Navigating fertility challenges can be an emotionally taxing journey, impacting various aspects of life, including work. As employers, creating a supportive environment can make a significant difference for employees going through this experience. Here are some strategies workplaces can adopt to provide meaningful support.

Fertility challenges can significantly impact mental health, affecting both men and women. The emotional toll of infertility is profound, with research indicating that a vast majority of individuals undergoing fertility treatments experience depression and anxiety. This emotional strain can infiltrate various aspects of life, including work, relationships, and self-perception.

The Fertility Show 2024 highlighted some of the fantastic holistic approaches to fertility. One of our seminars explored the roles of acupuncture and reflexology in supporting reproductive health. Experts Barbara Scott and Sarah Clark share their insights and experiences in these fields.

Are you on a journey to optimise your nutrition and lifestyle for better fertility? This Healthy Eating Week, we're sharing some invaluable tips from Sandra Greenbank, a renowned fertility nutritionist from the Fertility Nutrition Centre who joined us on the stage at this year’s Fertility Show

Having attended the Show several times, I love seeing how it has evolved. In previous years, most of the exhibitors were clinics, which created a formal, slightly intimidating atmosphere. The talks were more expert-led, so hearing medical terms all day long might have been overwhelming for attendees, particularly those at the start of their fertility journey.

Established in 2008, Dunya IVF Clinic offers hope for couples aspiring to parenthood through assisted reproductive technologies. Located in the serene northern part of Cyprus, the clinic offers fertility services designed to support patients throughout their journey to conceive.

Cyprus IVF Hospital is a prominent fertility centre located in Northern Cyprus. The leadership team comprise of Nevzat Arshan, their managing director, and Dr. Sara Khan, the first female IVF specialist in the region. They have worked hard to ensure that the hospital has been at the forefront of fertility and reproductive health since its inception.

The Center of Reproductive and Genetic Health (CRGH) has legacy spanning over three to four decades. CRGH has established itself not only as a pioneer in reproductive health in the UK but also as a leader in Europe. The clinic's commitment to delivering high IVF success rates and bespoke patient care is a testament to its dedication and expertise.

Acibadem fertility is part of a larger hospital chain in Turkey, and stands out for its innovation and excellence in fertility treatments. With a network of approximately 12 to 13 IVF clinics across the country, Acibadem Maslak Hospital, located in Istanbul, is the largest in this chain also the biggest IVF centre in Turkey.

Founded by three visionary women, Felicia von Reden, Dr Christina Hickman, and Dr Lynae Brayboy, Ovum Care integrates cutting-edge AI technology with expert medical knowledge to transform the fertility journey for countless individuals.

In my eyes I failed my husband and family, because to be infertile, meant that I was broken, and not a “real” woman.

This made the experience feel even more isolating after my GP confirmed that I would need fertility treatment to help us conceive. I was too embarrassed to share this with anyone, and would be breaking protocol if I did, (as fertility issues are taboo and shouldn’t be discussed outside of close family).

In February 2016, I registered with our local hospital’s fertility clinic, and by August later that year the heartbreak continued after having 6 failed cycles of ovulation

One of the toughest things about being a Mum after a long and gruelling infertility journey is the invisible scars that we carry with us every day, the hairline fractures in our hearts and the triggers that we contend with daily.

For women from ethnic minorities, those scars sometimes run a little deeper. As a South Asian Woman found that Culture, Conditioning and Colonisation played a huge role in my infertility story.

I’ve never been a patient person. Once I’ve set my mind on something, it’s in my nature to want it to come into fruition as soon as possible. I’ll work for it, and I’ll do whatever it is I need to do to get there. Ambitious perhaps; fiercely determined. Having a baby for me was no different; I wanted it more than anything and I’d have broken my back trying to get there. I was used to challenges, in fact in life I often say I like a challenge, but trying to conceive flipped that all on its head. I didn’t like the challenge, I didn’t want the challenge, and the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world felt completely unattainable.

“I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat," were those five gut wrenching words. From the moment you hear them, your life changes forever.

I can sit here and categorically tell you that pre-baby loss me and “the right here, right now me” are two entirely different people. Pre-baby loss, I had an air of innocence, maybe even ignorance. As if it would never happen to me? Until it did... 

And more importantly, why wouldn’t it?  Because that was the first question I asked myself: Why was this happening to me? What did I do wrong, and why my baby? 

My journey with infertility started when I was diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) at the age of 29 after 18 months of trying to conceive naturally. We were very naively unaware of any fertility issues, but after 18 months of negative pregnancy tests followed by our first round IVF with my own eggs without a single embryo, we were shocked to hear the news that we should consider an alternative route to parenthood.

I’d heard about the Fertility Show whilst having my IVF treatment but had never attended, so when it came on the market I felt I had a lot to offer in helping it grow and develop. I would use my personal experience of infertility to shape its future. During my times at the Show, I discovered donor conception and it started to dawn on me that donor eggs could potentially work for us. Now in my mid 40’s, the chance of having success with my own eggs was very low. But a donor egg would be younger, and I started to think that maybe, just maybe, we should give it one last try…

Hi, I’m Hayley and I discovered late in life that I am donor conceived – in the early 1980’s, as part of pioneering IVF treatment my parents had used an anonymous sperm donor to have me due to my dad’s infertility. Whilst it was a huge shock to find this truth out in my 30’s, it was sadly very common for parents to keep this information hidden from everyone based on the advice of professionals and doctors at that time

This week I had the pleasure of talking to some of the wonderful team at Victory Reproductive Care in Ontario, Canada. Led by their Founder Dr. Rahi Victory, Victory Reproductive Care are clearly passionate in helping individuals and couples on their journey to parenthood.On meeting Dr Victory, he emphasised the importance of personalised care; ”We really strive to understand the patients, and understand their goals and their needs” said Dr. Victory, “then we tailor the treatment we offer to what they actually need.”

It wasn’t the longest journey.

I did not lose any pregnancies.

How then, can I profess to understand the grief of infertility? Or write about how I lived through it?

Grief is ‘very great sadness, especially at the loss of someone’.

I don’t think I even realised at the time, month after month, that I was in fact grieving someone; someone who I didn’t yet know, who didn’t yet physically exist.

Someone who I longed to hold, care for, love.

The emotional roller coaster of trying to conceive can take its toll on our mental health and yet it’s often something that gets forgotten about amongst a sea of clinic appointments and cycle tracking. Burnout, anxiety and even depression are all incredibly common within the fertility community and if we don’t make our well-being a priority, it can make the challenges we face feel a million times harder.