S2 #E14 Professor Tim Childs: How to get pregnant naturally and with assisted conception

Tim is Associate Professor of Reproductive Medicine in the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford. Tim studied medicine at the Universities of Cambridge and London, followed by postgraduate training in Oxford and a 2 year Fellowship at McGill University in Montreal where he worked on oocyte In Vitro Maturation, a drug-free version of IVF. He then returned to Oxford and in 2007 led the team behind the first UK babies born using the technique – twins. He got his research MD from the University of London, with a thesis titled 'Clinical and ultrasound prediction of outcome in unstimulated oocyte in-vitro maturation cycles. Tim is on the Board of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and Chairs the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC). Tim was a member of the 2013 NICE Fertility Guidelines Group. He is co-author of the UK’s highest selling Obs and Gynae textbook and has published over 100 research papers and chapters. Tim is a firm believer in Evidence Based Medicine and has undertaken many trials assessing assisted conception interventions. Tim runs regular patient-focussed Instagram Lives on his channel @drtimchild

Tim explains how to get pregnant naturally and how to get pregnant using fertility treatments. We discuss when the fertile window is, how fertility declines with age, how to prepare for pregnancy, what Tim thinks about nutrition, supplements and lifestyle, and what to do if there are problems. Tim explains how long couples should try naturally before they seek medical help. the most common causes of infertility, the different types of fertility treatments and the success rates. We discuss the role of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and how they have regulated IVF add-ons – additional treatments that usually claim to increase your chances of getting pregnant. We finish the podcast talking about some of the new technologies being developed such as using adult cells to make eggs and sperm which would totally revolutionise how we have children in the future.

Further information about some of the topics we discussed can be found at https://www.eshre.eu/irhec

Transcription link: www.joyceharper.com/podcasts

Date of episode recording: 2024-07-04T00:00:00Z
Duration: 01.01.37
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Joyce Harper
Guests: Professor Tim Child
Producer: Joyce Harper