From 2-15 April listen to Heart FM 100.7 West Midlands and you’ll hear an appeal for more women to become egg donors, from real-life altrusitic egg donor Clare Roberts.

For a sneak preview of the ads click here.

And for more information about becoming an egg donor email the donation team or try the egg donor checklist.  To book an appointment to find out more about becoming an egg donor, call 01922 455911 - you could earn £750 to help you help someone else.

Issued: 31 March 2012

What’s in a name?  At Midland Fertility Services (MFS), the two people responsible for donor eggs are Donna and Donna!

Donna and Donna, the donor 'eggsperts'

Donation co-ordinator Donna Rea-Gardner and fertility nurse specialist Donna Wassell handle the recruitment of egg donors and sharers, and manage the donor egg recipient waiting list at the Aldridge based clinic.

With the increase in payment to an egg donor of £750 from 1 April 2012, they are ready to welcome many more enquiries from egg donors over the coming months to provide the many potential recipients with the call they are waiting for: ‘we’ve matched you with a donor’!

Since 1992, 219 babies have been born after their mothers received treatment using donor eggs at MFS.  In 2003 MFS carried out 73 treatment cycles with donor eggs - but by 2011 this had decreased to 17, despite a greater demand for donor eggs.

“The MFS egg donor programme offers one of life’s greatest gifts to women who cannot get pregnant using their own eggs,” said Donna Rea-Gardner.  “We hope that while people are giving chocolate eggs over Easter that more women will contact me and Donna to find out how they can give another woman the most amazing eggs they could ever hope for.”

Email Donna and Donna for more information about becoming an egg donor or call them on 01922 455911.

Issued: 30 March 2012

ends

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.

pr116.2xdonnas EDR.mar12.jlaa

Listen to Donna Rea-Gardner from MFS and altrusistic egg donor Clare Roberts talking about new compensation for egg and sperm donors on the Phil Upton at Breakfast show on BBCWM this morning via http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00q1gh0 (scroll to 53:25 and also 2:20:05 for speedy access).

This programme is available on the BBC iplayer until Thursday 5 April 2012.

For more information on becoming a donor at MFS call 01922 455911 or email:

• egg donation
• sperm donation

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

Read more…

As we’re so close to Easter and thoughts turn to eggs, read about the amazing story of an altruistic egg donor in Made in Aldridge and also about the aptly named donor coordinators at MFS who manage the egg donor and recipient activity.

In Staff News, read who has made a welcome return to MFS and who has recently joined the team.

The next newsletter will be out in July 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, ‘Happy Easter’.

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

Sperm and Egg Donors to Receive Improved ‘Payment’

From 1 April 2012 women who donate their eggs at MFS will receive at least £750 for each donation cycle. And men who are accepted as sperm donors will receive a fixed sum of £35 for each donation.

The improved compensation is the result of a new policy on offering payments which better reflect donor expenses, from the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Before the change in compensation, donors could claim only out of pocket expenses and a loss of earnings allowance capped at £250.

“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.

“The increase in compensation payments will hopefully encourage more men to become regular sperm donors and more women to donate eggs to women who cannot conceive with their own.”

In 2003 MFS carried out 73 treatment cycles with donor eggs - but by 2011 this had decreased to 17, despite a greater demand for donor eggs. Similarly, in 2002 MFS carried out a total of 322 treatment cycles using donor sperm, which by 2011 had declined to just 138 - just about a quarter of nine years previously.

Since 1992, 219 babies have been born after their mothers received treatment using donor eggs at MFS, and since 1991 866 babies have been born using donor sperm. That’s more than 1,000 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. Some women experience early menopause or ovarian failure and men may become infertile through illness or accident or through genetic conditions.

Midlands’ mum Clare Roberts (34) became an egg donor after having her three children with no problems. In addition to being an egg donor, she is also on the national bone marrow register, carries an organ donor card and regularly gives blood.

She said: “When I was younger my greatest fear was not being able to be a mum and because I was so lucky having my family, I wanted someone else to be able to share that gift.

“Last time I donated eggs I claimed about £100 travel and parking expenses and while the £750 I will receive when I make my next donation is a decent sum of money, I don’t think it should be the main motivation for a woman to become an egg donor. But if it helps more women to make the decision to go ahead, it is a positive development.

“I would encourage any woman who would like another woman to experience the same joy, to contact MFS to get information on becoming an egg donor. The team were so thorough preparing me for egg donation that I felt totally confident that my decision was not just right for me, but would also be of huge benefit to two other women and their families. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Mr H of Warwickshire has been a regular sperm donor at MFS. He commented on the increase in payment to sperm donors: “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 either donor programme. 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, email, for more information about becoming:

• a sperm donor
• an egg donor

For further information on the decisions taken by the HFEA on the donation review, from 19 October 2011.

Egg Donor Ads on Heart FM

From 2-15 April 2012, listen to Heart FM (100.7FM) to hear the new commercial from MFS about how a woman can receive £750 for donating some of her eggs. And for added impact, the voice-over is provided by Clare Roberts, who uses her own experience as both a mother of three children and a previous - and future - altruistic egg donor, to appeal to more women to do the same. So listen to Clare on Heart FM and read about why she became a donor via her story in the Birmingham Mail.

Email for more information on becoming an egg donor at MFS and how you could receive £750 when you donate to help you help others.

New MFS Success Rates Published

Check out the new success rates from MFS.  Three types of updated success rates have been updated:

• headline success rates - simplified single figures for an ‘at a glance’ understanding of the outcome of some treatments
• summary results - statistics of the outcomes of key stages of each treatment, including the livebirth rate (LBR) for the cumulative three year tables (2008 - 2010) and the pregnancy rates for the results of treatments carried out in 2011 (some pregnancies from last year are still on-going and so LBRs cannot be produced yet)
• extended results - comprehensive results of all stages of each treatment

Highlights include:

• IVF: a LBR per embryo transfer for all ages of 32.5% for the 3 years 2008-2010 (up from 29.4% for the 3 years 2007-2009)
• IVF: a LBR per embryo transfer for women aged 35 or less of 41.0% for the 3 years 2008-2010 (up from 35.8% for the 3 years 2007-2009)
• ICSI: a LBR per embryo transfer for all ages of 33.5% for the 3 years 2008-2010 (up from 32.0% for the 3 years 2007-2009)
• ICSI: a LBR per embryo transfer for women aged 35 or less of 40.2% for the 3 years 2008-2010 (up from 38.9% for the 3 years 2007-2009

Contact Jyoti Patel, MFS information analyst, for more information about success rates at MFS.

MFS Celebrates Silver

Amidst the diamonds of the Queen’s jubilee and the precious metal haul of this summer’s Olympians, 2012 also marks the silver anniversary of MFS. The next e-newsletter (#25!!) will mark this 25 year milestone in detail. Subscribe to the MFS e-newsletter.

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!

The Inspector Called, The Inspector Audited . . .

As part of the quality assurance BS EN 9001:2008, a half-yearly BSI inspection in March, which included customer information, counselling services, and maintenance and calibration, revealed only a single minor non-conformity and so . . . the inspector left happy - again. MFS was the first fertility clinic in the world to be accredited with ISO 9002:1994 and the first in the UK to receive ISO 9001:2000 accreditation.

‘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.

Clare Roberts - Egg Donor

This month’s e-news is a little different as Clare Roberts contacted MFS, not because she wanted a baby, but because she had conceived her three children so easily and now wanted to help other women who were not so fortunate, by donating her eggs so they could have a chance of experiencing the same joy.

Hers is one of the greatest ‘living gifts’ possible and having already donated some of her eggs, Clare will do the same again in the future.  And from 1 April 2012, egg donors will receive £750 when they donate, to help them help others.

So, via a feature in the Birmingham Mail, enjoy Clare’s story and consider the impact of her choice to donate on the lives of the women, couples and extended families she has helped.

More information:

Go to the MFS Patient Treatment Information page and download the following infosheets:

• Read a PDF of the MFS booklet: ‘Egg Donation’
• Egg Sharing for Donors
• Egg Sharing for Recipients
• IVF: In Vitro Fertilisation

In addition:

• Email the egg donation coordinator
• Go to summary results for egg sharing and donation
• Go to National Gamete Donation Trust
• Go to Donor Conception Network

Welcome Back Clare!

Clare Wilson

Following a career break, embryologist Clare Wilson returned to the laboratory team at MFS in January 2012.  She had previously been one of the laboratory team at the unit from 2001 to 2006 and also specialised in andrology at another IVF unit for five years before that.  As one of the MFS embryologists, Clare undertakes IVF and ICSI procedures as well as all other embryology, egg and sperm protocols.  She is currently working towards regaining her clinical embryologist (CE) status in May.

Donna and Donna - the Donor ‘Eggsperts’!

What’s in a name? Well, meet Donna and Donna the egg donor ‘eggsperts’ at MFS!

Donna Wassell and Donna Rea-Gardner - coordinating the 'gifts of life'

Donation co-ordinator Donna Rea-Gardner and fertility nurse specialist Donna Wassell have responsibility for the recruitment of egg donors and sharers and for managing the donor egg recipient waiting list.  With the increase in any payment to an egg donor of £750 from 1 April 2012, they are ready to welcome many more enquiries from egg donors over the coming months to provide the many potential recipients with the call they are waiting for: ‘we’ve matched a donor with you’!

Email Donna and Donna for more information about becoming an egg donor or call them on 01922 455911.

Hallo Sal and Bal

Sally Prime has joined MFS as the clinical administrator while Lynsey Bissell is on maternity leave.  As well as supporting the doctors, nurses and nurse assistants, she manages the clinical diary via the Data Management System, provides patients with results of tests and procedures, including pregnancy tests, books appointments and ensures that all clinical administration is handled as efficiently as possible.

Sally Prime

And Baljit Kaur joined the weekend office team in November 2011 to ensure patient notes are available as required and to assist the weekend team with general admin duties.

ABA Certificate for Valerie

Valerie Fraser

Semenologist Valerie Fraser recently completed module 1 of the Association of Biomedical Andrologists (ABA) certificate in laboratory andrology.  The year long studying has formalised her inhouse training in the MFS laboratory in sperm diagnostics.

MFS Seeks New CRF

MFS is currently seeking a clinical research fellow to join the medical team.  For more information and application details.

Clinical lead Dr Abey Eapen and medical director Dr Gillian Lockwood

And Phoebe-Rose Makes Three!

Beth Elton

Congratulations to clinical midwife Beth Elton and her husband Thomas who celebrated the birth of their daughter Phoebe-Rose in December, a sister to (MFS twins) Toby and Barney - but Phoebe-Rose was all their own work!

Fond Farewells

Lorraine Sears

MFS recently bid farewell to DMS project manager Lorraine Sears who oversaw the successful launch of the data management system, which has transformed the storage of patient information at MFS, and also to Carole Heap who ensured MFS always looked its best and reached the high standards of cleanliness during her time as one of the housekeepers.  We wish them the very best.

Carole Heap

From 1 April 2012 women who donate their eggs at MFS will receive at least £750 for each donation cycle.  And men who are accepted as sperm donors will receive a fixed sum of £35 for each donation.

The improved compensation is the result of a new policy on offering payments which better reflect donor expenses, from the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).  At present donors can claim only out of pocket expenses and a loss of earnings allowance capped at £250.

“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.

“The increase in compensation payments will hopefully encourage more men to become regular sperm donors and more women to donate eggs to women who cannot conceive with their own.”

In 2003 MFS carried out 73 treatment cycles with donor eggs - but by 2011 this had decreased to 17, despite a greater demand for donor eggs.  Similarly, in 2002 MFS carried out a total of 322 treatment cycles using donor sperm, which by 2011 had declined to just 138 - just about a quarter of nine years previously.

Since 1992, 219 babies have been born after their mothers received treatment using donor eggs at MFS, and since 1991 866 babies have been born using donor sperm.  That’s more than 1,000 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. Some women experience early menopause or ovarian failure and men may become infertile through illness or accident or through genetic conditions.

Midlands’ mum Clare Roberts (34) became an egg donor after having her three children with no problems.  In addition to being an egg donor, she is also on the national bone marrow register, carries an organ donor card and regularly gives blood.

She said: “When I was younger my greatest fear was not being able to be a mum and because I was so lucky having my family, I wanted someone else to be able to share that gift.

“Last time I donated eggs I claimed about £100 travel and parking expenses and while the £750 I will receive when I make my next donation is a decent sum of money, I don’t think it should be the main motivation for a woman to become an egg donor.  But if it helps more women to make the decision to go ahead, it is a positive development.

“I would encourage any woman who would like another woman to experience the same joy, to contact MFS to get information on becoming an egg donor.  The team were so thorough preparing me for egg donation that I felt totally confident that my decision was not just right for me, but would also be of huge benefit to two other women and their families.  I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.”

Mr H of Warwickshire has been a regular sperm donor at MFS.  He commented on the increase in payment to sperm donors: “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 either 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 on-line checklists:

• go to egg donor checklist
• go to sperm donor checklist

Alternatively they can call MFS via 01922 455911 for more information about becoming a donor or email the egg donation coordinator.

ends

Issue date: 19 March 2012

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.

pr115a.donor payment reg.mar12.jlaa

Read about Clare Roberts who has already donated some of her eggs via MFS to help other childless women to conceive and how, as she plans to do it again, she will benefit from the £750 available to altruistic egg donors from 1 April 2012 .  She tells her story in The Birmingham Mail.