• view dates of, and information about, MFS Fertility Information Events

Read more…

‘Made in Aldridge’ is a regular e-news feature which tells the story of a woman’s or couple’s experience at MFS and the impact of the result on their lives.

If you would like your story to be featured in ‘Made in Aldridge’, complete the form and we will follow up your details.

Lewis Ian C*

Sharon and Ian with Lewis aged 3 months

As a young woman, Sharon C* suspected she had endometriosis.  She’d had symptoms, including very heavy, painful and irregular periods since she was 17, and at 24 these were formally diagnosed.  But at the time she didn’t know that the endometriosis wouldn’t be the only factor which would prevent her conceiving.  Add male factor sub-fertility and recurrent miscarriages to the situation and it all added up to seven years of trying for a baby, including six cycles of ICSI treatment.

She and Ian met in 1997 when she was just 18 and they married in 2002 - having a family was always part of their plans.  After trying to conceive for 12 months, a laparoscopy and endoscopy in 2004 also revealed that one of Sharon’s Fallopian tubes was blocked, further reducing her chances of conceiving easily.  More bad news followed when a sperm analysis showed that Ian’s sperm had poor motility - again reducing their chances of conceiving together.

While their application for funding was with the PCT Sharon and Ian started moving ahead with private fertility treatment.  “But on the morning of our first appointment at MFS in September 2007,” remembered Sharon.  “We had the letter from the PCT confirming the funding was available for one ICSI cycle.  It was perfect timing!”

Ian did all Sharon’s injections.  “It was my way of being a part of the whole process,” he said.  At egg collection Sharon had five eggs which the embryologist prepared for ICSI injection.  Under intense magnification, a single sperm from Ian’s sample was injected into an egg via a needle 1/10^th the width of a human hair.  But only one egg fertilised and the embryo failed to survive before transfer.

“We felt bereft,” said Sharon.  “But my endometriosis meant my hormone levels made it difficult to stimulate my ovaries, which gave us only a few eggs and so less of a chance of many embryos.”

However, they moved on.  “We wanted to try again as soon as possible and to put the sadness behind us.”

Again Sharon produced five eggs, which this time achieved four embryos and she was able to have two transferred.  ”When Mandy confirmed a single strong heartbeat at our first scan, we left thinking that the next time we’d come to MFS would be to bring our baby in,” said Sharon.

So their world came crashing down when she went for her 12 week ante-natal scan and the sonographer confirmed the baby had failed to develop after about eight weeks.

“We were devastated,” recalled Ian.  “Sharon kept apologising to me and all we could think was ‘why is this happening to us?’.  We’d already been through so much, this just seemed so very unfair.”

Every patient’s treatment is continually reviewed, but the next cycle was managed in the same way, because Sharon had achieved a pregnancy - albeit short-term.  But this time only one follicle was recruited and after much discussion the cycle was abandoned.

This result made nurse manager Mandy Godwin suggest a quite different protocol - the Clomid challenge. However, after five days of Clomid a scan revealed that Sharon’s hormone levels were proving resistant even to this anti-oestrogen, kick-start and again the cycle was stopped.

Again Mandy reviewed the protocol - there was no point repeating what had failed before.  After consultation with Dr Abey, Sharon was prescribed tamoxifen, another anti-oestrogen drug.  This time, after five days the scan showed that Sharon was responding to the FSH boost and that follicles were developing.

Eventually five follicles produced three eggs which, in turn, produced a single embryo, which was transferred to Sharon’s uterus. “The two week wait between embryo transfer and pregnancy test was during the time that we’d hoped our baby from the second treatment cycle would be born, but we got through that date because we were at such a positive stage of treatment.

“If only I could get pregnant, I always thought I’d have no trouble staying pregnant, so when we got a positive pregnancy test, I should have been really happy,” said Sharon.  “But something deep inside made me think that I’d never see this baby.”

And so all her fears were realised when, on Boxing Day 2008, Sharon miscarried seven weeks into the pregnancy.

“All the months of treatment and the cost and all the hopes of our families - and we were back at square one,” remembered Sharon.  “We’d had five lots of drugs, three egg collections, two embryo transfers, two pregnancies and two miscarriages and so much heartache.”

Having improved Sharon’s chances of conceiving, Mandy Godwin and her colleagues now considered what could be done to increase Sharon’s chances of not miscarrying.  She arranged for Sharon to have 12 blood tests to test for ’sticky blood’ and auto immune conditions which could be causing the early miscarriages.  But the results, frustratingly, came back as ‘normal’ - giving no indication as to why Sharon was experiencing implantation failure.  However, the clinical team pursued the idea that the miscarriages could be because of auto immune factors and so discussed the benefit of extended steroids, to dampen down Sharon’s immune response which may have been causing the loss of her pregnancies.

“Mandy was determined to help us have a baby,” said Sharon.  “She suggested a slightly different approach after each failed cycle to try and work out what was causing me to either produce no eggs or to miscarry.  She was our rock through all of our treatment.”

“When we began the sixth cycle we decided not to tell our family.  They’d been so brilliant and supportive, but not telling them this time removed some of the stress we felt.  We wanted to be like a normal couple and be able to say ‘we’ve got some news for you. .’ rather than them knowing everything about every stage of the treatment.”

Following the tamoxifen treatment, this time at egg collection, Sharon produced just a single egg.  But it was successfully ICSI injected and became an embryo which was then transferred back into Sharon’s uterus.  She also took steroids for 16 days after egg collection to prevent her immune system causing another miscarriage.  The result?  Another positive pregnancy test followed and two weeks later the scan showed a single heartbeat.

“Although we were really happy and thought ‘yeah, we’ve done it again - third time!’, we kept wondering ‘is it for real?’,” said Ian.  “So we were also quite apprehensive because we knew that seeing the heartbeat was just the start and, for us, things could go wrong over the next few weeks and months.  We wondered how we would ever get to be 12 weeks pregnant, never mind actually have a baby!”

And the family gave the reaction they’d hoped for when they were able to tell them.  “It was fantastic, it was just what we’d hoped for - although they had suspected we were trying again,” said Ian.

Lewis newborn

MFS also scanned Sharon at seven, eight, nine and 10 weeks as evidence shows that the reassurance of regular scanning can reduce the incidence of miscarriage in women who have experienced recurrent losses.  Sharon was also prescribed Beta HCG until she was 11 weeks pregnant, to increase the progesterone in her body and help maintain the pregnancy.

And this time from the very early weeks of the pregnancy Sharon felt quite different.  She didn’t have the ominous sense she’d experienced during her last pregnancy and she felt terribly sick too - totally going off chicken and avoiding the supermarket meat and deli counters!

Lewis Ian was eventually born at 40 weeks in March 2010, weighing 7lbs 4oz, following induction and then an emergency Caesarean section.

“As soon as I heard him cry I cried with happiness and relief,” said Sharon.  “It was the best night of my life as I watched Ian hold our son.  And when I had my first cuddle with him, he wrapped his hand around my finger.  I just couldn’t believe he was finally here.”

But at just one day old, Lewis was admitted to the neo-natal unit as he hadn’t made a sound all night long.  His bilirubin levels were too high and he came close to needing a blood transfusion.  Again Sharon and Ian were plunged into despair as he failed to respond to the lamp phototherapy for the first four days.  But the turning point came at day five and two days later Sharon and Ian were allowed to bring their son home.

Lewis aged 18 months

Today Lewis is a thriving, very active toddler.  Looking back on their years of trying to conceive and the many heartbreaking cycles of fertility treatment they experienced, Sharon said: “Years ago couples like us wouldn’t have been able to have a baby at all, but the care we had at MFS and the determination by the staff that we would be parents one day, meant the world to us. “Lewis is the light of our lives - and worth everything we went through to have him.”

More information:

• go to information on ICSI
• go to cost of ICSI
• go to information Recurrent Miscarriage Service

*Sharon and Ian do not wish to be further identified or to have their story reproduced elsewhere.

Season’s Greetings from Midland Fertility Services

The Board of Directors and staff of Midland Fertility Services
wish all patients, enquirers, professional colleagues and suppliers
a Merry Christmas
and best wishes
for a very happy and successful 2012

This year, MFS has made a donation to Heart FM’s Have a Heart Appeal in lieu of mailing out individualised cards

As we approach the end of 2011, we look forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of MFS throughout 2012 and also to the birth of the unit’s 5,000th baby.  Follow MFS on Facebook and Twitter (news) or Twitter (medical) to keep up with developments as they occur.

In this issue, read the latest news on the new suite of patient literature and about the lectures and presentations MFS staff have been invited to give both at home and in Scandanavia.

In Made in Aldridge read about how Lewis was born after his parents had six cycles of ICSI treatment and suffered two miscarriages, before the MFS recurrent miscarriage protocol helped them realise their dream of having a baby. And in staff news, read who’s been certified, who’s been promoted and who’s got hitched.

The next newsletter will be out in April 2012 and if you don’t yet subscribe, complete the form to make sure it pops into your inbox on the day it’s issued.  But in the meantime, ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year’.

We hope you enjoy the e-newsletter and welcome your feedback. And if you’ve found it a good read, why not tell a friend?

Jill Anthony-Ackery
Communications Manager

Laura is ACE - It’s Official!

Trainee embryologist Laura Perkins has moved a step closer to becoming a fully-qualified clinical embryologist after receiving certification from the Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE).

Recognition follows hours of rigorous training for the practical side of embryology and completing a large theoretical course, including submitting evidence of her practical skills, including essays, short answer questions and case studies.  Laboratory director Su Barlow said: “I was delighted, but not surprised, to be told by the external examiner that Laura had passed her ACE certificate with flying colours.  With two excellent mentors, lab manager Jo Johnson and clinical embryologist Gina Aldis, Laura soon gained in confidence and experience to become a competent embryologist.  Her hard work and dedication to complete her training and gain the theoretical knowledge required for the role was excellent!  Congratulations Laura, from everyone at MFS.”

But her studying is not yet complete - over the next two to three years Laura will work towards becoming a clinical embryologist by submitting a portfolio of evidence to the Association of Clinical Scientists (ACS).

Dr Abey Takes the Clinical Lead

In September 2011 Dr Abey Eapen was appointed clinical lead at Midland Fertility Services (MFS). He is the first doctor to hold this role at MFS, which includes supporting the medical director Dr Gillian Lockwood, mentoring the clinical research fellows and managing the recurrent miscarriage team.  In addition, he continues his regular patient caseload.

Dr Abey originally joined MFS in 2005 as a clinical research fellow after qualifying as a doctor in 2002 and then training at both Walsall Manor Hospital and Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield. In 2010 he left MFS and spent 14 months gaining further clinical experience at other fertility clinics in England, before returning to the MFS team in April 2011.  His return was met with enthusiasm by many patients who had experienced his care during previous fertility treatment at MFS.

Dr Lockwood said: “Abey has always been a popular and highly-respected member of the clinical team and, as we were delighted by his return to MFS earlier this year, we are so pleased that he has accepted the role of clinical lead.  He will be vital part of the team that ensures MFS continues to introduce new procedures to improve patients’ chances of conceiving.”

Commenting on his promotion, Dr Abey said: “I’m very excited to be back at MFS and to take up this new role.  I feel proud and privileged to be a part of the MFS team and to continue helping patients towards realising their dreams of having a baby.”

So Long . . .

It’s goodbye to a doctor, a fertility nurse specialist and one of the admin team

Dr Karolina-Palinska Rudzka

Tracey Lewiis

Kerry Birch

Dr Karolina Palinska-Rudzka joined MFS in October 2008 as a clinical research fellow and Tracey Lewis joined the nursing team at MFS in 2006.  In addition we say farewell to filing clerk Kerry Birch who has left to begin her degree studies at Nottingham University.  Goodbye and good luck to all three from MFS.

‘Congratulations and Celebrations’

Congratulations Sarah and David

Staff recently celebrated the marriage of fertility nurse specialist Sarah Watson to fiancé David McGibbon.  Sarah wore a dress of ivory and pale gold and was attended and given away by her younger sister and brother, respectively.  The couple married in Warwickshire on 5 November and enjoyed a honeymoon in North Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.  Many congratulations!

Charlie is their Darling

New mummy Becky Cooves

New Nana Vicky Lane-Davis

Congratulations also to patient liaison finance officer Becky Cooves and her fiancé Jamie Bissell following the birth of their son Charlie James on 30 September 2011.  And also congratulations to Vicky Lane-Davis, fertility nurse assistant (and Becky’s mum!), who, with the birth of Charlie, became ‘Nana Vicky’.

New Patient Literature and Treatment Folders

Treatment booklets and leaflets, consent forms, drugs plans, letters and invoices!  Every patient receives so many of these during any treatment cycle and so by January new and existing (depending where they are in treatment) patients will receive an A4 folder to store all the paperwork relating to their treatment at MFS, which needs to brought to every appointment.  Divided into the following sections:

• general information
• treatment planning to egg collection/IUI
• egg collection/IUI to pregnancy test
• correspondence
• finance
• consent forms
• miscellaneous,

the Patient Treatment Information (PTI) folder will have a space for everything received from MFS, for easy future reference.  And all the treatment information has been redesigned into new-style MFS Infosheets, which succinctly describe any investigation, treatment, service or issue on up to just two sides of A4.  What’s more . . all the infosheets come ready hole-punched for easy filing! All new patients will receive the folder at their first appointment, and also patients who are currently in-treatment before their follow-up appointment, will receive theirs at their next visit to MFS.

Sperm and Egg Donors to Receive Improved Financial Compensation

Midland Fertility Services (MFS) welcomes a decision on increasing donors’ loss of earnings as it may encourage more men and women to donate their sperm and eggs.

In the announcement on 19 October 2011, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recommended that clinics will be able to offer donors compensation which better reflects their expenses:

• for sperm donors, a fixed sum of £35 per visit including expenses
• for egg donors, a fixed sum of £750 per cycle of donation including expenses

Currently donors can claim only out of pocket expenses and a loss of earnings allowance capped at £250.

However, MFS is sure that altruism, rather than payment, will continue to be the main reason that people choose to become donors.

“The need for donor sperm and eggs is always much greater than the availability,” said Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of MFS.  “Currently at MFS the waiting list for donor sperm is three to six months, but women who require donor eggs wait for up to two years for a suitable match to become available.  The majority of donor eggs come from donors who are known to the recipients, or from egg sharers - women who agree to give half their eggs in return for reduced cost IVF treatment.

“This decision from the HFEA will hopefully encourage more men to become regular sperm donors and more women, who have completed their families, to donate eggs to women who cannot conceive with their own.

“An increase in the number of local donors will also discourage couples from seeking IVF treatment with donor eggs and sperm abroad, often in countries where fertility treatment is not adequately regulated, putting themselves, and any babies they may conceive, at risk.”

In 2003 MFS carried out 73 treatment cycles with donor eggs - but by 2010 this had decreased to 11, despite a greater demand for donor eggs.  Similarly, in 2002 MFS carried out a total of 322 treatment cycles using donor sperm, which by 2010 had more than halved to just 138.

Since 1992, 187 babies have been born after their mothers received treatment using donor eggs at MFS and since 1991 more than 700 babies have been born using donor sperm.  That’s almost 900 babies born to people who would not otherwise have had the chance to be parents.

People need the gift of donor eggs and sperm for many reasons.  For example, some women experience early menopause or ovarian failure and men may become infertile through illness or accident or through genetic conditions.

Mrs B of Birmingham was diagnosed with premature menopause aged 29.  She waited for two years for donor eggs for her IVF treatment at MFS, which resulted in her becoming a mother in 2008.  ”There is such a scarcity of donor eggs that I would welcome anything that means more women will donate.  I’d prefer donors to do it because they know their eggs are a gift that can’t be compared to anything else, but if the extra money helps them to actually become donors, more women like me will have the chance of being a mum.”

Mr H of Warwickshire has been a regular sperm donor at MFS.  He commented on today’s announcement: “It’s a big decision to donate, but for me was motivated by the pain of my sister going through fertility treatment and it also gave me the chance ‘to give something back’.  Personally I’d encourage any man who is interested in being a donor to go ahead right away, not because of how much he can earn from it, but because it’s a good thing to do and can have such a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives.”

All donors at MFS receive full counselling before they are accepted onto the donor programmes.  They are also rigorously screened to ensure that the recipients have the very best chance of conceiving.

To gauge suitability as a donor, complete:

• potential sperm donor checklist
• potential egg donor checklist

Alternatively call MFS via 01922 455911 for more information about becoming a donor.

For further information on the decisions taken by the HFEA on the donation review, see:

• 13 July Authority 2011
• 19 October Authority 2011

Heidi at Surrogacy UK AGM

Heidi Birch

Director of nursing services, Heidi Birch was an invited guest speaker at the Surrogacy UK AGM in October.  Her presentation covered assisted reproduction techniques and focused on IVF, ICSI, egg donation and egg freezing and also addressed the challenge of reducing multiple pregnancies.

The meeting is an annual event and provides an opportunity for surrogates and intended parents to meet together and discuss issues through workshops or informally.  It was a child-friendly meeting with craft and face painting activities for the children, many of whom were as a result of surrogacy arrangements.

For more information on surrogacy at MFS.

Dr Lockwood went to . . . Sweden

Dr Gillian Lockwood

Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director, recalls her recent visit to Sweden:  ”When I was invited by IVF colleagues in Scandinavia to undertake a ‘Lecture tour of Sweden’ to talk about ‘Social Egg Freezing’ I was thrilled.  Sweden has an excellent record in IVF and ICSI, having pioneered Elective Single Embryo Transfer (eSET) in Europe and enjoys generous state funded fertility provision. Couples can access free treatment at State hospitals to achieve a first birth and get re-imbursed drug costs for treatment at private clinics.

“Sweden was one of the first countries to promote ‘identity release’ for donor gamete treatment and they have an active fertility preservation programme for male and female cancer patients.  But ’social’ egg freezing and surrogacy are not allowed and donor gametes cannot be used in conjunction with IVF.

“Since MFS was one of the pioneers of egg freezing in the UK and all the babies born in the UK so far started their lives as eggs frozen in Aldridge, IVF practitioners in Sweden were keen to hear about our experience of egg freezing with special reference to ’social’ freezing. Just as in the UK, the average age of first birth in Sweden is rising rapidly and is currently 29, and although Sweden has fantastic fully-paid maternity/paternity leave and highly subsidised pre-school nurseries, many couples delay trying for a baby and then discover that time is running out, and many women know that they deeply want to be mothers but just can’t find the right relationship at the right time.

“In my lectures in Gotenburg, Stockholm and Malmo, I spoke to groups of IVF doctors, nurses and embryologists and explained the potential that ’social’ (elective) egg freezing offers women a chance to be genetic mothers rather than having to rely on donor eggs in order to have a baby one day.  The ethical, social and economic arguments are complex, but the fact remains that, on current projections, 30% of women will end up at 40 involuntarily childless and IVF success rates for women over 40 using their own eggs are very low.

“The Swedish clinics were also very interested to hear about the specialist role that our the fertility nurse specialists and clinical midwives play at MFS.  Few Swedish fertility nurses can scan, and when I explained, that at MFS, our fertility nurse specialists not only scan, but also do egg collections, embryos transfers, surgical sperm retrievals and provide a wide range of diagnostic and counselling services, they were amazed and keen to visit.

“The finale of the visit, however, was sad.  At the end of the last lecture, I went to collect my belongings from the cloakroom to travel to the airport and fly home and found that my suitcase, my laptop and all my travel documents had been stolen.  Fortunately, I still had my passport and my mobile phone and was able to get home . . .”

Laptops’ Impact on Sperm

“The digital age has left men’s nether parts in a squeeze, if you believe the latest science on sperm, laptops and wireless connections,” reports Frederik Joelving for Reuters Health.

“In a report in the venerable medical journal Fertility and Sterility, Argentinian scientists describe how they got sperm samples from 29 healthy men, placed a few drops under a laptop connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi and then hit download.

“Four hours later, the sperm was, eh, well-done.

“A quarter of the sperm were no longer swimming around, for instance, compared to just 14 percent from semen samples stored at the same temperature away from the computer.”

Read the full article via Reuters Health

Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic

MFS offers a dedicated service for women who have experienced recurrent miscarriages, which is available to existing patients and also to women trying to conceive naturally. Led by Dr Liz Howland a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, the dedicated team of MFS doctors and clinical midwives see women who have either been referred by their GP or who have self-referred. The service comprises of a series of appointments which can include:

• an assessment of the gynaecological and obstetric history
• a uterine assessment
• counselling
• diet and lifestyle advice
• a series of blood tests specific to identifying possible causes of miscarriage
• possible additional more complex tests or investigations
• pre and post-conception treatments
• regular early scans after conception

For more information on the recurrent miscarriage clinic at MFS, please email MFS.

MFS has Facebook

MFS is on Facebook! Log in and search for Midland Fertility Services and become part of the MFS ‘Facebook community’ by clicking the like button!

All the regular MFS Forum users, no worries - we’re not planning on replacing the Forum with the Facebook wall. MFS Facebook and the Forum will co-exist, providing two quite different services, for the benefit of all.

Double-dose of Twitter from MFS

If Facebook doesn’t fulfil your social networking needs, you can now follow not just one, but two(!), MFS Twitter feeds:

	for regular comment from the MFS medical director on fertility issues, conference news, new developments and general erudite and witty observations, follow Dr Gillian Lockwood, @mfsIVFmedical
	for news, media information, clinic announcements and MFS milestones, follow communications manager Jill Anthony-Ackery on @mfsIVFnews

Patients’ Support Group

The Birmingham Support Group is a group of fertility friends receiving treatment at various clinics throughout the region, which meets every month in an informal setting for a chat and a shoulder to lean on. It’s like the on-line MFS Forum, but with real live people! Anyone going through assisted conception is welcome and the get-togethers are usually on the last Wednesday of the month. For more information by email . . .

Midland Fertility Services (MFS) welcomes a decision to increase donors’ loss of earnings as it may encourage more men and women to donate their sperm and eggs.

In today’s (19 October 2011) announcement, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recommended that clinics will be able to offer donors compensation which better reflects their expenses:

• for sperm donors, a fixed sum of £35 per visit including expenses
• for egg donors, a fixed sum of £750 per cycle of donation including expenses

Currently donors can claim only out of pocket expenses and a loss of earnings allowance capped at £250.

However, MFS is sure that altruism, rather than payment, will continue to be the main reason that people choose to become donors.

“The need for donor sperm and eggs is always much greater than the availability,” said Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director of MFS.  “Currently at MFS the waiting list for donor sperm is three to six months, but women who require donor eggs wait for up to two years for a suitable match to become available.  The majority of donor eggs come from donors who are known to the recipients, or from egg sharers - women who agree to give half their eggs in return for reduced cost IVF treatment.

“This decision from the HFEA will hopefully encourage more men to become regular sperm donors and more women, who have completed their families, to donate eggs to women who cannot conceive with their own.

“An increase in the number of local donors will also discourage couples from seeking IVF treatment with donor eggs and sperm abroad, often in countries where fertility treatment is not adequately regulated, putting themselves, and any babies they may conceive, at risk.”

In 2003 MFS carried out 73 treatment cycles with donor eggs - but by 2010 this had decreased to 11, despite a greater demand for donor eggs.  Similarly, in 2002 MFS carried out a total of 322 treatment cycles using donor sperm, which by 2010 had more than halved to just 138.

Since 1992, 187 babies have been born after their mothers received treatment using donor eggs at MFS and since 1991 more than 700 babies have been born using donor sperm.  That’s almost 900 babies born to people who would not otherwise have had the chance to be parents.             m/f..

People need the gift of donor eggs and sperm for many reasons.  For example, some women experience early menopause or ovarian failure and men may become infertile through illness or accident or through genetic conditions.

Mrs B of Birmingham was diagnosed with premature menopause aged 29.  She waited for two years for donor eggs for her IVF treatment at MFS, which resulted in her becoming a mother in 2008.  ”There is such a scarcity of donor eggs that I would welcome anything that means more women will donate.  I’d prefer donors to do it because they know their eggs are a gift that can’t be compared to anything else, but if the extra money helps them to actually become donors, more women like me will have the chance of being a mum.”

Mr H of Warwickshire has been a regular sperm donor at MFS.  He commented on today’s announcement: “It’s a big decision to donate, but for me was motivated by the pain of my sister going through fertility treatment and it also gave me the chance ‘to give something back’.  Personally I’d encourage any man who is interested in being a donor to go ahead right away, not because of how much he can earn from it, but because it’s a good thing to do and can have such a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives.”

All donors receive full counselling before they are accepted onto the donor programme.  They are also rigorously screened to ensure that the recipients have the very best chance of conceiving.

To gauge their suitability, potential sperm or egg donors can complete checklists on www.midlandfertility.com.  Alternatively they can call MFS via 01922 455911 for more information about becoming a donor.

ends

Issued: 19 October 2011

Editor Notes

MFS was established in 1987 and is licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to offer a range of fertility treatments and procedures including IVF, ICSI, egg donation, egg and embryo freezing and sperm recovery.  In May 2002 the UK’s first ‘frozen egg’ baby was born following treatment at MFS.  In September 2005, the UK’s first twins were born from ‘frozen eggs’ fertility treatment at MFS, followed by the first ‘frozen egg’ boy in December 2005.  In April 2006 the clinic’s first twins were born following the mother’s treatment with Vi4gr4 as part of her fertility treatment at MFS.  In early 2008, the 4,000^th baby was born after treatment at MFS and the clinic celebrated its 21^st anniversary in June 2008.  The 4,500^th baby was born in August 2009 and the clinic’s and the UK’s first two vitrified egg babies were born in December 2010 and January 2011.  Based in Aldridge, West Midlands, MFS treats both private and NHS patients.

pr114.donor payment.oct11.jlaa

Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director was invited to comment on new research into egg freezing and maternal age as discussed at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) meeting in Florida, USA:

• Press Association 18 October 2011
• Telegraph on-line 18 October 2011
• Yorkshire Post 18 October 2011

MFS is looking to recruit an additional permanent clinical embryologist or trainee embryologist and also a fertility nurse specialist or clinical midwife for a maternity cover contract.  For more information . .

Dr Gillian Lockwood

Listen again to MFS medical director Dr Gillian Lockwood on BBC Radio 4’s The Last Word discussing the life of Professor Carl Wood, the Australian IVF pioneer who worked in parallel with Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe in the UK and whose achievements include the world’s first clinical IVF pregnancy and first frozen embryo transfer livebirth.  (Interview starts at 22:40mins into edit)

BBC TV and Pioneer Productions are making a documentary series about the ’science of sex, love and relationships’ and so are looking for women who want to know about their current and future fertility and who would be happpy to be filmed having an ovarian reserve test, and subsequent consultation with Dr Gillian Lockwood, at MFS.

The cost of the ovarian reserve test (currently £300) will be refunded for those women who agree, and are suitable, to be filmed for this documentary.

If you are aged 30-35 and have never had a baby and would like more information on this opportunity, email Jill Anthony-Ackery, communications manager at MFS, or call her on 07795 812523, before 17 October 2011 (deadline).

Issued: Thursday 29 September 2011