You asked, we listened. Boots Taboo Talk sits down with Dr Stephanie Ooi to tackle all your taboo fertility questions
From debunking myths to advice on egg freezing and treatment options – there are a whole host of questions you might have on the topic of fertility.
So, as part of our health and wellbeing podcast, Taboo Talk, Dr Stephanie Ooi (AKA @the_gp_mum on Instagram) joined host, Vogue Williams, to talk all things fertility and answer the most asked questions sent in by our Taboo Talk listeners.
As well as being a GP focusing on women’s health, Dr Stephanie has spoken openly about going through IVF herself. Here’s what she had to say...
What’s the truth around ageing and decreasing fertility for women and men, and is there a certain age when fertility significantly drops?
“What we know about fertility is that it does decrease as we get older, and that’s the truth for men and women,” advises Dr Stephanie. “Women are most fertile before the age of 30, after that it does start to decline, and then after 35 it can drop a little bit more significantly.
“The key thing for men is sperm quality, and again that’s something that can be affected as men get older, but to a lesser extent than women. If you’ve got a male partner and he’s over 40, trying to conceive might be a little bit more difficult.”
These statistics may sound disheartening to some, however “it’s still possible to fall pregnant,” after those ages.
Does hormonal contraception such as the pill and the coil impact fertility further down the line?
“I think there’s lots of misinformation online, but actually if you look at the evidence, there’s no long-term impact on fertility associated with any of the hormonal or contraceptive methods,” says Dr Stephanie.
“The only caveat would be that once you stop the hormonal contraception, you may notice that it takes roughly a few months for your cycle to return to normal. So, obviously during that time it might be difficult to get pregnant, but long term there's no impact.”
Whilst everyone is different, Dr Stephanie’s advice is: “If you’ve stopped some form of contraception and you’ve noticed that your cycle’s still not back to normal after a few months, go and have a chat with your GP.”
At what age should somebody consider freezing their eggs?
“I’m glad that we’re talking about this because I think people should know that it’s an option,” says Dr Stephanie. “There’s no specific age where I’d say you should think about doing it, but knowing what we know about fertility and age, the best biological advice would be that everyone should have their families completed before the age of 35. Now obviously that’s not possible, right? That’s not real life.”
Dr Stephanie advises: “It’s more about taking a step back and thinking about your life situation and if you’re keen on having a family in the future and if that’s not something you can see happening for a few years or so, egg freezing is a brilliant option.” If you’re considering egg freezing, speak to your GP or a fertility expert.
And for somebody who’s having fertility issues, maybe who’s tried to conceive, do you think they should look into speaking to an expert?
“In terms of the NHS guidance, it depends on the age of the female and also how long you’ve been trying. If you’re under 36 and you’ve been trying for more than 12 months (having regular sexual intercourse every two to three days), go and see your GP,” she suggests. “If you’re over the age of 36, that time shortens to 6 months.
“If you know that you’ve had any gynaecological problems in the past or you’ve got PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) or endometriosis, or you’ve had previous pelvic surgery, anything like that, go and speak to a GP at any time.
“And for the male, if they have any known genital problems, then again have a chat with the GP.”
What help is on offer for people struggling to conceive and who's it available for, for example is IVF something people should look into?
“There are so many different treatment options,” Dr Stephanie points out. “There are simpler methods where you can take tablets to stimulate ovulation, and then there’s IVF.” Most people will try a few different methods before turning to IVF.
“There are things like intrauterine or artificial insemination where you have sperm inserted into the uterus to try and encourage conception. IVF is in vitro fertilisation, so basically where you collect eggs and you fertilise them with sperm outside of the uterus, and then once fertilised that creates an embryo and you pop that back into the uterus.
“In terms of who’s eligible for what, the national guidance is that if you’re under 40 and you’ve been trying for over two years, you’re eligible for three full cycles of IVF on the NHS. For women who are 40 to 42, that’s reduced to one cycle,” states Dr Stephanie. The difficulty is though, all of the decisions about who is eligible for funding through the NHS are made locally.
“There might be other factors that they’ll take into consideration like lifestyle factors (for example, smoking and alcohol) and also if you’ve got any previous children. With the NHS and with funding on the NHS, it’s definitely available – but there are multiple specific criteria. You can also pursue fertility treatment privately, but that has a huge financial impact, so that’s not something that’s going to be available to everyone.”
If you’re worried about your fertility or would like more information about any of the issues discussed, speak to your GP who’ll be able to advise.
Want more? Head to the Boots Taboo Talk page.
