How old is too old to have a baby? 44, according to British women

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Frostie

How old do you think is too old for a woman to become a mother? Well new research conducted by the Private Pregnancy UK Show reveals that when it comes to having babies, British women believe that 44 is “too old” and should be the cut-off point. This is despite social factors such as focusing on careers and not finding the right partner, as well as advancements in medicine and science, playing crucial roles in the surge in older women having babies.

The research aims to start a debate on how far medical intervention and assisted conception can go in aiding women who wish to preserve their fertility or delay having children, as well as highlighting the need for increased fertility awareness for adult women and calls for sex education to include information on fertility options.

The five most cited reasons as to why women believe 44 should be the cut-off age are:
1.   It is unfair on the child to have old parents
2.   Increased likelihood of health complications like Down’s Syndrome for the child
3.   Women aged 50-plus should not be allowed fertility assistance via vitro fertilisation (IVF)
4.   Parents won’t live long enough to see the child grow up
5.   It is “unnatural” to have babies after that age

The research also reveals that almost three-quarters (74%) of women believe that there isn’t enough fertility education available for women about not “leaving it too late” to start a family, or the options now available to help preserve a woman’s fertility and likewise, to assist with conception. The majority of women (75%) questioned believe that the responsibility to educate women about these time-sensitive issues lies with government health officials.

Dr Amin Gorgy, fertility consultant and IVF specialist at The Fertility & Gynaecology Academy comments:

“The ideal age for women to become pregnant is in their twenties and early thirties. A woman’s fertility potential declines rapidly after the age of 35 and drops even faster after the age of 40. Indeed, successful egg freezing through vitrification has made it possible for women to postpone conception to later in life but as a society, we should be encouraging couples to have children at a younger age, in fact, I recommend that couples should aim to complete their families by the age of 35. There isn’t enough education available to women, many of whom still believe they can go on forever.

Theoretically, through egg donation and using eggs frozen at an earlier age, women can conceive at any age, in fact, the receptivity of the womb for implanting embryos declines only after the age of 54 but usually, we take 50 as the age limit for assisted conception and only under special circumstances will we consider someone beyond the age of 50. IVF must be put into perspective if used after the age of 35 as the chances of having a live birth with an IVF cycle declines dramatically with age, for example, there is a 20% success rate at the age of 40 which falls to just 1% above the age of 45.”

Dr Alex Eskander, consultant gynaecologist at The Gynae Centre comments:

“My feeling is that women in the UK enjoy much more the liberty, freedom and opportunity to further their careers over settling down to have children, the latter of which is now a thoroughly outdated concept of the traditional family.

I find the two key points of pressure for these women to have children come from their parents’ “need” to have grandchildren and a growing understanding of their biological clock. As a clinician, let’s be clear, I am not scare-mongering, it is a fact that ovarian function declines significantly from 30 years of age and even more sharply after 35 years.

I agree that 44 is too old for women to have children. From the ovaries standpoint, the number of eggs decline and the egg quality is poor. As a result, it is difficult to conceive and the conception maybe associated with a high rate of chromosome abnormalities and increased chances of miscarriage. From the mother’s standpoint, there is a high risk of hypertension, pre-eclampsia and caesarean section.

My advice for young women who may want to delay conception for any reason beyond the age of 35 is to seriously consider egg or embryo freezing (with donor sperm) as your “insurance policy””.

The two doctors will be joining a wider panel of experts who will be hosting this debate in a women’s healthcare Question Time seminar on Sunday 22 May at the Private Pregnancy UK Show.

For more information, please visit www.privatepregnancy.co.uk

Super Luxury at the London Motor Show

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Jack Shamash

When I got to the London Motor Show, I started rummaging around in my pockets. No, I couldn’t afford the £600,000 for the Speedback GT by David Brown or the £250,000 for the Noble supercar. I realised that I would have to go back home in exactly the same way as I’d arrived: by public transport.

The London Motor Show is a great opportunity to see some wonderful cars. It’s a relatively small event – not like the major shows at Geneva and Frankfurt where the display halls are filled with hundreds upon hundreds of cars and where all the major manufacturers are out in force.

The London show probably has only 150 cars, but it’s cheap to visit (£10) and it has some exciting new offerings and plenty of people desperate to talk to motoring aficionados (or petrol-heads as they’re often known) and discuss specifications, engine sizes and prices. If you like cars, it’s a good place to be.

There were relatively few small family cars – the show seems to be more about recreational driving and the luxury end of the market. However there were some nice offerings. Ford was unveiling its new luxury 4 wheel drive car – The Edge (top left). And MG, -now making cars in Shanghai, unveiled the new GS – another luxury 4 wheel drive. Both of these – aimed unashamedly at the luxury urban driver – attracted a lot of attention. Ford and MG have yet to set a price for these cars.

A couple of attractive smaller cars, were turning heads at the event. The Alfa Romeo Spyder (above) is a light sports car that in its various incarnations has been in production for around 50 years. The new Spyder C4 has a carbon fibre body and a top speed of 160mph. The top of the range model has a price tag of almost £70,000. It’s ideal for people who’ve just been through a messy divorce, sold the family house and want to recapture their youth.

Rather more interesting is the Fiat Abarth 695 (above right), which looks like an ordinary Fiat 500, except that its souped-up engine can go at 143mph and it has a price tag of £33,000. It’s a stylish piece of engineering.

The show has very little by way of catering facilities: you can’t get much more than a coffee. But it is in Battersea Park, which is very beautiful, has a great view of the river and is just a short walk from the Kings Road in Chelsea, which has no shortage of great places to eat. When I visited, the organisers believed that the show would be completely sold out, so do check before you go.

Notonthehighstreet.com launch first Open Door event

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Kesh

To celebrate their 10th Anniversary, our favourite online one-stop gift shop are treating us to a very exciting new venture. They are set to take over Spitalfields Market and transform it into a live and interactive shopping experience. Join them for Partner Workshops, demonstrations and food tastings and of course shop, shop, shop ’til you drop some of the UK’s best small creative businesses.

Not only will you be able to meet the people behind some of your favourite products, many of them will be looking for volunteers to make this an all encompassing, interactive experience. We’re sure our highlights will definitely include;

Naked Marshmallow; where the team behind Naked Marshmallow will be giving you the chance to toast your own marshmallows.

and…

Nia Tudor; talented illustrator Nia will be on hand to create some lucky visitors there very own personalised portraits.

As well as a host of other exciting things they have planned, it’s set to be well worth a visit.

Notonthehighstreet.com Open Door;

Friday 12-7pm

Saturday 10-6pm
Sunday 10-5pm

Old Spitalfields Market

Nearest Tube: Liverpool St

Top Tips on Reducing Sore Muscles after Your Workout

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Kesh

Whether you’re a Gym Bunny or a Fitness Newbie, you may have heard the term DOMs floating around the gym a fair few times. Yes, that achy feeling you get the day after a workout when you can’t go down the stairs without assistance or as I like to call it, a Muscle Hangover. As a Personal Trainer, this has become a word engrained into my vocabulary on a daily basis and for numerous reasons. Top of the list is that it is the number one excuse from clients, especially beginners to training who complain this is why they no longer wish to carry on with their workout regime and on the flip-side, others claim to be not working hard enough if they don’t have DOMs. So let’s debunk DOM’s or as it is more widely recognised, ‘Delayed Onset of Muscles Soreness.’

Firstly, DOMs can occur anywhere and to anyone no matter how experienced or beginner you are. Some can’t live with it, some swear by it, in any case, if you have been recently exposed to unfamiliar or intense physical activity, chances are you will experience this soreness. Let us dispel the myth that this is a build up of lactic acid in the muscles, that’s generally not the case and even so, does this really answer your question as to what DOMs are and how to get rid of it? Probably not. So let me start with an explanation which is easier to digest, DOMs appear to be the product of inflammation caused by connective tissue micro trauma, the small tears we make in our muscles when training. This in turn can be productive if you’re trying to build your muscle groups however, extreme soreness can also be counterproductive and hinder your training abilities… in training much like your diet, there is an everything in moderation approach. Despite the fact that we may not be able to get rid of DOMs completely we can certainly help to reduce them and with summer coming up and many a marathon to be run, we popped in for a masterclass with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and Top YouTube expert Lucy Wyndham-Read, to provide us some much needed muscle relief tips.

Lucy Wyndham-Read

Cool down stretches are a must and exercise expert Lucy Wyndham-Read advises us on a few crucial cool down stretches.

IT band stretch – It’s very important to carry out this stretch after exercising as it helps to realign the body and avoid the risk of injury. Stand up straight with one leg crossed over the other and then lean towards the top leg. You will feel a stretch along the side of the other leg, so hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite leg. Remember to breathe deeply the whole time.

Hip flexor stretch – This stretch is similar to a lunge but requires you to leave your knee on the floor with your opposite foot out in front. Make sure your hips are aligned, pointing straight ahead to avoid any rotation in the pelvis. Press the toes on your back foot into the ground as well as your knee and your front foot to activate the lateral hip stabilisers. Hold for a minute and then repeat on the other side.

Sitting calf stretch – Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you. Place a towel around your foot and gently pull your toes towards you until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other leg. You can also rub Nelsons arnicare arnica Cooling Gel into your muscle, as it contains grapefruit and menthol which help to cool and revive.

Standing calf stretch – This is a classic stretch for the calf muscle which is ideal for doing after you’ve worked on your legs. Stand facing the wall, just under arms distance away from it. Hold your arms out in front of you and place your palms against the wall. Keep your feet parallel and take one leg back as if about to lunge. Bend your front knee and press through your back heel. Hold for approx 30 seconds and then switch legs.

And if you want to stretch along with Lucy, check out her YouTube channel;

As well as stretching, you can also help to reduce DOMS by using soothing creams or gels. We recommend specially formulated Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel. This non greasy formula is ideal for massaging into tired legs after a workout combining the natural benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. We just loved taking the time out to pay our body some much needed stress relief and being allowed to indulge in a little massage after a heavy workout to relieve our tired limbs.

Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £5.40 for 30g and is available from Holland & Barrett, Superdrug, Boots and Amazon. Visit Arnicare for more information.

So no more excuses guys. Don’t forget your stretches, arm yourself with Nelsons® arnicare® arnica Cooling Gel and love your workout.

Take Time App Review by Alex Bannard

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Margaret Graham

There is no doubt that the ancient practice of meditation is gaining mainstream popularity with its benefits being increasingly recognized and applauded (see infographic below). Indeed a Harvard study recently confirmed that meditation actually improves our grey matter. Having practiced meditation for several years and been subtly, but profoundly affected by the benefits it affords my mental and physical health, I was delighted when Frost magazine invited me to review the new meditation app TakeTime.

I’ll be honest – I have a love/hate relationship with modern technology: on the one hand it offers such a wealth of information at our finger tips but the constant demands of always being available can sap us of both time and energy whilst creating even more stress, one of the greatest health issues facing us in 21st century. However, I love it when technology can be used beneficially and help support a new habit such as meditation, making it more accessible, more available to everyone.

And this is where TakeTime steps in. Available to download on iTunes, it offers a modern way to meditate on the move. Simply plug in your earphones, choose from 7 of the different themes and transport yourself away from modern stresses. Sounds simple? And it is. The earphones and harmonic sounds and music enable you to completely focus attention on the sounds without being distracted by other auditory stimulus. The sublime images and beautiful landscapes enable you to direct attention purely on the sights in front of you. These are indeed valuable tools to the meditator: using the senses to bring the attention inward or help avoid being distracted and swept away with your thoughts.

My problem is that there is no introduction to the app or the meditations so I was left confused – who will this app appeal to?

You see, in order to meditate, a little understanding helps such as; different techniques and styles. Meditation is not about turning your thoughts off – initially it can be alarming how as soon as we still our body, our brains go haywire. It’s important to understand how to calm the mind in order to observe thoughts like clouds in the sky. This idea is only briefly touched upon in the serenity meditation. Therefore, I feel this app is geared towards a more experienced meditator.

And therein lies the dichotomy as I feel an app is generally geared towards the more inexperienced beginner than the expert. After all if you have a regular mindfulness practice that works for you, why would you use an app? Since most of the meditations are unguided, perhaps this makes them less accessible for a beginner?

However, I really liked the variety of options and lengths of meditations – from 5 to 21 minutes – all of which are perfect time frames to be slotted into busy lifestyles. The headphones and images mean the meditations can practically be performed anywhere. Although I found practicing these meditations whilst on holiday slightly unnecessary, as I only had to gaze away from the screen across the beach and towards the horizon to see stunning scenery. But I can imagine the benefit of using TakeTime on the tube when such scenic distractions are sadly missing.

I really enjoyed and benefited from the balance, relaxation and serenity meditations and I am sure I will return to them. One night I couldn’t sleep so I tried the nighttime meditation it worked effortlessly taking me from sunset imagery into nightscapes, distracting my mind from whatever was troubling it and encouraging a relaxed sleep. I would recommend this meditation before bed rather than in the middle of the night, to avoid the temptation of logging into emails or social media.

The shorter meditations of prepare and recharge were less resonant. I felt they needed guidance rather than just some random and irritating plinky plonky music or harmonics. The longer Icelandic Harmony just sent me to sleep, both times I practiced it. But then I applied compassion and kindness to myself (both ideologies which go hand in hand with meditation) and accepted that was clearly what I needed at the time.

I found the male voice on the guided meditation gentle and soothing, the female voice less so (both are accented) and again this boils down to personal preference as if a voice irritates that meditation app isn’t for you. I didn’t much like the opening images of people plugged into laptops. They are surely there to convey how the app works but I felt they were not very in keeping with the meditation vibe. But I am probably being picky here.

So in short it’s a nice app if you have a basic background in meditating.

The key thing I believe to any of these things is to try before you buy. There are plenty of mindfulness and meditation apps available. It’s essential to find one where the approach and voice resonate. I cannot stress enough that the benefits of a regular mindfulness practice are subtle but profound and I completely recommend taking up a meditation practice with or without an app to support you. After all you wouldn’t want to get left behind in what many suggest is a revolution that will become such common practice that not meditating will be frowned upon – in the same way not wearing a seat belt is.

Price and availability

TakeTime can be downloaded for free in App Store. The meditation themes can then be downloaded in two different versions: With advertisement (for free) and without advertisement (from 79p to £2.99). The premium version can be purchased for £19.49.

http://taketimeapps.com/

Submissions Now Open For The 9th Luke Bitmead Writer’s Bursary

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

We know a lot of writers read Frost so we wanted to bring this great competition to your attention. Submissions for the 2016 Luke Bitmead Writer’s Bursary are now open.

The award was set up shortly after Luke’s death in 2006 by his family to support and encourage the work of fledgling novel writers and the Bursary is now the UK’s biggest award for unpublished authors. The top prize is a publishing contract with Legend Press and a £2,500 cash prize.

Luke Bitmead was the first novelist to be published by Legend Press, his novel White Summer was released in 2006 shortly before his death. Two novels have been published posthumously – The Body is a Temple and Heading South (co-authored by Catherine Richards). Information about Luke can be found at www.lukebitmead.com.
This fantastic bursary for a ninth year, and hope to continue the success of our previous winners Andrew Blackman (On the Holloway Road), Ruth Dugdall (The Woman Before Me), Sophie Duffy (The Generation Game), J.R. Crook (Sleeping Patterns,) Joanne Graham (Lacey’s House), Jo Gatford (White Lies), Tara Guha (Untouchable Things) and Lyn G. Farrell (The Wacky Man) published today 2nd May 2016.

Only adult fiction is eligible for this bursary, no children’s books or non-fiction.

Tom Chalmers, Legend Press MD comments ‘We are delighted to be continuing this brilliant bursary for the ninth year. The prize is a fantastic way to find new, undiscovered writing talent, and we have found some of our most exciting authors through the prize. Luke was an amazingly talented young author, and it is an honour to be continuing the prize in his name.’

Submissions from writers will be accepted from Monday 2nd May until Friday 15th July 2016.

For information about how to enter visit: http://www.legendtimesgroup.co.uk/legend-press/365-luke-bitmead-bursary

“Obama Out” President Obama Makes Brilliant Final White House Correspondents’ Dinner Speech

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Everyone who knows me knows I am a huge President Obama fan. I have read his books and I enjoy his speeches. I think he is the best President of my lifetime so far: progressive, intelligent, compassionate, witty, moral and articulate. Obama will be sorely missed and his speech at his final White House Correspondents’ dinner did not help. From the mic drop to the jokes, it was perfection. Goodbye Obama, I will miss you.

Surreal? Probably, but it’s my life Alex Bannard – Bangkok correspondent

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Being an expat affords some amazing experiences, luxuries and some frustrations. In a previous expat life I had friends who described it as ‘not real life’ – it is real, it’s our life right now, surreal though it might sometimes be.

Take a typical moment in time in Bangkok. I was invited to join a friend in her first ante-natal appointment for her fourth pregnancy. Hubby felt his role was done so it was my privilege to share a wonderful moment with her and to have some fun too. Afterwards we were waiting outside for a taxi to go to lunch. I say waiting, we actually got proactive and went straight to the area where they are dropping off to pick one up.

‘We were met with, ‘No madam you go get number, please’.

There’s a system. Wow.

We went to the taxi desk & got number 49. There are many people milling around and obviously we don’t expect to get in the first taxi. Several minutes later a lady with number 52 clutched in her palm was clearly edging to the front of the ‘queue’…there is no queue just a mass of people.

I don’t really like pointless rules but if there is a system, queue or not – you wait your turn lady or I will take you down. I’m British after all, and we invented the queue.

Realizing we probably needed to register with Clipboard-lady I told her our destination & she wrote it next to 49. We’re back in the game. Number 52 can wait in line.

After many more minutes it became apparent that the system is not a system.

Clipboard-lady approached the next available taxi and gave him a range of options on which location he wanted next, which often he declined & drove off. Oh for goodness sake -it’s 37 degrees humid as a Chinese Laundry we’ve be waiting for almost 1/2 hour, my friend is in wedges and I am watching my long awaited Dean & Delucalunch disappear up the ‘system’.

So I took things into my own hands & walked down the line and asked a taxi way back in the taxi queue if he will take us to Emporium. ‘Madam, number?’ he said.

I replied, ‘We have a number but there is seriously no system. Taxi just choose where he wants to go. You want to go to Emporium?’

‘Ok but 100bht’

‘Done.’ We jumped in with our laminated 49 (stick that in your ‘system’) and drive off.

The traffic is horrible. We pass a Dean & Deluca and get stuck in a nose to tail traffic, so I hand him his 100bht & say ‘Kap kun ka we get out here.’

‘No madam. Just round corner.’ He replies.

‘Oh ok’

Finally we pull up at…Central Embassy. Not quite where we wanted to be.

Yep, surreal it is. But we love it.

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