19/10/2011 by yourgreatlife.

Will a new, higher payment allowance have much impact on donor-assisted fertility treatment in the UK?

It’s all about the money, money, money when it comes to donor gametes, according to some in the fertility field.  Until now, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has limited compensation for egg and sperm donation to a maximum of £250, for reasonable expenses such as travel and loss of earnings, but has denied donors any other payment. However, a report to be published by the HFEA this week is expected to raise that maximum sum to £700.

The question of compensation for donor sperm and eggs has been hotly debated in the UK for years, from an ethical standpoint as well as a practical one. At one extreme, there are people who believe that payment for donor gametes amounts to the commercial trading of human flesh.  Others merely find the idea distasteful. The HFEA itself does not want to be seen to be creating a financial incentive to donate.  However, the other major consideration here is the one of supply and demand.  There has been a shortage of donor gametes in the UK, which many people believe is a result of the no-payment rules. This is not the case in countries like the USA, where payment is allowed.

The perspectives of both donor and recipient will, of course, be based upon more personal considerations. For those requiring donor gametes in order to have a baby the shortage of supply can be frustrating and the alternative route of going abroad for fertility treatment can be extremely expensive.  Donors must take into account the time, effort and discomfort involved in providing sperm or eggs.  Egg donation, in particular, involves the taking of hormone medication by injection for several weeks, and then an invasive procedure under general anaesthetic to retrieve the eggs. 

The change in HFEA regulations has the support of fertility industry groups, including the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the British Fertility Society, according to an article in the Sunday Times. Nuffield Council on Bioethics likens donors to volunteers who test new medicines and suggests they be paid similarly. The British Fertility Society is more specific; suggesting fees of up to $1,000 for sperm donors and between £500 and £2,500 for egg donors in addition to a fixed amount of compensation for their discomfort and inconvenience.  It is unclear how much will actually be paid to donors of sperm or eggs, when the recipients are receiving free IVF through the NHS, and who will be responsible for that payment.

The proposed UK compensation scheme will almost certainly lead to an increase in the supply of donor gametes, if other countries’ models can be relied upon.  It means that someone who considers being a donor can weigh their reservations about the time and effort it will involve with the compensation they will receive.  No one is going to get wealthy on this scheme as the compensation isn’t overly generous and there are also regulations in place which limit the number of times a person can donate gametes.  The limited payments also means that people who must pursue private fertility treatment are not faced with enormous additional costs, but will probably benefit from a greater supply.  Look out for news of the changing HFEA regulations this week.

Posted in egg donor payment, egg donation payment, egg donation payment uk, egg donation uk paid, sperm donor uk pay, sperm donor pay, HFEA, donor-assisted fertility treatment, donor-assisted conception, human fertilisation and embryology authority, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

24/03/2010 by admin.

 Thank you for sending us your reviews on using Zestica Fertility Lubricant.

Here are 3 reviews we received last week from Zestica Fertility users. Thank you so much to them for sending us their reviews. As a thank you we have sent each of them a pack of Zestica Fertility 6 applicator

Hi,I am 38 years of age and been trying to conceive for 10 years now. I am currently having accupuncture and TCM and my therapist recommended trying this product to improve cervical mucus and vaginal dryness. It has certainly helped, although sadly no success as yet. I find it non irritant and easy to use unlike some other products. The only negative comment I have is there always seems to be a lot let over, it is difficult to dispense the full amount.  Kindest regards JS 16/3/10

 ”Zestica is a light, sperm-friendly lubricant which can help vaginal dryness and assist conception. It is useful for both natual (NI) and artifical forms of insemination”.
 AV 16/3/10

Zestica is very light and natural feeling, just like fertile/EW CM. I’ve been very happy using it.
AR 15/3/10

If you would like a free box of Zestica Fertility then simply e-mail us with your Zestica review or testimonial and your relavant order number for the Zestica purchase from us to customerservices@accessdiagnostics.co.uk  and we will send you a free box of Zestica

To find out more about how Zestcia Fertility lubricant can help you conceive click here

Posted in Zestica reviews, Zestica fertility, Zestica, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

16/11/2009 by admin.

and with Free UK delivery

We know many of you are watching the pennies with Christmas looming so here is a great price offer from Access Diagnostics on Clearblue Digital Double Pregnancy Tests

Click here for Clearblue digital double pregnancy test with conception indicator for just £8.40

Posted in Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test conception indicator, Clearblue Digital Pregnancy Test, Special Offers, Clearblue, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

03/11/2009 by yourgreatlife.

Part Two: Coming upon a Crossroads, What You Need To Make Your Decisions

The first crossroads is likely to be when you decide to see the doctor because, despite your efforts, you have not conceived.   It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, or culture, to expose their intimate life to the scrutiny of doctors or undergo blood tests and scans, checking for something “wrong.”  Some uninformed men may be unwilling to provide a semen sample, for fear of what the results may suggest about his manliness.

Both the woman and man may feel some anxiety about whose family line may be to “blame” for their inability to become pregnant.  If this pertains to you or your partner, you must cast these outdated stigmas aside and take some relatively simple tests to discover the cause of your infertility.  If having a baby is your ultimate goal, your value system may have to adapt to accept the help that modern medicine and technology offer.

The second crossroads is deciding whether to pursue more invasive medical investigations and/or treatment.  With a clear diagnosis and readily available treatment, it is easier to decide what to do because the options are more clearly set out.  Your personal life may present the deciding factor: your relationship, finances, career, religion or emotional wellbeing may all be taken into consideration.  Many couples have to contend with unexplained infertility, where early test results were ambiguous.  If you (or your doctor) are operating in the dark, it won’t do much for your confidence.  In this case, the dilemma about which treatment to pursue may be decided by not knowing what else to do. 

Whatever your decision, the most important factor is agreement between the partners, not only because cooperation, understanding and support are vital to keeping stress levels down, but also because it could mean the difference between having a genetic child or not.  From the point that you choose assisted conception you enter a different world; one where your daily life centres on the fertility clinic. For working men, the clinical, inconvenient scheduling, financial and sexual aspects of trying to conceive while being treated, put them into unfamiliar territory and cause stress.  Women will physically experience all of that, and possibly, mood swings, pain, invasive procedures and fear that time is running out as well. 

The decision-making shifts to:

• Are you happy with the doctor/clinic you started with?
• Should you try less invasive treatment first, or go straight to IVF?
• Should we try complementary therapies before, or alongside, traditional medical treatment?
• How will you pay for your treatment?
• When should you begin treatment?
• Can this be managed around your work and/or other obligations?
• How many embryos do you want to implant? 
• How many times will you undergo treatment?

These questions may have the two of you at a new crossroads every week. While some people may sail through and others agonize, it’s more likely that some decisions will bring up unexpected issues.  Pay really close attention how you are both functioning.  Your emotional state is important: Do either of you feel stressed, resentful, guilty, desperate, depressed, or hopeless?  Is one of you leaning one way and the other in another direction?  Are you fighting? That is where mutual respect, communication and agreement come into play.

Lisa Marsh is a Fertility Coach working with people on all aspects of fertility, including female and male infertility, pregnancy loss, assisted conception, alternative means of family-building and menopause.  Visit her blog http://yourgreatlife.typepad.com or her website http://yourgreatlife.co.uk for more information.  For coaching, email lisa@yourgreatlife.co.uk

Posted in doing things differently, female fertility, Fertility Treatment, Assisted reproduction, Life Coaching, infertility investigations, Asking for help, fertility coach, Marriage, Getting Pregnant, Trying to Conceive, Fertility Tests, Male Fertility Issues, Pregnancy, Infertility, Alternative Therapies & Fertility, IVF, Fertility, Uncategorized | Print | 3 Comments »

04/02/2009 by admin.

I have it on good authority that there is a programme to be screened on Channel 4 on 16th february called ‘The Great Sperm Race’ which features Pre-Seed inventor Dr Joanna Ellington (sperm physiologist & CEO INGfertility)

Watch this space for more info 

Click here for more info about Pre-Seed

Posted in Sperm Motility, Sperm, Pre-Seed Lubricant, Male Fertility Issues, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

12/01/2009 by admin.

What is a midstream ovulation test ?

A midstream ovulation test is a simple to use urine test for the detction of the LH surge. In a midstream Lh test the test strip is encased in a long plastic case.

 The midstream format of ovulation test is very simple and popular because the tester is not required to collect a urine sample prior to do the test.

They are usually packaged in boxes of 5 or 7 midstream ovulation tests.

How do I do a midstream ovulation test ?

 The midstream test is performed during urination by simply holding the test pad in the urine stream for the specified time and then reading the result after a couple of minutes. The times vary from test to test so the instructions should always be followed for the specific brand of test that you are using.

Are midstream ovulation tests more expensive than strips or cassettes ?

Yes. The midstream test is encased in a large plastic casing meaning that the tests cost more to manufacture. Some of the midstream tests also have a digital reader giving a definite ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’ result which also adds to the cost but makes interpretation of the test very easy.

Click here for more information on Clearblue Digital Ovulation Tests

Click here to see Special Offer ACON midstream ovulation tests

Posted in Clearblue Ovulation Test, Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test, LH Tests, Ovulation Prediction, Clearblue, Ovulation Tests, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

28/10/2008 by admin.

The pill could affect your choice of mate, causing relationship incompatibility and infertility issues. How? It’s all down to smell

Smell is the most reminiscent of the senses — all those associated memories that come flooding in as soon as a whiff of a certain something wafts under your nose. Studies have even suggested that our noses are important when it comes to choosing a mate. Yet a worrying anomaly has been unearthed in recent scent tests, highlighting a possible side effect to one of the most important pharmaceutical discoveries of the past 50 years: the contraceptive pill. Yes, that little pill, which was introduced to Britain in 1961 and has allowed women sexual freedom, may also be disrupting their instinctive ability to choose a man.

Click here to read the full article

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

23/10/2008 by admin.

Was chatting to a couple of female friends last week who have been married for many years, and the subject of how often we go out with our partners came up.

To my surprise one of my friends confessed that she had not been out with her partner on a date alone for over 12 months-in fact she could not remember the last time they went out together just for fun. They both have reasonably active social lives and go out with their friends seperately.

If it is a while since you last dated your man-make this the week you change  things-invite him out-go on you know you want to

 Have to go now as my man has come home early from work and wants to take me out to lunch-talk about Karma !

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

06/10/2008 by admin.

Just read this very interesting article online and wanted to share it with you.

 It is by Ian Sample from The Guardian Thursday September 25 2008.

 Antidepressant drugs taken by tens of thousands of British men may damage sperm quality and harm fertility, researchers at the Cornell Medical Centre in New York have found.

The doctors examined the effects of paroxetine (Seroxat) on men taking the drug over five weeks. Four weeks into the trial, tests revealed the men had sperm showing more than twice as much genetic damage as at the start of the study.

The findings remain tentative but pose a problem for GPs, who fear patients benefiting from anti-depressants may stop taking the drugs. NHS figures show that during 2006 GPs in Britain wrote nearly 2m prescriptions for paroxetine and the brand Seroxat.

The research team, led by Professor Peter Schlegel, showed that the amount of genetic fragmentation in sperm rose from an average of 13.8% before the trial to 30.3% after a month of the drug. The trial results will be presented in November at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in San Francisco.

Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said the results should not cause alarm: “Patients shouldn’t stop their antidepressants, but those who are depressed and experiencing fertility difficulties may wish to discuss this with their GP.”

Click here to read the rest of the article online

Posted in Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »