Pregnancy Loss

Thank you to our episode sponsor Peanut, you can meet likeminded women, trying to conceive and find support. Be sure to visit peanut.app.link/fertilitypoddy or via your app store.  You'll hear from Dr. Ingrid Gran, Senior Research Fellow in Reproductive Medicine and a Consultant at The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford talking about the reasons why miscarriages happen, explaining in more detail about chromosomal abnormalities and it's linked to female age. Listen in full here Zara Dawson shared her heartbreaking experience of having to have a medical termination which you can hear in full. We also heard from Jen Coates, the Director of Bereavement Care at Sands, the Stillbirth and neonatal death charity  explaining just how challenging dealing with Baby loss is for everyone involved and the peer to peer support they have created with bereaved parents who become ‘Befrienders' and that they also have an app you can get instant access to get the much-needed support you need. Listen in full here. We also talked Dr. Adrian Lower talking about Asherman's Syndrome which is caused by the surgical procedures women have to go through when they have a miscarriage,  it was part of a conversation was part of an earlier one with Guest host Katy Lindermann Emilie Jones-Ransley listen in full here And we also asked Kelly Da Silva, who has founded the Dovecote Childless Support Organisation about the immune tests she had ahead of further fertility treatment and how she then went ahead with treatment with immune therapy as well as intralipid infusions yet still miscarried and decided to stop treatment. Listen in full here SOCIAL MEDIA: @fertilitypoddy @yourfertilityjourney

Welcome to our final episode of the miscarriage series. Thank you for listening over the last few weeks. From your feedback, we know that you've found this series informative and importantly, it's made you realize that you're not alone. In this final episode, we want to find out why miscarriage happens and so we chat to Dr. Ingrid Granne – Senior Research Fellow in Reproductive Medicine and a Consultant at The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where Kate also worked a few years ago. The common causes of miscarriage Ingrid tells us that the most common cause of miscarriage is due to genetic mistakes in the early stages of cell division, meaning that the pregnancy is unable to develop past the first few weeks. The age of the woman has a significant effect on the risk of miscarriage. By the time a woman is 45yrs 1 in 2 pregnancies will end in miscarriage. Diabetes and thyroid are also associated with a miscarriage along with increasing weight. Hormonal and immune factors may also cause miscarriage. The research Ingrid has been involved with genetic research into miscarriage that will be published soon. There appear to be genetic factors that predispose some women to miscarriage more than others. Investigating miscarriage Ingrid says that there is a move to start investigations after 2 miscarriages rather than 3. This will be welcomed by so many women. Looking at the chromosomes of a pregnancy can be very helpful, especially in helping women understand that there is nothing that they did that would have caused the miscarriage. For recurrent miscarriage, the most useful test is for Antiphospholipid syndrome – a blood test that looks for antibodies in the blood to identify this autoimmune disorder. Other investigations are looking for inherited tendencies for blood clots by a thrombophilia screen. Testing Thyroid function, chromosomes, and the anatomy of the womb are also important tests. Baby Aspirin and Progesterone Interestingly, Ingrid doesn't recommend baby aspirin as there is evidence that it might have the opposite benefit. A recent study looking at bleeding in early pregnancy showed there might be a benefit in taking progesterone, especially in women who have experienced recurrent miscarriages who are bleeding in early pregnancy. Ingrid believes that in the coming years it may be routine for these women to be prescribed progesterone. SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.wrh.ox.ac.uk/team/ingrid-granne (Ingrid Granne)  https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/miscarriage/ (Hear the full Miscarriage series ) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (Instagram)  http://www.yourfertilityjourney.com ( Kate Davies) https://instagram.com/your_fertility_journey (Instagram) 

Welcome to another ‘Meet the Makers' episode where we chat to Louise Zeniou from Cradle. When we spoke to Louise, she had been having a busy few days with various media interviews, and in-between her busy schedule she managed to sneak in an interview with us whilst sat on the floor outside the toilets in Pret! Louise has a personal experience of what it feels like to go through early pregnancy loss when she became ill and diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. As she was so ill, she was rushed into hospital and had surgery immediately. She talks about the amazing care she received, but after surgery she missed the most basic of items such as a toothbrush and a hairbrush. The Comfort Bag From her own experience, Louise started the Comfort Bag Project with the aim to support hospitals, so that in those early moments of pregnancy loss women and men can be provided with toiletries and other products to give them a little comfort and importantly dignity. In the bag, Louise also includes a personal message to give immediate words of comfort following a loss and the ways bereaved parents can connect for support once they have been discharged from the hospital. How Cradle Supports the NHS Cradle provides Comfort Bags to various hospitals across the country and it's growing! From just starting out as one, Louise now has 73 volunteer ambassadors. Cradle also works with Hospital Trusts as the patient voice to help in the development of services and projects for bereaved parents. Signposting The role of Cradle is also to signpost to various support and counseling services to offer parents much-needed professional support. Want to get involved? Contact Louise for information on how you can become an ambassador for Cradle. SOCIAL MEDIA:  https://www.instagram.com/cradle_epl (CRADLE) https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com (The Fertility Podcast) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (@fertilitypoddy) http://www.yourfertilityjourney.com (Kate Davies)  https://instagram.com/your_fertility_journey (Instagram) 

We need to talk about miscarriage.

Welcome to the very first episode of The Miscarriage Series where we will spend the coming weeks bringing you real stories and expert interviews about the difficult topic of miscarriage.  This week's episode is with Dr. Jessica Farren who Kate and I met in London, in her kitchen before we went into lockdown. Jessica is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Imperial College Health Care Trust and we spoke about her involvement in research that was published earlier this year. Jessica looked at the psychological impact of early pregnancy events and in particular miscarriage. The Trauma of Miscarriage The study looked at symptoms relating to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how high these levels are shortly after experiencing a miscarriage and then months later. The study found that at 9 months 1:6 women are still experiencing symptoms suggestive of PTSD. How to improve support Frequently women are discharged from the hospital very quickly following a miscarriage and often without a follow-up. Jessica suggests that this poses a lost opportunity for support and the ability to ask questions after a miscarriage which can help to reduce self-blame. Jessica talks about the importance of healthcare staff managing expectations at the first scan, particularly if the scan does not have a positive outcome. How can we talk more freely about miscarriage? Jessica talks about the concept of not talking about a pregnancy until after the 12-week point and how it would be much better if women did feel that they can open up and talk before this time, and in particular if they miscarry. Miscarriage and the Workplace A miscarriage occurs in a woman's life span during their peak contribution to society both at work and in the workplace, the impact of PTSD in both environments is huge. The work we are doing as part of our Fertility Matters at Work initiative will be providing support and guidance for anyone dealing with this.  The First Scan Jessica tells us that it is very common to have an inconclusive scan at 5-6 weeks but by 8 weeks you would expect to see a pregnancy developing normally. She also mentions that for IVF pregnancies it would be preferable to be able to be more conclusive with scans for this group. Why it's not possible to investigate a miscarriage until after 3 70% of miscarriages are genetically abnormal and therefore investigating for this after one or even two miscarriages doesn't change how anything would be managed going forward. Jessica does think there is a move to investigate after two miscarriages in the future. The impact of miscarriage on men The research also considered men and this will be published soon. Jessica did say that whilst men had lower levels of the psychological disorders assessed, they did still suffer. https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(19)31369-9/fulltext (Dr. Jessica Farren – Research paper) Socials:  https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com (The Fertility Podcast) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (Instagram)  http://%C2%A0www.yourfertilityjourney.com (Kate Davies)  Instagram 

Meet our guest, Frankie Brunker, author of These Precious Little People Please be warned that this weeks' episode is a hard-hitting and emotional one. It is a raw and emotional account of stillbirth and the grief that follows. I chatted with Frankie Brunker, after meeting her met at a fabulous Yoga day put on by Lucy from https://www.rainbowrunningclub.co.uk/ (The Rainbow Running club.) Route to Parenthood Frankie's route to parenthood started really quickly after conceiving in the first month of trying however, devastatingly their daughter was born stillborn at 38 weeks. This came as a complete shock. Frankie's husband had to call their family from the hospital to break the news. Frankie felt so concerned about telling family and how they would feel, particularly her nieces and nephews who were excited about a new baby coming into the family. They decided that they needed to be insular and in their own little bubble to get through this difficult time, one day at a time. The Funeral  Frankie made the decision for her nieces and nephews not to attend the funeral of their daughter. At the time, this felt like the right decision but now Frankie has some regrets and is now mindful that not being included may make it more difficult for children, in general, to deal with grief. Experiencing a Stillbirth Frankie talks about her experience of giving birth at the hospital and how she felt that some of the midwives had limited experience of caring for a mother delivering a stillborn baby, and that she felt there were gaps in the bereavement care she and her husband received. Frankie's honest account of the, sometimes insensitive and ignorant, remarks she has received along the way is powerful and arresting Precious Little People  As a result of her experience, Frankie is now the author of a beautiful children's book to help explain baby loss to children but also Frankie says the book helps adults to come to terms with grief too.  Her aim for the book is that you can talk about loss of your baby but that you can still think of them and smile. Her book aims to appeals to bereaved parents from diverse communities and cultures. Blogging as a bereaved parent  Frankie has recently written https://preciouslittlepeople.wixsite.com/preciouslittlepeople/post/stayathome-support-during-these-uncertain-times ( a blog) giving support to bereaved parents who may be finding it especially difficult going through this experience during lockdown, and urges people to reach out for support. SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.instagram.com/thesepreciouslittlepeople/ (Frankie Brunker) https://www.instagram.com/thesepreciouslittlepeople/ (Instagram): @thesepreciouslittlepeople https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com (The Fertility Podcast ) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (Instagram)  http://www.yourfertilityjourney.com ( Kate Davies) https://instagram.com/your_fertility_journey (Instagram)

Meet Katy Leeson, Managing Director of Social Chain who also hosts a podcast called 'https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/katy-leesons-i-shouldnt-say-this-but/id1442547174 (I Shouldn't Say This But') and at the time of us chatting had just been nominated for an award for 'Leading the Charge and Pushing the Boundaries' with Campaign Magazine ( a big industry title ) I spoke with Katy in real life at Social Chain's very cool office in central Manchester, in the days where you could do that, which is why Kate isn't in this episode. Self Protection Katy spoke about her struggle with the responsibility of being a young female Managing Director. She had imposter syndrome and took herself into therapy sessions to get support on how best to deal with it. In the context of this chat, Katy explained how she made sure she was mentally prepared to talk about her miscarriage in the public sphere because she had no idea what the reaction would be and she was nervous that people would tell her it wasn't the right place or platform  - something so many people fear when talking about infertility. Baby Loss Awareness Week Katy shared her story in October 2019, a year on from her miscarriage which happened in December 2018. She spoke about the challenges of that time of year with everybody being together and how it forced her into telling people that I was pregnant, as she wasn't drinking in the Chrimbo celebrations - this was before the '12 week' point. Her family and friends knew and so she also had to share her that she had miscarried on Christmas Eve because she didn't want to get messages wishing her the best Christmas and New Year because I was going to have a baby in the next year. Katy talked about feeling that she was also ruining other people's Christmas because I'd tell them such sad news. Miscarrying Naturally Katy spoke about how she miscarried naturally the day before she was due to be put under for the operation. The first the scan she had, she said felt a good connection to someone who really cared and she said 'You look healthy, everything there on the scan looks healthy, you've just started an unfortunate experience, there was just a problem with that egg or that sperm, and you should be fine and I can't wait to see you again' which Katy said gave her such hope as every other interaction she had, felt like she was just being told to get on with things. Breakdown in Communication. Katy explained how she was still getting letters about having scans for her pregnancy after she had miscarried due to being registered with two different hospitals and how they were ringing her partner but wouldn't speak to him so he couldn't even act as her  gatekeeper for. This meant in the end, she had to have numerous conversations reliving her experience over and over/ Telling Work Katy talked about how she had spoken to others about how much of a lift it is, to be told it's not your fault, which is such a straightforward piece of information to give to somebody. We talked about how she had no follow up conversations after going through it and wasn't given any guidance on where to find support. She had stopped her therapy and hadn't told her work as she didn't want to tell them she was going through 'something so horrific'  because she was worried they would think she would then be trying again and be off on Maternity. So she didn't tell anyone and struggled with it from Christmas until Easter - which is when she said the broke down. When she did tell them, they were amazing Talking it through in Therapy Katy discussed the grieving process with her therapist and how she had been putting so much pressure on herself with her work and doing the right thing by others. She talked about giving herself permission to grieve once she had accessed support once again. She also talked about how she went to the doctors and was given antidepressants, which she is still on The Impact of Miscarriage We talked about how...

How are you doing?  Hopefully, you are coping and taking things a day at a time, which we feel is the best approach. Somedays you are acing it and others... maybe not so and that is just fine! We're doing our best to keep sharing out content and hopefully, you know by now, We're passionate about sharing real-life stories to bring fertility struggles to life. So meet Kate Pleace who, like Podcast Kate, is a fertility nurse. Kate used to work at Bourne Hall Fertility Clinic in Colchester and found herself on the other side of the consulting room facing early menopause. Kate and her husband decided on egg donation and their treatment was successful the first time. Progesterone Hypersensitivity Kate started progesterone treatment to help support the developing pregnancy but unfortunately, things took a surprising turn when Kate became ill as a result of the rare condition Progesterone Hypersensitivity.  Kate and her husband made the difficult decision to stop her progesterone therapy and unfortunately miscarried a few weeks later. The impact on physical and emotional health Kate's physical and emotional recovery took months and Kate felt consumed with grief, all the while she was still working. Eventually Kate sort help and advice from a specialist. This helped with many of her unanswered questions and how the progesterone treatment affected her both physically and mentally during the treatment. Kate recommends that if you're concerned about any symptoms, however minor, it's important to reach out to your clinic for help and advice. Moving forward Kate has now reached a really positive place in her life, and despite not having children her life is full of so many wonderful things. She says that her experience has made her a stronger person and she's now doing things that she would have never done before. It is important to note that Progesterone Hypersensitivity to the degree that Kate experienced it is very rare. If you have any concerns about this, please speak to your clinic. Plus, do you have a story to tell? Have you gone through something more unusual? If so, please reach out to us, as we would love to hear and tell your story email info@thefertilitypodcast.com  Definition: Progesterone Hypersensitivity is a rare disorder that has been scarcely, but worldwide reported. Symptoms can range from skin conditions such as urticaria and dermatitis to more severe reactions such as anxiety, weight loss, gastric and vasomotor symptoms. SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/ (Natalie on Insta) https://www.instagram.com/your_fertility_journey/ (Kate on Insta)

This week, we hear from our guest presenter Katy Linderman in conversation with Emilie Jones-Ransley. We asked Katy to have this conversation for us as both ladies have had infertility struggles, due to thin lining issues and talk about being members of 'The Thin Lining Brigade' Missed Miscarriage Emilie talks about her experience of missed miscarriage and the surgery she had to had, to remove it ( https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/information/miscarriage/the-physical-process/ ( ERP C))and how after that she didn't feel right two months later and she had to have further treatment. She explains how traumatic this period of time was for her.  Katy shares her experience of also having to have an ERPC and the issues around her hormones levels being high, 5 weeks later and how awful the experience was as your body still thinks you are pregnant. Hysteroscopy Medical procedures can cause scaring and Emile talks about how she only found out by chance after having further fertility investigations by chance. A conversation with her doctor about her periods being regular saw Emilie being booked in for a https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hysteroscopy/ (hysteroscopy), a procedure to look at your uterus with a tiny camera to check your lining.  This was seven months after her second ERPC. Ashermans  Syndrome Emilie found out that half her Uterus was full of scars which means there is a layer of scaring on the endometrium meaning it doesn't shed properly. Both Katy and Emile talk in details about the types of blood changes in your period and how important it is to realise that if it has changed significantly as it could be a sign of Ashermans. Scaring almost makes it very difficult for an embryo to impact and it can also be dangerous and could cause a miscarriage. The scaring can be removed with a laser, however, in Emilie's case, they punctured her uterus. The A-listers Specific Doctors who specialise in these procedures. Medical insurance does cover miscarriage and gynaecology - as these surgeries can be covered. The Ashermans Facebook group shares a list of these people. Knicker Watch and IVF Permanently wanting your period and wanting ‘red blood' when you are having treatment for Ashermans or thin lining treatment. Emilie had three unsuccessful rounds of funded IVF and then they moved onto having further private rounds with PGS testing. After her fourth round, Emilie had the summer off and talks about the importance of having a break during treatment. They then attempted frozen embryo transfers but Emile was still struggling with lining issues. ‘Decent Lining' We're talking thickness and appearance as the ladies discuss that 'Triple' means -  three layers, so it looks white and the thickest part should be measured and ideally, for IVF it should preferably be 8 mm or above. Normal is 13 or 14mm. Both Katy and Emilie talk about feeling like they couldn't get off the starting line due to their lining issues and how difficult that is. Feeling like your body isn't working and the feelings of anger towards your body. Deciding to use a surrogate After 10 failed IVF rounds, Emilie and her husband decided to go down the surrogacy route with a Ukrainian Surrogacy and hope to bring their baby girl home in August. Dr. Adrian Lower  - Asherman's expert explains Adrian explains how Ashermans is caused and how it impacts the endometrium. We discuss the number of women who are diagnosed and undiagnosed and Adrian explains how and why Asherman's is largely unrecognized. It could be up to 5% or more of people who have surgical procedures and then have scarring. The problem is that people question if it exists and Adrian says he sees four or five people a week with the condition and how it is important that people look for it. Saline infusion scan or Hysteroscopy. Adrian explains how pumping saline into the womb to dilate it helps to see the scaring or tissue as does a hysteroscopy. Women don't realize as...

Sadly, we're almost coming to the end of our Miscarriage series, and this time we're talking about support.  Sometimes it can be difficult to reach out for support, especially as miscarriage is tragically still viewed a taboo subject. In this episode, we chat with Zoe Clarke-Coates. Zoe is the co-founder of the award-winning charity ‘The Mariposa Trust' (widely known by the name of its primary division called https://www.sayinggoodbye.org/ (sayinggoodbye.org)) and the author of 3 books, which are essential reading for anyone who is grieving. Zoe is also the co-chair of the Government's National Pregnancy Loss Review. Zoe's interview is essential listening if you are, or have experienced baby loss, no matter whether this is recently or years ago. We talk about the support Zoe's charity offers, how miscarriage care is changing for the better and how it is possible to move forward with hope and joy for the future. The Taboo of Miscarriage The culture surrounding miscarriage is the belief that you shouldn't talk about being pregnant until you're past the 12-week point. However, this serves to enforce the taboo surrounding miscarriage, as does our UK culture of finding it difficult to talk about death. Until we can openly discuss death and early pregnancy it will be difficult to remove this taboo. National Loss Certificate We discuss how the care of bereaved parents following a miscarriage, is changing for the better, especially with Zoe's involvement in the recent Governmental review and the work of Zoe's charity in promoting good NHS care for women and couples who have experienced baby loss. Zoe launched a campaign to acknowledge early pregnancy and advocates that bereaved parents can choose to receive a National Loss certificate in the same way that a birth and death certificate is issued. Therefore acknowledging the loss. Support from ‘Saying Goodbye' Zoe's charity offers various support, and one of the lovely things they do is hold regular Remembrance Services. Zoe talks about how emotional these events are but how it has such a powerful and beautiful impact for bereaved parents. She also tells us about how miscarriage can impact on a relationship and how the charity supports couples as well as the individual. Moving forward with hope Zoe believes that it is important to help people to find hope again and that people need lighthouses to show hope for the future. It is about acknowledging the pain and giving language to grief but also saying that even while you are feeling this, there is hope. The Books Zoe has published books some of which are practical books to help couples to process grief and move forward. These are applicable if you have just gone through a loss or even if you experienced baby loss over 20 years ago – the books are there to offer support and practical guidance. Zoe has also written ‘Beyond Goodbye' which is a general book for anyone experiencing any type of loss such as the loss of a parent, spouse, sibling or friend.  In our chat we talk about another podcast interview Zoe had with Cariad Lloyd who hosts the brilliant Griefcast and I wanted to share that with you https://www.mixcloud.com/griefcast/93-zoe-clark-coates-from-saying-goodbye/ (also ) SOCIAL MEDIA:  Zoe Clarke-Coates  https://www.sayinggoodbye.org (Saying Goodbye)  https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com (The Fertility Podcast ) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (Natalie Silverman) http://%C2%A0www.yourfertilityjourney.com (Your Fertility Journey  ) https://instagram.com/your_fertility_journey (Kate Davies) 

Meet Kelly Da Silva - Founder of the Dovecote Childless Support Organisation which enables and inspires people facing involuntary childlessness to reconnect with their daily lives and rediscover a passion and purpose. Kate and I spoke with Kelly about her own fertility journey which lasted nearly 10 years and included 2 miscarriages, ovulation induction, 3 IUI and 4 IVF cycles. During her NHS treatment, funding was taken away in her area and Kelly made the decision to start private treatment. At the end of her fertility journey Kelly felt as though she was identified by her infertility. She felt no joy or happiness and felt as though she was a failure. Kelly was having EFT to help her emotional wellbeing and had immense emotional support from her clinic and felt passionate about helping and supporting others and trained in EFT and NLP. She found that there was lack of support for couples who find themselves involuntary childless and wanting to break down taboos she set up the Dovecote Community online. She now runs a Facebook page and closed Facebook group for women and men who are looking for support and holds Walk and Talk Events nationwide for both the Dovecote and Care Fertility. Anyone struggling with infertility can attend these peer support events. We also spoke about a Buddy System for couples who are at a similar stage of treatment and Skype Support Meetings that Kelly has created to help deal with the inevitability of pregnancy announcements and how people deal with that as well as general coping. Kelly talked so honestly and openly about how she has now found resolution. She embraces life and feels incredibly grateful for all the things she has in her life. She and her partner make sure they take the time to nurture their relationship and share experiences with their nieces and nephews. We asked Kelly her advice to her younger fertile self, which is "don't let infertility define you, continue to do the things that bring you joy and finally remember to have fun and do the things that give you joy." SOCIAL Follow Kelly Da Silva https://www.facebook.com/thedovecote.org/ (facebook) https://www.instagram.com/thedovecote.org_official (Instagram) https://www.carefertility.com/support/support-events/ (Walk and Talk Events) https://instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (My insta) https://instagram.com/your_fertility_journey (Kate Davies insta )

Meet Veronique Berman, Scientific Advisor forhttp://www.chana.org.uk ( Chana) a leading Jewish Support Charity both nationwide and internationally.  It works to support couples dealing with primary, secondary infertility, miscarriage, and loss and well as supporting and advising on genetic issues, such as PGD and also  Fertility preservation It covers a wide range of reproductive health issues within the Jewish community and is very much focused on the family This was the first of what we hope will be more conversations talking about faith and fertility, finding out what issues we have to overcome when our faith is tested. Within the Jewish faith, we put a big emphasis on festivals where families come together, and of course conversations and questions arise that are obviously challenging when you are struggling to conceive. Whilst some couples are getting more comfortable talking about it, the majority aren't so it is important to signpost people to those they can speak in confidence with. Chana runs programs for Rabbis, to train them on the most recent treatments and developments infertility treatment so people will then have the reassurance their Rabbi will understand Veronique and I also discussed the issues around the practice of ritual bathing when it comes to monitoring your cycle and Kate gives her feedback on the importance of remembering how different our cycles are.  When it comes to men and fertility, Chana has male support workers as there is such a difficulty of getting men to speak and we also discussed a book that Chana has published called  ‘Unexpecting'  in which the theme of 'un-expecting' embraces all sorts of unexpected challenges that life can throw at us. Along with infertility, there is also bereavement, illness, divorce, mental health issues, and trauma to name a few.  These stories are told by 40 men and women from across the Jewish community, some anonymous and many not, and share a range of life-changing issues and insights on how they have coped in the face of unexpected challenges. Books are available to purchase from http://www.chana.org.uk (Chana,) RRP £24.99. Please call 020 8203 8455  Other organizations supporting the Jewish community are: https://www.boneiolam.org/ (Bonei Olam) https://kivisi.com/ (Kivisi) https://www.jewishfertilityfoundation.org/ (Jewish Fertility Foundation) Understand more about Mikveh practice and its surge unpopularity Read more about the https://forward.com/life/faith/413046/the-forward-guide-to-the-mikveh/ ( Mikveh) SOCIAL MEDIA:  https://twitter.com/ChanaCharity (Chana on Twitter ) https://www.facebook.com/ChanaUK (Chana on Facebook ) https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/ (Fertility Poddy on Insta ) https://www.instagram.com/your_fertility_journey/ (Kate on Insta)

Professor Simon Fishel is the Founder, President, and Head of R&D at CARE Fertility in the UK. CARE is celebrating its 20th anniversary and apparently, a CARE baby is delivered every 4hours! Simon's early works were as Deputy Scientific Director of the world's first ‘test-tube baby clinic' at Bourn Hall, Cambridge, the first to demonstrate that embryos are capable of responding to their environment and communicating with the uterus and external factors. In our chat, we discuss what this means. Simon was also the first to show that the human embryo in vitro synthesizes and secretes the pregnancy hormone HCG (Science, 1984), and early in the 1990's he was the first to demonstrate conclusively the need to permanently immobilize the sperm tail for efficient and successful ICSI in humans, and during the late 1980s and early 1990's he pioneered human sperm microinjection. We discussed the efficiency of the endometrial scratch as well as eating pineapple post embryo transfer. Simon also gave his views on studies regarding Vitamin B3 and its impact on preventing miscarriage. One, in particular, was in Australia, where scientists identified a major cause of miscarriages and multiple birth defects that could change the way women prepare for pregnancy. Having low levels of a vital molecule called Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) damages embryos in the crucial first weeks of pregnancy when organs start forming, the scientists at Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute have discovered. Simon has said - “While an intriguing and potentially important scientific study, which has been well conducted, it must be recognized that miscarriage has many causes.” In our chat, Simon discusses CARE's research which has shown a Male Marker for miscarriage and explained the blood test that could be carried out to determine whether a couple is carrying the marker. We also discussed the mental health aspect of failed fertility treatment and Simon gave his views on the postcode lottery in the UK, as well as how he feels IVF is looking in its 40th year of existence. It was interesting to hear him say " I have a great sadness that in the country that created IVF and made it available to the world that we still can't have a single unified policy" To follow Simon on Twitter visit I also referred to a previous episode I had released where I had covered the impact of fertility treatment on mental health, with blogger Strength and Infertility which you can visit here Don't forget to join my closed Facebook group Plus if you don't mind helping me out, a quick review on iTunes and clicking subscribe to this podcast would be AMAZING... just click here

I wanted to talk more with Kate about her feelings about belonging and her journey. Having had fertility treatment and suffered several miscarriages Kate talked about feeling guilty when she shared pictures of her son Austin on Instagram and have started sharing her life as a 'mummy blogger' she now has found herself still finding solace within the #TTC community yet is unsure of which part of it she belongs to. The online community is amazing, it constantly surprises me with the openness shared and the support received. I avoided it when we first started on our journey, hearing that it was all negative, but that isn't the case. The positivity and support shared amongst men and women trying to overcome the rollercoaster of infertility is incredible. However, with so much raw emotion being shared, you can't help but feel guilty if you are responsible for sharing something that could hurt somebody else. If only we were all so conscientious online! Kate and I talked about how best to just be within it. How important it is to not overthink social media, after all, you can just walk away. You can follow Kate on Instagram here Kate made me think more about where I am at, still trying to have another child, how each month I'm going through the same process I did when we first started trying for a family like I know so many other women go through. Wondering whether this month, my period won't come. Having read Kate's blog, I felt compelled to share another blog post about my feelings on Selfish Mother and from the emails, I received about it, how there were a number of you feeling the same, I decided we have to start talking about this more. So along with Kate, I'm on a mission. If you've listened to this episode and are currently trying to complete your family and feel like you're not sure where you belong, please do reach out. I have my closed Facebook group Talk Fertility where I've asked some of the amazing experts who have spoken on my podcast to be admins so they along with myself can help answer your questions and hopefully continue talking things through. Secondary Infertility is valid, whether you've had fertility treatment or not. If you are struggling to have number 2 or maybe number 3 and it's tugging on your heart daily and you want to talk to people about it, we're here. You can follow me on Instagram here Plus this episode included a special announcement about how I've started collaborating with the lovely ladies at IVF Babble We want to make sure we gather your stories as best as we can and make it easy, so if you'd like to speak on this podcast about where you're at, please do get in touch. Email natalie@thefertilitypodcast.com Until the next time x

We're back for 2020, after a slight break. Sorry if you've missed us. Hopefully, you've subscribed so you get this episode as soon as it lands. We really need your support from subscriptions as the podcast world gets busier ( which is a brilliant thing ) as we want to make sure all our hard work gets heard. Plus we've nearly published 300 episodes which means we are going to have to be moving some as you aren't meant to have more than that on your feed. We'll keep you posted on where the old episodes will be, so fear not. Our first episode of 2020 is a return to our ‘Meet the Maker's where we want to hear about the things you have created as a result of your fertility struggles. Natalie chats to the delightful Lucy from the Rainbow Running & Cake Club. Kate was AWOL while Natalie interviewed Lucy, however, you'll hear what Kate thought to Natalie's chat with Lucy and also Kate talking about OHSS (Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome) and the different types of miscarriage. Lucy started trying to conceive five years ago, she conceived early on but unfortunately suffered a miscarriage and then struggled to conceive again. Fast forward a few more years and Lucy and her partner started IVF. The first round was unsuccessful and unfortunately, Lucy developed OHSS. She knew very little about OHSS at this time and felt very alone and frightened. Lucy was nervous about restarting treatment but happily, she conceived on her second cycle with a frozen embryo transfer. Sadly, since the birth of her daughter, Lucy has experienced another two miscarriages and felt very low. Feeling inspired At this difficult time, Lucy was reading https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/bonus-episode-fertility-fest-2018-does-motherhood-make-you-happy/ ( 21 Miles by Jessica Hepburn) and felt inspired by her motivation and desire to challenge herself. This inspired Lucy to start running and find a passion that she didn't know she had! She felt that is running made her feel this good, maybe this could help other women going through similar difficult times. Lucy set up a website and Instagram accounts to launch the Rainbow Running & Cake Club and organized her first run in Hertfordshire followed by cake! Get your trainers on You don't have to run if you don't want to, walking is fine too! So far Lucy has organized runs in Hertford, Leamington Spa, Windsor, Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, and Richmond and is planning UK domination! Lucy says that the runs are so uplifting and there is a power in being together and knowing that you're not alone. Rainbow Yoga As well as running clubs, Lucy is launching rainbow yoga sessions as well as a fabulous Yoga retreat. You can find out more about Lucy and the Rainbow Running and Cake Club via her website and Instagram below. Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) OHSS can occur during fertility treatment when the ovaries are over-stimulated to produce many follicles. Mild OHSS is very common and women may notice abdominal swelling and feel uncomfortable and suffer from nausea. However severe OHSS is a serious condition that can affect other organs in the body and, although rare, can be life-threatening. Women are monitored carefully during ovulation stimulation treatment to reduce the risks of OHSS developing. Explaining the different types of miscarriage There are so many different types of miscarriage and it can feel confusing when hearing these different terms. Kate explains the differences in all types of miscarriage. Chemical Pregnancy: The term given to a pregnancy that ends in a miscarriage before the first 5 weeks of pregnancy. Threatened miscarriage: This is when a woman experiences bleeding or pain that ‘threatens' to develop into a miscarriage. When examined the entrance to the uterus is closed and the risk may resolve, or a woman may go on to miscarry. Inevitable miscarriage: This is as it sounds, the entrance to the uterus is open and a miscarriage will occur. Complete miscarriage:...

Over the coming weeks, The Fertility Podcast is sharing a series focused on Miscarriage and we will continue to share the conversations and resources here in more detail. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss an episode. You can do it via your favourite podcast app or click one of the buttons on this website. Or click https://podkite.link/fertility (here ) https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/the-psychological-trauma-of-miscarriage/ (Episode 1 - The Psychological Impact) Dr Jessica Farren is an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Imperial College Health Care Trust and we spoke about her involvement in research which was published earlier this year. Jessica looked at the psychological impact of early pregnancy events and in particular miscarriage. You can read more about Jessica here and listen to the episode. Plus you can reach her research paper https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(19)31369-9/fulltext (here) https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/dealing-with-your-loss/ (Episode 2  - Dealing with your Loss) We spoke with Jen Coates, Director of Bereavement at Sands - which has many groups across the UK run by trained bereaved parents, known as Befrienders to provider peer to peer support. They have a national helpline and have recently developed a bereavement support app to compliment all their services. They have an online community and as the voice of bereaved parents across the UK they have people interested in supporting research and influencing policy makers. https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/talking-about-your-miscarriage/ (Episode 3 - Talking about your loss ) In this episode, Katy Leeson, Managing Director of Social Chain who also hosts a podcast called 'https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/katy-leesons-i-shouldnt-say-this-but/id1442547174 (I Shouldn't Say This But') talked about her experience of early miscarriage, the grief, the impact on her work and her fears about how opening up would affect her career and then her decision to use her popularity on social media to talk about what she had been through. https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/captivate-podcast/what-support-is-available-for-you-in-hospital-if-you-lose-your-baby/ (Episode 4 - What support is available for you in hospital ) This is a conversation with Louise Zeniou from Cradle who has a personal experience of what it feels like to go through early pregnancy loss when she became ill and diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy. As she was so ill, she was rushed into hospital and had surgery immediately. She talks about the amazing care she received, but after surgery, she missed the most basic of items such as a toothbrush and a hairbrush. She started the Comfort Bag Project with the aim to support hospitals, so that in those early moments of pregnancy loss women and men can be provided with toiletries and other products to give them a little comfort and importantly dignity https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/life-after-stillbirth/ (Episode 5 - Life after Stillbirth) Frankie Brunker's route to parenthood started really quickly after conceiving in the first month of trying however, devastatingly their daughter was born stillborn at 38 weeks. Frankie talks about her experience of giving birth at the hospital and how she felt that some of the midwives had limited experience of caring for a mother delivering a stillborn baby, and that she felt there were gaps in the bereavement care she and her husband received. As a result of her experience, Frankie is now the author of a beautiful children's book called These Precious Little People to help explain baby loss to children but also Frankie says the book helps adults to come to terms with grief too.  https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/saying-goodbye-with-support/ (Episode 6  - Saying Goodbye with Support ) Zoe Clarke-Coates. Zoe is the co-founder of the award-winning charity ‘The Mariposa Trust' (widely known by the name of its primary division called...

Welcome to another guest-hosted episode. This time I've asked Cat Strawbridge to be my host and talk about her pregnancy after infertility. Cat has been a guest on this podcast before, we spoke about 'Relaxgate' which was a conversation following a conversation on This Morning about infertility, which Cat contributed to. You can listen to the episode here Cat has been doing amazing work on Instagram talking about infertility, sharing a lot of her journey and has hosted many fabulous Insta lives which I've also shared as podcast episodes as recently have started hosting events in person as well. You can follow her Insta @tryingyears here Cat is talking to Anna German who I've known for a couple of years, and she has also been a previous podcast guest talking about her beautifully illustrated book 'So When Are you Going to have Kids' which you can hear us talking about here Anna has spoken at Fertility Fest which where she also met Cat and Anna will be there again this year and you can follow her fab illustrations on her insta My original idea for this episode was for Cat to chat with midwife Katie Eaves who is a midwife dealing with her own infertility and help other midwives understand more about women pregnant after infertility. You can hear my chat with Katie here 11 years of trying to conceive We changed course however and I asked Cat to speak with Anna as I felt, having two women sharing their pregnancy experience after a combined 11 years of trying to conceive was going to be a conversation you needed to hear. Between Cat and Anna, they have been through numerous cycles of IVF and ICSI, pregnancy loss and donor conception. [caption id="attachment_3749" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Anna German[/caption] Within that sentence alone there is already so much to deal with and in this episode, the pair talk through the impact their treatments have had on their emotional wellbeing. Sadly - nobody prepares you for this and it's only on looking for support and hearing others share their experiences that you can find experiences you can relate to. Both ladies talk about how being pregnant is still part of the infertility journey. She explains how rather than hide away once pregnant and feel guilty she feels its good for us to continue to look for support Cat is also navigating her way through the fact that once she was pregnant, she and hubby Bob learnt they were expecting twins. What is unbelievably sad is that at 10 weeks, they learnt that one of their twins had stopped progressing. 'Dealing with a miscarriage inside you as well as the survivor.. totally an unexpected situation to be in' as Cat explains. She also says how rather than hide away and feel guilty she want to say that I think that its good for us to continue to look for support Anna and hubby Vinny found themselves in a bizarre situation at one point when they were on route to the hospital and had realised they'd not spoken about freezing embryos.. the point is they'd been previously so caught up with all the other things during their treatment that had gone wrong that they hadn't allowed themselves to think that far. Both ladies have been through so much, what has happened is that their pregnancies have been overshadowed, tinged with sadness that they have struggled to shake off. Doing Pregnant things Anna spoke about how the strangeness of talking about pregnancy and how where she works, which is in a new place, they don't know anything about her fertility struggles and that is where she feels the most normal. Cat shared a recent experience being at pregnancy yoga and how she could have been anyone, which she found quite emotional saying how she had to keep checking her bump and asking herself whether she belonged there in this 'normal pregnancy situation' I think there's so much to take on from what is discussed here from the emotional toll being pregnant still takes...

When the only option you have is to terminate a pregnancy, you have to prepare yourself for having to deal with absolute heartbreak. My guest this week is a lady I was introduced to on Instagram after she'd shared a devastating post about having to terminate a pregnancy and how she wanted to raise awareness of what she had been through. Zara Dawson talked me through the last few months of her life and I was so taken aback by her strength, as if I had to deal with what she has been through, I would be in bits. Fertility Treatment After having successful IVF for her son Jax, Zara then suffered from severe OHSS. She talked about how her clinic had described it as mild and hadn't given her more insight into the potential risks of her continuing on with her treatment. Zara was so desperate to complete her IVF cycle that she says she 'begged' the clinic to do a transfer. At 10 weeks pregnant, Zara had to have emergency stomach surgery and had a very difficult and traumatic pregnancy. She feels strongly more needs to be understood about OHSS. You can hear an interview I did previously with Professor Geeta Nargund whose clinic Create advocates mild IVF and how she feels strongly that OHSS shouldn't happen! Genetic Testing The focus of this conversation with Zara was about her recent decision to terminate her second pregnancy. Having found out that their baby was carrying the Body Stork Anomaly defect, Zara and her husband had to make the heartbreaking move to as she described 'deal with all the pain at that moment Unfortunately, the next phase of their ordeal was as traumatic as Zara describes a ten-day fight to have a medical termination, during which time she had to phone around abortion clinics to find out whether they could help her. Zara needed to have a series of tests on her baby to confirm the condition and couldn't believe the struggle she had to get the procedure and the testing done in one place. As you would imagine, this has been an incredibly difficult period for Zara and her husband who are both seeking counseling. Zara spoke about her therapist Flora Saxby who she had started working with after the traumatic birth of her first child and who Zara is once again seeking her support from. Also, Zara asked me to mention Jo Love who is a Mental Health Advocate We also talked about ARC (Antenatal Results and Choices) which are the only charity that helps with termination (as opposed to miscarriage) You can follow Zara's gorgeous Insta account and go and stay in her cottages, I certainly intend to here If you would like to talk more about anything in this podcast please do get in touch at natalie@thefertilitypodcast.com xx

Childless not by choice Sadly, 1 in 5 women reach 45, childless and we need to understand more about how it makes that affected feel. With 1 in 3 pregnancies ending in miscarriage and there still not being adequate emotional support readily available for those unwilling to ask for it, more needs to be done to get online communities heard about. Fertility Fest 2018 I met Steph Phillips, founder of World Childless Week at Fertility Fest 2018 where she spoke about her experience of being childless not by choice on a panel called 'The Unborn Child' which you can hear. I was keen to talk more about what Steph has created, especially as in 2017 when she launched World Childless Week, the 100 blog posts she shared over a week in September were read 123,000 times and the hashtag #worldchildlessweek was retweeted over a 1.2million times. Growing Minority 48.5 million couples are childless, that is a lot of people! Steph spoke about being this growing minority and how 'We're still not understood by people and her mission is to change this. Having created four Facebook groups and a constantly growing worldwide community Steph shared some of the ways in which the groups help each other. For example, coping mechanisms such as how to refer to yourself when asked awkward questions, how to deal with holiday seasons, how Men need a voice too, and how the best support is from people who are going through what you are going through as they'll understand it 100% Of the four Facebook groups Steph has created two of them are - the main childless week one and this one. You can also follow Steph on Twitter or on Instagram Excited to think that #IamMe is all that we need to be. No label, not a #mother not a #father not #childless or #childfree just I AM ME https://t.co/H0juyQNxrg — Stephanie Phillips (@ChildlessWeek) July 25, 2018 Infertile Friendly My second guest is Emily Wardman, who has created Infertile Friendly. I also spoke to Emily Wardman who talked about her eight-year struggle with infertility and how she has had to sit in Wards and waiting rooms for hours watching the excited women who were pregnant with their partners. Emily's Goal 'Make our NHS hospital wards and waiting rooms across the UK infertile friendly' There are 3.5m people affected by infertility in the UK. Yet their experience of our hospitals & surgeries only adds to their grief and pain. Women who have suffered miscarriage, hysterectomies, gynae operations, etc are placed in maternity wards/waiting rooms surrounded by pregnant women & babies. CAMPAIGN AIMS: • Separate rooms where women can wait for appointments away from pregnant women, babies, and pregnancy poster campaigns • Separate wards for women miscarrying their babies away from pregnant women, babies and maternity wards • Separate rooms or wards for young women having had hysterectomies away from early pregnancy departments or maternity wards • New legislation that means all NHS departments and GP surgeries provide safe environments for the infertile Please support Emily's campaign and sign the petition here To follow Infertile Friendly on Twitter click here Just heard of a woman in her 30's due for a hysterectomy & my heart broke. Not only for her loss but also for the heartbreak she will have to endure on operation day. When she will end her chance of conceiving in a maternity ward next to pregnant women #infertilitysucks — Infertile Friendly (@IFPetition) August 7, 2018 You can email the campaign on infertilefriendly@gmail.com

Meet Katie and Tom, who have been together since December 2011. They fell pregnant naturally in January 2015 and then married in April 2015, unfortunately, two weeks before the wedding, at their 12 week scan the couple had found out that the baby they went to see for the first time and very excited about had no heartbeat, they'd had a missed miscarriage. They've created a sock range to support people dealing with infertility, with comical nods towards treatment written on the sole of the sock One year later Katy fell pregnant again but suffered another loss, which was a blighted ovum and it was at this point Katie discovered the TTC Community to hear other people's stories and find support. Katie explains "the strength I gained from some of the battles these women had gone through to get their dream was inspiring to me and has given me the determination  to never give up, given this new-found optimism we were ready for our first round of IVF " The couple we diagnosed with unexplained infertility were optimistic about the IVF procedure. So far they haven't had success with a failed cycle and failed frozen embryo transfer ( FET ) however as they continue on their journey, they came up with making IVF socks company, to document each stage of the process and add a little bit of fun to the situation. That's really what these socks are all about. Katie says "Remember what will be will be. so try and enjoy the journey rather than worry about it. That's how I view things now." The pair are about to go through another FET and would like to offer a discount to anyone listening to their story. Visit their https://www.thejourneystartshere.co.uk/ (website) to get a discount using this code FP25 SOCIAL  https://www.instagram.com/thejstartshere/ (The J Starts here ) https://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy (Fertility Poddy )

Find out how Restorative Medicine can help your fertility.I was keen to talk to Dr. Phil about his restorative approach to fertility treatment which can significantly improve your chances of natural conception.  About a 1/3 of the couples who visit Neo Fertility have tried and failed IVF and 20-25% are told IVF is the next step. He feels strongly that he doesn't think people are aware of the new things that can be done when you are trying to conceive.  So what is this new treatment?It's called Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM) and has been found to help 1 in 3 couples conceive after being faced with fertility issues. Dr. Phil talks about how they have couples come to visit having had up to 8 repeated failed attempts at IVF, up to 10 miscarriages, 17 years of infertility, and severe reduced ovarian reserve who have all had successful treatment in our clinic. Neo Fertility can even assist with severe male factors with sperm counts as low as 0.1 million per ml and DFI (DNA Fragility Index) of 46%. DietThe approach needs to combine diet, nutrition, and supplements such as https://twitter.com/ProceiveUKIRE (perceive.) We talked about common pro-inflammatory foods - dairy, wheat, sugar - too much and how if you are overloading on problem foods it is going to impact your fertility health, also it can often be overlooked that people may have a multivitamin deficiency MindAs hard as it is to hear, Dr. Phil was talking about accepting and surrendering to something that is unpleasant. He said 'Today is the day we're going to drop that burden because we want to get success and carrying it is going to hinder us. Here's how we live with the trauma and move to acceptance' Neo Fertility focuses on self-help techniques as well as counseling. Dr. Phil explains how you have to recognize the emotional trauma of subfertility is right up there with bereavement AgeNeo works with women who are older and has recently helped a 43-year-old woman get pregnant with her own egg. The understanding of the advancing female age is key as there is an expected decline in fertility however the expected live birth rate for the older group is higher. The findings from Dr. Phil's paper published in July 2018, offer fresh hope for women hoping to have children later in life, as the women featured in the study had an average age of 37. ChronicDr. Phil made an interesting point about how IVF treats infertility.  Neo Fertility believe infertility is a chronic condition IVF treats it as an acute condition in that there are many elements to the treatment process  I also wanted to share this video from Neo about there being hope for a bad https://www.neofertility.ie/low-amh (egg ) Social Mediahttps://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/ (@fertilitypoddy) http://www.facebook.com/neofertility (Neo Fertility )

It's a difficult conversation but we need to talk about miscarriageMeet Julia Bueno, a psychotherapist who has written a new book about miscarriage. Julia wants to change the way we talk about it, following her own devastating losses and then working with women who've been through it. Julia and I have spoken before about https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com/miscarriage/ (her work) and I was really looking forward to talking about her book, which is the culmination of an incredible amount of work looking at perceptions, history, and our narrative of miscarriage. Julia covers early, late, and recurrent and the impacts on our lives and highlights how whilst things have improved we still have a long way to go.  The Brink of Being Julia's book reveals her own tragic loss of twins and how the loss has changed her life. Julia explains how our narrative is focused on the idea that a bond with a child can only begin after a living baby is born and talks about the Korean idea of Taeygo which is that life begins at conception. We also discussed the language used around miscarriage when it's early or a second pregnancy after a successful birth. Other people's comments such as 'At least you can get pregnant' or 'At least you have a child' and how books you read during pregnancy - don't prepare you NumbersTo put things into perspective, the book discusses how approximately 137,000 women every year experience pain and bleeding and go for medical treatment, with early loss  figures being around 50,00 - however they're the ones we know as there's no official record for any baby lost before 24 weeks One example is Lucy who we learn about dealing with a miscarriage at home, with no idea what to do or how to mourn the passing. Julia shares the story of Nico a YouTuber with 1/2 million views - showing an 8 1/2 week old baby she has lost.  We discuss feelings of guilt and shame and how most miscarriages arent' investigated. How it can impact your work, cause anxiety, the effects on men Social Mediahttps://www.instagram.com/fertilitypoddy/ (@fertilitypoddy ) https://www.instagram.com/julia_bueno_therapist/ (@juliabueno) https://www.instagram.com/miscarriageassociation/ (@miscarriageassociation  )

The ‘M' Word. More common than you might think. Less talked about than it should be. In this session, miscarriage comes out of the shadows into the spotlight with a whole evening dedicated to what might have been.​ Julia Bueno reads from her new book, The Brink of Being, visual artist ​​Foz Foster is determined to challenge the perception that miscarriage only happens to women and talks about his extensive body of work Labour of Love, writer Lisle Turner and Claire Coache talk about their new Cold.   The panel discussion involved Ruth Bender Atick, National Director of The Miscarriage Association and David Ogutu Medical Director of Herts & Essex Fertility Clinic and was chaired by Kate Brian, Women's Voices Lead at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists To find out more about the session click https://www.fertilityfest.com/miscarriage-barbican (here )

This archive series from The Fertility podcast shares insights from experts who work in the field of Babyloss, you will hear from people sharing their experiences and from the organisations who are there to support you.