The Total Fertility Podcast

Overview Dr Campbell Murdoch is a GP with a special interest in metabolic health. He is the Medical Director of the Preventative Healthcare Group, an organisation focused on preventing and reversing modern diseases. He is also a clinical director for primary care in the NHS and works with Combe Grove in Bath providing metabolic health retreats.   Campbell's focus is on delivering services that enable people to measure and understand their metabolic health, allowing them to make informed choices to achieve rapid health improvement. Benefits include reversal of conditions of such as Type 2 diabetes. Achieving sustainable weight loss, can help with improvements in conditions such as PCOS and fertility. Show notes + Links X.com. @CampbellMurdoch www.metabolichealth.guide (a free Metabolic Health Guide) www.healthtolife.org (the free Metabolic Health 28 Day Programme, including the 28 Day Rapid Results Plan) www.combegrove.com

Overview Mr Oli O’Donovan is consultant gynaecologist experienced managing all benign (non-cancerous) gynaecological conditions, with specialist expertise in laparoscopic and hysteroscopic surgery, gynaecological ultrasound, endometriosis and pelvic pain, fertility, fibroids and heavy periods. Oli holds an NHS consultant post at University Hospitals Bristol, where he leads the St Michael's Endometriosis Centre (accredited by the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy). He is also a consultant fertility specialist at The Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM, http://www.fertilitybristol.com). His private practice is conducted at The Spire Hospital in Bristol (www.oliverodonovan.com). After qualifying from Imperial College School of Medicine he completed most of his junior training in obstetrics and gynaecology in the South West of England, before moving to the London and Oxford areas for specialist training in fertility and advanced laparoscopy and hysteroscopy. He is particularly expert in the diagnosis (including ultrasound) and management of endometriosis and subfertility, although has a broad experience of all benign (non-cancerous) gynaecological problems. He has published and presented (nationally and internationally) on many topics related to fertility, endometriosis and minimal access surgery, and is regularly invited to teach on courses. He is keenly involved in research and teaching (both at undergraduate and postgraduate level), and is active within the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE); currently working on the endometriosis centres and information and guidelines committees. Oli prides himself on collaborating to the highest level with both patients and colleagues to provide outstanding quality patient-centred care. Show notes + Links March is Endometriosis Awareness Month - https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/action-month You can find out more using the link below: https://www.endometriosis-uk.org/

Overview In this episode we look at the big picture view of what is really required to optimise women’s health for all. Professor Dame Lesley Regan is a Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Imperial College London and Consultant at St Mary’s Hospital in London. She is also Honorary Secretary of FIGO, a member of the NHS Assembly and Chair of the Charity Wellbeing of Women. She was the 30th President of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) (2016-2019) and only the second woman to be elected to this position and the first in 64 years. During her tenure as PRCOG she co-chaired the National Women’s Health Task Force with Jackie Doyle-Price MP (then Health Minister) and authored “Better for Women”, a hard hitting RCOG report which promotes a life-course approach to the delivery of women’s health services. Having graduated from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London in 1980, Professor Regan pursued her training at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where she first became enthused by clinical and laboratory research, completing her MD on miscarriage.  She went on to set up the world’s largest recurrent miscarriage clinic at St Mary’s Hospital in London. In 2015 she received a Doctorate of Science from University College London for her contribution to women's health.  In 2020 she was awarded a DBE for her services to women’s health in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Show notes + Links https://www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk/ https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/fair-society-healthy-lives-the-marmot-review https://www.rcog.org.uk/

Overview Anyone looking at fertility treatment cannot fail to have to make difficult decisions about whether to use IVF 'add ons' in their treatment. In this episode we look at IVF add ons, explain what they are and why they are such a controversial area of IVF treatment.  Dr Sarah Armstrong is the current Subspecialty trainee in Reproductive Medicine in Oxford, spending time training at both the John Radcliffe Hospital and Oxford Fertility. Sarah is an experienced researcher in the field of IVF, with expertise in systematic reviewing and randomised controlled trials. She is an editor and author for Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility, and is currently undertaking an MD with the University of Sheffield focusing on the quantitative and qualitative evidence behind IVF add-ons. Show notes + Links https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/treatment-add-ons/ https://www.totalfertility.co.uk/add-ons-dont-always-add-up/

Overview Dr Raj Mathur is a Senior Fertility Consultant and a Consultant Gynaecologist with a long and established career in Reproductive Medicine. Dr Mathur has a unique understanding of the individual needs of both private and NHS patients, as the creator of Cambridge IVF clinic, which he established in the region before moving to Manchester in 2014. Raj is well published in the field of fertility on reducing the risks associated with treatment. Dr Mathur is chair of the British Fertility Society (BFS) and advisor to the HFEA and the Fertility Network UK In this episode we look at the funding streams available to patients who need to undergo fertility treatments. The aim is to help patients that require fertility treatment to understand the current criteria for NHS treatment and the postcode lottery that exists. The main focus is to look at the cost of IVF treatments and tackle this head on addressing important questions that patients ask. Show notes + Links The British Fertility Society The HFEA David Sable https://www.dbsable.com/ Book in Press – ‘Democratizing IVF: Using Science, Medicine, And Engineering (And Venture Capital) To Help Build Families’ and a future speaker at Fertility 2022

Overview Professor Allan Pacey MBE is one of the world’s leading authorities in Male Fertility. Allan joined the University of Sheffield in 1992, first as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and then was appointed as lecturer in 1997. In 2001 he was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Andrology and in 2015 Professor of Andrology. He became Head of Department of Oncology and Metabolism in October 2017. Allan's research interests include understanding all aspects of male infertility and this includes laboratory projects investigating the basic biology of human sperm to much larger epidemiological studies. Allan on the Editorial board of Reproduction and Human fertility has held a number of influential positions in the British Fertility Society and HFEA. Allan is a key decision and policy maker in this field. In addition to Science and Clinical Work, Allan is an accomplished broadcaster and has regularly appeared on the Today programme and Woman’s Hour. Recent television programmes include Britain’s Secret Code Breaker (2011), Donor Unknown (2011), The Great Sperm Race (2009), The Truth About Food (2007), Make me a Baby (2007) and Lab Rats (2004). Shownotes https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/medicine/people/oncology-metabolism/allan-pacey @AllanPacey

Overview Men that regularly engage in different forms of sports and exercise may wonder if this is impacting on their fertility. In this episode we look at the important area of male factor fertility and the impact of sports and exercise. Most men who play sports are fertile but it affects some men more than others. If you need to check your fertility, there are now innovative home testing kits that can be used simply with a mobile phone discreetly to check your semen parameters. Morten G. Ulsted is CEO & Co-Founder of ExSeed Health. ExSeed is a Med Tech Software company specialising in male reproductive health and has been ranked #20 on the Global “Disrupt 100” index of innovative companies. Morten has extensive prior experience in healthcare and is passionate about addressing stigmatised male health issues and democratising access to healthcare. Men using the ExSeed device can access accurate diagnostics but also a number of helpful resources designed to improve male fertility. Shownotes https://exseedhealth.com/ 'To see the latest ExSeed Health news, check out their Instagram page' https://instagram.com/exseedhealth?utm_medium=copy_link

Overview In the second part of this two-part episode on Sports and Exercise and  female fertility and pregnancy, we speak to Professor Greg Whyte. Professor Greg Whyte is one of the world’s leading authorities in sports and exercise science. In 2014 Greg was awarded an OBE for his services to Sport, Sport Science & Charity, and was voted as one of the Top 10 Science Communicators in the UK by the British Science Council. Greg is an Olympian in modern pentathlon, and is a European and World Championship medalist. Greg is currently a Professor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moore’s University. Greg's former roles include Director of Research for the British Olympic Association and Director of Science & Research for the English Institute of Sport. Greg is the preeminent authority on Exercise Physiology and Sports and Exercise Performance in the UK. An internationally recognised expert in the field, Greg has extensive professional experience assessing, treating and improving the performance of patients, sporting enthusiasts and athletes ranging from cancer sufferers to celebrities attempting their first mountain summit to Gold medal seeking Olympians. We Greg exactly what we currently know about exercise, fertility and pregnancy. Show notes + Links Greg's latest book 'Bump It Up' https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bump-Up-Flexible-Exercise-Pregnancy/dp/0593077482/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=greg+whyte+bump+it+up&qid=1632249908&sr=8-1 https://thewhyteanswer.com/ @gpwhyte

Overview In this episode on male factor fertility we speak to Olympic Swimmer Steve Parry and Professor Charles Kingsland, who is an expert in everything men need to know when considering their own fertility. Steve Parry won Olympic Bronze in the pool at the Athens Games in 2004. Steve was a fit and healthy athlete in his prime. Steve suddenly though had his own fertility brought into question out of the blue and he shares his very personal story. After fertility training in Cambridge and London in the late 1980s, Charles Kingsland founded the Hewitt Fertility Centre in Liverpool with the aim of providing the highest quality NHS service within the United Kingdom Charles has become one of the world’s outstanding fertility specialists, much sought after for lecturing and speaking, and was awarded a Professorship in 2012. Post the Tokyo Olympics we speak to Professor Kingsland to help us understand all of the important fertility issues to consider as a man as we touch on diet, lifestyle, exercise and fitness. Show notes + Links Steve Parry “Being a proud male, and having no kids at the time being told I had testicular cancer was quite scary. One thing I didn’t consider was my fertility. I was desperate to have family and wanted to have kids. These things need some planning. We plan all sorts of stuff in life; buying a house, buying a car, what clothes to wear. We probably don’t give as much thought to planning our families.” @steparry2 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Parry_(swimmer) Professor Charles Kingsland “The difference between boys and girls is that boys are sperm factories, we have all the ingredients in our bodies to make sperm every day of the week. Some days we are good at it and some days we are bad at it. It takes about six weeks to make a sperm and as we get much older the quality does go down. Women are different they are egg warehouses. All the eggs are stored in the ovaries and made ready to go. A woman can’t get more eggs and she ovulates them each month until the supply runs out, so her eggs age with her.” https://www.carefertility.com/why-care/bios/clinic-bios/professor-charles-kingsland-frcog/

Mr George Christopoulos is the Medical Director of Ark IVF in Athens, which offers individualised, one-to-one, Consultant-led care to international fertility patients. George is accredited as a Sub-specialist in Reproductive Medicine by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London. During his 15-year-long career in the UK, he has worked as a Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at University College London Hospital and he is currently an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London. In this episode we will find out everything you need to consider when exploring having your fertility treatment abroad. As the Covid-19 pandemic eases and travel restrictions begin to normalise we speak to someone who can guide those looking at fertility treatment in Europe. We speak to an expert in the field with many year’s experience caring for patients choosing to have fertility treatment outside of the UK. Show notes + Links Ark IVF – Athens, Greece https://www.totalfertility.co.uk/en/ark-ivf-athens/ Can I currently travel to Greece, Spain or Italy for IVF? https://www.totalfertility.co.uk/can-i-travel-to-greece-italy-spain-for-ivf/ Fertility Treatment Abroad https://www.totalfertility.co.uk/fertility-treatment-abroad/