26/06/2009 by admin.

We all like a bargain, so until end of June 2009 we have added FREE 1st class UK delivery. You do not need a coupon code to get this offer. Simply select 1st class standard delivery as your shipping choice at the checkout

This offer only applies to standard 1st class UK deliveries and does not apply to 1st class recorded or Express Delivery

Happy Shopping

p.s remember to use coupon code bloom to get a 5% discount on goods when spending over £5

Whoops almost forgot the website addresses-offers apply at both of these websites below

www.accessdiagnostic.co.uk

www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

Posted in Free Delivery Offer, Access Diagnostics Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »

22/06/2009 by kat.

Hey folks,

I’m one of your guest fertility bloggers – here to talk through my journey, in the hope you find it interesting/useful/entertaining.

A bit about me:

I’m 31, and the hubby is 30. We started TTC last March (2008), and so far we’ve had absolutely no joy. We’re now into the world of fertility investigations – both have had blood tests, hubby’s had the sperm checks, I’ve had the internal scans, and we have our second consultant appointment in a couple of weeks. Here’s what we know so far:

GP told me bloods suggested no ovulation, but consultant disagrees. Initial scan result suggested endometriosis but the doc who did second scan disagrees – thinks it’s just a dermoid cyst. So if that’s right, then I’m pretty much in the clear which is great news! Just working on getting my weight down to a healthy BMI - I’ve lost 1 1/2 stone in the last 6 months, but still a way to go and if IVF becomes the road we go down then I want to be in the best possible physical shape (plus, as I tell myself every month - if I can’t be pregnant I can be skinny!).  

Hubby’s initial sperm analysis not so positive – he had a count of 0.4m per ml (I think that’s the right measure – the number’s definitely right though!) vs a normal 20m, at which point there’s apparently not any point in discussing motility etc. (although that was also bad). He’s back for a second test this week, with a different methodology, and I’m really hoping for good news from that one otherwise we have some tough decisions to make.

I found it quite hard to find info about male infertility – our GP jumped straight to ICSI as a solution, while the consultant was able to discuss possible causes & treatments, which was such a different mindset. Even on the internet I found a limited amount of useful info. I’ll post more about our experiences as we go in the hope that it’s of use to someone else in a similar boat – and I’ll probably also post the occasional weight loss update, wobbly comment about the emotional side of TTC and anything else that seems relevant!

Posted in Guest blogger | Print | 4 Comments »

22/06/2009 by admin.

We have some guest fertility bloggers who are going through fertility investigations coming on line in the near future so watch this space.

We are also looking for fertility experts

Are you working in a field of fertility or are in complementary medicine, and would like to share your knowledge and wisdom with our readers ? Would you like to blog as a guest on our fertility blog ?

If the answer is yes please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

Posted in Fertility Experts, Guest blogger | Print | 1 Comment »

18/06/2009 by admin.

 Just read this article at BBC online. What really surprised me was the statistic that only 27% of NHS trusts offer 3 cycles. Talk about postcode lottery for IVF

Here is the link to the article-extract from article below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8106828.stm

Over a quarter of local health bodies are offering the recommended three free cycles of fertility treatment to couples trying to have a child.

The Department of Health said 27% of English primary care trusts offer three cycles - up from just 5% in 2007.

Health minister Gillian Merron said the health service was making “excellent progress” in improving IVF access.

Patient groups welcomed the increase, but said there was still “a long way to go”.

Posted in Fertility news, IVF | Print | No Comments »

18/06/2009 by admin.

Just a quick reminder of ourt current coupon code.

We know many of you are having to watch the pennies and we all love a bargain.

Use online coupon code bloom  to receive a 5% discount at any of our fertility sites below

www.accessdiagnostic.co.uk

www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

Please feel free to pass our coupon codes onto family and friends, chat groups etc

• Coupons valid until end of July 2009. 

• One coupon per order

• Coupons can be used multiple times

To use coupon code enter the code exactly as it is typed above and then click update

The coupon may also be used at www.value-med.co.uk and www.buyclearblue.co.uk

Posted in Access Diagnostics Coupon Code | Print | 1 Comment »

17/06/2009 by admin.

Are you undergoing fertility investigations or fertility treatments now or in the near future ?

Would you like to blog as a guest on our fertility blog ?

If the answer is yes please e-mail us or post in comments and we will e-mail you.

Any e-mail address or personal info you leave in comments is kept private

In return for your posts we will keep you supplied with fertility products and early pregnancy tests, as well as lots of support and advice.

Ideally you need to be in UK so we can mail your freebies to you easily, however if you are outside UK and would like to become a guest blogger please contact us

Posted in Guest blogger | Print | No Comments »

16/06/2009 by admin.

That 2 weeks can seem an eternity so here are some ideas to make the time pass more quickly.  

• throw yourself into work
• meet up with friends for lunch, or even better shopping and lunch
• book a pamper session for yourself-manicure, facial,eyebrows etc
• read a good chick lit novel or two-pure escapism-make sure its nothing to do with babies though-good raunchy fun is best
• read a magazine you would not normally buy-something escapist-whatever takes your fancy !
• watch some good chick flicks either with your significant other or with a girlfriend
• take up a new hobby
• get your haircut-maybe try a new style
• catch up on those things you have been putting off for ages
• consider getting a massage or trying an alternative therapy
• do things that relax you and recharge your batteries
• watch comedy shows on TV or dvd-laughter really is the best medicine
• have some fun-what do you love to do ?
• buy yourself some flowers or pick some from the garden-fresh flowers always lift the spirits
• maybe have a weekend away-visit friends or family (only if this is fun mind !)
• cook yourself some good wholesome food-eat plenty of fresh and colourful fruit and veg
• get out in the fresh air-sunshine and fresh air are great for our minds and bodies
• try to focus on the great things in your life
• appreciate the little things others do for you
• join an online support group for friendship and chat
• listen to an audiobook on positive thinking /living-they can be very inspiring
• go on  a date with your significant other and talk about happy times and plan for the future
• start a blog or journal

This is just a few ideas that I have found helpful when the going gets tough. If you have any please feel free to post them in comments

Posted in 2WW | Print | 2 Comments »

16/06/2009 by admin.

POAS (peeing on a stick)

Here are 10 quick tips:

1) Don’t do the pregnancy test too early-although it is very tempting to do this the results will be negative if you test too early. The earliest hcg (the pregnancy hormone) can be detected in a urine test is about 7-10 days post ovulation. At this time the hcg levels are sufficiently high to register on a home pregnancy test.

2) Test on your first morning urine sample (more concentrated)

3) Be prepared to retest if the test is negative-leave it about 48 hrs before retesting if you can bear to wait that long

4) The more sensitive the test  the earlier it will give you a positive pregnancy test. Look at the mIU sensitivity of the test-the lower the mIU level the more sensitive the test ie it detects lower levels of hormone

5) Pregnancy test strips are much cheaper and better value for money to buy than midstream pregnancy tests and just as accurate. They have much less packaging and so are also more eco friendly

6) Get everything you need ready before you perform the test-you will need a container to collect the urine in if using strip pregnancy tests

7) Read the instructions before you perform the test. This sounds obvious, but is surprising how often we only read the instructions when something goes wrong-not all test are the same

Timing is everything. Make sure you read the test result after the designated time. A timer may well come in handy.

9) Disregard any results that appear after the test time

10) Confirm your result after 48 hours

Click here to visit our fertility site and view all home pregnancy tests

Posted in Peeing on a stick, POAS, Pregnancy Tests | Print | 1 Comment »

11/06/2009 by admin.

Just read this interesting story online about how fertilty retreats run by alternative medicine practioners are helping couples to conceive. 

Stress may be a factor in many cases of unexplained fertility. We all know cases of couples who have had difficulty conceiving, and may have been referred for IVF who then take a holiday from trying to conceive while waiting for their appointment. Many go on a holiday thinking this may be their last chance before starting treatment and then conceive on holiday!

A friend of mine had been trying for some time, had been through several cycles of IVF without success. They had almost given up-then her partner bought a gorgeous 2 seater sports car. We joked that she was now bound to conceive-and she did on her next cycle of IVF ! They are now the proud parents of a lovely baby boy. She also had accupuncture weekly during this cycle.

Here is the link to the fertility retreats story

http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,25590988-5014090,00.html

Posted in Alternative medicine, Accupuncture and IVF, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

10/06/2009 by admin.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA for short) is the UK’s independent regulator overseeing the use of gametes and embryos in fertility treatment and research.

The HFEA licenses fertility clinics and centres carrying out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), other assisted conception procedures and human embryo research.

If you want to find out more about assisted reproduction and IVF this is a good place to start.

They have a ‘find a clinic near you’ search in which you simply enter your postcode to find out about clinics and services in your area.

 There is also lots of information about IVF and assisted reproduction including IVF success rates, frequently asked questions, who is eligible for NHS treatment and lots more

I am going to add the website to our blogroll

http://www.hfea.gov.uk/

Posted in Assisted reproduction, HFEA, IVF | Print | 1 Comment »

09/06/2009 by admin.

This is a question we have been asked several times in the last week:

Message:Zestica and Pre-Seed
Can you tell me the difference between these two products please? Thank you. 

Mrs B  8/6/09

Here is our reply:

Thank you for your e-mail.
They are both sperm friendly personal lubricants with different formulas. Currently the Zestica is only available as an external application
spray-ideal for foreplay and external application to either man or womenThe Pre-Seed is available with internal applicators and is ideal for those
with low cervical mucus levelsHope this info helpsIf you need any more advice please do not hesitate to e-mail us.Kind regards,
Customer Services
Access Diagnostic Tests UK Limited

 For more info on Zestica Fertility lubricant click here  For more info on Pre-Seed and how it works click here

Posted in Sperm Friendly Lubricants, Fertility Lubricant | Print | 1 Comment »

07/06/2009 by admin.

5 tips to maximise his fertility

1) Make sure he eats a healthy diet-consider a vitamin and mineral supplement designed to support male fertility

2) Get him to give up smoking

3) Avoid tight fitting underwear or trousers (and anything else that may raise testicular temperature) no saunas and keep the laptop off his lap !

4) Avoid recreational drugs, keep alcohol consumption within safe limits

5) Does he have any underlying medical condition that could affect fertility eg varicoele (varicose veins in scrotum), chlamydia or any other illness. If concerned book appointment with doctor for check up.

Click here to view male fertility supplements, fertility tests & fertility products

Posted in Male Fertility Test, Male Fertility Issues | Print | No Comments »

05/06/2009 by admin.

What is my BBT ?

Your basal body temperature (BBT for short ) is your resting body temperature ie your temperature when you are at rest.

When is the best time to measure my BBT ?

For most women the best time to measure the BBT is first thing in the morning when you wake, before you get out of bed, and before you do anything at all.

How do I measure my BBT ?

You will need to use a high accuracy clinical thermometer- the easiest to use is a digital thermometer that measures to 2 decimal places

Where do I put the thermometer to measure my BBT ?

For most women the best & simplest place to measure your BBT is under your tongue

How long do I leave the digital thermometer under my tongue ?

Most digital thermometers will beep when they have reached a stable temperature, making it quick and easy to know when to remove the thermometer. It usually takes around 1-2 minutes for this to happen.

What do I do with the basal body temperature results ?

You will need to chart the BBT results on a temperature chart , so that you will be able to see the pattern develop.

Here is an example of a BBT chart

Is there anything I should not do when doing my BBT ?

Moving around, eating, drinking, smoking & even talking will raise your temperature, so make sure you do the temperature immediately upon waking each morning. If possible measure it while you are still “half asleep”.

What else can raise my basal temperature apart from ovulation ?

Illness if associated with fever will alter your resting temperature making interpretation of results problematic.

How does BBT charting help me predict my fertile time ?

Charting your basal temperature is helpful in determining whether and when ovulation occurs. Ovulation is the release of an egg (ovum) from the ovary and usually happens only once in each menstrual cycle. Conception can take place only if intercourse takes place immedictaely before , during or immediately after you ovulate.

By carefully recording your basal temperature when you first awaken, you will begin to notice a pattern of temperature fluctuation in your monthly cycle. The slight increase in basal temperature is an indication of ovulation or fertility.

Do I need a special thermoeter for BBT charting ?

You may use any clinical thermometer, as long as it is high accuracy. As the temperature change you are looking for is very small, it is best to use a thermometer that shows very small fluctuations in temperature.

Many women find it simpler to use a high accuracy digital thermometer rather than a glass thermometer, as they are quick and simple to interpret, and they beep when they reach a steady temperature. Glass thermometers can also be fragile.

Click here to find out more about high accuracy digital thermometers suitable for BBT or to buy one

Click here to visit babycentre who have free BBT charts that you can download and print

Posted in Fertile Time, Basal Body Temperature, BBT | Print | 1 Comment »

04/06/2009 by admin.

Mark Smith the deputy business editor at The Herald has very kindly given us permission to reproduce this article in full, in our fertility blog. The article was published in The Herald on 15th May 2009 & is about the new fertility lubricant Zestica fertility and the UK company that has developed it Burdica. The Herald is one of Scotland’s leading daily quality newspapers.

The article was written by Mark Smith deputy business editor at The Herald

Here is the article in full:

Scottish life sciences fledgling Burdica Biomed yesterday announced the launch of a new fertility treatment - its first product - on the back of a £200,000 funding round completed at the end of last month.

The product, called Zestica, is the first fertility lubricant using hyaluronic acid, a natural substance the St Andrews-based company is developing for therapeutic applications.

The two-year-old company said it was also developing hyaluronic acid into a product that acts as a kind of “natural botox”.

Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in between the cells of many types of body tissue in all animals.

It has important functions in different types of tissues, for example, it contributes to the lubricating properties of the fluid in joints, is involved in the repair processes of skin tissue and has a role in creating the elastic properties of cartilage.

The firm said Zestica was focused on the use of hyaluronic acid in enhancing fertility for couples trying to conceive.

The company said the product is the “first fertility lubricant to use the properties of hyaluronic acid in supporting the motility and fertilising capacity of sperm”.

Kevin Burd, the Californian co-founder of the company, yesterday told The Herald that he expected the firm to sell more than one million units of Zestica over the next 12 months, which in turn would generate “a seven- figure sum” for Burdica Biomed.

He said the product, which the company manufactures in Lancaster, had already been awarded European CE Mark approval, and that later this year it will file an application with the US Food and Drug Administration as part of a strategy to “address the USA and other international markets”.

Burd added that Zestica had undergone extensive clinical trials at Dundee’s bioscience hub and he said it had proved more effective than its “one competitor”.

“The product was launched at the beginning of the month and already we’ve had several thousand sales,” he said.

The company’s funding round included £100,000 from the Scottish Government under the SMART programme, with the remainder coming from six unnamed Scottish businessmen.

Asked if Burdica planned to seek further funding, Burd said: “I don’t think we’ll need it. We expect to have enough from our sales alone.”

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. 

Article written by Mark Smith Deputy Business Editor at The Herald
 

Posted in Burdica, Sperm Friendly Lubricants, Zestica, Fertility Lubricant | Print | 2 Comments »

04/06/2009 by admin.

Click on this link below for FAQ on home pregnancy tests including ultra early pregnancy tests

http://www.accessdiagnostic.co.uk/acatalog/FAQ.html

Posted in FAQ, Pregnancy Tests | Print | No Comments »

03/06/2009 by admin.

Click on the link below to read all about Zestica, how it works, the extensive clinical trials it has undergone at Dundee’s bioscience hub and how it is helping couples trying to conceive

http://www.theherald.co.uk/business/news/display.var.2508174.0.Burdica_Biomed_launches_fertility_treatment_on_back_of_200_000_funding.php

Click here to buy Zestica Fertility lubricant online

Posted in Sperm Friendly Lubricants, Zestica, Fertility Lubricant | Print | No Comments »

03/06/2009 by admin.

Have you visited our Zestica information website yet

http://www.zestica-fertility.co.uk/

Posted in Sperm Friendly Lubricants, Zestica, Fertility Lubricant | Print | No Comments »

03/06/2009 by admin.

Just got the link to the doctors lounge from a friend on Twitter, to this study that is going to be conducted at Imperial College London

Understanding the link between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and insulin resistance is the aim of a new project announced today, funded by the charity WellBeing of Women.

It is known that women with PCOS have a 3-fold increase in their risk of developing type-2 diabetes, where the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin resistance is an important factor in the condition, which is the most common female hormone disorder. PCOS affects between 5 and 10 per cent of women and is a major cause of infertility.

The new £97K project aims to identify a defective point on the insulin signalling pathway in women with PCOS. The researchers, from Imperial College London, hope this will enable the development of new therapies which target this part of the pathway, to counter the insulin resistance and the fertility problems that PCOS can cause.

Click on the link to read full article  http://www.doctorslounge.com/endocrinology/news/pcos_insulin_resistance.shtml

Posted in Insulin resistance, PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome | Print | 1 Comment »

03/06/2009 by admin.

Is there an alternative for couples who don’t want IVF? NaPro Technology claims to be less invasive, cheaper and more successful

For anyone who has visited the plush offices of a private IVF consultant, arriving at the HQ of FertilityCare may seem underwhelming. Housed in a small, flat-roof extension of a Victorian building on a side street in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the rooms are small, sparsely furnished and anonymous; there is no sign of the obligatory pinboard crammed with snaps of babies — a reassuring testament to any clinic’s success rate. “We haven’t got round to putting that up yet,” says Dr Anne Carus, the medical consultant, apologetically. The company has been in its new offices for a only few months.

FertilityCare does not offer IVF to its clients, but is the UK’s biggest provider of NaPro Technology, or Natural Procreative Technology (NPT). Developed and still mainly taught at the Pope Paul VI Institute in Nebraska, NPT is offered to couples as an “ethical alternative” to assisted reproductive techniques. As it is a Roman Catholic organisation, the couples must be married. There is no egg selection, no donor insemination and no embryo wastage.

It has been embraced enthusiastically in countries with large Catholic populations, such as the US, the Irish Republic and Poland, and claims to have a success rate that equals or even betters that of IVF, but promises to be much less invasive. Now, after years on the fringes of fertility treatment, NaPro is slowly establishing itself in Britain.

extract from Times online article-click link to read full article

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6342054.ece

Posted in Natural Procreative Technology, NPT, Natural Fertility Methods | Print | 1 Comment »

02/06/2009 by admin.

Summmer has finally arrived in the UK and it is hot and everything is blooming-we love summer

Use online coupon code bloom  to receive a 5% discount at any of our fertility sites below

www.accessdiagnostic.co.uk

www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk

Please feel free to pass our coupon codes onto family and friends, chat groups etc

• Coupons valid until end of July 2009. 

• One coupon per order

• Coupons can be used multiple times

To use coupon code enter the code exactly as it is typed above and then click update

The coupon may also be used at www.value-med.co.uk and www.buyclearblue.co.uk

If you are a member of a specialist fertility, ttc chat group or support group that would benefit from  discount coupons specific for that group that last 12 months, please let us know by e-mail to kate@adtuk.co.uk

Posted in Access Diagnostics Coupon Code | Print | No Comments »