Newsflash
Sept-09
In accordance with new regulations brought in by the HFEA in their Code of Practice Eighth Edition we are introducing Individual Costed Treatment Plans with effect from 01-Oct-09 for all new and current patients detailing all treatments required on an individual basis and the related costs involved which will be discussed at initial consultation.
04-Aug-09
"Preconceptional Folate Supplementation and the Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Cohort Study."
Bukowski R, Malone FD, Porter FT, Nyberg DA, Comstock CH, et al. (2009)
PLoS Med 6(5): e1000061.
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000061
Taking folic acid supplements for at least a year before conception is associated with reduction in the risk of premature birth (*in singleton pregnancies), according to a study by Radek Bukowski (from the University of Texas Medical Branch, USA) and colleagues, published in May 2009 in PLoS Medicine.
Although most pregnancies last about 40 weeks, many babies are born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. Babies born prematurely are less likely to survive than full-term babies and are more likely to have breathing difficulties and learning or developmental disabilities. Currently, there are no effective methods of prevention or treatment of preterm birth, but previous studies have suggested that lower concentrations of folate (folic acid) are associated with shorter duration of pregnancy. Therefore, Bukowski et al., tested this idea, by analyzing data collected from a cohort of nearly 35,000 pregnant women.
The results of this study showed that taking folate supplements for at least one year before conception was associated with a 70% reduction in spontaneous premature birth between 20 and 28 weeks (a reduction from 0.27% to 0.04%), and a 50% reduction between 28 and 32 weeks (reduction from 0.38% to 0.18%), as compared to the rate of preterm birth when mothers did not take additional folate supplementation. Folate supplementation for less than a year before conception was not linked to a reduction in the risk of premature birth in this study, and folate supplementation was not associated with any other complications of pregnancy.
In a related commentary also published in this week's PLoS Medicine, Nicholas Fisk from the University of Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues (who were not involved in the original study) say "Methodologically, the study has several strengths. It is based on a huge dataset (34,480 women), with prospective recording of dietary supplements and potential confounders (difficulties), and gestational age determined accurately on first trimester ultrasound. Those born preterm because of intervention were appropriately censored (not included)."
Nevertheless, Fisk and colleagues also point out limitations to the study - for example, this was a secondary analysis of a Down syndrome screening study, so information on folic acid dose, formulation (with or without other supplements), and daily compliance is incomplete. The study design was observational in that the presence of other factors such as, adopting a healthier lifestyle on the part of women who take folate supplements may further explain the findings. Further evidence as to whether folic acid taken (for 1 year before conception) prevents spontaneous preterm birth will require a randomized controlled trial.
**These results should not be confused with the importance of taking folic acid in the 3 months before conception to 12 weeks of pregnancy which has been shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects (spina bifida) in the fetus.
12-Aug-09
As of the 1st August 2009 NHS Grampian has increased its upper age limit for IVF treatment from 38 to 40 years.
04-Aug-09
A new website has been opened aiming to be the biggest online collection of peer reviewed infertility books for patients and professionals. The website has been laid out to make it easy to find books related to any specific area within the field of Infertility and because the site is powered by Amazon all books are offered at a discounted price. The website address is www.infertilitybooks.co.uk and this website has been added to our patient information sheet Useful Websites for future reference.
Jul-09
Responding to the current economic climate and sensitive to the needs of our patients we are please to announce that there has been no price increase for IVF treatment in the next financial year August 2009 – July 2010.