S1. Ep.08 Christiana - Nurture HF. What is IVF and ICSI? best abstinence for sperm, Sperm DNA fragmentation, What questions to ask about the lab at your clinic and culturing embryos past day 5.

Nurture.hf is a not for profit that has been created by Christiana, who is an embryologist, to support patients going through fertility treatments with evidence-based information and facts to support them in their journey.

Christiana is passionate about empowering others with information about reproductive and fertility education as we are taught so little about this as part of our education when we are growing up and giving them access to what goes on behind the embryology door and to understand the science behind the process.

What’s the difference between IVF and ICSI and why would you choose one over the other?

We talk about Lab conditions and Male factor infertility and how the advances that have been made are now enabling male factor infertility to be treated more effectively.

We talk about fertilisation after egg retrieval and the possible news that you can receive 24 hours after retrieval.

We talk about how little we know about our own reproductive health and how this really does need to be included in Sex education and how we are taught everything about how not to conceive and nothing about how to plan for the families we may or may not want to have in the future. The importance of checking our fertility/reproductive health during our twenties would be so beneficial in preventative fertility health care.

What tests should we be having for sperm and why? Is one sperm analysis enough? And what abstinence period should we be following and why is the current WHO advice maybe not the best advice for the best sperm sample. The lifestyle and nutrition of the sperm holder is vital in the 74 days leading up to when the sperm needs to be put in for IVF/ISCI.

We also talk about how the sperm holder does need to be seen by a Urologist/andrologist and not just by the fertility consultant at the clinic who is going to be specialising in Gynaecology/Endocrinology which are for Female fertility.

Sperm DNA fragmentation is now being looked at more closely and it’s important to know that it’s not always the egg. We should be looking at both Egg and Sperm with as much importance as each other. Ruling issues in and out for both sperm and egg is vital.

The tests that females undergo are far more intrusive than the tests and examinations that are required for male party, yet they are looked at far less and often not until we are multiple of failed rounds in. Getting these tests done before treatment can really help shorten our path in fertility treatments.

What questions should we be asking the lab at the clinic we are choosing to have treatment at?

We talk about extended culture for embryos and how culturing beyond day 5 can still produce blastocyst embryos.

How does it feel to deliver news on embryos to patients as the embryologist?

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