HSFC News

Dr Geetha Venkat, Director of Harley Street Fertility Clinic says; “While this study needs further investigation and follow-up, the benefits of time lapse imaging of embryos is a significant advancement in the field of fertility medicine.  It’s not only wonderful for the patient as they are able to see their embryo grow, but allows the medical team to assess its development and choose the strongest embryo to replant back into the womb.

“It is also a valuable technology to use retrospectively as we are able to compare embryos that did result in a successful pregnancy with those that did not. By doing this, we gain a better understanding of the time it takes for the strongest embryos to divide and result in pregnancies and use this to help our patients increase their chances of success.  We are already able to offer this method of informed selection at the Harley Street Fertility Clinic but expect to see a rise in patient demand for this service over the next 12 months.”

We are delighted to announce the arrival of a new member to the Harley Street Fertility Clinic team –  Nutritional Therapist, Neema Savvides.

Nutrition is an important area to get right when you’re trying to conceive; a good healthy diet will help to lower stress levels, keep the body in good shape and stabilise hormone levels. A well balanced diet can also help to increase the effectiveness of fertility treatments, especially for conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome.

Neema has a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy and is a fully qualified member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT). She has a talent for assisting couples with their dietary needs when starting a family by:

•Addressing any nutritional deficiencies

•Addressing & eliminating any signs of toxic overload

•Improving the health and quality of the ova and sperm

•Balancing hormone levels

•Addressing any other factors that may be affecting your chances of conceiving such as environmental factors and stress levels

We will be posting recipes designed by Neema to help you with some healthy eating ideas. Here’s one to try this evening!

Spicy salmon and sweet potato fishcakes (wheat free)

Serves 4 (2 each)

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets (use more if you want a higher salmon ratio)
• 450g sweet potato (use less if you want a higher salmon to potato ratio)
• 3 tablespoons of red thai curry paste
• 1 tablespoon Cajun spices (optional)
• large bunch of chopped coriander
• Coconut oil for frying

For the coating

• 1 cup ground almonds (use more if needed)
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
• Place the salmon fillets on a large sheet of foil and season each with salt and pepper, chilli, garlic and coriander. Cover with another sheet of foil (making a pouch) and bake for 12 minutes.
• Cube the sweet potato into small pieces. Place in a pan boiling salted water until soft (about 15 minutes), drain and mash.
• Flake the salmon into a large bowl and add the thai red curry paste.
• Mix in the mashed sweet potato, coriander and Cajun spices if using. Taste and season accordingly.
• On a large plate mix together the coating ingredients.
• Divide the mixture into 8 small fishcakes, using your hands to form a ball shape. The mixture can be quite soft so handle them gently.
• One by one, gently press each fishcake into the coating mixture, ensuring each side has a light covering.
• Place the fishcakes in the fridge for 15 minutes to chill (this helps to hold them together when frying).
• Heat the coconut oil in a pan on a medium heat. Cook the fishcakes until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes on each side). Serve with a spinach and avocado salad (mine was simply dressed with olive oil and lemon and it went together really well!)

17th May 2013

5:30 to 8:00pm

43 Devonshire Street, W1G 7AL

On Friday 17^th May, our team of experts here at Harley Street Fertility Clinic will be hosting an open evening and we cordially invite you to join us.

The event will provide you with a great opportunity to learn more about the fertility treatments available at HSFC within a relaxed and friendly environment.

Our specialists will be on hand to offer free confidential mini-consultations. Through these we will be able to discuss briefly any issues you may have experienced and take an initial look into your history in order to provide advice on what treatment paths might be suitable for you. A full consultation booked as a result of this event will be offered at half price.

For further information please call: 020 7436 6838

Professor Sir Robert Edwards died yesterday 10th March, aged 87 years. Professor Edwards developed the technique of in vitro fertilisation with Dr Patrick Steptoe, resulting in the birth of Louise Brown, the first test tube baby.

Dr Venkat comments: “It’s a very sad time for the IVF world because we have lost the father of this pioneering treatment. Millions of couples have benefitted from his seminal work. When I met him at my fellowship graduation ceremony at The Royal College, I was struck by his caring and compassionate nature. He was a very kind, warm hearted and likeable person – we will all miss him, both as a friend and as an inspirational colleague.”

Our senior embryologist, Dr Amiya Mukherjee knew Professor Edwards well. They first met at the 1st European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) conference in Bonn, Germany.

Dr Amiya Mukherjee says:

“Professor Edwards was always very kind. When I was first introduced to him by a colleague Dr Jack Cohen, Professor Edwards replied;

“I know Amiya, I only discovered IVF, he spreads it around the world!” I think this comment sums him up perfectly – an exceptionally humble man.”

In today’s modern world, there are many factors which might affect when you decide to start a family and as a result, women are choosing to delay having children. But the longer you leave it, the more problems you may experience when trying to conceive. However, there are proactive steps which can be undertaken in order to preserve your fertility.

Egg freezing is one of these steps. This enables you to keep your options open and ensure you have a healthy supply of eggs available…should you choose to postpone having children. Did you know that women are born with a certain amount of eggs, and this reserve will diminish over time? As the egg count reduces, fertility will decline; this process starts in your late 20s and becomes more significant over the age of 35.

With this in mind, it is worth considering freezing your eggs in your 20s, as this is when they will be most fertile and useful. However, that’s not to say that if you find yourself in your 30s and still wanting children that freezing your eggs shouldn’t be considered. It is still a viable option, but it is ideal to do this before you reach 35.

By choosing this path, if you find that your fertility has decreased, you will have the opportunity to use your own eggs when undertaking IVF instead of considering egg donation. The procedure involves stimulating the ovaries in order to produce more eggs, which will be collected via a needle inserted through the vagina. They will then be frozen through a process called Vitrofication and stored until you are ready to begin a family. To find out more about what egg freezing entails or to book an appointment with one of our fertility specialists call 020 7436 6838 or email info@hsfc.org.uk

On Monday 25^th February, Harley Street Fertility Clinic’s Dr Venkat appeared on the This Morning couch to help launch a week dedicated to fertility. The show featured on-air fertility tests, along with expert help and advice.

The programme aimed to emphasise the importance of fertility testing and to highlight what problems women might experience when trying to conceive. Did you know that female fertility starts to decline from as early as 27 years? With that in mind, it’s good to be proactive and have a fertility ‘MOT’ at regular intervals from the age of 25. This way, any problems can be caught and addressed early so there are no surprises when you are ready to start a family.

One of the tests conducted on the show, using female volunteers, was an Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) blood test. This is vital as it is a good indicator of the number of eggs left in the ovarian pool. If the result is lower than expected and the woman is not yet ready to start a family, her eggs can be frozen to ensure a supply is available when the time is right to have children.

Conducting an AMH blood test enables a woman to plan for the future. Other tests will demonstrate the functionality of the ovaries, but not the reserve, so it is a good idea to assess fertility from all angles to gain a clear picture of a woman’s fertility status.

The second test for This Morning volunteers was an Antral Follicle Count (AFC) scan, which visually assesses the ovarian reserve. This needs to be conducted at the beginning of a woman’s cycle as there will be more eggs visible within the ovaries. After this point, one will become more prominent and the others will fade and become masked. By combining the results of an AMH blood test and AFC scan, a good indication of ovarian reserve can be ascertained which will help fertility experts to evaluate how long a woman will have reproductive capabilities.

You can watch Dr Venkat in action by clicking on the following link: http://www.itv.com/thismorning/health/fertility-week-antral-follicle-outing/

To find out more about these tests or to book a fertility MOT, please call 020 7436 6838 or visit: www.hsfc.org.uk