No.50 Summer 2016 We are delighted to announce we have changed our name to: Our new website will be launched at The Fertility Show in November: www.fertilitynetworkuk.org We look forward to continuing to provide and expand our services as Fertility Network UK Fertility Network UK Susan Seenan Staff Gallery Chief Executive [email protected] Tel: 01294 230730 Mobile: 07762 137786 Sheena Young Andrew Coutts Catherine Hill Head of Business Business Media Relations Development Development Officer Manager [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Mobile: 07710 764162 Mobile: 07794 372351 Mobile: 07469 660845 Head Office Claire Heritage Alison Onash Hannah Head Office Administrator Tramaseur Manager England Co-ordinator Tel: 01424 732402 Tel: 01424 732361 Tel: 01424 732405 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Kate Brian Nic Snow Diane Arnold London Technical Support Support Line Rep res ent ative [email protected] [email protected] Wales Northern Ireland Alice Sharon Hilary Fiona Matthews Davidson Knight O’Donnell Wales Northern Ireland Support Co- Support Co- Co-ordinator Co-ordinator ordinator NI ordinator NI [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Mobile: 07563 734808 Tel: 02890 825677 Mobile: 07596 290335 Mobile: 07976 503428 Mobile: 07837 987562 Scotland Gwenda Burns Norma Whiteford Mairi Handy Scotland Branch Development Officer Development Officer Co-ordinator South West Scotland North East Scotland gwenda@ norma@ mairi@ fertilitynetworkscotland. fertilitynetworkscotland. fertilitynetworkscotland. org org org Tel: 01294 279162 Mobile: 07592 793308 Mobile: 07759 798387 Mobile: 07825 827865 2 Fertility Network UK Welcome from the Chief Executive Why the name change and rebrand…? Hello everyone have become a more outward-looking and upbeat After over 12 years, it’s now time to get used to a new organisation. name for Infertility Network UK and from 1 August 2016, Our work has always had a wide remit, and we don't we have rebranded as Fertility Network UK. just support those who are currently trying to conceive. We are doing this for a number of reasons, but mainly We also offer help to those who are struggling after to better reflect our role in providing support and unsuccessful treatment, who are often unable to access information for everyone, whatever their experience of the right support at the time they need it. We are fertility issues. The word 'infertility' is often seen as very experienced at dealing with the emotions that can follow negative, and in rebranding we are building a more a positive pregnancy test and at offering help when no positive image for the charity. The help and support we one else seems to understand. We work with the families offer does not focus on negatives, despite the fact that and friends of those who are trying to conceive, and offer fertility treatment is often stressful and a successful help and advice on practical issues. We have also worked outcome is not guaranteed. to raise awareness of the need for fertility education. Our We have had some great feedback since we rebrand - project in Scotland – Your Future Fertility – successfully ed, with the majority of comments we have received reaches out to young people to help inform and educate being hugely positive. One or two people have been them about lifestyle factors which could impact their concerned that we will lose our focus on supporting chances of conceiving in the future. those with infertility, but that definitely won’t be the case. We also continue to lobby for fair access to three full We see the change as a positive one which will allow us cycles of funded IVF treatment across the UK. The to provide more support to you all. dedication and hard work of our staff in Scotland was Over the years we have changed from being a part of the successful campaign there where recently membership charity, where only those who joined could access criteria were widened to allow those where one access our services, to a more open and inclusive org - couple has a child from a previous relationship to access anisation. We offer all our services free – helped hugely treatment. Soon all those eligible in Scotland will receive by the efforts of our amazing fundraisers who undertake the recommended three full cycles of treatment. Our some fantastic (and sometimes very strange!) events to focus will now be on England, Wales and Northern raise funds so that our support can continue to be free. Ireland. We know that support services, such as We know that impact of fertility problems is not just counselling, are not always as available as they might be physical but also emotional, and that's where our network and we plan to campaign for this to be improved. of staff are invaluable. Our friendly team is at hand to offer Our work has been described by many as a 'lifeline', the help that is needed – that may be a chat on the phone providing support and a listening ear when no one else to our support line, run by a qualified nurse (the wonderful is there. We hope that our new name and our new brand Diane who has been with us for 20 years), or it may be will make us more accessible and will enable us to widen going along to one of the dozens of groups run by our and enrich the care and support we offer. Look out for fabulous staff and volunteers across England, Wales, our fabulous new website: www.fertilitynetworkuk.org Scotland and Northern Ireland. It may be chatting to which will be launched at The Fertility Show in November others in our online HealthUnlocked community or as part of our annual Fertility Awareness Week. attending one of our Skype talks on fertility-related topics. Please do get in touch with us and let us know how Our support focuses on positive ways of getting best we can improve our services and extend our support together to help one another during what is often a very to as many people affected by fertility issues as possible. challenging time, and our new brand reflects a change Very best wishes that has already been underway within the charity as we Susan Fertility Network UK welcomes new Corporate Partner See page 22/23 for further information 3 Fertility Network UK 25 Years of Progress in IVF Britain has always been a leader of innovations in IVF, whether through science or the regulatory landmarks it has accomplished through the process. In March this year I attended the HFEA annual meeting in London. The Body was celebrating its 25 years, which is poignant because I’ve just returned to the UK after working little over 25 years abroad as a clinical embryologist. I was pleasantly surprised that I saw so many “old” faces at the recent HFEA meeting (despite the global expansion of assisted reproduction, through confer - ences, workshops and meetings, the IVF community remains friendly and approachable). My job has given me a chance to travel the world, to learn and exchange ideas and be part of a professional community that is constantly changing and advancing – it’s immensely satisfying. When I left Britain as a young scientist, the job was purely science and research; I had little association with the patients – when I returned, I returned as a father with everything in common with the thousands of Giles Palmer couples I had treated. I had matured, and could relate Maintaining embryos safely in the IVF laboratory: more and more with the people I saw longing for a child; Over the years more specialized equipment has been I found myself exactly in the same “boat”… But that’s developed exclusively for use with human in vitro another story. fertilization. Every conference exhibition showroom has So what has changed in the last few decades? become an Aladdin’s cave of new equipment dedicated for use by the clinical embryologist. State-of-the-art The profession of clinical embryology has evolved incubators, integrated work stations and specialized considerably: micro-manipulators have certainly improved the way we Today’s field requires a highly structured training work. program with strict documentation. A call for accred it - ation by organisations have put embryologists on a How we culture embryos has improved significantly course of professional development targeting excellence. since the early days. Culture media (the solutions that Clinical embryology has only grown in its sophistic- bathe the embryo) were originally adapted from simple ation. It’s a profession that upholds rigorous standards media based on chemical compositions in the oviduct and laboratory guidelines, all of which have fine-tuned as known at the time. These formulations were the IVF laboratory into the highly standardised work- effective, but attempts at culture to blastocyst stage place it has become today. Rigorous quality manage - were poor; although a number of embryos reached this ment systems have become a cornerstone of our work stage the viability was compromised with reported low and are now mandatory. implantation rates. Labs today use specific media that is based on the Regulation: changing energy requirements and basic physiological When I left the UK the HFEA hadn’t yet been formed. principles identified in decades of research. Nowadays, An interim committee were implementing regulations, blastocyst stage transfer is common place and a mark guidelines and codes of practice that would form the of good laboratory standards. backbone of the fledgling HFEA, which has now Once, trying to freeze the delicate egg seemed become an authority with a worldwide reach - influenc- impossible. Years of research, and increasingly vast use ing other countries on how they perform IVF, as well as of the ultra-fast freezing technique “vitrification”, has protecting the people that are pursuing fertility gradually crept up the success rates of freezing and treatment.