I planned to write all about my visit on Friday to the Fertility Show, however, yesterday I went back for a second visit. On the first day, I circulated among the 109 exhibitors' stands, saw one of my clients, sat in on a few of the seminars on offer and met with colleagues in the fertility support community: among them, Karin Thayer of Fertility Planit, Sarah Holland of Fertile Mindset, Kristen Hayward of Positive Birth, Camille Strachan of To Hatch, Sophia Villiers of Nourish Naturally and Jane Karsten of Windsor Reflexology. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to meet and see what we each bring to the table for people hoping to conceive and/or pursue an alternative method of parenting.
At the end of a packed day, I struggled home with bags of leaflets, business cards and quirky branded items like one of Santa's elves dragging a sack behind him. My family was bemused to see me unload my bounty on the kitchen table: stress balls, numerous pens, chocolates, a diary, a pregnancy test and a rubbery model of a sperm! The bonus of the weekend, in terms of assisting my professional work, was an Embryo Replacement Catheter courtesy of Smiths Medical/Wallace. It wasn't one of the items they were giving away to the general public, but after a demonstration and at my request, they kindly gave me one to help calm possible fears of clients who are anxiously awaiting IVF.
Yesterday, I went back for another full day. I was able to meet more of the exhibitors, go to one more seminar and found Sandra Walker, a reflexologist from Hatfield, whose interests coincide with mine. I met some amazing colleagues from the fertility community, from hypnotherapists to embryologists, and was able to see the fire in their eyes when they spoke about what they do to help people conceive the baby they want so much. It took my understanding of them and their work "off the page" to a different level. There are several people from both the UK and the U.S. I look forward to talking with further, working together or feeling comfortable enough about to refer my clients.
Of course, there were people on various stands who seemed to be more the "pack them in and sign them up" type, but that was good to see too. I won't name anyone here. While a worried and impressionable couple might be drawn in by the slick efficiency of that type of fertility clinic, seen in isolation, it's my belief that they stood out like a sore thumb when viewed side by side with the more personal, caring approach of their competitors. Yes; success rates, cost of treatment and location of a clinic are all important, however, not as stand-alone factors. Take them together, and with other factors such as language spoken, accessibility, after-care and patient support offered, a willingness to listen to your concerns and flexibility of approach.
Of the seminars I attended, the one that impressed me the most was given by Dr Sam Abdalla, Director of the Lister Fertility Clinic: Is anyone too difficult to treat? While conceding that not every woman will be able to conceive, Dr Abdall's philosophy is not to turn anyone away if there is some chance, however small. He did state that if a woman had zero chance of conceiving, it would be unethical to treat her. However, rather than only taking in patients under a certain age (there were those at the Show that had a cut-off) , or with a high chance of success, as a means of keeping the clinic's success rate high, he believes that the best policy is to inform the patient of her options, her chances and give her the choice of whether to proceed. Remember, whereas years ago, a woman with low ovarian reserve may have been out of luck, now of course, she has a good chance of conceiving over several cycles of IVF, with different tratment options or with donor eggs. The choice is hers.
I will be writing more this week on some of the topics that came to mind during my visit to the Fertility Show, including how to get the best patient services from your fertility clinic, questions relating to going abroad for fertility treatment and how to decide whether complementary therapies are right for you.
Were you at the Fertility Show? If so, I would love to hear what you thought of it. I am actively seeking comments, as I am trying to decide whether it would be beneficial for me to take a stand for next year's event. Please let me know what you thought of the Show.
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