This archive series of The Fertility Podcast will hopefully give you a real insight into the many places you can get support from online communities to professionals who can help guide you through what seems impossible when you are in the midst of it, yet rest assured there are amazing people who share their insights and experiences and have walked the path ahead of you. Whether they have come out of it with a child or childless, they are inspirational in what they share.

About guest:

Leading fertility and pregnancy expert Zita West is a practicing midwife, acupuncturist, and nutritional advisor. In 1992 she set up ‘The Zita West Clinic’ – London’s most famous holistic fertility clinic which ten years later now combines cutting-edge medical science with complementary therapies. She is the author of nine fertility and pregnancy books and her latest book, Eat Yourself Pregnant was released earlier this month, September 2014.  Zita's high profile clients have included Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Stella McCartney, Ulrika Jonsson, Jemma Kidd, and Sophie Wessex and she has a loyal and sophisticated following amongst women looking for mainstream and alternative treatments and practical support during one of the most exciting and daunting times of their lives.

Items mentioned in this podcast:

• How too many women go down the IVF route too quickly
• Impatience to conceive
• Benefits of the holistic approach
• Increase in men with fertility problems

In this podcast you will learn:

• How there isn't enough information about why you might be able to conceive
• Infertility is 50/50 between men and women
• Tips for Men
• About whether you can carry naturally if you have the 'Killer Gene'
• Zita has just launched a new blog

Follow on Twitter @Zita_West

Unexplained infertility, Kate Brian and Jessica Hepburn

About Guests: 

Kate Brian

Kate Brian is an author and journalist who specializes in talking about infertility. She has written four books, including 'The Complete Guide to IVF' and 'Precious Babies - Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting after Infertility. Kate is London Representative for Infertility Network UK and Editor of the Journal of Fertility Counselling.

Jessica Hepburn 

Jessica Hepburn is Chief Executive of the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and also the author of the Amazon best-selling book The Pursuit of Motherhood about her own long and heartbreaking struggle to have a child. Since publication, she has become a high-profile commentator on the subject of infertility and IVF in newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV. She is a trustee of the national charity Infertility Network UK and a columnist for the leading fertility magazine, Fertility Road. She’s also a regular speaker at events and will be giving a talk at the Fertility Show on 2nd November about how to manage your fertility clinic.

Items mentioned in this podcast:

• Dealing with unexplained infertility
• Changes in costs over the last 17 years and now around the UK
• York case study on IVF funding
• The Fertility Show and how you can get a discount code
• How to ensure you don't let fertility treatment become the main focus of your life
• How long it can take to get NHS funding
• Age IS a significant factor
• Fur Friends

In this podcast you will learn:

• How  unexplained infertility affects 25% of couples who have difficulty conceiving
• About the work done by the Fertility Fairness campaign
• How much the NHS pays for IVF
• 3.5 million people at any one time in the UK are experiencing fertility problems
• The benefits of support groups
• 2/3 IVF cycles are not successful
• 25% of women are entering their 40's childless

Useful links: 

Kate Brian's blog 

Jessica Hepburn's blog 

Fertility Fairness

The Fertility Show 

Follow on Twitter  @katebrian  @JessicaHepburn