Experts showcase pioneering science keeping 'baby hopes' alive
FERTILITY experts at Jessop Fertility are to showcase the cutting-edge technology – some of which is the most advanced in the world – bringing hope to thousands of couples in Sheffield and beyond experiencing fertility problems every year.
During Healthcare Science Week (13th to 22 March) embryologists from Jessop Fertility, which is part of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will be on hand to demonstrate their pioneering time-lapse imaging at the University of Sheffield’s Discovery Night on Friday 13th March between 4pm to 8pm. This reveals the amazing structural cell changes an embryo undergoes within the first five days of its life.
The technology constantly monitors the development of an embryo, so embryologists can see at a glance if normal cell division does not take place. This increases the chances of having a baby as only the healthiest embryos are replaced back inside the women.
Staff from the genetics team will also be on hand to demonstrate how DNA can be extracted from strawberries, and display 23 pairs of stripy socks to highlight the different types of chromosomes that carry all the specific information to help a cell grow and thrive.
The following Tuesday (17 March) the team will be opening up their state-of-the-art labs between 2pm and 4pm to give 12 selected students from Hope Valley College a unique chance to see at a glance the technology in use.
The five purpose-built labs provide a safe haven for embryos, with specialists able to track samples through a radio frequency tagging system.
The laboratories provide a full spectrum of assisted conception techniques including treatment with donor egg and sperm, using spare frozen embryos for future treatment after IVF, intrauterine insemination, or IUI (a fertility treatment that involves placing sperm inside a woman’s uterus to assist with fertilisation) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI (when the embryologist selects a single sperm directly into an egg to improve the chances of successful fertilisation).
Rachel Cutting, Principal Embryologist /Quality Manager Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Fertility at the Jessop Wing Sheffield said: “Fertility problems are becoming more and more common, with one in six couples estimated to have difficulty conceiving. During Healthcare Science Week we’ll be highlighting how a healthy diet and healthy eating can help maintain and preserve fertility, and lifestyle factors that impact on fertility including low sperm count.
"They’ll also be a few marvels for patients and members of the public, including having the privilege to see the first five days of life and the work our scientists are doing in collaboration with colleagues at Weston Park Hospital to preserve fertility for cancer patients by freezing eggs for later use.”
Around 1,500 people attend Jessop Fertility, each year. Over the past few years Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has invested heavily to ensure that the Unit’s labs remain at the forefront of technology.
Healthcare Science Week is an annual week-long programme designed to promote the amazing work of healthcare science professionals and highlight the difference they make to patients' lives. For further information about the treatments and facilities available at the Jessop Wing’s Assisted Conception Unit visit www.jessopfertility.org.uk/.
ENDS
Photo: Preparing sperm samples for treatment
MEDIA CONTACT:
Claudia Blake, Communications Specialist
Tel: 0114 226 5033
Email: claudia.blake@sth.nhs.uk
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