Fertility Road Issue 34

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: EMMA CANNON • DONOR EGG IVF • FERTILITY JOURNEYS UPDATE 

FertilityRoad 

BIG BOYS 

DON’T CRY 

WHAT 10 YEARS 

HAVE TAUGHT ME 

BEFORE YOU 

WERE HERE 

A COUPLES JOURNEY 

FROM A MANS 

PERSPECTIVE 

CREATING YOUR 

FERTILITY DIET 

PART 1 FORMING 

THE FOUNDATIONS 

LIVING A FERTILITY 

FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE 

KATHY PAYNE DISCUSSES 

PRECONCEPTION CARE 

ISSUE 34 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016 

PRINTED IN THE UK 

UK £3.95 ,US $10.99, CAN $10.99 

INTERNATIONAL SURROGACY: WHY MORE COUPLES ARE LOOKING ABROAD

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FertilityRoad ISSUE 34 

Contents 

MIND 

fertilityroad 

fertilityroadmag 

18 THE CARE(LESS) PROVIDER 

Fertility Coach A’ndrea Reiter 

explains why having the right care 

provider can drastically affect your 

chances of getting pregnant. 

20 LIVING A FERTILITY 


Expert Kathy Payne discusses 

preconception care and taking 

control of your own care. 

ON THE COVER 

SCIENCE 

MEN ONLY 

24 EMMA CANNON 

Acupuncture doubles the 

chances of IVF being 

successful. 

35 FERTILITY 

JOURNEYS 2016 

The latest from our life 

changing... 

50 DONOR EGG IVF... 

CHOOSING FOR SUCCESS 

Craig Reisser offers expert 

advice for intended 

parents considering 

donor egg IVF. 

54 BIG BOYS 

DON’T CRY 

Expert Russell Davis 

looks back over 10 years of 

trying to emotional connect with 

his wife. 

BODY 

30 MENU TO FERTILITY 

What you and your spouse eat 

can play a vital role in your 

fertility health. 

34 FERTILITY 

SUPERFOODS 

Nutritional Guru, 

Annabel Karmel 

shares a few of 

her own delicious 

recipes. 

44 WHY DO INTENDED PARENTS 

GO ABROAD FOR SURROGACY? 

Richard Westoby shares his personal 

and professional experience on 

going abroad to start his own family. 

50 DONOR EGG IVF… 


Craig Reisser offers expert advice for 

intended parents considering donor 

egg IVF. 

56 SPERM MOT 

Male fertility expert Professor 

Sheena Lewis discusses men’s 

biological clocks. 

62 BEFORE YOU 

WERE HERE 

Father Martin 

Davis offers a 

helping hand to 

other men dealing 

with their own 

fertility struggle. 

FERTILITY LIFE 

60 LETTER FROM THE HEART 

Leyla and Richard open up about their struggle to start 

a family. 

04 | fertilityroad.com 

| fertilityroadmag | follow us @fertilityroad

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Helping Couples 

to Conceive, 

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Male Fertility Enhancement 

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Ovulation Prediction 

A variety of tools to help accurately pinpoint 

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Phone: 01534 885960 

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Contributors 

The people who made this issue happen… 

Richard Westoby 

Richard is one of the fathers to a set 

of boy/girl twins born in September 

2012. Richard and his partner Steven 

undertook surrogacy in the US and 

learned a lot about the process. 

Since the twins were born, Richard 

has become an advocate helping 

prospective parents learn more about 

IVF and surrogacy in general. 

A’ndrea Reiter 

A’ndrea is an Intuitive Fertility 

Coach and Reiki Master specialising 

in a mind-body approach to fertility. 

She uses a combination of reiki, 

intuition and mindset coaching 

to move her clients through the 

emotional and physical blocks that 

are impeding them from conceiving 

naturally. Though based in New York 

City, A’ndrea works with women all 

over the world to empower them to 

take charge of their fertility journeys 

and create the life they want. 

Emma Cannon 

Emma is a fertility, pregnancy and 

integrated women’s health expert, 

registered acupuncturist and author. 

She has a particular interest in the 

immune system and how it impacts 

fertility. From her base at The 

Fertility Rooms Clinic in London 

she offers a full range of fertility 

advice, tests and programmes, 

from optimising natural fertility to 

support through IVF. 

Russell Davis 

Russell is a cognitive hypnotherapist 

specialising in fertility at his Harley 

Street clinic. He is the National 

Council of Hypnotherapy’s fertility 

advisor and founder of The Fertile 

Mind a fertility hypnosis programme 

that utilises the scientifically proven 

mind-body link to help increase 

fertility and chances to get pregnant. 

Kathy Payne 

Kathy is a women’s natural health and 

fertility coach and complimentary 

therapist. She’s more wellbeing fairy 

godmother than health police and serves 

natural health and fertility guidance 

with smiles and virtual hugs using Skype 

to guide and heal women worldwide. 

Professor Sheena Lewis 

Prof Sheena Lewis is the founder and 

CEO of SpermComet - a test which 

detects the amount of DNA damage 

in individual sperm, providing men 

with more accurate information 

about their fertility and better 

directing their treatment options. 

Craig Reisser 

Craig is a father through donor egg 

surrogacy and IVF. Craig now works 

with Oregon Reproductive Medicine, 

the clinic that helped him become 

a father, and helps other intended 

parents building their families through 

IVF, egg donation and surrogacy. 

FertilityRoad 

Publisher 

Tone Jarvis-Mack 

tone@fertilityroad.com 

Managing Director 

PJ Jarvis-Mack 

Art Editor 

Richard Porter 

Advertising 

sales@fertilityroad.com 

UK 020 7183 9882 

US (323) 892-8486 

Accounts Manager 

Lynsey Jackman 

lynsey@fertilityroad.com 

Distribution 

UK Distribution 

Goldkey Media Ltd 

0207 491 4065 

UK/US Distribution 

PineApple Media Ltd 

01245 600368 

Licensing enquiries 

licensing@fertilityroad.com 

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Mike Buckworth 

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London 

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Published by 

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EN11 8TJ 

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In association with 

London Olympia 5 - 6 November 2016 

Manchester Central 25 - 26 March 2017 

The essential event for 

your fertility journey 

● 60 talks by top 

fertility experts 

● 100 exhibitors 

● Fertility clinics from 

the UK and abroad 

● Advice for single 

women and same 

sex couples 

● Fertility assessments 

and consultations 

● Medical and 

complementary 

alternatives 

London show tickets now on sale 

Find out more at fertilityshow.co.uk 

The Fertility Show is organised and presented by River Street Live 

| fertilityroadmag | follow us @fertilityroad 


THE FERTILITY SHOW 2016 

Baby it’s back- The Fertility Show hits London… and Manchester 

ts ard to eliee aoter year as goe 

y ad te iggest fertility sow i uroe 

is a d wit a etesie semiar 

rogramme roidig aess to te est 

mids i fertility ad te iggest eer 

rage of eiitors its romisig to e 

te eet to atted to lear aout 

your fertility ourey 

iets are ow o sale olie as e 

ertility ow agai gets ready to tae 

oer its regular ome at lymia odo 

durig te weeed of oemer 

it i oules i te strugglig 

to eome arets a eet giig aess 

to uaralleled uiased iformatio 

o fertility as eer ee more toial 

or releat e of te iggest draws for 

isitors is te aed eert semiar 

sedule oer two days wit tals from 

some of te worlds leadig fertility 

seialists 

idig trustworty adie o fertility 

is ruial for oules ad eery year 

e ertility ow aims to roide a safe 

ad disreet eiromet were eole 

a get te iformatio ad adie 

tey eed all i oe lae it te 

uiue oortuity to ae oetooe 

oersatios i ofidee wit a rage 

of fertility eerts tose isitig te ow 

will leae feelig more ealed to mae 

iformed deisios aout teir fertility 

otios eres simly o oter sow 

lie it 

emiars tis year will oer a rage of 

toial issues ad roide udates o te 

latest resear iludig 

tress ad its imat o fertility 

Professor Jacky Boivin ardiff ertility 

tudies esear rou 

atural yle ad mild fertility 

treatmet witout te drugs Professor 

Geeta Nargund edial iretor of 

ertility 

ertility treatmet for older wome 

Dr. Tarek El-Toukhy osultat i 

erodutie ediie ad urgery at 

uys ad t omas osital 

tios for adotio Jan Fishwick 

of adotio arity arets ad ildre 

ogeter 

at me eed to ow aout teir fertility 

a outlie of te rolems ad ow to 

test oost ad treat fertility Professor 

llan Pacey iersity of effield 

| fertilityroadom 


New for this year is the Q&A stage in 

association with Fertility Network UK 

which will host sessions with key fertility 

experts such as Haitham Hamoda, Prof 

Geeta Nargund and Prof Adam Balen. 

Visitors will be encouraged to take a seat, 

bring questions to put forward either 

openly or anonymously and either listen 

to or join in the expert discussion. 

And now, to help more people across 

the UK to experience the advice and 

support on offer at this unique event, The 

Fertility Show is pleased to announce its 

new two-day show in Manchester at the 

Exchange Hall at Manchester Central, 

which include dedicated seminar rooms 

from 25–26 March 2017. 

The Fertility Shows are backed by Britain’s 

leading fertility support charity, Fertility 

Network UK. They are a dedicated and 

discreet non-profit charity and are ideally 

placed to help visitors at the exhibition 

to learn about their fertility, explore 

options with experienced and sympathetic 

professionals and find out how to get the 

best chance of conceiving. The London 

show takes place during National Fertility 

Awareness Week (31st October-6th 

November 2016). 

WHAT’S NEW? 

Larger London show - Up to 60 seminars over the 2 days, featuring some of the world’s leading fertility experts, 

and more than 100 exhibitors ranging from doctors to clinicians and practitioners including UK & overseas clinics, 

advice groups, charities, acupuncturists, diet, nutritional & lifestyle advisors, plus yoga & massage therapists. 

The Fertility Show Q&A Stage - Key fertility experts including Haitham Hamoda, Professor Geeta Nargund 

and Professor Adam Balen answer some of the hot topics and most-asked questions on fertility. 

New Manchester Show - the Exchange Hall at Manchester Central, which includes 3 dedicated conference 

rooms from 25 – 26 March 2017. 

EXPERT TALKS 

Here are some of the 60 experts booked to talk at the event: 

Zita West 

Prof. Geeta Nargund 

Prof. Simon Fishel 

Kate Brian 

Dr. Marilyn Glenville PhD 

Russell Davis 

Andrew Loosely 

Emma Cannon 

Jessica Hepburn 

Natalie Gamble 

Prof. Allan Pacey 

Prof. Adam Balen 

The Fertility Show London, 5-6 November at Olympia London. 

The Fertility Show Manchester, 25-26 March at Exchange Hall, Central Manchester. 

Tickets and further show information can be found at fertilityshow.co.uk 



FR News & Views 

NATIONAL FERTILITY 

AWARENESS WEEK 2016 

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU DO, JUST DO SOMETHING! 

Plans are already underway to make 

this years NFAW even better than in 

previous years! The focus for this years 

campaign is to reveal the #HiddenFaces 

struggling with fertility problems. 

It's common for media attention to 

be focused on stereotypes of fertility 

struggles: the 30 – or 40 – something 

career woman who's left it too late; the 

against-the-odds IVF success story or 

the woman who's apparently easily come 

to terms with childlessness – but this is 

far from the real picture. 

urig atioal ertility wareess ee 

we aim to igligt te usee itimate 

ad daytoday reality of fertility issues to 

oertur ommolyeld misoetios 

aout fertility ad to sie a sotligt o 

utold fertility stories 

te i oules eeriee te 

ai fertility issues rig e if you dot 

ae diret eeriee you roaly ow 

someoe wo does a family memer 

fried or wor olleague e oe eole 

will oi i raise fuds ad el age 

eretios aout fertility issues 

e fie fous areas for tis years 

media amaig are igligted i te 

ifograi oosite 

o ow do we do tis uite simly 

as wit ay amaig it iges o 

iolemet ad artiiatio ad 

oiig our amaig is easy 

ertility etwor are te leadig 

atiet arity elig eole wit ay 

aset of fertility rolems ad we as 

tat eeryoe el to raise a little it more 

awareess durig ery artile i 

te media or te loal aer or a illage 

magaie eery time you sare our osts 

o your soial media sites or you use te 

iddeae ertilityi 

eery radio iteriew gie eery time you 

tal to someoe aout wat you are doig 

ad wy ireases te aes of 

romotig te imortae of fertility 

eduatio y ireasig youg eoles 

awareess of te fats aout fertility 

disellig myts ad euiig a ew 

geeratio wit iformatio wi a 

el tem mae iformed deisios 

aout teir futures 

elig someoe strugglig wit 

fertility issues feel less aloe ad 

isolated elig rig someoe ito a 

ommuity were oters uderstad 

ad a ematise ad sare 

elig someoe to uderstad wat 

teir fried arter family memer or 

wor olleague is goig troug 

f you are ale to el raise awareess for 

ad you rea ust oe erso wo 

eras didt ow te fats aout ow 

aiful ad deilitatig ifertility ad te 

logig for a ild a e te you ae 

eled someoe 

e idde fae amaig will use te 

followig witteraeoo astags 

iddeae ertilityi 

te mot leadig u to atioal 

ertility wareess ee we will e asig 

eeryoe wo a to oi us i our soial 

media amaig to sow te itimate 

ysial emotioal soial ad fiaial 

reality of wat its lie to lie wit fertility 

issues at is your daytoday eeriee 

weter tats strugglig to oeie ad 

arry a ay te daytoday reality of 

ildlessess or eerieig suess after 



Sponsored by 

years of struggling. The idea is to tweet with 

the hashtag #Fertilityin5 and say whatever 

you want. This could be 5 words focusing 

on how you feel: lonely, stressed, invaded, 

on hold. Or they could simply be that day’s 

reality; my worst five ever were: I’m sorry 

there’s no heartbeat. 

The aim of the twitter campaign is to be 

incredibly illuminating about both the 

emotions and the day-to-day actualities of 

struggling with fertility problems. 

At Fertility Network UK we have also put 

together a simple poster with some ideas on 

how to fundraise. 

We need your help to raise funds: in the month 

leading up to and during National Fertility 

Awareness Week why not organize a Fertility 

Friday fundraising event: cake bake, coffee 

morning, tea party, sponsored walk of hope, or 

a dress down at work day. Celebrating Fertility 

Fridays (or any other day of the week!) with 

work colleagues, friends, family or members 

of support groups is a great way to highlight 

fertility issues and hopefully raise some money. 

If you are able to help raise awareness or 

raise funds then please get in touch and let 

us know what you are doing, contact Kara 

kara@fertilitynetworkuk.org I’d love to 

hear from you. 

THE AIM OF 

THE TWITTER 

CAMPAIGN IS TO 

BE INCREDIBLY 

ILLUMINATING 

ABOUT BOTH THE 

EMOTIONS AND 

THE DAY-TO- 

DAY ACTUALITIES 

OF STRUGGLING 

WITH FERTILITY 

PROBLEMS. 

For more information please go to 

the NFAW website NFAW.org.uk or 

follow Fertility Network UK on Twitter 

and Facebook. 

Kara Myhill, Campaign Manager, 

National Fertility Awareness Week, 

Fertility Network UK. 




se 

POTENT 

NEW IVF 

TREATMENT 

WITH FEWER 

SIDE EFFECTS 

ON THE WAY 

IVF is the long established method 

to try for a baby for people with 

fertility problems. 

ut ow ustralia ad elgia medial 

sietists ae disoered ow to imroe 

a womas aes of eomig regat 

usig a less iasie ad eaer alteratie 

otet ew fertility treatmet said to 

e eaer ad less iasie ta as 

ee deeloed sietists laim 

e ioatio wi as already 

udergoe reliial testig uses 

growt fators to eae a eistig 

fertility treatmet ow as iitro 

maturatio 

e results sow imroed egg uality 

ad a irease i emryos wit te 

use of miimal drugs 

esearers said te adae as sigifiat 

imliatios for fertility treatmet ad 

fertility reseratio worldwide 

tadard iitro fertilisatio 

reuires wome to tae follile 

stimulatig ormoes to stimulate 

egg ell growt efore tey are remoed 

from te oary 

retriees eggs wile tey are still i 

te immature stage ad rigs tem to 

maturity i ell ulture i te la 

iteratioal resear team led 

y ssoiate rofessor oert 

ilrist as eaed te roess 

y addig a omiatio of a growt 

fator umuli ad modulators 

small sigallig moleules to te egg 

ells ssoiate rofessor ilrists team 

reetly disoered umuli ad is 

laoratory is oe of oly two worldwide 

tat mae it 

e researers are urretly odutig 

safety studies to esure tat alterig te 

oditios of egg maturatio usig tis 

eaed teiue does ot affet 

te logterm ealt of offsrig 



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‘WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE’ 

With one in six couples in the UK 

- about 3.5 million people – who 

experience fertility problems discussing 

these difficulties is still a taboo. 

gata ymaowi is a family 

otograer wo wats to rea tis 

silee sired y er ow fouryear 

ourey to eome a moter se started 

aitig for te mirale a otograi 

roet wi aims to lift te stigma of 

ifertility ad suort tose strugglig to 

eome arets 

e otograed wome wit teir 

mirale aies ad olleted teir stories 

of ow tey maaged to oerome 

alleges ad eeriee moterood 

e my dream of aig a ay fially 

ame true felt a strog eed to rea out 

to tose still tryig wated to mae teir 

struggles a little easier ta mie ad 

ee wated to say ey you are ot 

aloe or differet or ursed it is ot your 

fault ad you ae otig to e asamed 

of ere are so may of us ad it is good 

to tal gata 

gata iitially adertised te roet 

o soial media ad te resose was 

oerwelmigly ositie wome of 

differig ages ad agrouds deided to 

ome to gatas studio i iggate to e 

otograed wit teir mirale ildre 

ad to sare teir ersoal stories 

ey were tales of rologed treatmet 

misarriages straied relatiosis ad 

sattered dreams ut also of iredile 

stregt determiatio ad ultimately 

oy ome ee maaged to fid tigs 

to laug at ou ti you ould eer 

e ealous of a regat at i 

agai a story is uiue oweer oe 

oerarig teme emerged loeliess 

ll te artiiats felt tat tere is 

a degree of same ad serey aroud 

ifertility ad tat te issue eeds mu 

more oe disussio ey deided to 



Sponsored by 

share their experiences to support other 

women and to help make their journeys 

easier and less isolating than their own 

journey had been. And to give them hope. 

“I found it so difficult to hear about ‘everyone’ 

being pregnant around me at the time, and so 

I work really hard never to assume anything 

about other people on the baby front, and to 

be up front about my history with people who 

are struggling so that they feel that they have 

at least one friend to talk to if it helps. It looks 

like ‘everyone’ got pregnant really easily, but 

when you open up to people, there is often a 

more complicated story behind the scenes, 

that makes you feel less alone than you 

thought you were. Good luck with chasing 

your dreams!” (Frances, mum of Evie, George 

and Olivier) 

The project will be launched in late October, 

during the National Fertility Awareness 

Week. Agata is currently liaising with 

Fertillity Network UK about working in 

partnership to raise awareness of the issue. 

More information can be found on her 

website agataphotography.co.uk 

as well as her Facebook 

page facebook.com/Agata- 

Photography-279403772138459/ 




Sponsored by 

MALE FERTILITY 

AMONG CZECH 

MEN ON THE UP 

Czech men's fertility is on a good 

level since this year's research has not 

confirmed earlier warnings of their 

falling fertility, Michal Pohanka, 

director of the Sexological Institute 

of the 1st Teaching Faculty and 

General Teaching Hospital, told 

journalists on Tuesday. 

“On the contrary, thanks to a healthy 

lifestyle and improvement in the 

environment, Czechs’ fertility is 

slightly improving,” Pohanka said. 

The WHO lower standard for 

male fertility is 15 million 

sperms in one milliliter of 

the ejaculate, while that 

of the Czech men who 

were examined this year 

amounted to 61 million. 

The average age of the 

examined men was 34.7 

years. A research conducted 

in 1980 showed the average 

concentration of sperms of 

40 million and it was only 15 

million in the past 15 years. 

However, the results were examined 

according to different criteria, Pohanka said. 

“The dramatic fall in fertile men is but a 

myth,” he added. 

“Previously, the spermogramme check-ups 

lacked any standard and comparability, due 

to which the results could have suggested 

that male fertility was falling,” Pohanka said. 

“Our clinical experiences do not suggest 

any fall in the concentration of the sperms 

of young men examined over infertility,” 

sexologist Jaroslav Zverina said. 

“Our research, too, did not confirm 

the hypothesis of male infertility in the 

course of years,” Zverina said. 

Previously, men from infertile couples were 

only examined after it was confirmed that the 

women were unable to become pregnant. 

At present, men from infertile couples 

are examined as the first. Due to this, the 

examined groups include more men who 

do not suffer from any defect of fertility. 

These men are closer to the general 

population and their results yield better 

information about the real state of male 

fertility, Pohanka said. 

Pohanka recommended that all young 

men should have the spermogramme 

made for them. 

Less than ten percent men have bad 

results, but modern reproduction 

medicine has the techniques with which 

to help most men have some offspring, 

he added. 

The long-term research of Czech 

sexologists examined 5,000 men. This 

year, the research followed up its results. 

The examination was made for 200 men 

from Prague and Central Bohemia. Its 

results have confirmed the latest trend. 



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MIND 

drea eiter 

THE CARE(LESS) PROVIDER 

Fertility Coach A’ndrea Reiter explains why having the right care 

provider can drastically affect your chances of getting pregnant 

eres te tig am ot ati dotor ti 

may elemets of wester mediie are 

awesome ad eessary ad ta god tey 

eist i a lot of ases 

edial siee as doe some truly 

amaig tigs 

ere my agu omes i is te 

seriously oerlooed midset omoet 

te orrelatio of your emotioalmetal 

state to te ysial oditiosfertility 

issues eres a reaso tat oly 

wors of te time d its ot 

eause you ad tat u of offee you 

souldt ae t as so mu to do wit 

te midset of te woma ad wat ses 

elieig or ommittig to 

as to te aw of syoysial 

esose for eery tougt te rai 

as te ody as a ysial or emial 

reatio o if were aig a stressful or 

aied tougt it registers i te ody 

as to te figt or fligt resose i 

te amygdalae of our rai we we are 

stressed out or triggered our oessetial 

ody systems slow dow or sut dow 

e rerodutie system is ot eessary 

for you to stay alie so tats oe of te 

first to e affeted 

ay tigs a trigger tis resose ut 

wat e foud i my olisti fertility 

ratie is tat wome are ofte luggig 

ito eliefs tat are sewed at tem from 

soiety family ad yes are roiders 

e way some dotors urses ad tes 

sea to wome a e aorret ad a 

atually eaerate te ifertility ese 

are tigs dotors ae atually said to 

my liets 

ow youre startig late ell tere are 

lots of older mums ow 

ets ust start rigt off wit te 

oter stuff doest really wor ayway 

se was omletely ealty wit a 

regular yle y te way 

roaly wot ee wor for you 

ut you a try if you wat 

dout you ae eoug eggs at tis 

oit so maye you sould loo ito 

oter otios 

mea we a do a rigt ow ut it 

roaly wot wor 

r omes i from oter eam room ad 

says ew te girl efore you ad 

folliles ut you aetats good 

ou dot wat to get your oes u ou 

are oer 

ile are roiders rarely mea to 

e isesitie teyre ofte ot aware 

tat wat tey say ad ow tey say it 

suosiously lats ito our elief 

systems ad saotages our elief i 

ourseles ad our odys aility to e 

ale to do te o wome ae doe 

for milleia 

e welless aset ad edside maer 

as ufortuately goe out te widow 

i may ases eter tats due to 

traiig or osital ostraits dot 

ow ut te fous is o te atology 

ot te erso ay ust loo at you as a 

uterus ad ot a uma 

gai ow some warm arig dotors 

ut almost all of my ifertility liets 

ae ad ufortuate eeriees wit 

isesitie are roiders d eause 

tese are roiders are autority figures 

tese wome uy ito te elief tat 

tey are ot aale tat its ot liely 

to wor tat tey are too old d 

aordig to te aw of ttratio lie 

eergy attrats lie eergy so if wee 

lugged ito te elief tat we are ot 

aale te ierse is aswerig wit 

situatios tat are a eergeti mat 

to tat tougt ee seeral rouds 

of tat dot wor uelaied 

ifertility ad it ust eer aes 

f ourse tese dotors oers ome 

from some asis ut ufortuately tey 

are traied to fous o te eetio ot 

te rule uroe its ot so uusual 

to oeie u to age art of tat is 

eatig less roessed ra ad art of it 

is ot eig made to feel iaale at age 

es its true tat your egg out goes 

dow uite a it after ad so from a 

sietifi ersetie te odds lesse ut 

tats ust it teyre odds d you eed 

egg ust oe 



MIND 

When the mindset component is left out 

of fertility (the idea that by shifting your 

thoughts, you can shift your physical 

condition), it can be a bleak prognosis. 

Your mind is so powerful. I’ve seen 

amazing things in my practice from: 

• Cysts and fibroids disappearing 

• Scar tissue being released 

• Cycle returning after years of amenorrhea 

• Egg quality increasing 

• Endometriosis disappearing 

• Uterine lining doubling 

• Thyroid conditions disappearing 

• Stopping miscarriage 

It all happened when the woman was open 

to the idea that things could be different 

than the prognosis they were given, by 

doing the work, and by having a care 

provider that makes them feel safe. 

So many of my clients have stayed way 

to long with doctors who have made 

them feel uncomfortable, too old, less 

than, incapable, and a lost cause. It’s so 

subtle that you often don’t notice it, but 

it’s a huge factor in your progress. So if 

you don’t love your doctor and they’re 

not uber supportive of your journey and 

what’s right for you, consider: 

• A naturopath or midwife for well 

woman care. 

• If having a medical doctor makes you 

feel better, interview a few more and get 

someone you feel safe and comfortable with. 

Feeling comfortable and capable is essential 

in this journey. Don’t be afraid to change 

providers. If they’re not on Team You, they 

need to go. 

A’ndrea Reiter is a Reiki Master and 

Intuitive Fertility Coach specializing 

in a mind-body approach to fertility. 

She uses a combination of reiki, 

intuition and mindset coaching to 

move women through the emotional 

and physical blocks that are impeding 

them from conceiving naturally. 

A’ndrea is the author of Get Pregnant 

Naturally: A mind body guide to 

getting pregnant, even when you’ve 

tried everything available on Amazon. 

Visit FusionFertility.com for more 

information. 



MIND 

EXPERT: Kathy Payne 

LIVING A FERTILITY 


Fertility issues are on the rise. Sadly. 

Why is it so? 

How can we slow down or stop that increase? 

What if we’re having issues of our own? 

How can we boost OUR health and fertility? 

Natural Health and Fertility Coach – 

Kathy Payne – puts forward the case for 

preconception care and self-help. 

The challenge 

Around 1 in 6 couples in the UK today 

have trouble falling pregnant. That’s over 

3.5 million people. 

Statistics show sperm count is down. 

About 1 in 4 pregnancies results in miscarriage. 

Fertility treatments are up. Success rates 

are not high. 

Many couples are confused and frustrated 

by the label they have been given 

“unexplained infertility” 

Fertility issues are common. 

If you’re suffering, none of this is a 

comfort. I know. I really do know. 

Let’s not lose heart, though. Let’s stay 

positive. Let’s take back control. 

Easy to say, maybe? 

What nature teaches us 

about fertility 

Let’s start by going back to nature. 

Mother Nature wants us to thrive not just 

survive. All species to thrive. She wants us 

to have babies, healthy babies. So Mother 

Nature has a few tricks up her sleeve. 

Like trying to make sure babies are born 

when conditions are right …like no 

threats to safety (in modern life, 

that’s stress to you and me). 

And when there’s nutritious 

food to support conception, 

pregnancy, birth and strong 

babies. And there’s a 

healthy egg, vibrant sperm 

and a welcoming womb. 

Traditional cultures know 

this stuff. They save the best 

food – often fish, shellfish, 

eggs - for newlyweds to boost 

baby-making. 

People who breed and raise animals know 

this stuff. They choose the healthiest animals, 

they feed them the best food and provide a 

great environment to breed and rear as many 

strong and healthy babies as they can. 

They know it’s about conception, healthy 

pregnancy, safe birth AND a healthy offspring. 

Did you know: 

Around 1 in 6 couples 

in the UK today 

have trouble falling 

pregnant. 

What they teach and 

don’t teach in schools 

And I’m not implying that we don’t 

know this stuff, at all. Some people know 

it; some people know it because they’ve 

suffered fertility issues and had to find it 

out the hard way. Sadly. 

In schools, they teach how NOT to get pregnant 

and strike fear into us that just about 

looking at someone can make an unwanted 

baby. But we’re not really taught how to 

protect and boost fertility for when 

we’re ready to make a wanted baby. 

We’re not really taught self-care 

for fertility. 

Yeah but… 

Many of you may be 

thinking, yeah but we have a 

diagnosed condition, a known 

problem. That’s why we can’t get 

pregnant naturally. 

I hear you. There will some people who 

are better opting for a fertility treatment. 

Your doctor will advise you on that. 

Always maintain a good relationship 

with your doctor. 

If you’re having treatment using your 

own, sperm and/or womb, It’s still got to 

be a good idea to give yourself the best 

chances of success, right? 



MIND 

It’s a personal view, but I don’t think 

fertility treatment is an easy option. It’s 

a rollercoaster of tests, drugs, procedures 

and emotions, with no guarantee of a 

baby (actually nothing and no-one can 

guarantee a baby). It’s sometimes 

tough to get treatment for free 

and it’s expensive to buy. It’s 

a boom industry making 

billions worldwide. It’s 

filling a need. 

I do wonder if a few people 

go down this route a little 

too quickly? Maybe, it 

should be a last option, not 

the first option. Maybe we 

should do as much as we can for 

ourselves, first? Sometimes it does 

take longer to become parents than we’d 

like. And it’s not always a straight path. 

And even if you end up having fertility 

treatment, you’d be going into it in really 

good shape. 

Self care 

I’m a huge believer in self-care. Not just 

to protect and boost fertility. To protect 

and boost health, hormone health, 

happiness. 

Prevention is better than cure 

and all that. 

Now again, a few will say, 

“yeah but unhealthy people 

can have kids” and they tell 

me tales of some bloke down 

the pub who smokes like a 

chimney, drinks like a fish and 

survives on kebabs and he has 

5 kids. 

Yep, I see that too. Sure, that happens. 

But what do we know about the health of 

those kids? 

We don’t fully understand the impacts 

of OUR health and lifestyle choices on 

any kids we have. Except we know those 

choices do have an impact. New research is 

making links all the time. 

So self-care isn’t selfish – it’s a benefit to 

our future children too. 

Unexplained infertility 

I also feel the frustration of those handed 

the label “unexplained infertility”. Those 

who have had tests - even had procedures 

– and no-one can tell them why they still 

haven’t managed to fall pregnant. I get that 

you can feel helpless, confused and angry. 

Of course, it could be that no-one found 

the challenge yet. 

There must be cases with no ONE, BIG NO- 

BRAINER thing, but maybe a few less obvious, 

smaller issues adding up to a problem. 

Which could mean that it’s solvable. 



MIND 

eig aware of your fertile sigs ad times 

owig we ad wo to as for el 

ad wat to as for 

eras tis doest soud lie roet 

siee ut tere is eidee tat tese stes 

a mae a differee e a differee 

te were lie our uli ealt 

serie reogises tis ere ust aret 

te resoures to tea eeryoe wo eeds 

it wat tey eed to ow detail 

was traied i reoetio are y 

oresigt a arity wi romotes 

reoetio are to oost ealt 

fertility ad imroe ildres ealt 

ut iformatio doest mea 

trasformatio oe of my matras 

aye easily aye ee uily o wy 

ot trow all you a at it ad see wat 

aes at do you ae to lose ou 

ae eerytig to gai 

ou eer ow wat tis te alae i 

your faour 

Why preconception care? 

aig a otrol meas iestig i 

your ow are 

ts also a it more ta ust taig oli 

id retty mu eeryoe ows te 

imortae of folate to a deeloig ay 

e ast maority of wome tae it efore 

tryig to get regat 

ts mu more ta tat eause i te 

moder world were figtig a uill attle 

ood is more letiful ut its full of 

asties addities reseraties salt sugar 

s emials lats a e srayed 

wit ug iller ad weediller e we eat 

food srayed wit stuff aimed to ill tigs 

imal roduts a e laed wit growt 

ormoes atiiotis ad oter drugs 

ould go o 

ore food less utritio 

ts a toi world were te air we reate 

te water we dri te soils we use to 

grow food are taited 

e slater o our sis a estimated 

emials ea day some of wi 

are ow ormoe armers e same 

ormoe armers lur i our leaig 

uoards ad oter orers of our omes 

offies garages gardes 

d dot get me started o te imat of 

moder day madess ad mayem te 

stress of life i te twety first etury 

ould go o ad o aout moder life 

madess ad ow it taes its toll o fertility 

ets ot lose eart toug ets stay 

ositie ets tae a otrol 

ets atually te selfare e 

reoetio are e gettig ay 

ready ettig ayfit 

m suer assioate aout tis stuff 

tea tis stuff ee if sools dot 

o wat do atually mea y reoetio 

are ts really a ertility riedly ifestyle 

What is preconception care? 

t meas giig yourself 

mots to get ealty 

t least mots eause tats ery 

rougly ow log it taes for a serm to 

deelo ad a egg to mature 

d te asis of a fertility friedly 

lifestyle are tese 

fertility friedly diet soig 

ooig ad storig food for maig fertility 

ertility friedly lifestyle oies 

eig out your geeral ealt i ase 

teres sometig else tat redues fertility 

ettig lety of rest ad relaatio to 

ust stress 

etoig your life of te ealt 

ormoe ad fertility armers 

Did you know: 

Many couples 

are confused and 

frustrated by the 

label they have been 

given “unexplained 

infertility” 

e ru is you ae to atually tem 

ou atually ae to tae otrol ad 

age your aits to more fertility 

friedly oes d ee u tose aits 

ooe is sayig its easy ats wy 

eole lie me are sreadig te word 

ad atiely el eole wor out wat 

tey a do to oost teir ealt ad 

terefore fertility 

m assioate aout reoetio are 

for eeryoe eter youe eed o 

a millio stis ad wet oer egatie 

regay tests or ust ae a wied 

twile i your eye ad ow you really 

eed to lea u your at 

ets ot lose eart ets stay ositie 

ets tae otrol 

e got tis 

oe aty 

aty aye is a almer of aywire 

ormoes ad oder ife ayem 

es a omes atural ealt ad 

ertility oa ad omlemetary 

eraist i orwi ad 

worldwide ia ye es more 

elleig airy odmoter ta 

ealt olie ad seres atural 

ealt ad fertility guidae wit 

smiles ad irtual ugs 

e as a free olie mii rogramme 

alled tes to oost ertility ig u 

at http://bit.ly/7stepstoboostfertility 

isit er wesite at 

kathypayne.co.uk 



MIND 

Your favourite fertility 

magazine collection 

in one place 


fertilityroadom |

MIND 

mma ao 

ACUPUNCTURE DOUBLES 

THE CHANCES OF IVF 

BEING SUCCESSFUL 

reet ritis trial usig auuture 

alogside as demostrated tat 

auuture more ta doules womes 

aes of aig a ay ere as ee 

a suggestio tat auuture sould e 

offered o te to suort yles 

would fully suort tis altoug my 

suggestio would e tat it is auuture 

admiistered y ratitioers wo ae 

udertae a full year traiig rater 

ta tose wo ae doe a miimal 

traiig i dry eedle teiue 

te reet trial wome reeied 

auuture ad of tese eame 

regat omared to of te i te 

oly grou f ourse ritis will say tere 

was o laeo ad te study was small ad 

terefore ot sigifiat ut tis will ot 

deter wome from seeig auuture 

s auuturists we ae ow tat 

auuture ireases te aes of 

ad otimiig atural fertility 

for a log time years ago te aulus 

study demostrated eellet 

results d oules ae ee floig 

to auuturists eer sie e aer 

ulised i ertility ad terility 

demostrated a regay rate i 

te auuture ad grou erses a 

suess rate i te grou 

uuture is oe of te oldest treatmets 

i eistee wit a log reorded istory 

of effiay f ourse trials are diffiult 

ad eesie to ru ad it is ot easy to 

fid a suitale laeo for auuture t 

is ot lie oig a ill esearers ae 

struggled to fid a laeo tat does ot 

reate a age i te ody i a similar 

way to auuture rials are eesie 

to ru ad ulie drugs omaies wo 

ae uge udgets ad mae a lot of rofit 

o oe stads to rofit tat mu from 

romotig auuture is is te oflit 

witi mediie ad it is oly te oules 

tat suffer if tey are ot offered effetie 

treatmets tat are easy to admiister do 

o arm ad are relatiely ieesie 

totally disagree wit eddlig treatmets 

tat do ot wor or gie atiets false oe 

am as agered as te rosietists aout 

wesites laimig tat tey ure eerytig 

from eadaes to reast aer 

e of my ersoal frustratios as 

ee tat to date all te resear as 

ee foused o efore ad after emryo 

trasfer toug tis reet study gae 

ot treatmet years later wy are 

we still asig te same uestio would 

loe to see te researers loo outside 

of tis tiy widow ad eted teir 

resear uestio f auuture a 

do tis durig te wat a it do 

outside of to otimie 

Emma Cannon Clinic – 

IVF SUPPORT 

my lii we fid we ae te est 

results we auuture is admiistered 

trougout te yle ur eeriee 



MIND 

has demonstrated that this may improve 

the growth of the follicles, helping to 

balance growth on each ovary. Help to 

prepare the endometrium so that the 

correct thickness is achieved. Acupuncture 

can also reduce discomfort, constipation 

and bloating around egg collection; 

helping to prepare the body 

for transfer. 

An additional benefit 

is that patients report 

feeling calmer and 

more relaxed, releasing 

endorphins. 

We also use acupuncture as 

preparation for IVF, or in between 

failed IVF cycles. Men too can benefit from 

using acupuncture prior to and during IVF, 

particularly if there is male factor infertility 

or they have high stress levels. Many men 

enjoy being involved in the process and find 

acupuncture helps them relax. 

5 Other reasons to use 

acupuncture 

• To help support you in losing weight or 

stopping smoking 

• To support you in early pregnancy, 

particularly following IVF 

• To manage bloating, constipation and 

digestive issues 

• To help alleviate stress and calm the mind 

• For patients with unexplained infertility 

or immune issues 

We have a long way to go in order to 

design trials that can measure 

the efficacy of acupuncture. 

It is also important to 

remember that many 

procedures used in 

medicine, have also 

not been rigorously 

tested. Early pregnancy 

scanning is one of these. 

Acupuncture has the longest 

recorded record of safe and 

effective treatment than any other 

procedure. However, the evidence is 

growing and couples will vote with their 

feet. As one open minded IVF consultant 

said to me last week; “why wouldn’t you 

use acupuncture alongside IVF”. 

Emma Cannon has clinics in London 

SW3, W1 and at Lister Fertility 

emmacannon.co.uk 



BODY 

• Refined starches: su as weat ad 

flour ased foods read asta oodles 

ad aed foods su as astries ad 

aes ese foods are o loger i teir 

atural state as grais ad are roessed 

ad refied ad ofte to large etremes 

ey are ow to ause lood sugar 

istaility muus rodutio weigt 

gai ad a ariety of oter issues wit 

te digestie ad immue systems 

Part 1 – Forming The 

Foundations 

aig te rigt dietary oies is diffiult 

we teres so mu iformatio to 

oose from 

afully tere are tried ad tested 

diets aailale ad te iese mediie 

fertility diet is ossily oe of te most 

eerieed aailale 

or oer years te iese ae 

suorted eaed ad trasformed 

fertility ealt wit te el of a 

strutured dietary system 

s wit all asets of iese mediie 

youll get te est results if a ratitioer 

resries a diet for you to meet your ow 

uiue reuiremets 

oweer tere is a foudatioal diet tat 

a e followed y eeryoe wi a e 

adusted for fier tuig ad deeer seifi 

results wit te el of a iese mediie 

fertility ratitioer if eeded 

drew oosely 

CREATING YOUR 

FERTILITY DIET 

Andrew Loosely sets out a simple healthy diet action plan that 

will keep you on track to lose weight and achieve your goals. 

The 2 Key Steps to Take 

ere are ey stes to otimisig your diet 

1. emoe te uealty food grous tat 

ause oor ealt ad try to aoid tem 

2. rease te ealty food grous 

tat regeerate ad eae your 

fertility ealt 

Step 1: Removing the 

unhealthy food groups 

y startig wit te foods to aoid you 

a uily imroe your fertility ealt 

ad egi to uild ew ealty ells 

ese ells ilude egg ad serm ells 

wi are easily damaged y uatural 

refied ad emially treated foods 

Food groups to avoid 

e followig food grous are ow to 

ause a ariety of issues to te uma ody 

ad ll elai a little more wit ea oe 

• Dairy: mil yogurt ad eese roduts 

is grou is reowed for ausig a 

irease i muus related oditios ad 

sould ot e osumed y eole wit 

eleated estroge leels ad wit ayoe 

eerieig te followig aria or 

terie ysts loed alloia ues 

dometriosis iroids ad as 

tese oditios are greatly aggraated y 

a irease i muus i te ody 

• Sugar: added sugar or ig leels of 

aturally sweet foods su as fruit e 

laels of ay readymade foods to see if 

sugar as ee added as you will usually 

fid it i tese roduts oo out for or 

syru too ugar auses a ustale lood 

sugar leel ausig a release i isuli to 

el stailise it reuet osumtio 

a ause issues wit isuli rodutio 

wi may lead to ye iaetes or 

isuli resistae ausig diseases su 

as t also auses a derease i your 

ells aility to asor itami wi is 

eeded for may ellular roesses 

• Caffeine: ea gree wite red urle 

ad la tea offee eergy dris 

ad may fiy dris too affeie is a 

stimulat e osumed it stimulates 

a adreal resose ausig adrealie 

to e released our ody is te i 

a stress mode ad to omat tis it 

as to release a steroid alled ortisol 

ortisol steals te uildig los for 

te rodutio of ital ormoes su 

as rogesteroe wi are eessary 

for imlatatio of a emryo ad te 

ealt of your regay 

• Alcohol: all tyes of alool e 

mai issue wit alool is its aility 

to damage ad ee ill ealty ells 

is ould also ilude egg ad serm 

ells ad liial trials ae sow 

tat serm ells are affeted y alool 

osumtio f you suffer wit ay of 

te aoe listed issues uder efied 

stares airy ugar or affeie te 

alool is also est aoided as it too as 

muus formig roerties 

• Processed foods: ready made meals 

ad saues sa ars ad ofte 



BODY 

pre-prepared ‘healthy meals’. Many of 

these products contain poor quality 

ingredients, along with high levels of 

contaminants. There are also added 

ingredients such as: flavour enhancers, 

folic acid (a synthetic ingredient), 

preservatives, sugars, colourants and 

texture enhancing ingredients too. 

Needless to say, the majority of these 

are chemically processed and cause a 

variety of health conditions. 

Step 2: The good food groups 

to enhance your fertility 

So now that the bad stuff is out of the 

way, we can start thinking about what to 

eat more of, and there’s lots! 

There are 4 foods groups that should be 

consumed daily to ensure a balanced 

intake of nutrients. 

1. Protein – best sourced from animal 

sources if you’re not vegetarian. 

• All types of Eggs – try to source good 

quality organic eggs from free range and 

grass fed birds. 

• All types of fish - try and eat wild coldwater, 

or fresh water, fish if possible. The 

southern seas are currently quite polluted 

and not a good source of seafood. 

• All types of meat (ideally organic and 

grass fed) such as: Beef, venison, chicken, 

lamb, duck, goat, game birds and pork. Try 

and vary the types of meat and eat at least 

50% of your meat as red meat. Your meat 

intake should ideally also include organ 

meats such as: liver, kidneys and heart. 

• A good lighter source of protein can be 

found in homemade bone stocks 

2. Starches – best sourced from root vegetables 

and a few of the healthier grains 

• All root vegetables – carrots, beetroot, 

parsnips, potato, sweet potato, turnips 

and celeriac 

• Pumpkin and squashes 

• Organic grains such as rice, barley, 

millet and quinoa 

• Organic beans, pulses, nuts and seeds 

3. Fibre – leafy green vegetables 

• Green cabbage, kale, savoy cabbage, cavalo 

nero, spinach, watercress, purple sprouting 

and green broccoli, Pakchoi and other 

green leafy vegetables. Have a mixture 

and don’t always eat the same type. 

• Fruit – most fruits have some fibre 

content. Eat fruits only when they’re 

in season and then ideally eat berries 

such as raspberries, blackcurrants and 



BODY 

blackberries as they nourish blood quality. 

Raw fruits are not suitable for everyone. 

4. Fats – best sourced from animal and fish 

fats and oils. Plant oils are also good daily. 

• E a t o r g a n i c g r a s s f e d a n i m a l f a t t h a t 

comes with the meat you are buying 

• U s e a n i m a l f a t s t o c o o k w i t h 

• Use some of the fat from roasted or 

poached meats and fish, as a base for a 

sauce to go with your meal 

• Oils – Use your own preference of organic 

Virgin Cold Pressed oils according to 

what is grown in your country. Examples 

are: Rapeseed oil (UK, Europe & US), 

Sunflower Seed oil (UK, Europe & US), 

Olive oil (Mediterranean locations) and 

Sesame seed oil (for Asia). These oils can 

be used safely for cooking such as frying, 

as well as for drizzling over vegetables 

• A healthy source of fats can also be 

found in homemade bone stocks 

• Nuts and seeds can also provide fats. 

Keep the consumption of these to a 

minimum, as they are difficult to digest. 

Germinate all nuts before eating: Soak 

overnight in cold water. Rinse in the 

morning and strain. Then eat. 

• Coconuts offer a great source of healthy fats. 

They should however only be consumed by 

people living in tropical or Mediterranean 

climates, where they naturally grow. Overconsumption 

can cause digestive issues and 

particularly for people in cooler northern 

climates where the cooling properties of the 

coconut are not required. 

Constructing a healthy 

balanced meal 

Now that we’ve looked at the foods that 

we can use, we need to know how to 

construct a healthy meal with them. 

Each food group should be consumed 

daily, and in fairly specific quantities. 

Too much of any one food group, for an 

extended time, is not healthy. 

To ensure that you receive the necessary 

nutrients each day, try to eat at least 

2 meals a day that contain the 4 

food groups listed above. 

To keep this simple, 

try to imagine a plate 

of food containing 

the following 

percentages of each 

food group: 

Protein: 20-30% 

(fats are used to cook 

with – around 2-3 

tablespoons per day) 

Starches: 30% 

Fibre: 40-50% 

Drinks 

Fibre 

The final aspect to consider in supporting 

your diet is your fluid intake. 

Here are a few points on fluid consumption: 

• Drink between 1.5-2 litres of liquid per 

day (this will vary on body size, and this 

Protein 

is for the average person). Make at least 

60% of that pure spring water if possible, 

and the rest can be in the form of herbal 

teas or naturally flavoured water. 

• Herbal teas: peppermint, chamomile, 

fennel, cinnamon, fresh ginger, nettle, 

rosehip and hibiscus and any other 

commonly consumed herbal tea. Make 

sure you vary the herbs so that you’re not 

drinking the same one repeatedly and 

if working with a herbalist please check 

these with them for your personal needs. 

Starch 

• All drinks should be room 

temperature or at least slightly 

warm. Avoid cold, iced drinks. 

Your Next Steps 

If you find it hard to 

make changes to your 

diet, then set yourself 

some easy to achieve 

goals and work 

through this change in 

a slow planned manner. 

I usually suggest starting 

with around 3 points to 

change over a timeframe of 

around 1-2 weeks. Once you’re 

used to the changes, then review 

everything again and make further 

changes if necessary, and so on. 

This will help you to create a diet that you are 

more likely to stick with in the long term. 

Andrew is a world-leading Chinese 

medicine fertility expert, author 

and public speaker, and works with 

clients around the world through 

his treatment programme, The Baby 

Creating Plan. 

To claim a FREE copy of Andrew’s 

book The Ultimate Fertility Guide, go to: 

NaturalFertilityExpert.com 



Need IVF but 

BODY 

can’t afford it? 

Do you need IVF? If so, you may be able to help yourself and 

another woman. By sharing your eggs, you could receive 

standard IVF treatment free at The Lister Fertility Clinic, 

one of London’s top fertility centres. 

If you’re 21-35, need IVF 

and are happy to share 

your eggs, please contact 

The Lister Fertility Clinic 

t: 020 7881 4036 

e: eggdonation@lfclinic.com 

w: www.needivf.co.uk 

Quote reference 

FERTILITY ROAD 


fertilityroadom |

BODY 

MYNUTRICOUNTER’S 

MENU TO FERTILITY 

Finding the time, in today's busy 

schedule, to research and create recipes 

that will boost fertility can seem like 

a daunting task, so that's why we've 

created this recipe menu that 

will fuel your body with all the 

good stuff it needs to welcome 

a little one and replace stress 

with nutrition. Cooking to 

conceive has never been easier! 

reoetio diet is really imortat 

we gettig ready for regay at 

you ad your souse eat a lay a ital 

role i your fertility ad i te ealt of 

your ay durig regay 

ere ot ale to otrol 

eerytig i te oetio 

roess ut wat we a 

otrol is te food tat we 

eat is lays a imortat 

role so wy wouldt we 

wat to gie ourseles te est 

ossile ae of eomig 

a family 

ll utriets i te rigt uatities ae 

a ositie effet o te ody ut eres 

a soig list of some of te est to 

imroe te aes of oetio for you 

ad your arter 

Zinc (for both) 

i lays a imortat role i oostig 

fertility for wome it els teir eggs to 

mature ad regulates ormoes durig 

te mestrual yle ad for me it as 

sow to oost te uality ad futio 

of serm 

Foods include: 

asew uts etils ieas 

eef am esame eeds 

umi eeds saragus 

uioa la eeds 

Folic acid (for her) 

oli aid or folate is essetial i te 

deelomet of a ays eural tue 

wi forms te sie ad rai ts 

imortat to ae reseres of foli 

aid we you oeie so 

tats wy its a good idea to 

iororate it ito your diet 

at te earliest oortuity 


saragus auliflower ia 

etils rooli itrus ruits uts 

eeds eas eas la eeds ieas 

Selenium (for both) 

eleium is a atioidat wi figts 

agaist free radials tat ould otetially 

ause romosome damage t also lays a 

ital role i te formatio of serm 


rail uts ua urey ie ggs 

ole eat read la eeds ggs almo 

Vitamin E (for both) 

itami is a atioidat tat studies 

ae idiated a el female fertility 

ad eae serm ealt 


uflower eeds ia saragus 

lmods rooli lmods lmod 

il atural ogurt oado weet 

otato lies 

Vitamin C (for both) 

esear as idiated tat ireased 

osumtio of itami i 

wome imroes ormoe 

leels ad ireases 

fertility as sow y 

a study ulised i 

ertility ad terility 

were te regay 

rate was iger 

after mots wit 

tose wo osumed 

itami i te study 

e results from studies 

aalysig te ireased 

osumtio of itami i me 

orrelated wit imroed serm uality 

ad olume 


aaya eers rooli aserries 

trawerries ieale ale auliflower 

aage itrus ruits ia weet otato 



BODY 

Recipe Menu 

These recipes, which are taken from our 

blog: mynutricounter.com and our new 

e-book: A Happier, Healthier You, all 

include fertility-boosting ingredients 

that will help in your journey to 

motherhood/fatherhood. 

Breakfast 

Pear & Raspberry Smoothie 

This delicious pear and raspberry smoothie 

recipe is taken from our new e-book: A 

Happier, Healthier You. It is well balanced 

nutritionally making it a great start to the 

day and the perfect breakfast recipe for those 

trying to conceive. 

Serves 2 

Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 0 minutes 

Total time: 5 minutes 

Ingredients: 

1 pear 

125g raspberries, frozen 

60ml almond milk 

400g natural yoghurt 

Directions: 

1. Peel the pear and remove the seeds then, 

chop into small chunks. 

2. Add all the ingredients to a blender and 

blitz until smooth, creamy and delicious! 



BODY 

Lunch 

Salmon & Asparagus Tart 

eres o etter way of eatig yourself 

regat ta wit tis deliious salmo 

ad asaragus tart ts ig i folate i 

seleium itami ad itami maig 

it te erfet fertility oostig lu 

eres 

rearatio time miutes 

ooig time miutes 

otal time miutes 

Ingredients: 

or te ase 

g groud almods 

ts fla seed 

ts oout oil 

egg 

ts water 

ts olie oil 

or te fillig 

siless salmo fillets 

g asaragus 

g letils 

ml water 

red oio 

g sia 

g froe eas 

eggs 

egg wites 

g ree yogurt 

ml almod mil usweeteed 

ts fres dill 

ts io mustard 

ts utmeg 

ts la eer 

est from lemo 

ts olie oil 

Directions: 

reeat te oe to 

lae all of te astry igrediets 

eet for te olie oil ito a food 

roessor ad ulse util omied 

f te miture is too stiy add more 

groud almods 

rease your ie ti wit te olie oil 

ad lae te astry miture iside it 

ressig it alog te ottom ad u te 

sides util eerywere is oered 

ae i te oe for miutes 

eawile start maig te fillig 

lae te letils i a sauea ad oer 

wit ml water rig to te oil 

te simmer for miutes 

rea te tos from te asaragus sears 

dd te asaragus froe eas ad 

sia to a large a oer wit water 

rig to a simmer ad oo for miutes 

rai te set aside 

ut te salmo fillets ito us ad 

remoe te si dd te mil ad salmo 

to a large a ad rig to a getle simmer 

oo for miutes te drai 

eat te olie oil i a fryig a slie te 

oio ad getly fry util softeed 

is togeter te eggs egg wites 

ree yogurt utmeg ad la 

eer util omied te add i te 

oio eas mustard dill lemo est 

salmo sia ad letils 

e te astry is ready remoe 

from te oe ad our i te fillig 

miture te lae your asaragus 

ad fres dill o to 

lae a ito te oe ad ae for 

a furter miutes util te 

fillig as set ad te rust as started 

to row 



BODY 

Dinner 

Chickpea Buddha Bowl 

Another recipe from our new e-book: 

A Happier, Healthier You, this filling 

and nutritious meal is super easy to 

make and tastes delicious. Buddha 

bowls are also a great way of using up 

any left over veggies. The possibilities are 

endless, you can use whatever choice of 

vegetables and grains from the shopping 

list above to create a fantastic looking 

and tasting meal. 

Serves 3 

Preparation time: 5 minutes 

Cooking time: 25 minutes 

Total time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

425g chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry 

200g kale 

1 sweet potato, chopped into wedges 

1 red onion, sliced into wedges 

100g olives 

2 medium eggs 

4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely sliced 

1 tsp. ground cumin 

1 tsp. garlic powder 

1 tsp. oregano 

1 tsp. turmeric 

1 tsp. olive oil 

To make the dressing: 

55g tahini 

5 tbsp. hot water 

Juice from 1 lemon 

1 tbsp. maple syrup 

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. 

2. Place the sweet potato wedges on a 

baking tray with the olive oil, then 

bake for 10 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a pan of 

boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. 

4. Remove the sweet potato from the oven 

and place the red onion wedges on the 

tray. Return to the oven for 10 minutes. 

5. Take the eggs off the heat and rinse in cold 

water, then remove the shells and slice. 

6. Mix together the chickpeas with all the 

seasoning, then fry over a medium heat 

for 8 minutes. 

7. Place the kale in a separate frying pan and 

wilt until softened (approx. 3-4 minutes). 

8. Make the dressing by mixing together 

the tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice. 

Once everything is well combined, add 

in the water a tablespoon at a time to 

thin the dressing. 

9. When everything is ready, plate up and 

serve with the olives. 



BODY 

FERTILITY 

SUPERFOODS 

Nutritional Guru, Annabel Karmel shares a few of her 

own delicious recipes which include known ‘fertility 

superfoods’, full of essential vitamins and minerals, 

boosting your chances of conceiving naturally. 

Salmon fillet with 

tomato salsa 

almo roides a rai uildig dose of 

omegaoils ut wat your itae wile 

regat megaoils are ery imortat 

ut its adised tat you dot ae more 

ta two ortios of oily fis a wee 

Ingredients: 

g iees salmo fillet 

eaed ts ream eese 

ts oed ies 

ts oed ies 

ts oed asil 

ts oed dill 

ts lemo uie 

g ts fie readrums 

g ts armesa grated 

Tomato Salsa 

tomatoes oed deseeded 

srig oios oed 

ts olie oil 

ts wite wie iegar 

ts oed asil 

alt ad eer 

Method: 

reeat te oe to a as 

or te toig mi te ream eese 

ies asil dill ad lemo uie togeter 

ad seaso 

read te miture oer te to of te 

fillets lae o a aig seet i 

te readrums armesa ad 

ts ies togeter rile oer te 

fillets ae for to miutes util 

te salmo is ooed troug ad te 

toig is golde row f te toig 

is a little ale you a row uder a 

ot grill to rise te to 

o mae te salsa mi te tomatoes 

srig oios olie oil iegar ad 

asil togeter easo ad sere wit 

te salmo 

aes ortios 



BODY 

Brulee Style 

Strawberry Dessert 

Berries are a delicious source of vitamin C, 

this is a delicious quick to make dessert that 

gives you that sweet fix that is a bit more 

exciting than plain fruit. 

Ingredients: 

150g strawberries, sliced 

100g blueberries 

300ml Greek yogurt 

4 tbsp demerera sugar 

50g Amaretti biscuits, crushed 

Method: 

1. Put the strawberries and blueberries in 

the base of four wine glasses or ramekins. 

Spoon the yogurt on top. 

2. Sprinkle over the demerera sugar and top 

with the crushed Amaretti biscuits. 

3. Chill in the fridge for one hour. 

Quinoa Salad 

Makes 4 portions 

You could make this with or without 

avocado. If making without avocado, it 

will keep for 2 to 3 days. If you don’t add 

avocado its delicious if you add some 

raisins or other dried fruit or nuts. 

Ingredients: 

200g quinoa, rinsed 

500ml vegetable stock 

6 spring onions, thinly sliced 

100g unsalted cashew nuts 

3 tbsp olive oil 

1½ tbsp lemon juice 

1 large avocado or a 

good handful of raisins 

Method: 

1. Put the quinoa and stock in a saucepan. 

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat 

and simmer until all the liquid has been 

absorbed (approx 20 minutes). 

2. Spread the quinoa out on a plate to cool, 

then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the onions, 

cashews, oil and lemon juice and season to 

taste. Stir in the raisins if using. 

3. Chill until needed. If using avocado, slice 

the avocado just before serving and lay 

over the top of the salad. 

Makes 2 portions 



www.klinikkhausken.no 

TECHNOLOGY AND INDIVIDUAL CARE. 

We use the latest technology together with 

an approach that focus on individual care. This 

enables us to deliver great results also in the 

more “difficult” cases where every step in the 

treatment process must be individually tailored 

to your unique needs. 

EMBRYOSCOPE ® TIME-LAPSE TECHNOLOGY. 

We are a European pioneer in the use of Embryo- 

Scope ® . At no extra cost all our couples benefit 

from our in-house experience with de-selection 

parameters and kinetic behavior. 


EMBRYOGLUE - AT NO EXTRA COST. 

All our couples at Klinikk Hausken benfit from the 

use of EmbryoGlue technology to enhance implantation 

of the most viable embryo. This service 

is without any additional cost. 


FERTILITY 

JOURNEYS 2016 

Over the last eight months we have followed three couples who took 

the next step in their journey with one of our partner clinics. 

IVF Spain’s couple Em & Julie are due to start their treatment in October. 

We caught up with them after their initial visit in July. 

Klinikk Hausken couple Kieran and Terri are just over 15 weeks pregnant. 

And not forgetting Oregon Reproductive Medicine’s Chris and Anne 

who are nearing the end of the second trimester. 

It’s an exciting time for all of our couples and the next few months 

will certainly be filled with new joy. 

Turn over for an update on our other Fertility Journeys. 



FERTILITY JOURNEYS 2016 

FERTILITY JOURNEYS: 

EGG DONATION... WITH IVF SPAIN 

We catch up with Em and Julie after their initial visit to IVF Spain in July. 

IVF Spain writes... 

In July we finally met our chosen couple 

Em & Julie as they like to be called who we 

selected for this year’s Fertility Journey. 

They came to IVF Spain with high hopes 

and smiles on their faces for their first visit 

with gynaecologist and fertility specialist 

Dr Alicia Álvarez. 

“Meeting Em & Julie was a wonderful 

experience, an adorable couple who had 

supported each other through a long 

journey to starting a family together. And 

that is obviously what the whole IVF Spain 

team will focus its efforts on. 

Being aware of their previous experiences, 

we covered every single aspect that might 

help them to fulfill their dream including 

several blood tests to study anything that 

could interfere with Em’s fertility (she 

will carry the pregnancy due to Julie’s 

previous medical issues). The whole team 

provided them with all the information 

they could possibly need to guide and 

support them through this wonderful 

journey” says Dr Álvarez. 

Em & Julie had several failed treatments 

in the past. Julie told us, that she even 

tried with a previous partner, but after 3 

failed IVF and IUI treatments – including 

one treatment with international donor 

eggs – emotions and finances brought 

serious strains on the relationship. Em, on 

the other hand, was single when she first 

decided to get pregnant, but unfortunately 

suffered a miscarriage. 

They are now fortunate to find themselves 

Below: 

Em, Julie & Inge 

in a situation where they face this 

challenge together with hope and are 

looking forward to fulfill their long lasting 

dream of becoming a family. 

“It is an honor to be here and to have been 

chosen for this. It feels like we’re living a 

dream we need to wake from. It feels too 

good to be true. We both have been trying 

for over 10 years on and off. However, 

Em had some health problems so we 

stopped. It’s been a very long journey and 

we both wanted to be mothers for as long 

as we can remember” 

Thanks to Spanish Law on Assisted 

Reproduction (which is one of the most 

advanced ones) Em & Julie will have the 

opportunity to undergo egg donation 

to conceive a healthy baby. Unlike in 




During the selection process and even 

before knowing they would become 

candidates for this year’s Fertility Journey, 

they went on and gathered information 

about the clinic. It was during this process 

that they became filled with hope and 

where they learned about the positive 

feedback of IVF Spain and its success rates; 

which are well above the Spanish average. 

IVF Spain shows a clinical pregnancy rate 

of 61%per transfer and a success rate up to 

81%per cycle on treatments with own eggs 

and Preimplantational Screening (PGS). 

On the other hand, egg donation fertility 

treatments show a clinical pregnancy of 

up to 67% and a success rate of up to 91% 

per cycle. These pregnancy rates have been 

certified by the German TÜV (Technical 

Inspection Association), one of the most 

strict certifying bodies word wide. 

“We did a lot of research and were 

impressed by the statistics and the 

feedback the people gave about the 

company was fabulous”. 

other European countries, Spanish Law 

safeguards the identity of both sperm and 

egg donors. 

Many families are concerned about the 

donor selection process, however Spanish 

law sets out that donor and recipient 

woman must share the highest 

phenotypic similarity possible, 

that is, they must share great 

physical resemblance. 

“We both had treatments 

using our own eggs in the 

UK, but if you want to use 

donor eggs don’t do it in 

the UK. For a lot of reasons 

the UK is the worst place to 

undergo treatment with donor 

eggs mainly because of the high cost 

of a treatment, typically 20 times more 

expensive than in other countries. Even at 

reduced prices it is very expensive and it is 

also a long process” 

IVF Spain has a bank of more than 500 

donors (European, Asian and Middle- 

East donors) that allows the clinic to 

meet all patients’ physical features. 

Spanish legislation regulates the study 

and acceptance of donors by setting all of 

Above: 

Dr Alvarez 

It is an honor 

to be here and to 

have been chosen for 

this. It feels like we’re 

living a dream we need 

to wake from. 

the required tests. Nevertheless, at IVF 

Spain we go even further by carrying out 

additional testing with the ultimate goal 

of using donor eggs and sperm with the 

highest safety assurances. 

Another deciding factor for Em & 

Julie was that at IVF Spain lesbian 

couples have the possibility to 

undergo assisted reproduction 

which is due to the modern 

Spanish Law on Assisted 

Reproduction. 

“I know that Spain is one 

of the best places in the 

world for lesbian couples 

to undergo IVF. Spain offers 

equal opportunities that you don’t 

get anywhere else and all the helpful 

information on the IVF Spain website 

which even has a whole section for lesbians 

which is unheard of in the UK. We haven’t 

found another clinic anywhere in the UK 

that directly helps lesbian couples. The 

information on the IVF Spain website and 

our discussions with Dr Alvarez was quite 

powerful to us. We both felt included as 

a couple, not just one of us and that felt 

really special” says Julie. 

At IVF Spain we take care of every single 

detail, and we are able to offer personalized 

treatments to all patients in their native 

tongue. Our medical team, led by the 

internationally renowned gynaecologist 

and fertility specialist Dr Jon Aizpurua, 

is able to communicate in 9 different 

languages. Em & Julie were greatly 

impressed by the IVF Spain staff and the 

support given to patients. 

“Dr Álvarez is amazing and I was really 

impressed with her. She gave us information 

I had never heard of before. The way that she 

described things was in a very professional 

and friendly manner. She came across as very 

open, honest and really trustworthy which 

was really important for me”. 

Science and new-gen technology applied 

to reproductive medicine is of key 

importance at the IVF Spain laboratory. 

This enables IVF Spain to keep at the 

forefront of research in the field of assisted 

reproduction, but also able to specialise 

in complex cases, such as implantation 

failure, immune and genetic problems 

for conceiving a baby, miscarriages and 

anonymous egg donation. 

In October 2016 Em & Julie will come back 

to IVF Spain for their embryo transfer and 

to be a step closer to fulfilling their dream 

of becoming mothers. 





IVF TREATMENT... WITH KLINIKK HAUSKEN 

It’s time for our next catch up with our couple, Terri and Kieran with the latest news 

on their pregnancy. 

Terri writes… 

Since our last update it’s been a very exciting 

few weeks. We left our fertility journey 

update at the agonising 2 week wait to find 

out if the treatment had worked. After what 

felt like the longest time ever and a lot of 

worry, we are pleased to say it has worked 

and after around 10 pregnancy tests and 

the doctor confirming that I was pregnant 

we are over the moon to confirm that we 

are having a baby! This is so amazing for us 

both that we have got this far, we feel like 

it’s a dream that actually happened for us. 

It’s been really hard to believe but also so 

exciting at the same time. 

I had a scan at 6 weeks and also at 8 weeks just 

to confirm everything was ok and to try and 

put my mind at rest. Even though there was 

not much to see we could see a little heart beat 

which was just an amazing experience. I still 

couldn’t believe I was pregnant even after so 

many things confirming it. I have been very 

worried something may go wrong, so Kieran 

and I kept it to ourselves. We have only told 

our close friends and family who already 

knew about the treatment we recently had 

although we have been dying to tell everyone! 

I have had some funny situations, morning 

sickness, being tired all the time and trying 

to disguise the fact that I am pregnant from 

everyone that didn’t know. However after 

how long we have waited for this I do not care 

what’s thrown at me. 

lot more relaxed and are just enjoying 

everything that’s new to us. We are getting 

ideas together on the nursery, what 

pushchair we want to buy and looking at 

baby clothes etc. It’s a very exciting time 

for us and we both cannot thank Klinikk 

Hausken enough for what they have done 

for us. We would never have got through 

the last few weeks without the help and 

support of the clinic and we cannot thank 

them enough for the gift they have given 

us. We would not hesitate to recommend 

them to anyone in the future. 

Klinikk Hausken explains how treating 

couples abroad is a delicate balance of face 

to face, telephone and Skype support 

At Klinikk Hausken we believe that to 

achieve great results we need to invest 

our time and attention to couples seeking 

treatment at our clinic. And this is 

something that we uphold throughout the 

treatment process. 

Dedicated doctor and nurse 

It’s is very important to us that our couples 

feel supported at every stage of their 

treatment. This is why we assign a dedicated 

doctor and nurse to each couple. The doctor 

will take all the time needed to put together 

a treatment plan ensuring that this is the 

best way forward for the couple. 

The dedicated nurse is a large part of 

the couples life during the treatment 

process. Being able to talk to someone 

who can help ease the stress and worry 

they sometimes feel during treatment. 

We have seen that this kind of support is 

often a relief for our couples. 

International contact 

We provide a dedicated support person from 

our international contact team who will help 

with everything you need regarding your 

travel and accommodation. They will also be 

your first point of contact when you call the 

I am now 13 weeks pregnant and just had my 

12 week scan where the midwife has confirmed 

our baby is growing as expected and the heart 

beat was beating strong. The baby was sleeping 

on the scan so we kept trying to wake him/ 

her up to get some measurement sizes, but the 

little one was happy all curled up! 

We have been given a due date of around 

the start of March 2017. We are now a 




clinic. We know how stressful it can be going 

away and also preparing for treatment. 

There is no need for couples to worry 

about not being able to speak Norwegian 

or what to do when they get here as again 

the international contact team provides 

support, help and reassurance. 

How does it work? 

One of the reasons for choosing treatment 

outside of the UK is often financial. 

However, one of the biggest reasons couples 

travel for IVF is that the NHS are unable 

to fulfill a couples request for IVF. We 

understand that there is a level of comfort 

when dealing with the known or familiar, so 

when we are contacted by couples from the 

UK we know the first step of the process is to 

make them feel comfortable and to inform 

them of what to expect. This helps couples 

to be in the best possible position to make an 

informed decision. 

First contact 

When a couple contacts us they have usually 

done a lot of research online. They may have 

already met us at a UK show or found 

us whilst searching the internet. 

Also by checking out various 

forums they can quickly make 

an opinion of which clinic will 

work for them. It’s always 

helpful talking to other 

people who have “been there 

and done that”. 

The process of booking a 

consultation abroad can be 

difficult when trying to organise 

around work and home commitments. At 

Klinikk Hausken we understand how this 

can be difficult and that is why we offer free 

Dr Hausken 

We are over 

the moon for Terri and 

Kieran and that everything is 

going well with the pregnancy. 

They have been keeping in touch 

throughout and it’s so exciting 

whenever they send over 

the latest ultra sound 

picture. 

evening Skype sessions with Dr Hausken. 

You could be having your consultation in 

the comfort of your own home with a cup of 

tea (maybe even a biscuit). 

Meet your nurse 

A couple of days after your initial 

Skype session with our doctor 

you will be introduced to your 

nurse. They will guide you 

through the whole treatment 

process and will then be 

your point of contact if 

you have any questions or 

concerns. They work very 

closely with your doctor to 

make your treatment as stress 

free as possible. 

Pre-treatment 

The first stage of your individual 

treatment plan can be done at home with 

the full support of your doctor and nurse 

from Klinikk Hausken. Your treatment 

plan will be posted to you and prescriptions 

will be sent electronically to our UK 

pharmacy Fertility2U. They provide a 

home delivery service which is one less 

thing for you to worry about. 

Couples usually develop a close 

relationship with our nurses. They go 

through everything with you in great 

detail to ensure that you understand and 

are comfortable with your treatment plan. 

Your doctor is also available if you want to 

talk through the procedure again or want 

to discussion with him of any changes or 

concerns that you might have. 

Arriving in Norway 

When the time comes for you to travel to 

Norway we will need you to stay for one 

week starting from a Friday. 

When you arrive at our clinic our 

experienced and dedicated team will guide 

you through the week ahead and make 

sure that you are cared for and supported 

during your stay. 

Post treatment 

Our care does not stop when you travel back to 

the UK. We are there to support you. If there 

is anything you need we are only a phone or 

Skype call away. After a positive pregnancy test 

you start your regular checkups with your GP 

in the UK. We provide you with a copy of your 

medical files so you can discuss your treatment 

with your GP. 

Our Fertility Journey couple 

We are over the moon for Terri and Kieran 

and that everything is going well with the 

pregnancy. They have been keeping in touch 

throughout and it’s so exciting whenever 

they send over the latest ultra sound picture. 

The team wish them the very best and we 

can’t wait for the next update. 

We hope Terri and Kieran felt their 

experience with the clinic was as unique 

and positive as they are as a couple and 

soon to be parents. 





DONOR EGG IVF... WITH OREGON REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE 

Earlier in 2016, Oregon Reproductive Medicine selected a couple to be a part of our unique 

Fertility Journeys project. We follow up with Chris and Anne, who after repeated attempts 

to become pregnant, and a failed shared egg donor IVF cycle in the UK, are near the end of 

Anne’s second trimester having become pregnant following donor egg IVF at ORM. 

Anne writes… 

The 6 week scan had been the first 

emotional hurdle for us. Previously 

during our first IVF attempt a year before, 

we had an empty pregnancy sac scanned 

at 9 weeks, so having a tiny foetus forming 

meant everything! The most amazing fact 

was that she already had a beating heart at 

that very early stage even though she was 

the size of a grain of rice! 

This scan we had done at another private 

clinic, as the NHS monitoring would only 

start after 12 weeks. 

Following that, the rounds of 

estradiol and progesterone 

testing continued and 

I relayed the results to 

Lauren at ORM. My results 

continued to be good and I 

was able to wean down off my 

medications. I was still having 

injections in my bottom though 

the amount had reduced, and also 

progesterone vaginal pessaries. In the 

By 20 weeks 

I could definitely 

say that those butterfly 

wings fluttering had 

become kicks! 

UK, only progesterone pessaries seem to be 

prescribed, and not progesterone injections. 

I was feeling the effects of her presence 

now as morning sickness had kicked in… 

and I could not wait for it to end! Constant 

snacking I found was the best remedy, as 

any hunger quickly led to nausea. 

We arranged another check-up scan at 9 

weeks at the private clinic, and seeing her 

getting bigger, now 26mm from her bottom 

to the top of her head, was really fantastic. 

We were very conscious though that it 

was still early days and anything 

could still go wrong. Consequently, 

we felt unwilling to share our 

excitement with anyone but the 

closest family members. 

By 11 weeks, Lauren told 

me that I could stop all my 

medications – happy days! I 

was concerned that my uterus 

was not ready to support her 

without outside help, but Lauren 

reassured me that it would be just fine, 

and it was! No-one had told me about the 

numb bum syndrome (unless it was just 

me!), a result of all the intra-muscular 

injections in my bottom – I found it a 

really odd sensation not being able to feel 

my skin being touched. 

At 12 weeks, I had a small bleed. I did not 

think I would react so emotionally, but 

when I had a small amount of bleeding, 

I panicked and thought that all our hard 

work was about to be crushed and our 

little girl had disappeared. I was at work 

and just could not hold back a few tears. 

I was thinking to myself, would I go 

through it all again if this attempt failed 

now? I arranged another private scan the 

same day and thankfully all was well… 

phew! There she was happy as Larry! 

I finally had my first appointment 

with the NHS midwife a week later. We 

discussed lots of details about me, my 

previous history and my lifestyle. Because 

we had opted for the CCS testing on 

the embryos, it meant that the normal 

tests for Downs syndrome and other 

chromosome conditions would not need 

to be done. So although I was an older 

mother, my young donor eggs made the 

process much simpler. 

And so the weeks marched on. My 13 

week scan was arranged with the NHS 

and she was now a whopping 76mm long. 

All was well so we started to feel more 

confident that she was more likely to 

survive, and we started telling friends and 

extended family. Everybody was really 

pleased for us and we felt very supported. 

Nothing much happened over the next few 

weeks, and apart from feeling bloated, there 

were not really any signs of being pregnant. 

So when I had another bout of abnormal 

discharge at the 16 week stage I got 

concerned again. I called my doctor and she 

sent me for another scan. Again, thankfully 

she was fine and had continued to grow. 

A week later I had my first appointment 

with my NHS consultant. This was arranged 

to discuss my birth plan and also because 

I was an older mother and more at risk, 

I would have special care! We discussed 




There are four elements of the process 

worth highlighting: medications; pre-cycle 

testing and monitoring; the IVF procedure 

and transfer; and post-cycle testing and 

monitoring. All patients have their IVF 

procedure and transfer at ORM. The other 

three parts of the process typically work 

differently for long-distance patients 

compared to ORM’s locally-based patients. 

birthing, and I requested a Caesarian and 

the consultant was delighted to arrange 

this for me. She said that they prefer to 

offer Caesarians for the older mother at 

the 39 week stage, as labour can be delayed 

sometimes a few weeks after the due date 

because there is less contractility in the 

uterus. That suited me very well, and to my 

surprise she booked me in there and then for 

the Monday morning a week before my due 

date. That suddenly made it all very real! 

She told me that from 17-20 weeks I 

would start to feel her moving, initially 

just like butterfly wings fluttering. I had 

felt something, but could not honestly say 

that it was not my digestion! However, 

from 17 weeks onwards, these feelings did 

grow stronger and by 20 weeks I could 

definitely say that those butterfly wings 

fluttering had become kicks! 

The midwife had made clear that at week 20 

there was the most detailed scan so far and 

that they would check for abnormalities; 

this felt like a milestone point. Shortly 

after a quick holiday I was booked in for the 

big scan. She had her heart chambers and 

blood flow checked, and her spine, kidneys 

and brain development were looked at, 

among other things. All was good, in fact 

the ultrasonographer pronounced her very 

active and had to chase her around to get 

the pictures! She was now 140mm head to 

rump, though apparently they do not really 

measure this any more from this stage on; 

according to the internet, she should have 

been the size of a banana! 

trekking hut to hut in the mountains, but 

our concession to my condition was having 

our bags transported for us between the 

huts. Obviously we would be taking it gently 

with our precious cargo on board! 

Dr. Bankowski comments on managing 

a long-distance donor egg IVF process 

Everyone at ORM is delighted with Chris 

and Anne’s continued progress. The 

seamless management of their long-distance 

donor egg IVF process is something that we 

are proud to have organised for Chris and 

Anne, as well as the hundreds of similar 

patients that come to ORM in Portland, 

Oregon from around the globe. 

Often potential patients from around the 

world have concerns about how to manage 

an international IVF process – be it with 

or without donor egg or with or without 

a surrogate, if either are part of their 

treatment plan. Patients have for years 

come to ORM from around 40 counties to 

build their families. As a result of treating 

patients from every continent (as well as 

from across the USA), we have built-up 

significant experience efficiently managing 

these long-distance IVF cycles. 

Dr Bankowski 

Below: 

ORM team 

For long-distance patients, we organise the 

medications for them. These patients either 

collect their medications when visiting ORM, 

or we have them delivered directly to them. In 

certain cases we organise the medications in 

our patients’ home countries where relevant 

options exist. We coordinate with providers 

in our patients’ home locations for blood tests 

and ultrasound monitoring pre and post-cycle. 

We provide the necessary medical orders 

and have systems in place to receive back the 

results same-day so that a patient’s treatment 

protocol can be adjusted if necessary to 

optimise results. We have established relations 

with providers in many locations and a team 

experienced and dedicated to managing these 

long-distance processes. 

When it comes to communication, our 

dedicated patient coordinators stay in close 

contact via email, phone and Skype with their 

patients around the world. In the unlikely case 

of an out-of-hours emergency, we have on-call 

staff at all times should a patient urgently need 

to reach our team at any time - regardless of 

the time zone they are calling from. 

It is always our goal that our long-distance 

patients should feel well-connected to the 

team at ORM, and that their experience is as 

convenient and seamless as possible. 

The entire team at ORM is honoured to be 

working with Chris and Anne. Though they 

have graduated from ORM’s day-to-day care 

we continue to follow closely each step of 

their Fertility Journey! 

We decided to go on a last holiday as a 

couple while I was still feeling relatively 

normal. We arranged a last activity holiday, 



SCIENCE 

iard estoy 

WHY DO INTENDED 

PARENTS GO ABROAD 

FOR SURROGACY? 

Richard Westoby shares his personal and professional 

experience on going abroad to start his own family. 

t is a ommo misoetio tat 

surrogay i te is illegal t ist 

teded arets aot ay a surrogate a 

fee or ay more ta reasoale eeses 

iurred durig te regay roess 

ut ow mu is reasoale is is 

learly oe for iterretatio ut from 

wat uderstad tis umer seems to 

e aroud te mar 

additio surrogay ageies 

aot mae moey from arragig a 

ommerial surrogay trasatio at 

doest mea tey at eist i te 

tey ust ae to e otforrofit dd 

to tat te fat surrogay otrats are 

ueforeale you te ae a seario 

tat meas wateer is agreed etwee 

te iteded aret ad te surrogate is 

urely trust ased 

t a all e writte dow ad agreed i 

adae ut legally tat agreemet will 

ot stad u i ourt 

o ot a great framewor o wi to 

go troug surrogay t does ae 

to wor well most of te time ut we 

tigs go wrog tey seem to go ery 

wrog is is te rimary reaso tat 

most iteded arets tat tal to loo 

at iteratioal surrogay 

early uly tere was a ase were a 

surrogate wo ustody of te ay tat se 

arried from te iteded arets eause 

te ourt ruled tat se was uale to 

oset uoditioally to te surrogay 

ourey e ourt also foud tat te 

iteded arets were maiulatie 

ad disoest ad at te ery least 

otetially eloitatie e iteded 

arets ad te surrogate met ia a 

aeoo grou were iteded arets 

ad surrogates were mated 

is ase is fraugt wit issues ad as we 

ow tere are always two sides to eery 

story ut it igligts oe agai te issue 

wit surrogay i te my mid 



SCIENCE 

the issue is that without surrogacy reform 

where all parties are covered and legally 

empowered to make decisions we will 

continue to face situations like this. 

Without the ability for professionals 

to assist in the matching process we are 

likely to also see situations arise where 

the court finds for the surrogate over the 

intended parent. 

I’m not saying that this will happen every 

day, in fact it has only happened a handful 

of times but it will happen often enough 

to make intended parents worry about 

the situation and think twice about going 

through the UK system. So, where can 

intended parents look for as an alternative 

to go through their surrogacy process? 

The most well-known and well-covered 

jurisdiction is the United States of 

America. In the US, surrogacy is not 

covered by Federal law but by State law 

which means that the laws vary state by 

state which can be confusing. I typically 

tell intended parents to do a little bit of 

research online and I suggest people to 

take a look at the Surrogacy Map, which is 

an online tool that can be found via any 

search engine. 

The US is where everyone has the best 

legal protection, from the intended 

parents to the egg donors (if needed) and 

surrogate. There is also wording in the 

contracts that are put together to protect 

the unborn child! So, as you can see the 

US is the global benchmark on fully 

empowered decision making. 

But hand in hand with this 

legal coverage goes the 

cost. The US is the most 

expensive place to go 

through surrogacy 

and the costs can 

range from $85,000 

up to $170,000+. In 

all of the cases that 

I have helped the 

average cost is about 

$140,000. This does not 

include medical coverage 

for the child/children after 

birth though. 

The next jurisdiction that I find intended 

parents are looking at is Canada. It’s very 

similar to the UK because in Canada 

surrogates are not allowed to be paid a 

fee. They are however, allowed to be paid 

reasonable expenses, which in most cases 

equates to the same amount that you would 

be paying over to a UK surrogate. Canada 



SCIENCE 



SCIENCE 

benefits because English is the main language 

and all of the maternity health care costs 

are covered by the Canadian State which 

sometimes also covers the child post-birth. 

For same-sex male couples, the US, 

Canada and the UK are currently the 

only bona fide jurisdictions that allow 

international surrogacy. 

Georgia, Russia and the Ukraine. In 

addition Greece and Cyprus have a 

hybrid type of scenario to enable the law 

to be circumvented. 

Surrogacy contracts to date have not been 

tested in the Canadian courts (unlike in 

the UK) but that is not to say that they 

won’t. Anyone looking at Canada should 

really talk to a lawyer in Canada to 

understand the risks associated with this. 

Canada is not as expensive as the US and 

the cost range is $80-100,000 with the IVF 

being done in Canada or in the US. The 

most recent development has been the 

flying of Canadian surrogates to the US 

in order to gain access to a wider range of 

IVF clinics and services. In Canada there 

are a handful of good clinics but in the US 

there are many more. Another factor that 

drives some intended parents to the US 

is that in Canada gender selection is not 

allowed, whereas in the US it is. 

Cambodia has just opened up as a venue 

for international surrogacy but the law 

there is such that it is neither for nor 

against allowing surrogacy to happen. To 

me this is another Thailand waiting to 

happen with an overnight ban on 

it being imposed. There are 

no laws protecting either 

the surrogate or the 

intended parents and I 

would say to anyone 

looking at Cambodia 

to proceed with 

caution. 

For opposite-sex 

couples, the other 

jurisdictions that 

are available include 

THE AGENCIES 

AND CLINICS IN THE US 

AND IN CANADA KNOW THAT 

INTENDED PARENTS LOOK 

AT THE LOWER COST 

JURISDICTIONS AND THEY ARE 

WORKING ON WAYS TO GET 

THE COSTS DOWN. 

The decision to go to other countries is 

predominantly driven by the cost of the 

surrogacy journey. The reality is that the 

US can be more than double that of the 

Ukraine! However, I also strongly urge 

intended parents to think about 

the long-term implications. 

Obtaining a passport for 

a child born in the US 

or in Canada is very 

simple and quick to 

do. Once the child 

has this passport 

it is able to fly in 

to the UK on the 

visa-waiver program 

and the UK passport 

process can begin. 

However in countries 

such as Ukraine / 

Georgia, the process will 

take a minimum of 16 weeks 

from the date of birth. This is 

because the UK passport office has 

instigated more rigorous checks. 

In Ukraine, UK intended parents can 

only stay for a period of 90 days within 

a 180 day period so you can be there for 

3 months and then not visit again for 3 

months. You would need to think through 

who is going to be the person to go first 

and then second because in all likelihood 

you won’t be able to be there at the same 

time. This also has an impact on work 

because you will have to be away from 

work for that whole period of time to look 

after your child. 

The agencies and clinics in the US and in 

Canada know that intended parents look 

at the lower cost jurisdictions and they are 

working on ways to get the costs down. 

I would definitely say to anyone thinking 

about international surrogacy to get 

in touch with me, come to one of my 

informational sessions and learn more 

about the process and how to make it 

work for you. There are ways and means 

to make this journey financially accessible 

whilst getting the best legal coverage that 

you can and I’m happy to be the impartial 

guide to that. 

For more information please contact 

me via guidetosurrogacy.com 



SCIENCE 

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SCIENCE 

DONOR EGG IVF 


Expert advice on having a healthy baby on your first attempt. 

WORDS: Craig Reisser 

A 

healthy baby. It's what every 

intended parent wants. Being 

successful on the first attempt 

is what every IVF patient wants. IVF 

is a stressful and frequently costly 

process. Adding donor eggs to the 

equation can compound the stress, 

cost and complexity. Compared to IVF 

with a woman's own eggs, donor egg 

IVF provides the opportunity to make 

certain choices that can increase the 

chance for success and a healthy baby 

on the first attempt. It is important 

they understand what factors can 

impact on their chance for success so 

that intended parents know what to look 

for and the questions to ask. 

Availability, waiting times, cost, ease of 

accessing treatment, physical and ethnic 

characteristics, personal background such 

as education and interests, reasons for 

donating, and anonymous versus known 

donation are all typical considerations 

forefront in intended parents’ minds 

before starting donor egg IVF. 



SCIENCE 

ometimes iteded arets wot e ale 

to oose or ow some of tese elemets 

ased o were tey lie or were tey 

ursue treatmet may loatios su 

as i te iteded arets oies 

ad aess to otetial door iformatio 

will e limited oters su as i 

te mu more otetial door 

iformatio ad otios will e aailale 

ile tese are all imortat fators for 

iteded arets to osider i door egg 

oe of tem diretly imat 

o teir ae of suess ad a 

ealty ay 

all iludig 

door egg suess is 

diretly orrelated 

to aig a 

suffiiet umer of 

geetially ealty 

ad romosomally 

ormal emryos 

derstadig wat 

oies tey a mae 

wit tis i mid is ey 

ere is o sigle umer of 

emryos tat defies suffiiet 

ut geerally more is etter as tis 

roides iteded arets more otios 

if tey oe to ae more ta oe ild 

ad greater assurae if teir first attemt 

is ot suessful 

IN ALL IVF, 

INCLUDING DONOR 

EGG, SUCCESS IS DIRECTLY 

CORRELATED TO HAVING 

A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF 

GENETICALLY HEALTHY 

AND CHROMOSOMALLY 

NORMAL EMBRYOS. 

Family History Screening: t is imortat 

for a geeti ouselig eert to sree 

te otetial doors ad serm roiders 

family istories to loo for aytig tat 

migt e assoiated wit ireased ris 

for geeti disease irt defets learig 

rolemsautism ad adultoset disorders 

i te future offsrig oeied usig a 

artiular doors eggs f tis sreeig 

idiates a otetial ris iteded arets 

a oose to selet aoter door wit 

wom tere is o eidee of 

similar oers 

Genetic Disorder Carrier 

Screening: irtually 

eeryoe is a arrier 

for some reessie 

geeti disorder 

toug tey may 

ae o sigs of te 

disorder ad tere may 

e o family istory 

of te disorder ome 

geeti disorders are more 

ommo i ertai eti 

grous ay are deilitatig 

or life treateig if a ay is or 

wit te disease e te egg door ad 

serm roider are arriers for te same 

disorder tere is a ae tat ay 

ay or from tat mat will ae tat 

disease reeig a egg door ad te 

serm roider a idiate weter ot 

are arriers for te same geeti disorder ad 

terefore may ot e a good mat tis 

ase iig a differet egg door wo is ot 

a arrier for te same disorder as te serm 

roider a ameliorate te ris is form 

of sreeig is ossile wit a lood or salia 

samle ad is aailale troug arious tests 

tat sree for differet aels of geeti 

disorders to aryig degrees of auray 

Medical Indicators of 

the Donor 

ere is a orrelatio etwee te umer 

of mature eggs retrieed from a door 

ad te ae of ultimately aig a 

suffiiet umer of geetially ealty 

ad romosomally ormal emroys s 

tere is a atural dimiutio from te 

umer of eggs retrieed to te umer 

tat fertilise grow to te astoyst stage 

ad are romosomally ormal geerally 

ree elemets merit igligtig as 

tey a diretly otriute to te goal of 

aig a suffiiet umer of geetially 

ealty ad romosomally ormal 

emryos geeti sreeig redoor 

seletio medial idiators of te door 

ad trasferrig a romosomally ormal 

emryos oor sreeig ad aroal y 

teir lii as well as treatmet oies 

made y iteded arets are ot ritial 

elemets i aieig tis goal ofusigly 

for iteded arets door sreeig 

aroal rotools ad aailale treatmets 

a differ widely etwee liis i differet 

outries ad ee witi te same outry 

Genetic Screening 

Pre-Donor Selection 

e fat of seletig a egg door allows 

iteded arets te uiue oortuity to 

loo after te future ealt of teir family 

roriate geeti sreeig redoor 

seletio allows iteded arets to oose 

a door tat is a good mat wit te serm 

roider from a geeti ealt ersetie 



SCIENCE 

speaking the more eggs mature retrieved 

the better. As a consequence, some donors 

are simply medically better suited for 

the donation process. Whether a woman 

is finally approved to be a donor will 

depend on how rigorous a clinic is in their 

medical screening and approval process. 

Age: A woman’s peak fertility is during 

her 20s. As she ages, diminished ovarian 

reserve and the rate of chromosomally 

abnormal (possessing extra or missing 

chromosomes) embryo formation make 

it less likely that her eggs will result in a 

healthy baby. From 35 years of age these 

two factors increase significantly. In 

some countries the average age of donors 

approved by clinics tends to be higher 

than in others. 

Body Mass Index (BMI): When a 

woman’s BMI is more than 29 the 

effectiveness of the fertility medications 

that stimulate her ovaries may be 

reduced, leading to a risk of fewer 

mature eggs being retrieved. Increasing 

the doses to compensate for reduced 

effectiveness can raise the risk of Ovarian 

Hyperstimulation Syndrome which can 

endanger the health of the donor. Donors 

with a healthy BMI of between 19 and 

29 will have the best chance of optimal 

response to stimulation. 

Ovarian Reserve: A woman’s ovarian 

reserve is the capacity of her ovaries to 

provide eggs capable of fertilisation. 

Basal Antral Follicle (BAF) count and 

Anti-mullerian Hormone (AMH) are two 

measures that can help assess ovarian 

reserve. BAF count uses a transvaginal 

ultrasound to count the number of follicles 

that contain immature eggs capable of 

being stimulated. A higher number of 

follicles is an indicator that more eggs 

may be able to be retrieved for donation. 

AMH is produced by the follicles growing 

in a woman’s ovaries and women with 

higher levels tend to respond better to the 

stimulation and have a greater number of 

eggs retrieved. Generally speaking, donors 

with higher BAF and AMH test results will 

have better chances of more mature eggs 

being retrieved. 

Prior Donation Information: If a woman 

has donated previously and the details 

of her prior egg donation(s) are available, 

this can give a good indication of the 

potential for future success. The details 

of a woman’s prior egg donation(s) can 

be more insightful that ovarian reserve 

testing which is most important for firsttime 

donors. Relevant factors include the 

number of eggs retrieved; the fertilisation 

and 5-day blastocyst formation rates; 

the rate of normal embryo formation if 

analysed; and ongoing pregnancy or live 

birth outcomes for other intended parents. 

In addition, information from her prior 

donation may indicate her responsiveness 

to the fertility medications and whether 

dosage protocols may be adjusted to 

optimise results. 

In some countries this type of information 

on donors will be available to intended 

parents to consider as part of their choice 

of donor. In any case, intended parents 

should understand the screening and 

approval standards of the IVF clinics they 

are considering. 

Transferring a 

Chromosomally Normal 

Embryo 

The formation of chromosomally abnormal 

embryos is a natural phenomenon. Around 

25% of embryos from a young woman’s eggs 

can be naturally abnormal and this rate 

increases with age. In some cases, even with a 

young women’s eggs, this rate may be higher. 

Transferring a chromosomally abnormal 

embryo is the most common cause of failed 

implantation and miscarriage in IVF, or 

can lead to a pregnancy and birth of a baby 

with a disorder linked to chromosomal 

abnormality (such as Down’s Syndrome). 

It is not possible to assess whether an 

embryo is chromosomally normal from a 

visual assessment. Testing embryos with 

Comprehensive Chromosome Screening 

(CCS) is the only way to know which 

embryos have screened as chromosomally 

normal and will provide the best chance for 

success and a healthy baby. 

In addition to these three elements, 

overall excellence in IVF – including 

customizing treatment protocols and the 

quality of an IVF clinic’s laboratory – will 

play a significant part in any IVF patient’s 

chances for success on their first attempt. 

As with most things, all IVF and all donor 

egg IVF is not equal. Intended parents 

should arm themselves with the knowledge 

they need to fully evaluate prospective IVF 

clinics and their egg donor programs so 

that they can choose for success. 

More information on Donor 

Egg IVF treatment in the US 

can be found on the website 

oregonreproductivemedicine.com 



Are you struggling to have 

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The SpermComet is the only test that can detect DNA 

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Diet, exercise and vitamins can protect your sperm health. 

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MEN ONLY 

eea ewis 

HOW HEALTHY 

ARE YOUR SPERM? 

Male fertility expert Professor Sheena Lewis from SpermComent 

asks the question…. are men’s biological clocks ticking too? 


fertilityroadom |

MEN ONLY 

i agger is eetig a ild wit is 

yearold alleria arter elaie 

amri is would suggest tat me do 

ot eeriee a iologial lo ile 

agger is te latest male elerity to fater 

a ild i middletoolder age followig 

i te footstes of aul artey od 

tewart ad tee arti lets rememer 

e is te eetio rater ta te 

rule oiety assumes serm 

from older me are ust as 

ealty as from youg 

me ut y ad large 

tats ot uite true 

ertility is ot ifiite 

ad age does imat 

fertility for me as 

well as wome 

ore ad more 

resear sows tat 

serm uality gets 

worse wit age e 

idea tat roust fertility 

for a ma will otiue well 

ast womas delie i fertility 

THE IDEA 

THAT ROBUST 

FERTILITY FOR A MAN 

WILL CONTINUE WELL 

PAST WOMAN’S DECLINE 

IN FERTILITY IS 

UNTRUE. 

is utrue oe study otes fat mu 

resear states tat mes fertility egis 

to derease from te age of s age 

ireases serm struture ad futio 

derease is a lead to a ireased 

ris of misarriage a egatie imat o 

emryoi deelomet ad ee more 

worryig a iger ae of ildood 

disease urtermore age is oe 

of te leadig otriutors 

to damage i serm 

osiderig you will gie 

of your to 

your ild ealty 

is imeratie to 

faterig a ealty 

ay umerous 

studies reort lis 

etwee adaed 

ateral age ad a 

ireased ris of geeti 

diseases eseially tose 

seifially assoiated wit 

serm mutatios ad 

romosomal aeuloidies wi 

a affet ildres ealt 

at we do ow is tat ealty eggs a 

sometimes reair serm damage 

wi may elai aggers suosed 

itality e est tig is for me to tae 

otrol of teir serm ealt ad reet 

damage aeig i te first lae 

e rodue ew serm eery tree 

mots ad simle lifestyle ages a 

rotet serm from damage iet eerise 

driig ad smoig all imat serm 

ealt ad y moitorig lifestyle me 

a mae a real differee 

ile oe of us a tur a our 

iologial los oweer mu we wis 

we ould simle lifestyle ages a 

limit te damage wi age a ae o 

fertility ealt ad esure me are still 

fit for faterood i teir forties 

ile tryig for a ay tae otrol of 

your serm ealt esurig its te est 

it a e wateer age you may e 

Clockwise 

Mick Jagger, Rod 

Stewart, Steve Martin, 

Paul McCartney. 



MEN ONLY 

5 Top Tips for Healthy Sperm: 

Drinking: try to limit itae to its 

of eer or glass of wie er day 

ot ulie ourseles serm a lose 

diretio we uder te ifluee 

of alool ad ee swim i irles 

Diet: eat ealtily ut dow 

o fried food ad mae sure to 

ae ortios of fruit ad eg er 

day omatoes umi seeds waluts 

lueerries letils omegraates ad dar oolate ae all 

ee lied to serm ealt 

Smoking: emials o your serm moig is te iggest 

serm eemy 

ecreational drugs: may emials 

foud i drugs diretly damage serm 

Exercise: try to get te alae 

rigt oo mu eerise a e 

detrimetal to mes fertility 

miles o te iyle saddle or 

odyuildig steroids are o frieds 

of fertility 

Heat: as a reet artile i Fertility Road sowed eeig 

your oe eside your groi ireases te eat of te testes 

teyre outside te ody for a reaso ittig for too log 

wearig tigt uderwear or ee eessie ylig all irease 

your testiular eat 

ulemetig your diet wit itamis ad 

mierals may also imroe your serm 

ealt ut e areful te resear o 

sulemets is i its ifay so osult 

wit your fertility dotor ad e 

our wesite spermcomet.com for more 

details 


fertilityroadom |

MEN ONLY 

ussell ais 

BIG BOYS 

DON’T CRY 

I can look back now over the last 10 years and see 

how much I’ve learnt about what it means to be a 

man and how to relate to women. 

Did you know? 

Men are less likely to 

access psychological 

therapies than women. 

Only 36% of referrals 

to IAPT (Increasing 

Access to Psychological 

Therapies) are men. 

sool fortuately differees etwee 

me ad wome a ome to fore at times 

of stress ad ifertility a ut a strai o 

te est of relatiosis at wat to 

sare wit you are te tigs wis ew 

a te 

Stop trying to be the hero 

ot try ad e te strog oe its ot wat 

wome wat ome wat teir me to 

oet wit tem o a emotioal leel 

ey wat teir me to e ale to sare ow 

tey feel e ulerale e real tougt 

eeded to e te strog oe for my wife 

ut it was te oosite se wated y ot 

oeig u ad sarig ow felt was 

reatig a arrier a distae etwee us tat 

made it arder for er as se felt more aloe 

oiety rigs me u to ti tat ig 

oys dot ry ti owerful me are 

omfortale wit emotios as mu as tey 

are teir tool elt ad watig footall 

wit te oys 

ou are ot wit me o tis ourey 

my wife said to me eigt years ito our 

ourey didt uderstad wet to all 

te aoitmets e taled aout tigs 

or so tougt 

e said se ad o idea wat was goig 

o i my ead ow felt aout tigs e 

didt feel uited eause i er mid lie 

most wome you feel uited to someoe 

we you feel uderstood ad uderstad 

ow tey feel 

is was a real rolem for me f am 

oest it wast a ew message ere ae 

ee may times i our relatiosi we 

se said se was loely eause wast 

fully reset to er was too usy i my 

ead e rolem ad was didt ow 

ow to age it ts all ew 

at momet was te egiig of a uge 

learig ure for me eduatio ito 

te world of emotios ito a strage ad 

somewat mystial world tat wome 

seem to lie eduatio o ow to feel 

more eae wit myself as well as loe my 

wife i a way se areiates so se feels 

more loed 

a loo a ow oer te last years 

ad see ow mu e leart aout wat 

it meas to e a ma ad ow to relate to 

wome e eduatio you dot get i 



MEN ONLY 

Stop trying to fix things 

e your arter sares ow se feels 

se doest wat you to fi it f se sares 

a rolem wit you se doest wat you 

to fi it f ses moaig aout sometig 

se doest wat you to mae er feel etter 

y fiig it less se seifially ass i 

writig i triliate from a lawyer 

tryig to mae er feel 

etter y fiig tigs 

at wome wat is to 

e uderstood e 

sare rolems to see 

solutios ome 

sare rolems to feel 

uderstood ee to 

uderstad ow se 

feels i tat momet 

f you try ad fi te 

rolem a se doest feel 

uderstood ad se ofte 

feels elittled you ti se 

at fi it erself 

I THINK 

POWERFUL MEN 

ARE COMFORTABLE 

WITH EMOTIONS AS MUCH 

AS THEY ARE THEIR TOOL 

BELT AND WATCHING 

FOOTBALL WITH THE 

BOYS. 

ere are oly so may times you a try 

ad say sometig to el wi oly 

maes it worse t a e lie dealig wit 

a time om ad eer owig wi is 

te rigt wire to ut tig to say tat will 

diffuse it owig te wrog oe will mae 

it worse i rigs me o to 

Don’t run away from 

their emotions 

e ad womes rais 

oerate ery differetly 

es rais are lie 

a well orgaised 

worso ery tool as 

its lae e sadow 

oard tells you wat 

tool goes were ts 

a ery ordered logial 

struture 

omes rais oweer 

are a udle of eletrial 

wires eery oe touig 

aoter erytig is oeted to 

sometig else e oetios to a 

ma ofte seem illogial ad te ower 

tat rus troug tese wires is a 

eergy alled emotio ome are a 

owerouse of emotio e miute tis 

a e eressed as eig te goddess 

you fell i loe wit e et miute 

tey are eig te it you ate ts all 

drie y te same fuel motios 

ome wat teir me to e ale to old 

a otaier for tis emotio o e ale 

to old tat sae for wateer emotio 

eerieig i tat momet itout 

udgemet witout ritiism witout 

tryig to age it ad most imortatly 

witout eig sared of it 

f you old tat sae i loe seeig to 

uderstad tem you will fid it diffuses 

ad moes o to sometig far more 

leasat for ot of you more uily 

ta you imagie 

ree words tat a mae all te 

differee we your woma is feelig 

emotioal are get tat e if you 

ti te emotio or te outurst is 

ueessary ad uust e if its aimed 

at you its ot aout you ts ust a 

emotio se is feelig i tat momet 

a few momets time se may feel 

sometig ery differet if you old tat 

sae for er 


fertilityroadom |

MEN ONLY 

IS IT TIME YOU TOOK YOUR 

SPERM FOR AN MOT? 

ost coules wo are tryig to coceie 

are roaly familiar wit te terms seme 

aalysis ad serm cout or uatity. 

oweer tere is aoter imortat male 

fertility test tat idetifies te uality 

of serm. ealty serm is eeded for 

ot a ealty regacy ad ay ad 

damage to serm ca cause rolems wit 

fertility. e ermomet test idetifies 

damage i serm ad eales me 

to tae cotrol of teir ealt ad fertility. 

ealty is so imortat as it is te 

code of life we gie our cildre. 

e ermomet test is rilliat i its 

simlicity. t is carried out y silled 

scietists ad is te most sesitie 

fragmetatio test. e test uses cemicals 

to rela te tigtly coiled strads of 

i idiidual serm efore searatig 

tem out y usig a electric field. 

der a microscoe ealty sies 

rigtly wile damaged or roe 

as a weaer glow. y eamiig te legt 

of te tail of damaged scietists ca 

tell ow adly damaged a mas serm is. 

or rofessor eea ewis of ermomet 

td te sciece could old aluale clues to 

male fertility. damage ca e caused 

y lifestyle coices suc as diet smoig 

driig eercise steroids ad ee 

armful cemicals. s me roduce ew 

serm eery tree mots lifestyle cages 

ca mae a differece to serm ealt. 

rofessor ewis eliees te test could e 

esecially useful for tose wo lose out i 

te ostcode lottery for istace were 

coules oly ae oe free cycle of . 

aig te test could direct coules to te 

est treatmet o teir first ad oly cycle. 

ome studies ae sow tat me wit 

serm damage ae more success 

wit ta or . 

e ermomet test could ee e 

articularly useful for me wit ormal 

seme aalysis after all researc as 

sow tat of me wit o detectale 

rolems wit a seme aalysis do 

actually ae serm damage. e 

ermomet test roides me wit more 

iformatio aout teir serm ealt 

allowig tem to tae cotrol of teir 

fertility ad el coules mae te est 

decisio aout fertility treatmet. 

ermomet td wors wit arter 

cliics trougout te ad relad. 

or a full list of were you ca get 

te ermomet test lease isit 

spermcomet.com/clinic-locations. ou 

ca ow also selfrefer at te atla odo. 

ermomet are also looig at a ew 

study o te role of serm damage i 

recurret miscarriage wile aoter roect 

loos to see if atioidats ca imroe 

serm uality. or more iformatio 

o te sciece eid ermomets 

researc isit spermcomet.com 

| fertilityroad.com 


BODY 

MEN ONLY 

| fertilityroadmag | | follow | follow us us @fertilityroad 

fertilityroad.com | 31|


LETTER FROM 

THE HEART 

Leyla and Richards story 

| fertilityroad.com 



“S 

So we have some news…!" Yet 

another couple announcing 

joyfully over dinner that 

they were going to become parents 

and the accompanying sinking of my 

stomach in jealousy. No, not jealousy 

exactly, but a really deep-seated, allencompassing, 

overwhelming envy. The 

struggle to become a parent aside, I 

loved my life - but I just had the most 

consuming desire for us to be the ones 

sharing happy baby updates. 

I was diagnosed with a serious medical 

condition in my late twenties, one of the 

horrendous ‘side effects’ was that it could 

prove fatal for me to carry my own child. 

Oh, and I had a 50% chance of passing this 

condition on to any offspring in any event. 

Although we had been among the first in 

our friendship groups to marry, we reacted 

to this bombshell by burying our heads in 

the sand; we were not ready to contemplate 

the enormous minefield of IVF treatment, 

PGD analysis to detect embryos affected 

with the condition, teaming with a 

surrogate and maybe, just maybe, after all 

of that, lasting a pregnancy. And after our 

first IVF cycle, it transpired I would also 

react to the hormone drugs in such a way 

that normal IVF treatment would probably 

kill me. Quite a lot to take in. 

Eventually it became too heart-breaking to 

even walk past a pregnant lady in the street 

or hear the sound of buggy wheels on the 

pavement outside our window during our 

Saturday morning lie-ins – so coveted by 

parents, and so wasted on us. This became 

the soundtrack to another desperate google 

search about IVF success rates. 

We tentatively began the process, signing 

up to become members of Surrogacy UK, 

a welcoming and knowledgeable not for 

profit organisation, which provides a 

framework for teaming surrogates and 

intended parents which offers support 

and advice to its members through its 

friendship first ethos. And my goodness 

how we welcomed that support and 

friendship! Infertility and the struggle to 

become a parent can be the most isolating 

experience, and one which, despite its 

incredible prevalence, is still stuck being 

shrouded in secrecy for the most part. 

And so began six years of ricocheting 

from clinic to clinic, cross-country and 

cross-continent. Trying IVF, Natural 

IVF, IVM, ICSI, transfers, negative tests, 

transporting embryos up Regent Street 

in liquid nitrogen – chatting to them as I 

drove, desperately entreating them to “just 

survive this time” before dissolving into 

half tears and half laughter as I realised 

the ridiculous pathos of what I was doing. 

Embryos not developing, embryos not 

surviving the thaw, failed egg collections, 

mislaid or missing HFEA consent forms, 

and my personal favourite, missing sperm 

somewhere between Oxford and London. 

As I used to bawl to my best friend on 

the phone from under my desk in the 

office after more bad news when the 

sniffling started before I could make a 

frantic dash to the loos, “if it wasn’t so 

gut-wrenchingly, desperately tragic, it 

would actually be quite funny”. But many 

thousands of pounds and many tears later, 

it really wasn’t. 

I think one of the hardest factors to accept 

was that my life-long mantra “that if you 

Further information can 

be found on the 

surrogacyuk.org website. 

just worked hard enough at something, 

eventually you would succeed”, had 

absolutely no bearing in the world of 

infertility. In fact, the more you worked at 

it, the more your emotions ran way, way 

out of control. And what do you mean, we 

can’t just have sex and make a baby and 

then go on a lovely babymoon?! Oh sweet 

irony – when we were the ones who needed 

a holiday – but remained trapped in our 

vicious cycle of paying for treatment, 

hoping treatment would work yet not 

becoming too stressed because stress has 

a negative impact on baby-making, right? 

And then stressing that we were stressing 

too much. Et cetera et cetera. 

Finally, the magical day came when 

Rachael, our surrogate, sent through 

a picture of a positive pregnancy test. 

Then followed nine turbulent months 

during which Rachael and her family 

helped us to appreciate fertility treatment 

as being a positive thing. We are now 

parents to a two year old boy and at the 

risk of sounding greedy, embarking on 

a sibling project, all through surrogacy 

and the wonderful altruistic gift of life 

and parenthood given to us by Rachael. 

Rachael who spent nine long months 

looking after our embryo for us and who 

is prepared, together with her family, to 

spend nine months doing it all again. 

This second journey has already not gone 

smoothly and it has reminded me just 

how incredibly difficult everything about 

the IVF and the infertility process is. We 

had somehow begun to think we could 

just plan another child like those ‘normal’ 

couples who used to share their news 

with us, and of course, that does not look 

like it will be the case. I will never, ever, 

forget what we went through to become 

a family, but the pain does fade to some 

degree. I’m so pleased to say that we stayed 

strong and I do think that it is important 

for every couple going through a struggle 

to parenthood to continue as long as 

is necessary for you, regardless of what 

experts might advise. 

Though we found the pain of it all took 

us to some dark places, I wouldn’t change 

what we’ve been through as I hope that 

we are better parents, friends, siblings 

and children for it. We also are so lucky 

to have an extended surrogate family and 

a special story of just how very much he 

was longed for to share with Zeki as he 

grows up. 




BEFORE YOU 

WERE HERE... 

odo ased oule arti ad era 

tried for may years to oeie aturally 

witout ay suess efore emarig o 

see log yles 

aitig lists to liial tests dotors 

aoitmets more tests ietios 

regay tests ad all te us ad 

dows tat are art of te log ourey 

to eome arets 

eir story ist differet from may 

oules wit fertility rolems oweer 

it is uusual to ear a story from a mas 

oit of iew e arti otated 

Fertility Road oig to sare is ersoal 

story ad is oem efore you were 

ere we oed it migt isire oter 

me to sea out 

arti elais wy o te day after 

teir first ild was or e wrote a 

oem to is wife aout teir ourey ut 

from is ersetie 

uttig tigs ito words as always 

eled me artiularly as is still a 

taoo suet t was for tat reaso tat 

wated to rea tese arriers wit a oem 

wrote t as already reeied some really 

strog iterest olie so d lie to sare it 

wit Fertility Road readers as well 

e are luy eoug to e ale to say 

we ae two eautiful ildre ut tere 

were times we we wodered if it would 

eer ae 

ormally resere my oems for te wifes 

irtday ards ut gie its sigifiae 

tougt would sare wit te iew of 

elig oters eseially from te mas 

oit of iew wi ofte gets oerlooed 

fter sarig is oem wit family ad 

frieds arti was urged to el oter 

oules wo ae ee waitig for teir 

dream to ome true 

WE ARE ‘LUCKY’ 

ENOUGH TO BE 

ABLE TO SAY WE 

HAVE TWO BEAUTIFUL 

CHILDREN, BUT THERE 

WERE TIMES WHEN 

WE WONDERED IF IT 

WOULD EVER HAPPEN. 







BEFORE YOU 

WERE HERE... 

efore you were ere we were gie some ews 

a liial room wit eerytig to lose 

est after test sa after sa 

ou at ae ildre lie ormal eole a 

ur world stos still wile we digest tis low 

orale as droed to a all time low 

tios are gie stats are sow 

ee got yout o our side we souldt moa 

e are told were luy we get two free goes 

starts its a log log road 

wo mots of ietios te mryos go i 

e ruel log wait woder if its twis 

e ees o a sti te ear er ry 

t doest get easier as mots go y 

e try agai full of oe 

ut if it fails agai ow will we oe 

e test omes out ear tears agai 

ifes ot fair you dot always wi 

dotios a otio were told y our eers 

oud mae great arets its still ard to ear 

e te dust settles ad we sit ad sea 

e deide to go riate t ist ea 

arley streets te eue were see y a urse 

ey refuse our ustom ad ti our oditio is worse 

o a to te dotor ad get see agai 

ti its your tues ad out tey ame 

ull of autio we gie arley street a go 

gai ee o a sti were eetig a 

ts really feit ut tere is a lie 

e at eliee it my wifes ow ryig 

e go to te lii oull eed a lood test 

ts ofirmed y a all we feel so lessed 

ee et it a seret util wees 

e go for a sa to get a ee 

e urse goes silet as se taes er seat 

e got some ad ews we at fid a earteat 

y wifes sreams still aut me ow 

f tere is a eil lease tae a ow 

o we ae aoter go is it wort te ai 

t wored oe efore t sould wor agai 

e orrow te moey were ere oe more 

is will mae it attemt umer four 

e go troug te roess te ietios ad drugs 

ll a offer is isses ad ugs 

t omes dow to tis aoter lood test 

e wait for te all tryig ot to stress 

ts our est frieds weddig we ust wat to e aloe 

ll we a ti aout is tat stuid oe 

aswer oe message reuests us to all 

e urse starts ryig wee it aoter ri wall 

ee made a deisio lets sto tis madess 

ats te oit t oly rigs sadess 

mots o we get a all from our o 

m oeig a ratie let me gie it a sot 

f it doest wor you do ot ae to ay 

ew uestio to aswer ad we dot ow wat to say 

seret to us our seial frieds 

ad made a olletio so we ould try agai 

ttemt umer fie suess or a tragedy 

e staff at te lii all felt lie family 

alets teroids ills ad ietios 

er little urle ase ad a imressie olletio 

ore wee o a stiteres a strog lear lie 

itout dout its wored tis time 




IF IT HELPS AT LEAST ONE 

COUPLE THEN I FEEL IT WILL 

HAVE BEEN WORTH IT. 

We get clarification, another blood test 

The best phone call ever, “Now go home and rest..” 

6 week scan, the mood is great, 

But the docs face drops, we’re dealt our fate 

There’s no sign of a beat, my wife screams and cries 

This has done damage, I can see it in her eyes 

Were told to go back, for a follow up check 

What’s the point, our heads are a wreck 

The doc is gutted, and does a routine scan 

I remember the face, of this miracle man 

“Oh my god” a heartbeat is found 

The room filled with staff, what an emotional sound 

An amazing day, well never forget, 

Mentally drained, It’s human roulette 

The months pass by, random cramps and bleeds 

This is hard to enjoy, its the due date we need! 

The day arrives, unforgettable feelings 

Pinching ourselves, to see if we’re dreaming 

Blessed with a daughter, a gorgeous baby girl 

An amazing little person, now the centre or our world 

You never really know, how strong you are 

Until you’re out the other side, reflecting from afar 

So when things are against you and life seems unfair 

Remember all of this was possible, because other people cared. 

Thank you to our amazing Fertility Team, Friends & Family xx 

Martin Davis ( Proud Daddy ) - October 2014 

Martin is happy to offer to advice and support to other 

couples via email reesult@googlemail.com 




IVF CUBE Fertility Clinic, Prague is 

an established centre dedicated to 

the issue of fertility treatment. We 

provide comprehensive care in the 

diagnosis and treatment of fertility 

disorders using all state-of-theart 

methods, along with the latest 

scientific knowledge. 

Since January 2016 we have been 

providing fertility acupuncture which 

brings amazing results for our clients. 

This painless procedure involves the 

insertion of an ultra-thin needle into 

specific points on the body before 

and after embryo transfer that helps 

to improve the embryo implantation. 

IVF CUBE Prague Clinic 

Evropska 178 

16000 Praha 

Czech Republic 

www.ivf-cube.co.uk 



Hana Visnova, MD, PhD 

Medical Director 

Head of IVF CUBE Clinic 

Dr Renata Huttelova, PhD 

Head of IVF CUBE Laboratory 

Senior ESHRE Embryologist 

Petr Uher, MD, PhD 

Scientific Director 

Co-Founder of IVF CUBE 

Maximum commitment to transparency 

Pregnancy Rate for Donor Egg cycles 65 % 

Extensive database of young proven donors 

No waiting times for any treatment

Fertility Road Issue 34

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