Fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, gives conception hope to thousands of couples

Nutritionist and fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, gives conception hope to thousands of couples across the UK

Study reveals Fertility Support Programme can improve fertility of couples

Leading nutritionist and fertility expert, Dr Marilyn Glenville, launches the Fertility Support Programme – a personalised 12-week nutritional and lifestyle fertility plan that can dramatically increase chances of conception, giving hope to thousands of couples across the UK experiencing problems with infertility.

1 in 6 couples in the UK experience difficulty getting pregnant. IVF has a 25% success rate, which means 75% of the cycles are failing – leaving thousands of couples with emotional heartache and financial strain. Dr Marilyn Glenville has guided hundreds of couples through their fertility journey; and her 3-month programme provides a range of dietary, supplement and lifestyle changes, which have helped so many to conceive naturally.

“Couples with fertility problems can often experience stress, frustration and feelings of isolation,” says Dr Marilyn Glenville. “ Many people are unaware that just simple changes to your lifestyle and diet could help you achieve a healthy pregnancy. The support programme is a unique plan which encompasses an integrated approach through a combination of conventional and nutritional medicine.”

A ground-breaking study conducted by the University of Surrey revealed that after following the same nutritional and lifestyle advice outlined by Dr Glenville, 86% of couples with a previous history of infertility became pregnant.[1] “We took the vitamins, followed the advice, and three months later my wife became pregnant. It was almost like a switch, one year or so of nothing but trying, then three months of the plan – and pregnancy!” says Ian R, who followed the Fertility Support Programme.

Fertility is a major issue for many couples. Around 70% of patients visiting the Dr Marilyn Glenville clinic reveal that they receive a lack of support and insufficient advice from their doctor regarding fertility problems.

Dr Glenville is keen to highlight that while you can’t change the number of eggs you have, you can change their quality. “By improving the quality of your eggs, you are increasing your chances of conceiving naturally, and also preventing miscarriage. Men produce sperm all their lives so it is always possible to not only improve the quality, but also the quantity, with lifestyle and nutritional changes.”

Nutrients such as antioxidants have been shown to significantly boost male fertility and also help women improve their chances during IVF. Correcting the deficiencies of certain nutrients like vitamin D can have an enormous benefit for fertility for both men and women.

The Fertility Support Programme is available exclusively at the Dr Marilyn Glenville fertility clinic – www.marilynglenvilleeducation.com/article

Recession Delays Women Having Babies

The recession is having a direct effect on birth rates, with one in four women being forced to delay or reconsider having a baby, according to the 2011 Red National Fertility Report.

The results, published in Red’s October issue out on Tuesday 6th September 2011, shows the effect the recession has had on women trying for a baby – from how much they would be prepared to pay in order to conceive, to postponing motherhood due to redundancy and the rising costs of living. The report surveyed over 2,500 Red Magazine readers aged 30-45.

Key findings include:

· The recession has resulted in a 25% drop in babies tried for, with 10% of women saying the recession had made them postpone trying for a baby, and 15% saying they’d decided not to try at all.

· Baby prices have dropped more than house prices – with the average amount women would be prepared to spend to conceive dropping from £15,000 to £12,000 – a 20% drop in just 12 months. * The average house price is down 2.65% from July 2010 to £163.981 – Halifax House Price Index.

· The percentage of women who would be prepared to spend £50,000 to guarantee them a baby has dropped even more dramatically from 10% to 6% – a 40% drop over the same period.

· Following increased financial pressure on the NHS, when it comes to offering free IVF, 62% of women don’t think it should be available for anyone who wants it – up 17% from 2007 (45%). This suggests that when funds are tight, fewer women perceive having a baby as a right for all.

· Due to lack of IVF on the NHS, 61% have paid for IVF privately, with only one in five getting all their treatment for free.

Sam Baker, Editor-in-chief of Red Magazine, said of the findings: “This report provides an incredible in-depth view on the effect the recession has had on women’s baby plans.
The comparable figures show that the last year has hit women and their families hard, with many having to postpone or reconsider trying for a baby.”

Brigid Moss, Red magazine’s Health Director added: “Fertility treatment can be expensive, and this report shows that fewer people have been able to afford it, while the NHS provision for fertility treatment remains a postcode lottery. The report shows that having problems trying to conceive and treatment is also stressful, too. Both of these factors only add to the stress of someone who’s having problems trying to conceive.”

THE REPORT IN FULL:

MONEY

· The recession has resulted in a 25% drop in babies tried for, with 10% of women saying the recession had made them postpone trying for a baby, and 15% saying they’d decided not to try at all.

· Baby prices have dropped more than house prices – with the average amount women would be prepared to conceive dropping from £15,000 to £12,000 – a 20% drop in just 12 months.

· The number of women prepared to spend over £50,000 to guarantee them a baby has dropped even more dramatically from 10% to 6 % – a 40% drop over the same period.

· Due to lack of IVF on the NHS, 61% have paid for IVF privately, with only one in five getting all their treatment for free.

· A staggering 100% of women surveyed would, or have, cut back on school fees to pay for fertility treatment. 94% of women say they would cut back on all aspects of their lives to pay for fertility treatment if they needed it (includes holidays, eating out, pensions, savings, health insurance, clothes and selling possessions).

· Most women paying for fertility treatment have said that the money came from savings (88%), but 17% received a gift or loan from their family, 13% took on extra work and 13% put fertility costs on their credit card.

· 23% would consider moving / down-grading their house to get free NHS IVF provision to help them conceive.

· 17% of women who need fertility treatment have been prevented because of the costs, and 12% said the recession has directly prevented them from having treatment or more treatment.

GOVERNMENT POLICY / NHS

· Following increased financial pressure on the NHS, when it comes to offering free IVF, 62% of women don’t think it should be available for anyone who wants it – this is up 17% from 2007 (45%). This suggests that when funds are tight, fewer women perceive having a baby as a right for all

· 74% of women believe the government should ensure women are provided with three free cycles of IVF on the NHS.

· 95% think it’s unfair that there are different NHS IVF provisions depending on where you live.

· Nearly 60% believe that women should be given IVF on the NHS even if they have a child with their current partner, rising to 90% if they have a child from a previous relationship.

· BUT 62% don’t think that IVF should be available on the NHS to anyone who wants it.

SUCCESS CONCEIVING

· 23% of the women asked have had problems conceiving.

· For those who have had IVF treatment, 38% have only had it once, and 10% have had it more than five times.

· When it comes to the success of IVF, 45% got pregnant and had a baby, 31% didn’t conceive and 5% conceived naturally.

· 18% would consider going abroad for treatment if provisions were not available at home.

STRESS

· Fertility treatment is more stressful than the recession – 59% found it more stressful than dealing with financial concerns.

· 40% find the process more distressing than the ending of a relationship.

· Three in four (71%) found it more stressful than moving house.

· Nearly two thirds (62%) found fertility treatment more stressful than being made redundant.

· A third of women (36%) said that fertility problems made them depressed with 2% even signing off work due to stress / mental health problems.

· Nearly half of women(47%) said their husbands found it hard to cope when they were not getting pregnant.

EGG FREEZING

· 27% of women have considered freezing their eggs for the future.