive and drug free, yet published studies have shown a pregnancy rate similar to that of a cycle of IVF after just six months of use[2]. It uses a revolutionary sensor to monitor a woman’s body 24 hours a day, indicating the couple’s most fertile days, giving couples the very best chance of getting pregnant. Fertility experts review the data with the couples regularly to provide feedback. Studies have shown that DuoFertility can help 8 out of 10 infertile couples, including half of all those seeking invasive clinical procedures such as IVF2. DuoFertility has helped hundreds of couples get pregnant in Europe. Now that same help is available to American couples for $795. In the US, a single cycle of IVF will cost on average $15,000 to the couple and is rarely covered by health insurance, leaving many American couples struggling to afford fertility treatment. At one-twentieth the cost of a single cycle of IVF, DuoFertility has the potential to help millions of American couples to turn their dreams of a family into reality. To find out if DuoFertility can help you get pregnant, you can use the DuoFertility suitability tool here. You can purchase DuoFertility, which is FDA cleared, from the US on the DuoFertility website or the Pride Angel website. [1] Centers for Disease Control and Preventio (CDC) :http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/fertile.htm [2] Chausiaux et al., “Pregnancy Prognosis in Infertile Couples on the DuoFertility Programme Compared with In Vitro Fertilisation/Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection”, European Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2011;6(2):92-4 online PDF: http://bit.ly/IfjFiY Article: 3rd July 2012 www.duofertility.com.us

IVF has higher risk of complications and multiple births

A recent report states that there is a higher risk of complications and multiple births in pregnancies that result from IVF techniques. A report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said there were increased risks of premature births, low birth weight and congenital abnormalities. However, it said the vast majority of IVF children were as healthy as other children. IVF accounts for over 1% of UK births. Advances in fertility research have allowed more infertile couples to have children and at an older age. Risks The Royal College's Scientific Advisory Committee reviewed the risks of IVF, which it said were directly related to the number of foetuses and that IVF techniques appeared to double the risk of twins. It said: "About one in four of all IVF pregnancies result in a multiple birth in the UK owing to the common practice of replacing two or three embryos." It also said there was a 23% increased risk of a premature birth, but the risk remained low. "IVF pregnancies still demonstrate an increased risk of low birth weight," it said. Heart defects, cleft lips and other congenital anomalies are also more common. It said around 5% of all babies were diagnosed with an abnormality, but IVF babies were around a third more likely to have a problem. Long term Later in life, the report said there were no differences in brain, language or behavioural development and there "appears to be little impact at age 12". Prof Jenny Kurinczuk, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, said: "IVF pregnancies carry an increased risk of poor birth outcomes and complications. Nevertheless the majority of the children born following IVF will have a good outcome just like any other children. "The poor birth outcomes and complications may be a combination of treatment and underlying features of the couple such as older maternal age. However, treatment strategies can be altered to improve outcomes such as the adoption of elective single embryo transfer." Read more about alternatives to IVF such as home insemination and the Duo-fertility monitor which is as effective as one cycle of IVF after 6 months of use. Article: 6th June www.bbc.co.uk

21 year old frozen sperm worked after only one cycle of IVF

The news could hardly have been more devastating for policeman John Powell. Diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 32, he was given only six months to live and told that aggressive chemotherapy would leave him infertile.
That was 21 years ago – and now he and his wife are celebrating the arrival of a daughter. Mr Powell had a sperm sample frozen before he began the treatment and, when he was finally given the all-clear after two decades, it was used to create baby Jasmine.

‘We couldn’t be happier – she is a wonder of medical science,’ said Mr Powell at home with wife Chenphen in Orpington, Kent. ‘I look at little Jasmine and think she is nothing less than miraculous. I honestly didn’t believe she was real until the moment she was born and I saw her face. Now I hold her and think she is part of me from 20 years ago, before I had chemotherapy.

‘It’s astonishing that something as beautiful and perfect as Jasmine could come out of a time that was so painful and difficult.’ For Mr and Mrs Powell, the birth of their daughter on February 20 is even more of a wonder because they had enough money to fund only one cycle of IVF.

They were also fighting against the clock because strict rules meant Mr Powell’s sperm would have had to be destroyed when he reached the age of 55. Medical staff at the Bridge Centre in London, where they underwent the treatment, believe it is a British record for 20-year-old sperm to be successful in its first cycle.

Trevor White, an engineer from Manchester, became a father in 2004 after his sperm had been frozen for 21 years. However baby Daniel was conceived after four separate rounds of IVF.

‘I never thought we would be lucky enough for it to work,’ said 53-year-old Mr Powell, a former superintendent with the Metropolitan force.
‘I didn’t allow myself to believe it had been a success until the moment Jasmine was born.’
Mr Powell already had a daughter, now 23, with his first wife when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1990. They split a few years later and after a period alone he visited Thailand, where friends introduced him to Chenphen.
They married in March 2008 but only after he warned her that they could probably not have a family.

Mrs Powell, 36, said: ‘John explained to me that his cancer meant we were probably not going to be able to have a baby. ‘Obviously I was upset but I loved John so much that all I could think about was our future life together, if that was without children then that was okay.
‘But we knew there was a chance of having a baby with the frozen sperm. I knew we only really had one chance of it working so I didn’t really believe it would.
‘It was so unexpected when we found out I was pregnant, John had a huge smile on his face and it was obvious how happy he was.’ Mr Powell, a keen runner who has coached athletes to world championship level, had the sperm sample frozen in April 1991 and it was exactly 20 years later when his wife found she was pregnant.

He is the first Briton to survive a pioneering treatment. Bone marrow was drained from four holes drilled into his pelvis at Guy’s Hospital in London before he was given extremely high doses of chemotherapy. Months later the bone marrow – which had been frozen – was transplanted back into his body and his long road to recovery began.

Mr Powell kept a diary throughout the whole traumatic period of his treatment. He said: ‘I was confronted with the prospect of having just six months to live or having a chance of survival if I took the new treatment. I was determined to fight. It was a terrible time and it has only been since we were expecting Jasmine that I have been able to look at the diary again.’

The couple plan to fly to Thailand in September to show their daughter off to Mrs Powell’s mother. ‘She was crying down the phone when I told her Jasmine had been born,’ said Mrs Powell. ‘It is her first grandchild. I don’t know how she is going to wait until September.’

TV Presenter conceived 'miracle baby' naturally, just weeks after stopping IVF

She spent two years undergoing IVF treatment, and after four failed attempts thought she had lost all hope of becoming a mother So it’s little wonder Kate Silverton looks overjoyed as she shows off the baby she never thought she would have – conceived naturally within weeks of stopping the treatment.
The 41-year-old BBC presenter, who is married to Michael Heron, a former Royal Marine, gave birth to daughter Clemency in November, describing her pregnancy as a ‘miracle’. ‘I still can’t quite believe that she’s here,’ she said. ‘Seeing her smile melts me to the core. It’s the culmination of everything I ever dared imagine or hope for.

‘When I have her in my arms, feeding her in the early hours, with Mike sleeping by my side, I look down at her little face and still feel overwhelmed by what’s happened.’ ‘Whether it’s the beaming smile I get when I lean over her crib in the morning or when her bottom lip trembles if she’s uncertain about something, I just live for those moments now. She’s just adorable.’

Doctors warned Miss Silverton she would struggle to conceive naturally after she had to undergo surgery to remove one of her ovaries. She then underwent four rounds of IVF, but they all failed and the couple stopped the treatment – only for Clemency to be conceived naturally soon afterwards.

Miss Silverton said: ‘I’m not sure how this happened, but I will give thanks every day for the rest of my life that I have experienced giving birth and now have a daughter. ‘It’s heartbreaking to know there are so many couples out there who face the same difficulties as we did and I wish that I could spread some of our good fortune to them.’

The TV star has yet to hire any help with the baby insisting that she and Heron, 44, wanted to do as much as possible themselves. She said: ‘We chose not to have any help as we like the idea of working as a team with her, to learn as much as we could instinctively, although I admit it has been a rather steep learning curve.’ Miss Silverton wed Mr Heron in December 2010 at St Bride’s Church in Fleet Street – two years after they began dating.

Article: 23rd January 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk

Fertility 'wand' doubles chances of becoming pregnant by IVF

Scientists have developed a ‘fertility wand’ that has been shown to double the chances of becoming pregnant. The pregnancy rate among women undergoing IVF who had the new treatment was 32.7 per cent, compared to 13.7 per cent in comparison groups who did not have the therapy.

The live birth rate was also higher in the treatment group — 22.4 per cent compared to 9.8 per cent in the untreated group. The new treatment works on the womb lining. Fertility experts believe a poor quality womb lining may be a significant factor in women struggling to conceive.

In order for a woman to become pregnant, a fertilised egg, or embryo, has to become implanted into the womb lining. This process is complex, involving hormones, growth factors and chemicals produced by the immune system called cytokines.

The process is not fully understood, and there is no treatment if it goes wrong. However, Israeli researchers recently made the discovery that slight damage to the womb lining actually results in improved fertility. They found that 45 women who had undergone a uterine biopsy — where tissue was taken from the lining of the womb — had almost twice the rate of pregnancies and births as a control group.

A U.S. study found this damage triggered a repair response in the body, producing growth factors and cytokines. It also increased the activity of genes thought to play a role in preparing the lining for implantation.

These findings have been put to the test in a new trial involving 100 women who’d previously failed to conceive with IVF, despite their embryos being of a good quality. They were either given the new treatment or were allocated to a control group.

Pipelle The treatment involves inserting a long plastic tube-like device (known as the Pipelle) into the womb and then rotating it 360 degrees to ‘scratch’ the lining. Patients in the study were given painkillers 30 minutes before the procedure, which was carried out twice in one month.

The results, reported in the Journal of Human Reproduction Sciences, showed the pregnancy rate in the treated group was over double that of the control group.

Further clinical trials using the technique are now underway. Some 500 women are being recruited at Mansoura University in Egypt, while in another trial at the Sheba Medical Centre, Israel, 70 IVF patients will be randomly, selected to undergo the therapy with the Pipelle device.

Commenting on the research, Sanjay Vyas, a gynaecologist at Southmead Hospital, Bristol says: ‘This is very interesting work. Implantation failure when the quality of embryos transferred is good can be heartbreaking because it cannot be predicted.

‘This intervention is simple, and if it genuinely improves the implantation rate, it would be very good news. ‘We await the results of the larger trial with interest.’

Article: 19th December 2011 www.dailymail.co.uk

Fertility treatments such as IVF and ICSI rise in the UK

The number of people accessing fertility treatments such as IVF and ICSI has risen in the UK by almost six percent in the past year.
Statistics released by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HEFA) revealed the number of fertility cycles carried out in 2010 stood at 57,652 – a 5.9 percent increase on treatments in 2009. It was also found that the age of women having such treatments is rising; within the last 20 years it has increased by 18 months.

The average age now stands at 35.1 years, compared to 33.6 years in 1991. Additionally, 19 percent of women having fertility treatments were found to be aged 40 plus, equating to one in five treatments. This figure has increased by nearly 10 percent since 1998.

Health experts believe the overall increase in fertility treatments and cycles is due to budget cuts that have affected the NHS. As a result, the National Health Service in the UK has tightened treatment eligibility regulations, meaning it is more difficult for to people to qualify for NHS funded fertility procedures.

However, in spite of this and the fact that most of fertility treatments are carried out and funded privately, the HEFA figures revealed the number of NHS treatments increased last year.

The proportion of fertility cycles that were funded by the NHS reached 40.6 percent in 2010 compared to 38.5 percent in 2009.

The Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK, Clare Lewis-Jones, commented on the findings. She said: “The fact that only a minority of treatment cycles in 2010 were funded by the NHS continues to highlight the difficulties faced by many patients in trying to access NHS treatment.

“The recent suspension of funding by many PCTs means that the number of NHS-funded cycles will no doubt decrease in 2011 and we are also concerned that, if responsibility for commissioning of fertility services is passed to GPs, there will be even more variations in access to treatment.”

Article: 17th November 2011 www.healthcareglobal.com

61 year old IVF mum said 'I was too old when I had my baby'

A retired teacher who gave birth at 57 through IVF now admits that she was too old to have a child. Susan Tollefsen sparked an ethical storm after becoming Britain’s oldest first-time mother when she had daughter Freya using sperm from her partner Nick Mayer, who is 11 years her junior, and a donor egg.
Now aged 61 and separated from Mr Mayer, she believes there should be an age limit of 50 for IVF treatment for women in the UK. The pensioner said she had split from Mr Mayer in part because of the ‘shock’ of having a child so late in life.

She said: ‘Freya is without doubt the best thing I have ever done in my life, and I have no regrets. But with the benefit of hindsight I recognise that perhaps some of my critics were right.

'I get a great emotional feeling when I look at her, and a sadness when I realise time’s running out. If I could change just one thing, I would wish to be younger so I could enjoy watching Freya grow up, get married and have children of her own. ‘If I’m completely honest, my experience has taught me that 50 should probably be the cut-off limit for having children, but until you have them it’s almost impossible to appreciate that. ‘It’s so true that you only learn by your own mistakes, and my mistake was not to have had her sooner.’

Mrs Tollefsen, a former special needs teacher from Laindon, Essex, gave birth to Freya in 2008. The strain exposed problems that already existed in her relationship with Mr Mayer, and she is now bringing up Freya on her own on a tight income, which includes her pension. Freya stays with her father, a warehouse manager, every other weekend.

‘I’ve never regretted having Freya, but I’ve had to pay a heavy price for my dream of being a mother,’ Mrs Tollefsen added. ‘It’s cost me my relationship. ‘You think you’re madly in love with someone and you just don’t realise what they’re going to be like after you’ve had children.’

Mr Mayer, 49, said: ‘We’re living separately for various reasons. I’d prefer us all to be living together but that’s just not the case – but who knows what’ll happen in the future.’

Mrs Tollefsen also acknowledged the age gap between herself and other mothers at the school gates. ‘They are nice people but we are so different – we are from different generations,’ she said. ‘I have little in common with most of them. They talk about nights out and music and things that just don’t involve me. Sometimes I envy them their youth and infinite chances. I realised, belatedly, that I wanted a sibling for Freya but regretfully I had to devote the time to nursing my parents. But perhaps more than most I now know the real value of the time that’s left to us, and I don’t intend to waste a moment.’

She added: ‘A lot of the criticism I faced was based on my age, with claims that Freya would be abandoned in the event of my death. But Nick is still in his 40s.’ She also lamented the fact that older fathers do not face the sort of criticism she encountered, saying: ‘They get a slap on the back.’ Josephine Quintavalle, a co-founder of the pressure group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, praised Mrs Tollefsen’s candour. ‘One has to admire her honesty in coming forward and speaking frankly about the difficulties about being a mother so old,’ she said. ‘We can only hope that this acts as a warning to others who are in their later years and considering having a child.

‘One has to feel sorry for her, because she took advantage of something society offered her. But I think it shows that we need to have a bit more respect for nature, which seems to know how hard it is to look after a child when you are older. There is a very good reason the menopause comes when it does. IVF and egg-donating are creating a lot of unnatural situations.

‘As a society, we have to start to look at all of these issues from the perspective of the child and ask what is best for them. ‘The ideal situation for a child is to be with a two parents who are young and healthy enough to look after them.’

Article: 7th November 2011 www.dailymail.co.uk

Infertile woman desperate for a baby refused IVF as her partner has a son

A fashion designer has been left distraught after she was turned down for IVF funding because her partner already has a son from a previous relationship.
Susi Henson, 33, is unable to conceive naturally as she suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes cysts to form on her ovaries. She and her partner Jay Nightingale visited their GP and were referred for treatment.

But after a six-month wait, the couple were told by health bosses their funding request had been turned down because Mr Nightingale, 40, has a 20-year-old son whom Ms Henson has never met. This means they will have to find £7,500 to pay for the treatment privately.

Health guidance organisation the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends all couples with fertility problems aged between 23 and 39 should be allowed three courses of IVF paid for by the NHS. However, NHS Nottinghamshire County stipulates that couples who have a child from a previous relationship are not eligible.

Miss Henson, from Nottingham, said today: 'How can we not be classed as a childless couple? Jay's son lives in Wales, and I've never met him. 'It is a totally unfair system. If I lived in another part of the country I would be able to get funding.

'But the health authorities here won't allow for it. I believe it is totally wrong. It's discriminatory, a complete postcode lottery.' Miss Henson, who owns a corset-making firm, is now calling for the treatment to be made available for all infertile couples. She said: 'I'm sure I'm not the only one out there having these issues. I'm doing this not just for ourselves but for everyone else out there, men and women.

'The condition I have is a disease so treatment should be covered. 'My partner and I are both self-employed and are having to save a lot of cash to be able to think about paying for treatment. 'There must be many out there who cannot afford it. It isn't right.'

Miss Henson has been told that, before any IVF treatment, she will need a year-long course of the drug colmid. Treatment including IVF and the drug would cost £7,500.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/pc2nIH

New IVF technique to create babies free from disease, using DNA from three parents

The first baby with three biological parents could be conceived next year after the Government announced a major review of Britain’s fertility laws.

The move would allow doctors to use a revolutionary IVF technique that prevents incurable, deadly genetic illnesses being passed down from mothers to their children.

Babies created with the therapy – called three-parent IVF – would inherit 98 per cent of their DNA from their ‘real’ parents. The rest would come from a female donor.

The scientists say the donor genes would not alter the children’s appearance or personality, but would stop them dying from painful diseases of the heart, liver and brain.

But the revelation has horrified embryo campaigners who accused doctors of ‘meddling around with the delicate building blocks of life’. It also raises questions about parental rights and whether the donor parent would have any say in the upbringing of a child.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has asked the fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to investigate the safety of the technique. If MPs back the change, it could be introduced in 12 months.

The new therapy, designed by Professor Doug Turnbull, of Newcastle University, centres on mitochondria – the power packs inside cells that convert food into energy.

Each mitochondrion contains a small amount of DNA. Around 100 babies every year are born with a disease caused by faulty mitochondrial DNA. There is no cure and many die within hours of birth.

Unlike the bulk of the DNA in the human body – which comes from both parents – mitochondrial DNA is only passed down from mothers.The new technique replaces faulty mitochondria with healthy transplants from a donor egg cell.

Professor Alison Murdoch, head of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Newcastle University, said: ‘We are not ready to do this in patients now but the science is progressing very rapidly and we need to get Parliament to discuss this again. We anticipate that the review could take about a year. There is no guarantee that we will have all the evidence we need to secure a licence in a year but we need to anticipate that we may have.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/ghReTQ

Thirty years of IVF fertility treatment

The birth of the world's test tube baby heralded a new era of fertility treatment, and thirty years on 12,000 IVF babies are born every year in Britain alone.
The development of In Vitro Fertilisation, or IVF as it is commonly known, meant doctors could fertilise a woman's egg in a laboratory, before placing it in her womb to develop.

Since Doctors Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards artificially orchestrated the birth of Louise Brown, IVF has undergone a substantial amount of progress.

Along with steadily raising the rate of success in IVF treatment from their earliest ventures, scientists used the contraceptive pill to more conveniently schedule IVF cycles, making the process easier for doctors and patients.

They also perfected the technique of freezing and thawing embryos, making the technique significantly more effective.

In 1992, researchers developed a method of injecting a single sperm cell directly into an egg, greatly increasing the chances of fertilisation for men with low sperm production.

Increasing effectiveness of the treatment has also meant doctors can implant fewer embryos into the womb – reducing the chance of multiple pregnancies.

And the latest development is a screening process which screens embryos for genetic faults, checking the baby's chromosomes against those of the parents to give it a greater chance of survival and good health.

But these advancements have gone hand in hand with criticism of IVF on both moral and clinical grounds.

Opponents of research into IVF included Enoch Powell, who in 1985 submitted a bill to Parliament which would have prohibited any further embryo research if it had been passed.

Questions have been raised over the ethics of being able to ‘screen’ embryos for potential genetic traits, either good or bad, before they are implanted – the so-called “designer baby” argument.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/gGJq89

Online IVF calculator predicts fertility treatment success rates

Web resource based on five years of medical records aims to tell women their likelihood of giving birth with 99% accuracy
Women hoping to have a baby through fertility treatment can from today use an online calculator to show them how likely they are to succeed.

IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) is expensive, only sometimes available on the NHS and less successful than many people think.

To help couples to decide whether IVF is worth pursuing for them, academics at Glasgow and Bristol have created the calculator, which they say will predict a woman's likelihood of giving birth with up to 99% accuracy.

"In the US and the UK, IVF is successful in about a third of women under 35 years old, but in only 5%-10% of women over the age of 40," said Professor Scott Nelson, Muirhead chair of reproductive and maternal medicine at the University of Glasgow.

"However, there are many other factors in addition to age which can alter your chance of success, and clinics don't usually take these into account when counselling couples or women."

The calculator, available for free at www.ivfpredict.com, is based on data from more than 144,000 IVF cycles held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) – all the outcomes of treatments undergone between 2003 and 2007.

"Essentially, these findings indicate that treatment-specific factors can be used to provide infertile couples with a very accurate assessment of their chance of a successful outcome following IVF," Nelson said.

"It provides critical information on the likely outcome for couples deciding whether to undergo IVF. Up until now, estimates of success have not been reliable.

"The result of this study is a tool which can be used to make incredibly accurate predictions."

To read more go to http://bit.ly/eyUW3w

IVF single embryo transfer best for baby

Women who have one embryo transferred during IVF treatment are five times more likely to give birth to a healthy baby than those who receive two embryos, research shows today.
Those who have two embryos are more likely to get pregnant but are at greater risk of delivering a premature or low-weight child, researchers found.

The findings, in the British Medical Journal, will increase the pressure for double embryo transfer (DET), which is already discouraged, to be ended because it risks pregnancies involving twins or triplets. UK fertility clinics should halt the practice as multiple pregnancies put mother and child at risk, the researchers say.

Twin and triplet pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of miscarriage, as well as prematurity and low birthweight. But some fertility experts say the widespread lack of IVF treatment on the NHS, which is meant to offer three free cycles to all, means some women seek two embryos.

An international research team, led by Aberdeen University scientists, studied data on 1,367 women who had taken part in eight previous trials who had either had elective single embryo transfer (eSET) or DET.

A full-term birth, at least 37 weeks, after eSET was nearly five times more likely than with DET, they found. Women were 87% more likely to avoid a premature birth after eSET, while their chance of having a low-weight baby was only a third of those who had DET.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/fXtjiA