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When questioned we were surprised to find that her partner had not had his sperm checked, and that she had been advised this was ok because he had fathered a child in a previous relationship over 7 years ago. While this is a good sign it does not mean that his fertility is necessarily ok. Fertility can change and seven years is a long time. Our advice to her was that she should talk to her partner & then with his agreement make an appointment with her GP or gynaecologist and arrange for him to have a sperm count done. She seemed to think that they were very unlikely to do this for him as she had asked before and been turned down.

Male fertility is a tricky issue for some men and often there is reluctance on the part of the man to be tested or to come forward for investigations. Particularly when they have already fathered a child in a previous relationship they may feel that the problem must be with the women.

We regularly receive phonecalls from desperate women whose male partner has refused to be tested by the GP or hospital, and the woman wants to  purchase a home male fertility test. Sometimes her partner will agree to doing a fertility test in the privacy of their own home. Our advice in this situation is to do the home male fertility test. If the fertility test shows a low reading then there is a good chance that the partner will consent to further investigations with the GP or hospital. It may also help to speed up referral if the reading is low. If the reading on the home sperm test is normal then the man may still consent to having a further semen test with the GP ‘just to confirm it’

Are you a fertility doctor, fertility nurse , healthcare worker in the fertility or infertility sector or an expert in a particular field of fertility or infertility ? Do you have personal experience of a infertility or fertility investigations or do you work in an alternative field of health helping support couples through infertility ?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes and you would like to share your experiences & thoughts through our fertility blog then we would love to hear from you. You can write about anything health & fertility related that you think our readers may be interested in & post links to other relevant medical or health websites if you wish.

If you would like to be a guest fertility blogger please do get in touch by e-mail to kate@valuemed.co.uk or by posting in comments and we will contact you. Any e-mail address that you post in comments is kept private and will not appear on the blog

In recent years a range of fertility specific lubricants have come to the market. These are made to allow the free passage of sperm and have studies showing they are less harmful than normal personal lubes. Some have active ingredients to promote sperm motility, such as Zestica. All are safe to use during pregnancy.

Most water based personal lubricants should be safe to use during pregnancy, check the specific manufacturers web site for details on clinical trials but also ensure that the lubricant is fresh and clean. Safest practice would be to disgarded after 3 months to reduce the risk of contamination but most do not suggest this.

There is no evidence to suggest oil based personal lubricants are harmful in pregnancy. It is suggested that any lubricant containing stimulant agents should be avoided, this includes heating and cooling lubricants and local anaesthetic agents. There is no clinical study evidence for this advice, and it probably stems from healthcare professionals having no clear guidance as no study would ever be approved to prove or disprove the facts unless a problem had become apparent or comes to light in the future. As there is no reason to use these products, then avoiding them in pregnancy probably makes good sense.

Conception can not occur until the viable egg is released, and starts its journey down the fallopian tube towards the uterus.

The trigger for ovulation to occur is a sudden increase in the blood levels of the hormone LH, released from the pituitary gland. Normally the egg is released 14 days before the 1st day of the next menstrual period is due to occur. If conception and implantation occurs the period does not occur and an early pregnancy is progressing.

It is possible to measure LH in urine using ovulation prediction tests

LH levels in blood can also be tested by hospital tests, normally on day 19 of the cycle.

Congratulations to Sara from everyone at Access Diagnostics

Our shipping charges will be going up in February 2012 & the current 1st class free delivery offer will finish.

1st class standard UK delivery is free when you spend over £25 until the end of January 2012 at www.accessdiagnostics.co.uk & www.valuemed.co.uk

Remember to use online 5% discount coupon code aut5 to save 5% every time you order. Feel free to pass the coupon on to friends, family , chat groups etc. Coupon is active until end of January 2012.

Open an online account with us to save another 5%

To open an account simply e-mail us with you last order number and request an account. We will then set the account up and e-mail you login details. 

Having an online acccount makes shopping with us quicker and easier and saves you an extra 5% as the prices displayed to account holders are lower than if you do not login.

You can still use our discount coupons in addition to get an extra discount.

‘This months special offers’

Click here for cheapest priced Pre-seed in UK just £12.99 . Use your coupon to get it even cheaper

New Ultra sensitive 25mIU LH tests click here

Click here to see all special offers including special offer ovulation test strips & ultra early pregnancy tests strips

Professional Pregnancy Tests

We have an extensive range of high accuracy professional pregnancy tests for clinic, NHS, GP’s and other end users.

Click here to see our range of professional pregnancy tests for clinics, NHS , GP’s etc

It is at this time of year it is particularly important to focus on your self care, and make sure you make time to do something nice for yourself.

Here are some suggestions that always make me fell pampered:

• Have a lovely hot soak in a scented bubble bath (you could even light some scented candles-bliss, and have a candle lit bath)
• file & paint your finger nails and apply lashings of hand cream
• curl up in your PJs and bathrobe and watch a humourous festive film-my personal favourites are chick flicks-I love Bridget Jones’ Diary at this time of year
• read a good book
• treat yourself to a magazine and sit down with a cuppa and enjoy
• have a date night at home-set the table nicely ,put on some romantic music,light candles, turn the lights down.

Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. The egg then passes into the fallopian tube where it is ready to be fertilised. In order for pregnancy to occur, the egg must be fertilized by sperm within 24 hours after its release.

Immediately prior to ovulation , the body produces a large amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) ,which triggers the release of the ripe egg from the ovary.

This LH surge usuallly takes place in the middle of the menstrual cycle.

Ovulation Prediction Tests help you to predict the time of ovulation & therefore peak fertility.

It is during this fertile time that pregnancy is most likely to occur.

The ovulation prediction test detects the LH surge in urine, signalling that ovulation is likely to occur in the next 24-36 hours

Click here to for more info on home urine ovulation tests (LH tests)