LAS VEGAS (KTNV) - It's a giveaway unlike any other. A local fertility clinic gave away an opportunity to have a baby. Now, this so-called in-vitro fertilization lottery is the subject of a documentary on Netflix. Patients walk through Dr. Geoffrey Sher's doors every day. Their hope is that he can help them get pregnant. "My doctor said that the only way that we could get pregnant was with IVF. He gave us a five percent chance without it, but we cannot afford IVF," said Dianna Theyssen, one of the contest entrants in Dr. Sher's latest contest to win a free IVF treatment. Hundreds applied to the nationwide contest, sharing their videos online. Many of their stories were heartbreaking. Their stories were documented in the movie "Vegas Baby." That film follows several of the contest entrants. It was just released on Netflix this week. Dr. Sher said he held the contest mostly because it's too expensive for most people to get IVF; insurance won't cover a large part of it. "For many people, it is a life changing thing. I wish there wasn't a need for contests and seminars and free cycles," said Dr. Sher. In the end, a panel … Continue reading →

A Swadlincote couple have told of their devastation after having their hopes of having a baby by IVF treatment dashed. Chris and Kelly Chambers had tried for six years to have a child before a number of problems left them unable to conceive naturally. They knew their only hope of having their own child would be through IVF, but they were beset by issues. Chris, 38, already has two children from a previous relationship, which meant the couple were not eligible for IVF treatment on the NHS. Then it emerged that Kelly, 32, could not be an egg donor because she carries the cystic fibrosis gene. The couple are now desperately trying to raise 10,000 to pay for private IVF treatment using an egg donor. They had their first taste of heartbreak five years ago, when the couple, who have been together for seven years, discovered Kelly had miscarried their first baby. The following year, she suffered an ectopic pregnancy and they were decided to "do some research and start exploring their options". Chris said this point was the "start of the emotional rollercoaster". He said: "We had been together a couple of years and we were keen to start … Continue reading →

Researchers are using computers to select embryos for IVF treatment after trials showed the technology was better at selecting successful embryos than scientists. The computer vision technology is a subfield within artificial intelligence (AI) research. It was designed by researchers from Sao Paulo State University in Brazil, alongside others from the Boston Place Clinic in London and Dr Cristina Hickman, a scientific adviser to the British Fertility Society. The team researching the technology believe it could completely change IVF treatments. It uses computer algorithms which are "trained" to recognise healthy embryos by comparing them with embryos which may not successfully lead to pregnancy. The researchers say it is able to recognise 24 characteristics of embryos which are invisible to humans: from the size of the embryo to the texture of the image, as well as detailed biological characteristics relating to the number and similarity of cells in the embryo. Although the study used cattle embryos rather than human ones, it found that the computer regularly outperformed the embryologists. It used 48 images which were evaluated by the computer vision algorithm and by the embryologists. Stuart Lavery, director of the Boston Place Clinic, said the technology would not replace examining chromosomes … Continue reading →

PUBLISHED: 09:23 07 July 2017 | UPDATED: 14:13 07 July 2017 NHS IVF treatment has been suspended. Image shows the fertilisation process taking place in a lab. Picture: Phil Mynott Philip Mynott +44(0)1223441995 Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Tim, 35, and Fion Smalley, 37, of Old Hatfield have been trying for a baby since they became engaged three years ago but after no success, they decided to visit their doctor. The couple who wed in 2015 were offered IVF treatment at their last appointment in March, but as there was one other option before this last resort they chose to try it, but it sadly it didnt work. On June 26 the pair attended what should have been a routine appointment at Hertfordshire GynaeCATS Clinic at Colney Medical Centre but instead found out some devastating news. Self-employed consultant Tim said: We were told that IVF treatment has been suspended from June for six months while its under review, but might never return. To say we are devastated is an understatement, we feel completely let down by the NHS. We have always wanted to have children. My wife … Continue reading →

MORE details have been revealed about items that will no longer be handed out free on prescription. Toothpaste and verruca treatments are on the list of things that doctors will no longer routinely prescribe. Paracetamol and other easily accessible forms of pain relief and antihistamines will also no longer be available. We reported yesterday how Worcestershire's Clinical Commissioning Groups had agreed to withdraw funding for some items of food and medicine. The groups, who are responsible for buying healthcare services for the county's residents, also said some specialist baby milks, gluten-free food and vitamin and mineral pills will no longer be available on prescription. Most controversially, infertile couples will now be entitled to only one cycle of IVF on the NHS, rather than the two they currently receive. However, a spokesman for South Worcestershire CCG reassured people that decisions about what to prescribe would be based on the clinical judgment of their GP. He said: "If it is needed for patient then it will be given." The news of the cuts had a mixed response with online readers with some questioning the choices of medicines which were being prescribed. Charlotte Wilde wrote on the Worcester News facebook page: "Here's an … Continue reading →