News & Blog
Over 40 local GPs seized the opportunity to attend a recent study day organised by Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) with leading experts in the field offering essential updates on developments women’s health including fertility medicine and procedures. The event, which took place on 29 January at BCRM’s state-of-the-art clinic at Aztec West in Bristol, was filled to capacity.
Bath residents struggling to have a baby have the opportunity to be under the care of a gynaecology consultant with a specialist professional qualification rarely found in the city. Dr Sarah Armstrong, who runs the BCRM Bath satellite clinic at the Sulis Hospital in Peasedown St John, said, “I am in the unique position of holding subspecialist accreditation in reproductive medicine and surgery, which means I can offer my patients expert care in all areas of infertility.
Among the guests at BCRM’s celebration of ’40 years of made-in-Bristol IVF babies’ were some pioneering parents who had their treatment decades ago. Here, one such mum, Maggie, shares her story. “My husband and I started trying for a family in 1985 when I was nearly 33. “Ten years later, by which time we were on the two-year waiting list for IVF treatment, we conceived unexpectedly and were delighted to become parents to a baby girl. “When our daughter reached 18 months we wanted to try for a second baby, but I was 44 by then and IVF was not available to women over 45 so, with the clock ticking, we decided to pay for private treatment at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM).
The availability of a new device that allows unprecedented processing of sperm for use in fertility treatment has been hailed by trainee embryologist Lucy Hill as an exciting development for would-be parents struggling to achieve their dream of having a baby.
Guests at the party held last year to celebrate the milestone of 40 years of IVF babies ‘made in Bristol’ included one family whose own IVF ‘baby’ is now 23 years old. His parents were among many attendees who grabbed the chance to tell the team at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) how very grateful they are for their support to have a baby at a time when it looked like that might not happen. “Motherhood has been all I hoped it would be and more,” said dental nurse, Sharon. She also shared her recollections of what it was like going through fertility treatment at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) two and a half decades ago.
When a couple with an IVF daughter decided to share the story of their fertility treatment to give hope to others struggling to have a baby they were also keen to highlight the courage of the medical staff who supported them during the pandemic. Lizzie said: “We feel they were very brave, simply in carrying on doing their jobs at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine in that climate.
For most people, Christmas is a lovely time of celebration and family get-togethers and is especially focussed on children and the excitement and pleasure that parents and grandparents associate with it. But if you’ve been trying unsuccessfully for a long time and are not yet lucky enough to have the baby you long for, then this time of year can trigger a range of painful feelings. It can be a heart breaking reminder of your lack of a baby, or a second child that you’ve always wanted.