Listen Now

NHS funding for fertility treatment in the UK varies depending on where you live. So you could be as little as several miles out of an area where you would be eligible for NHS funding but it means you have to pay for it yourself. Fertility Network UK has The Right to Try campaign to give you more information on how to make a difference and get your voice heard with your local council.

Cat shares her journey through fertility treatment and recurrent miscarriage and how she reached some really low points which knocked her confidence somewhat. Both Cat and her husband have given themselves some 'time off' from their efforts to try and start a family as they are looking to find happiness in themselves beforehand having had such a sad time over the last few years. She's now found a new focus and has set up a personal styling business Your Wardrobe Edit working with women and men to help them re find their confidence in what they choose to wear each day.. Cat has a background in fashion and is the go-to person for all her friends and family when it comes to asking for help with an outfit for a 'do'..

Hear from IVF Babble founders Tracey and Sara as to why they've built a new fertility hub. IVF Babble is a gorgeous looking website with a whole host of informative and friendly information, from understanding different symptoms you might be experiencing during your cycle to what to ask about at your fertility clinic. There's also celebrity interviews and discussions with experts in the fertility field. I had a chat with its founders Sara Marshall-Page and Tracey Bambrough who have both been on their own fertility journey's and both have twins! You will also hear us discuss IVF Buddy which is launching in April and will enable people going through fertility struggles to find someone else to talk to, this is a brilliant idea as so often when you're having to get your head around IVF it's hard to know who to talk to. I had my best friend there for me, as she had previously been through three rounds of IVF before having success and I was then able to share my experience with another good friend. If I'd have known about IVF Buddy when I was going through my treatment I might well have encouraged my husband to have a look as he was much more reluctant to speak to anyone about it but me.http://wp.me/p4T6k0-

Do you know what Endometriosis is? Can you believe that as many women have it as have diabetes, yet it can take up to 7 years to diagnose? Meet Claire aka @EndoLady on twitter who I found online sharing her experience of Endometriosis. Claire spoke to me to share her story and struggle to deal with the condition as well as shedding light on the symptoms of Endometriosis. Claire blogs regularly in a really honest and enlightening way and works as a volunteer for Endometriosis UK Which leads me onto my second guest, Emma Cox, CEO of Endometriosis UK the leading charity that supports women living with Endometriosis. The organisation works to improve the lives of people affected by endometriosis and to decrease the impact it has on those with the condition and their families and friends. Emma explains the resources the charity has available such as a helpline and a pain and symptoms diary which they advise to use to track your pain as Endometriosis is cyclical and given that most GP appointments aren't longer than 10 min, the more information you can be armed with ahead of your appointment, the better. There's also information on how to get involved with the worldwide Endometriosis March which is taking place on 25th March 2017. You can also follow them on twitter

Forget the myths about egg donation hear from a woman who has altruistically donated 29 of her eggs. I also speak to the founder of Altrui, a UK egg donation programme Have you wondered about egg donation and been put off by the sensationalised newspaper articles or just not really understood how it all works? My latest episode hears from an egg donor.  A lovely lady called Amelia who has donated 29 eggs. Amelia shares her story of her husbands cystic fibrosis and her own gynecological problems which meant that a starting a family wasn't an option for the pair. So Amelia chose to help others start theirs.  She is now crowd funding to help another couple start their family.You can read Amelia's blog and get a link to her justgiving page here . Amelia is working with Altrui who I have also spoken to in this episode. Alison Bagshawe is the founder of Altrui and explained to me how Altrui was set up in 2010 to meet the overwhelming need for egg donors in the UK. Alison believed that couples in the UK needed more practical help when seeking a donor, and that the women who donate eggs deserved to be properly looked after, well-informed and appreciated for what they were doing. There is lots of brilliant information on Altrui's website which I think if you are interested in becoming a donor or considering using a donor please do go and have a look as it really it beautifully presented.   

When an Indian Bull's sperm is given considered so special, why aren't Men given the correct nutritional advice to enhance theirs? Nutritionist Melanie Brown offers a solution. My latest guest Melanie Brown is a Nutrionist who specialises in helping people to prepare for pregnancy, be it natural conception, or through an assisted reproduction cycle. I had a fascinating chat with Mel who is finishing a Master's Degree and as part of it, wants to focus on male fertility issues.  Mel spoke about how she feels Men are being ignored when it comes to teh attention given to their fertility.Saying that she felt there "has probably been more research done on bull and stallion sperm than human sperm" Meet Yuvraj , the bull in question whose sperm is worth so much to its owner that Yuvraj is massaged, has his own playlist and treated to such a lavish diet that is costs £21 per day to give him his two daily meals!  You can read more about  Yuvraj . Mel and I spoke about why she feels Men are overlooked when it comes to information about what they can do to improve their sperm health. As part of her Masters, she is looking to work with men who have fertility issues over a 12 week period to see if a diet of lovely sounding things like fresh fruit, veg, pulses, seeds, meat, fish, poultry - you know basically healthy eating, just cutting out all the CRAP.. can help.. If you'd like to get involved in Mel's trial drop her an email and tell her I sent you to mel@melaniebrownnutrition.com  

Once you've had a child through fertility treatment should it be easier to deal with your emotions when friends announce baby number 2? Should you be content with what you've got or are you OK to have that yearning for another? Also learn about natural fertility tips to help you get pregnant . My latest episode focuses on managing your internal voice when dealing with 2nd pregnancy announcements from your baby friends. Inevitably it's hard and stirs up a range of emotions from guilt to anxt mixed with joy for your friend of course. Get my shownotes here 

Test your sperm guys. If you're trying for a baby and it's taking a while, there's nothing to be ashamed of, get a test either over the counter or in a lab. But don't just sit there, get involved. Hear about the latest sperm testing available. Click here for the episode  show notes

Meet Jenni, a curly haired lovely lady who caught my eye on twitter. Not only because I'm a fellow curly barnet but because she was tweeting about freezing her eggs and making a documentary. Jenni is based in LA and her short film Chill The Documentary is gaining all sorts of accolades in the short film festival circuit in the US. Hopefully we'll get to see the film this side of the pond. For now, you can hear from Jenni about her decision to document what she had decided, how she decided to freeze her eggs and what happens next... I've had a few conversations with some of my single girlfriends about this. The general feeling is that it's expensive. However if you have the money why not make sure you have no regrets if you're worried about your fertile age. I've featured it on this podcast before in a chat I had with Tracy Sainsbury from The London Women's clinic about her work as an IVF counsellor and the advice she has for women wishing to freeze their eggs. Tracey is also involved in an event happening in London next week (24th January 2017) To find out more about Jenni's and her work visit her website  I also spoke with Anya Sizer about an important discussion taking place in Parliament on Thursday 19th January 2016 regarding the post code lottery for Fertility treatment in the UK  

  I found Tasha Bishop on twitter, or maybe she found me. However it happened, Tasha is one determined young woman. Eloquent, entrepreneurial and clearly prepared for anything life throws at her. Whilst I continue on my journey speaking to those whose route to parenthood hasn't been as straight forward as planned I'm still amazed at how complicated it can be to have a child.. from birth defects to issues still yet to be understood. Tasha, as you will hear in our chat was born with Mayar-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome in simple terms this means born without a womb but you can read the explanation above and listen to how Tasha explains more.  When I first was in touch with Tasha, I asked her to email me with more info about her story and I wanted to include some of it here. As you'll hear in our chat, she is studying English Literature and I just loved how she wrote to me. It was a lengthy email so I have paraphrased it but spend the time to read this and ask yourself if you were this composed at 19... I know I bloody wasn't! http://wp.me/p4T6k0-k1

Survival hacks for this Christmas from Dr Robin Hadley as he discusses how men deal with involuntary childlessness

Jody Day and Kelly Da Silva gives their Christmas survival tips and discuss the work they do helping those who have found themselves involuntarily childless.   Christmas is challenging for all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons. I was keen to speak to two women Jody Day and Kelly Da Silva about their survival tips for Christmas when you are childless. Both women share their stories and both have great survival hacks. Know you're not alone, make a note of their facebook groups listed below and make sure you have them on your phone for those moments, over the festive period where someone says something without thinking and you find yourself wanted to run out the door.http://wp.me/p4T6k0-jJ

Having to produce a sperm sample when not for pleasure isn't something any man is keen on doing.Tom Webb, Director of a new documentary is putting the spotlight on the male journey through fertility journey and shares his extraordinary 12 year journey with his partner Nic.   Meet Nic and Tom - the subjects of my latest episode. You'll hear from Tom who tells their story and is now crowdfunding to make a documentary about how men are affected during fertility treatment. As Tom states very clearly in our chat 'I’m very conscious of the fact I never want to compare what men go through to what women go through as it's so very different'. Tom however is keen to put the spotlight on the struggles Men have and like I try to do with this podcast give them a voice. You can find out more about the crowd funding campaign to support The Easy Bit here  I first found out about Tom and his partner Nic from twitter, where I find so many fascinating people willing to share their story on this podcast. The pair were writing a blog together about their fertility treatment and the challenges it threw in their faces. Nic had to undergo surgery ahead of treatment and the pair documented their steps initially to let their family know what they were going through rather than having to repeat themselves again and again. But as you'd imagine, their blog was far more reaching. Tom's work for a production company meant he was also responsible for producing the #HiddenFaces campaign for Fertility Network UK which is a brilliant insight into the variety of people affected by #infertility. I urge you to watch the videos.http://wp.me/p4T6k0-jr

Find out more about being an egg or sperm donor and hear more about the support available from Fertility Network at the UK's Fertility Show. At the end of National Fertility Awareness Week, I made it to The Fertility Show - yey! It's a destination I've been wanting to go to, however I didn't know about whilst going through fertility treatment and then once I was pregnant I didn't think it was the right place to take a growing tummy. Then last year, I didn't have the chance. So I was delighted to be invited and had a great time looking around at who was there and introducing this podcast to more people. I spoke with Anya Sizer, about her new role at Fertility Network UK, her adoption experience and the Hidden Faces campaignhttp://wp.me/p4T6k0-jk

An exclusive episode from the 25th anniversary party of the HFEA with an insight from some of its founding members. I was delighted to be invited along to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority   (HFEA) 25th anniversary celebrations, and get more of an insight into the work the organisation has been doing. It was fascinating to hear from different members and how they have been involved and I hope this podcast episode gives you more of an understanding of the essential work the HFEA does. In this episode you'll hear from Sally Cheshire, Chair for the HFEA, Hugh Whittal, who was the first deputy CEO,  Adam Balen  Professor of Reproductive Medicine & Chair British Fertility Society. Kate Brian, author and journalist who has been a guest on this podcast before and is an HFEA board member , Simon Jenkins  a columnist for the Guardian and was a board member between 2001 and 2006 and Sue Avery , an early HFEA member, embryologist by training and head of the IVF clinic at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.

Hear from Emily Hodge about her work to coach and support people with their minds after cancer, having overcome bowel cancer at 30.

Find out what's in store if you're attending 2016's Fertility Show in London, plus how Infertility Network UK has had a rebrand. Have you thought about going to The Fertility Show in London next month? I've not been however I've spoken to the organisers in previous years and wanted to find out about this year's show. Laura Biggs in the MD and she's new in charge. I was keen to hear about this year's show and what she hopes to achieve with the changes her events company River Street have made. I also caught up with Susan Seenan, CEO of Fertility Network UK  which is the newly rebranded Infertility Network UK and you can hear all about what's instore for the new site which will be launching for this year's National Fertility Awareness Week 2o16. Do have a listen to some of my previous chats with Susan about the incredible work she does. Susan talked about the #Hidden Faces campaign that Fertility Network has been running, asking people who have been through treatment to share their pictures so you and I can see more people just like us.. normal people affected by something no-one could have predicted.http://wp.me/p4T6k0-iT

A round up of my UK fertility clinic visits with Access Fertility plus find out what's coming up for National Fertility Week 2016

James Hopkisson and Nick Raine-Fenning talk you through their ethos for Nuture in Nottinahm and the fertility treatments available Welcome to Nottingham, once again. My second clinic visit to the East Midlands. This time to Nuture. I was keen to have a chat with these guys as one of my best friends now has twins as a result of treatment at Nuture and another friend is going through treatment there . I'm originally from Nottingham so I still have a good number of friends there. I met with Nick Raine-Fenning and James Hopkisson who are the Medical Directors and were very passionate about the treatments they offer. Nurture was established in 1991 by the University of Nottingham to study the science behind IVF and develop new techniques and treatments. In 2014 we joined The Fertility Partnership, the largest provider of assisted conception cycles in the UK.

Hear from Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine about the fertility treatment they offer http://wp.me/p4T6k0-iuHello again and welcome to my latest clinic visit, which took me to a somewhat rainy Leeds - but with the friendliest taxi driver I've met so far. Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine is result of merger in January 2010 of two very successful Reproductive Medicine Units based within the Clarendon Wing at Leeds General Infirmary and the Gledhow Wing at St James’s University Hospital. The new Centre is now located at the Seacroft Hospital in purpose developed facilities. I spoke to lead embryologist, Karen Thompson, Nurse Nicola Sugden and Consultant Elisa Baskind. A bit about me, if this is your first listen and viewing of The Fertility Podcast, I'm Natalie your host and I had successful treatment in 2014. You can read more about me here. For now all you need to know, is I've been working with Access Fertility  who work with clinics around the UK, offering finance plans for you if you have to self fund your treatment. What I am doing is giving you an insight in the clinic, as someone who has been through treatment, to hopefully help you with your decision. Finding out you need to have fertility treatment is massive, it's overwhelming. So when it comes to choosing a clinic it can feel like another stress, will it be the best place for you? The HFEA have just relaunched their website ( in beta version) which you can view here  that's what we did. If there had a been a podcast about the different clinics and what they are like, when we had to choose I would definitely have listened to it. The world of fertility is fascinating and the people in it are truly remarkable.  I hope you find this clinic visit useful and as interesting as I did.