You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks ed B.
You are not ah sax bar sax. You're my sax bomb. You can give it to you do. Come along, shack, Sack.
You're my sax bomb.
You can turn from here on. Sham me up, Sack Sack, You're my sack. You can't give you to do. Come along, shack and welcome back to the Weekend Collective.
I'm Tim Beveridge and you can give us a call anytime during this one hundred and eighty ten eighty. And we have a new guest for the art Extiosis thinking I'm not sure for quite the right selection. But of course, if you do want to have children, often the starting point is to be a bit of a sex bomb. But I can't think of any other way to to sick way out of that song. But we have a new guest on the show and he is a fertility expert and his name is Dr Simon mcdawson.
Simon good, how are you?
Yeah, good day, good, how are you? I don't think I've ever had that that entrance before, but I'll take it.
Yes, actually maybe you should take it. It's just like here he is he's the man, he's the fertility expert. Anyway, maybe we should probably be a little bit more serious about that. But Tay, look, just before we get into it, we're gonna have a chat about fertility among other things. But if you're listening eight hundred eighty t and eighty, if you have any questions, here's a chance to talk
to an expert. If you've just got a simple question about whether it's about how you prepare yourself to conceive or to help conceive, or whatever, any questions around fertility, then we'd love to hear from you on eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
But actually I thought, just because your first.
Time on the show, Simon, what's your bag baby, tell us about what you do and how you got there.
Yeah, sure, thanks having on the show. So I grew up in Hamilton, South Hamilton, went down to went down to Icago, did my degree down there, ended up up in Wellington when overseas came back. When overseas came back, spent some time Ossie and England's doing a bit more training and then I've been back in the back in Wellington for about a little bit more than a decade now, how much.
Back and forth was was was training from university to med school to different expertises.
Oh, the early stuff was probably more you know, just getting out there oe type stuff. So sort of junior doctor, went to went to Melbourne and then sort of made my way to England and you know, did a bit of traveling and stuff and then and then sort of came back and got into specialty training and then then the travel from there was more more work related. But it's nice. You know, it's good to travel. You sort of want to take those opportunities and you know, spend
a year at overseas it's quite quite nice. But you know, was going to come home, you know, mchewey.
And obviously you love Wellington because you're living there. One would hope that that's the answer.
Uh yeah, I do. I do. I spent my first year of med school, the second part of my med school here and I must have been I fell in love with the city and you know where it can be amazing and sometimes not so good, but that's it's a good city, got character.
Can't on a good day, you can't beat it. Actually, just before we get into how you got into a step into fertility, how what was the most enjoyable part of the world for you to practice medicine, and what did you and I guess from a medical point of view, obviously let's forget the party scene in a particular town. Yeah, but what was the what was the best place to practice medicine for you? Let's leave Wellington out.
Leave Wellington out. I look London, sort of an East London. I worked a little bit the mainy sort of Loking locuming and emergency department and stuff. And I remember, I remember there was a poster on the wall of the ed which was a malaria treatment chart, and I thought that was I thought, oh my gosh, you must get that like once every decade, and they were like, oh,
we get you know, one a week. So I think probably London was my favorite because you actually got so yeah, yeah, you know, it was such a you know, melting pot of people, and yeah, it was a really interesting place to work. You saw a lot of pathology you wouldn't expect to see in London. Yeah, I didn't expect.
Actually on the malaria things, well, we won't delve on dwell on this topic, but that what did that mean? You have to be immunized or something, because that is kind of contagious. But I don't know it's oh.
I think it's let's passed on, you know, mosquitoes and stuff. So I don't think it's sort of contagious.
No, but blood to blood. Yeah that's right.
Yeah that's right. Yeah, you got it.
Yeah, yeah, Okay, I know how did you get into you know, how did you get from East London Eds to fertility?
So I decided sort of quite early on that I wanted to do O G. I kind of I really liked the you know, sort.
Of ecology by the way, isn't it.
Yeah that's right. Yeah, Yeah, that's right. And I think a lot of R doctors we we sort of get into it through eb cterrics, you know, that's kind of the exciting part of it. I was always keen to subspecialize, and there's a few different subspecialties, and fertility just kind
of made sense. It had a mixed sure of physiology and surgery, you know, and it it just sort of ticked all the boxes, I suppose, And you know, I'm dealing with, you know, people that are really intelligent and they know a lot about what's happening, and and you know, you can really sort of make a difference. It's it's it's a you know, it's a part of medicine where
you know, you you get these outcomes. You know, people have a family that which they may not have got if you went there and or if our team wasn't there, And you know, that's a it's a pretty satisfying area. We can be bloody said as well, but it's you know, it's a really good, fascinating area and a really you.
Know, medicine of course must have it's amazingly uplifting moments. But also medicine sometimes you know, there isn't the answer for people, isn't it.
So you you're.
Really at the you're really at the call face of disappointment as well sometimes.
Of course, Yeah, I think that's right, and I think that's something you learn as you become older. Certainly I have in medicine, you you know, having a sort of being at peace with you don't know and what you can't fix it. Certainly as a more junior doctor, I probably struggled over that, but now I'm sort of you brave enough to say I don't know and I'm not sure what's going on, and you know, humans a complicated.
It's a funny sense.
The thing with fertility and we had my wife and I went through three miscarriages I think before we had our family, and then all of a sudden, I mean, second child came along far too early, but anyway, which is great, but it's funny. As a guy, I didn't actually I remember when we had the second loss because it was early on and I didn't feel anything.
It was weird.
And then I called my mom up from the hospital and I told her what had happened, and I completely broke down, and it came from nowhere, and.
It was a funny.
It's a weird thing to for people haven't been through it to understand.
I don't even know why, isn't it funny?
It's literally I was calm and let's get we better go to the hospital and all that sort of stuff. And then I call up mum and say hey, by the way, and I couldn't complete my sentence, and it's it's a it's a strange grief that you can't understand, isn't it.
It is? And I think you know the triggers, you can the sort of triggering things, and it might be you know, just talking about it and and you know guys, you know, perhaps more than woman probably just avoid those conversations and you know they come at a cost, you know, where it all comes out in a mad rush. You know, I think talking about experiences and and you know guys as well, and I think I think it is fair to say guys to probably you know, don't vocalize it
as much as we should. Yeah, so no, it's I mean, it's sometimes you need something close you don't have a chat to really.
And it's quite you know.
I mean, now I mentioned now I still get emotional thinking about it, but you know we've had a happy ending with a couple of wonder lovely girls. But now just tell us, because you are one of your specialties you do.
Somebody to do with sub it's a type of.
Laparoscopic surgery that you also do as well. Does that mean that is that in connection with fertility and increased the ability to create better outcomes through surgery as well or what tell us.
About that question?
Question?
Tell us about.
That I got there. It does. I mean fertility. We've got this amazing treatment which is IVF and it's and it's very good, not not you know, not a full proof treatment, but it's a very good treatment for all types of fertility issues. But you know, fertility surgery still is a big part of what we do if we can restore fertility, if we can if we can get someone fertile for all of their children, not just sort of you know, I V each time, that's always a
more desirable goal. You need to take into the counter age and other aspects. So now I do you're quite a bit of surgery and to be trust, very common cause of infertility. It doesn't always cause infertility, but it is a common cause of infertility. So a lot of the surgery do is around that serve.
Involved broadly speaking, because what is endomor indoms.
Where the it's where the inside lining of the uteriss grows on the outside, and it can cause inflammation, scarring, pain, It can distort the anatomy, you know, it's like glue. Everything gets stuck together, and those power organs that the ovaries and tubes shouldn't be sort of moving gently in the know, the wash of the ocean, you know, like sort of seaweed, and also can create a very inflammatory environment. And so enderbitrisis is incredibly inflammatory and affects all part
of the fertility process. That the egg getting to the tube, the tube getting the egg getting fertilized by the sperm, the sperm getting to the egg, and then the ember are getting down the tube. So you know, depending on how bad it is, it may affect it in different ways. Yeah, but it's you know, it's a very common problem, and it may be you know, there may be co problems, there may be other issues, but for many patients, that is their only issue.
So I have a suspicion that the answer to this question is what's more more straightforward than I want to suggest, But we are having declining fertility rates. Is that, broadly speaking, just because we're all having kids later or there are there many other issues that you can paid a broader picture with that. When it comes to fertility, I.
Think it's a I think you know, there's lots of different reasons for it. It's a big issue. I was at a conference conference recently in the Philippines and this was a big part of the talk there, and a lot of a lot of the Southeast Asian countries have
got incredibly low fertility rates. So you know, we all need to be having two point one or two point two children to maintain the population, and in countries like South Korea they're down at point point eight to eight, you know, really, you know, I think tai one was the lowest at point eight seven. Japan's been low for a long time, one point one point three. So yeah,
it is a big issue. And you know, always reflect on sort of movies in the seventies eighties, and it was always like overpopulation and you know, not enough resources, and it seems like the opposite has happened. We're actually you know, struggling to maintain our economies by lack of populations.
So yeah, I mean, yeah, I carry on, no, carry on.
So I think there's lots of factors. I think it's you know, people are having kids later, people are more educated, you know, gender imbalances, they don't want to you know, you know, woman taking time out to have children put them lower down the you know that sort of chain or sort of you know hierarchy of going up that chain cost you know, having kids as expensive, fertility treatments
expensive and reduce family size. You know. I think I always remember I'm the I'm the youngest of three and my mum was twenty nine when she had me, and she was like the oldest one in the hospital in Hamilton.
And pretty chicken.
Yeah, I know. And I've got three kids and my wife was thirty when we had our first, so you know, it's a total reversal.
Yeah, what about the basics sperm counts. I remember when we were going through we had fertility treatment for our first and one of the facts that came out forgetting my own sperm count and all that sort of stuff.
No want to.
Overshare, but historically speaking, I think I read somewhere that sperm counts on average are way way down.
Is that actually right compared to like post.
War Yeah, I think there is. There's been quite a lot of reports out about that, and you know, it's probably a bunch of things. I think there's a lot more testing done than I've come back, So I think I do wonder. I do sort of wonder if that sort of plays into it. I've got a lot more information, but you know, it's probably to do with, you know, stuff in our environment. There's something called indign denstructors like plastics that can affect all different parts of health, and
they probably affect our fertility health as well. So I don't know a lot about why, but I think that is a common area of concern. Yeah.
Yeah, I had a layman under thinking that after a war there's this sort of biological need to reproduce or something, and maybe that played a part of it. But I'm making that completely up just as my own.
I mean, it's interesting, you know why there was such a baby boom in the fifties and stuff, you know, box of shorts.
I mean, that is part of it, isn't it. You If guys, if you, if you're talking to the mail in the in the equation, is that still the advice? It's like, what do you wear? Boxes or briefs? Get rid of the briefs, get into the boxes, give the boy.
I don't. I don't. Some of those things become a little bit of eban myth, I say, I think, and I must have better. I don't inquire about people's underwear.
I was given some advice to actually the person I won't say who it was, but she was fantastic. But she she said, look, we don't know too much about this, but probably wouldn't hurt.
It wouldn't hurt.
Yeah, I mean, I think that's right. A lot of this stuff is around that that it wouldn't hurt, you know, sort of removing potential barriers rather than us having extremely strong evidence of benefits. I don't. I always think about cyclists, you know, people that come in cycling, and you think, well, they're sitting on their testicles and they must get pretty pretty pretty hot. But I don't know of any studies to show cyclists have more infertility really that I'm aware of. Yeah,
I not. There may be, but not that I'm aware of. But it'd be a very difficult study to run, wouldn't it. But I think it's about those things are small, and when you're looking at having a baby, you just, I guess you just want to do every little thing thing you can do which doesn't have a huge impact on the way you're managing your life. So you know, maybe trying to keep the testicles a bit cooler is not
a bad idea. We know that some people, some men can have varicacials, which are sort of dilated veins at the top of the testicle, and we think that may impact on on the testacles and the sperm in terms of heat. You know, therese more hot blood beer, so that you know, does lead into that same sort of discussion around you know, underwear boxes versus briefs.
But boxes now because they look better. I think we've got used to saying, you know, because we've seen Granddad and the briefs and it's like, no whatever, whatever avoids that. Look, I'm going with the boxes.
I don't know. I'm with you you, okay.
Well, are there things that in New Zealand we because I think we might be short of a few vital sort of minerals from what I understand, do the supplements make a difference?
And if so?
And actually we can talk about Obviously I'm a bloke, so I'm focused on blokes things. But let's face it, as the women who have the babies, what are the things that couples can do diet wise or supplement wise or anything that can you know, they want to have a want to have a child. Is there are there things they can be doing which are going to smooth the path.
Yeah, it's a good question. Look, I think that I'm quite pragmatic about this, and you know, you couldn't sort of take the approach of no alcohol, no this, no, that cut it all out. And perhaps that is, you know, the safest thing to do. But I don't think we need to take all of those fun things out of our lives, you know, having a glass of wine, you know,
having a cup of coffee. Just go for it. You know, there's no evidence that that sensible intake of things like you know, alcohol and coffee is going to you know, mental toe of fertility. I think, you know, don't smoke. That's an easy one, you know, smoking and vaping as well. Vaping seems to be the new smoking. We'll certainly that sort we see and and we know that that we'll
have an impact on fertility. You know when we take when there's been studies to show that the eggs are within a follicle on the ovary, and when they take out the fluid from the from the follicle, we can actually encounter, you know, see some of those smoking toxins in there, which is kind of when you think about it.
That which what'd say that again.
So follicles a little cyst on the ovary and that's where the where the egg resides. So when when it ovulates, the follicle bursts and the egg comes out. So when we're doing IVF and we stimulate the ovaries, we have a whole bunch of follicles come about so we actually suck the fluid out of the out of those little cysts, out of those little follicles, and hopefully get the egg. But you can actually sort of analyze the fluid and
and sort of see what's there. And there's been studies shown that you know, cigarette toxins are in that, so it's you know, it's.
Well if actually that would instantly put me off vaping, if I was a woman and thinking of because I mean, you've just given such I mean it sounds almost makes me cross my legs, isn't it. But we're talking about a tiny microscopic level.
But it's there. You go, there's science for you.
Yeah, no, it's exactly. It's kind of it's kind of crazy when you think about it that way. Supplements, I again take a very pragmatic approach there. I think there are no fertility superfoods. I mean, I think for millennia people have said you should eat this, you shouldn't eat that. I think if you've got a vaguely healthy, balanced diet, then that is fine. I don't think that a multi vitamin there's no evidence that it's helpful for fertility. Lots of people do it. I don't never want to make
anyone feel silly about what they're doing. They go crazy, go for it, but I think, you know, just eating a sensible, healthy diet is enough for men. There is some evidence that antioxidants for them and it and easin is helpful if men.
Is selenium one of them.
I don't know much about that. I'm afraid I couldn't.
I was told about that we had a we had an insufficiency of selenium in our soils or something.
So yeah, well I think maybe, I mean, yeah, I think that's right. But you know, to sort of connect that to improving someone's fertility is it's there's a lot between, you know, those two points to actually make a strong connection. We know that for men having IVF, where they have a sort of low spim counc or low motility, then antioxidants may be helpful. And I think people have extrapolated from that, well it might help us get pregnant at home,
and there isn't evidence to support that. But again, go for it, you know, Okay, yeah, no harm.
Okay, we're going to take a break now. If you've got any questions for Simon McDowell, Doctor Som McDonell, he's a fertility expert.
And you've got any.
Questions, even if you're asking for a friend, then we'd love to hear from you. On eight hundred eighty ten eighty, we're going to continue having a chat about the best way you can prepare yourself for having a baby, getting pregnant being the first stage of it. Give us a call eight hundred eighty ten eighty And as I say, the text is nine two nine two, The lines are open. It's twenty six past five News Talks d B.
Well, yes, there we go.
I think that is I think this is sexual Healing by Marvin Gay, isn't it, Joseph, Yes, that's correct. We're talking to fertility and yes, that is possibly the most common way of conceiving these days, but we are if you don't if it's not necessarily the only way, And that's why we're having a chat with Simon mcdoal, fertility expert. I think we're gonna have to next time you're on the show, Simon, we're gonna just to keep on rolling out the sort of smooth you know, let's get it
on sort of tunes. I think, hey, how much does stress pay pay a negative or non part in conceiving.
Yeah, it's a good it's a common question we get asked, and and it's and it's quite a I mean, we can't measure stress, and and I can't if I say, hey, just stop stressing, that's kind of the most un helpful comment you can make. So I think that, you know, I think stress is not good for us for lots
of different reasons. But it's very difficult to manage. You know, if someone's you know, worried they're not getting pregnant because of their stressful job, well stop working, and then you don't have money to pay the bills, so then it becomes stressful. So I think that we just have to manage those things as much as we can. I certainly would never say to someone I think you're having miscarriage or struggling because of stress. You know, I had one
patient once tell me. If one more person tells me just go on holiday, that's what worked for us, I'm going to stab them. And you know, sometimes I think we you know, even when we try and hop out our friends and family that are struggling to say, look, you just got to stop worrying about it. You know, when we stop thinking about it that's when it happened. Look, I think there's people and war zones around the world getting pregnant every day, you know, And I think stress
is something we just have to manage and avoid. But I would resist putting an element of blame to it, if that makes sense.
I think actually I've got a text here just saying does And I wonder if this ties into who knows? But it seems that here's the question, does having your first baby make it easier to conceive the second? Because I mean, I mean I can only go from our example is that first child was you know, a journey. Second child was upon us before we knew it, And I just I just wondered if there is any biological, physiological reason that once you had a child.
Yeah, it's a question I've been asked a number of times, and I don't know of any sort of scientific answer for that. I think that you know, if you've been trying to get pregnant for twelve months, you know, compared to thirty six months, well the person that's been having unprotected six for thirty six months will have more pregnancies than the person here has twelve. So I think the more and more and more people try, I think, the
more the chances are that they may become pregnant. But yeah, I don't know if having a baby loosens the lid, if that makes sense. But it's a very very common sort of question out there. Yeah, any scientific plausibility.
Okay, because I'm going to ask some dumb lay questions because I can, because if I have something silly, it doesn't matter because I don't know. So here's something I'm just building on what you said that you talk about people having sex for thirty six months rather than just twelve.
Is there anything and that when you are in your twenties, your sex driver is higher and you actually are probably doing it to have a lot more than people who are trying to conceive a little later, and so they have the numbers game on their side as well because simply they're doing it more.
Perhaps, I mean, that is a theory idea I can't I can't confier will deny it.
I mean, I guess you're talking about thirty six months of having sex. Yeah, if you're I don't know frequency.
Younger people get pregnant more readily than older people. You know, it is harder to get pregnant as you become older, and that impact is far more apparent woman than men. You know, so I think you know, you know, a couple of twenty year olds trying to get pregnant, even if the guy has got a bit of a low spem count, you know, probably there's some high quality sperm there and some high quality eggs, and then faly is likely to meet me.
Yeah, okay, I mean, of course, any question I asked could be the sort of question you've been asked by a client as well. Anyway, I like a patient, should I say.
Not that one?
But really? Oh?
Okay, no, no, that's it's a good theory. I haven't thought about it.
So come back to me next time. Next time you're on what are the birth rates?
These are?
We're getting through quite a few texts on this one. How a second, I'm just going through because we've got a lot of got Okay, Simon, is there a best time to get pregnant? And also is there an age where being an age that would be bad for getting pregnant? Well, I would imagine as you get older, but the best time to get pregnant so we want.
Yeah, So for a fertility specialist, the only answer I can give is the best time to get pregnant was yesterday, you know, given those eight related factors as we talked about. So I mean a concept I'd like people, you know, really to think about as planning for their last child.
We see a lot of couples where, you know, they got their first child, you know, no worries, sort of thirty five, thirty six, but by the time they're trained for their second or perhaps their thirds, you know, the thirty eighth, thirty nine, and they've just reached a tipping point where it's very, very difficult. So flipping it around and thinking all right, hey we might want two kids, or we hey we might even want three, so we really have to think about or how old are we
going to be, if that makes sense. I think if people want two kids and even the possibility of a third, I think trying for your first by your early thirties ideally, you know, would be what the recommendation I would give.
Yeah, if you're thinking about it, start having a go yeah, okay, look, don't listen to me. People will listen to listen. Assignment on this one. Okay, what are the birth rates in comparison first world to third world?
Do we have any data on that.
Yeah, I think they. You know, the third world is definitely higher. I don't. You know. All of the sets I've got around the replacement rates are really from those first world countries, you know, Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, stuff like that, that are are very low. I think that there are still challenges in some of those other other countries, but it's certainly the sort of propping up the world population probably.
I know from the study from some of the stuff I've got Vietnam has one of the sort of high high batility rates compared to many of the other southeastising countries. And why that is I don't know.
But data on how old people are when they're having babies in those countries.
There is, but I don't have it. You don't have to younger, but it's young absolutely, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
And in first world countries, we're people have careers they want to pursue. I mean, logically, there are some logical deductions you can sort of make. I guess, can't you that? And OECD countries where women have careers they want to pursue and they might put it off a bit, it would make sense. I guess that there might be that would be reflected in birth statistics.
Is that right? Or no?
Oh? Absolutely? I think you know the you know, it wasn't that long ago. You kind of got married, you bought a house, and then you had a kid and you started your family, and you know that's how hard is that now? You know? Really difficult?
Oh well, the house thing, I mean we blame the housing market for Actually that sounds a ridiculous thing to say, but if we were doing a more broader talk back topic, you could say, how much is you know, put your ambitions to buy a house affecting on your chances of having a baby when you want it?
It is? It's huge. I mean, I think, you know, having kids is expensive, and I think if we want to really try and improve utility rates, it's you know, there are sort of financial factors and encomic factors we need to look at. I mean, an interesting thing to think about is as people have less kids and the average age of the population increases, we have more people not paying taxes, and you know that will have economic consequences which really can be quite quite substantial.
Okay, I put a few I want to put a few urban myths to rest.
If in fact, they are urban myths.
So for guys, does saving up abstaining help you with having yeah, you know, delivering a high number of sperm?
Yep? So men, So the less you ejaculate, lest you ejaculate, the volume increases, but the volume also includes more dead and dying sperm. Okay, So the more you ejaculate, the lower the volume of the ejaculate, but the better the quality of the sperm. So we actually have no data to show that having you know, sex bloody three times a day versus you know, every day is so sort of once once or twice a week is potentially any different.
A good rule of thumb should be ejaculating two or three times a week, you know, so they should be over that sperm. So saving it up as something we would recommend avoiding.
Okay, good, I mean that was actually the advice I got was to get cracking.
Yeah, that's right.
I'm sorry. If people are having your dinner early, and you know, somebody sent me a text same ham having my dinner right now, it's like we're only talking biology here, people, We're not talking.
Explicit stuff anyway, Just to deal with it.
But that that's that was the advice that. In fact, Yeah, I just thought I put that out there because I have spoken to a lot of guys who think, oh, you know, and their first question, which was dispelled by the expert they spoke to, was no, no, no, it's not a case of saving up for a rainy day. Let's get into it. That's right, Okay, got lots of questions here. I guess the is I'm fleshing out this question from Sally. It's saying, talk about the emotional stress on couples, struggling and all that.
Yeah, and I.
Does the emotional it's tied into the stress thing, simon. I guess about if you are getting really emotional about things, Okay, that's a mental health issue. But does that impact on fertility? And I'm guessing we don't know.
Look, I think in terms of the impact on fertility, you know, from a stats point of view, would probably be quite difficult. But the emotional burden, the burden of treatment, the burden of failure, the burden of miscarriages is absolutely huge. And and those things can you know, become cumulative. I think you know the rate of people splitting up through fertility treatment, you know, it's much higher than those not having fertility treatment. So you know, it takes its toll
on people in lots of different ways. And I think, you know, the wider friends and family as well. I mean, you know, the more we talk about it, it's great, you know, but also it can be very hard for the for our closest you know, the closest people to us, because they really want us to have that, you know, that that thing we want, which is a t older a family, and so it's hard to measure, but it's it's significant.
Yeah, because I think that advice you talked about when you talked about the best time to get pregnant is yesterday is and I have spoken to you know, we're given the battle that we had at firstly I was talking to other people about when when suddenly you were under almost under prescription too try hard for a baby, and that can put a lot of pressure on a relationship because it's, you know, something that felt like it should be just in the moment of you know, in
a relationship suddenly became something like we've you know, it's Wednesday night, We've got all it's.
You know, And that that is a.
Tough one, isn't it, Because you still want people to try and conceive naturally if they can.
That's right, And I guess it's the cruel reality, isn't it, you know, of the situation. And I guess you know, people taking time to you know, to remember the stuff outside of fertility, and it is really important. But you know, we're a living, busy lives, and you know, I guess things can sometimes end up on a bit of a schedule for many many of our patients.
How easy is it to work out because when a woman's ovulating.
Yeah, it's a good question. And look, I think there's lots of apps out there and people use urine cats and stuff and go for it. People go crazy. But we would recommend people just to have regular, unprotected sex. You know, I think trying to time it carefully is not you know, in a way, it doesn't make sense. You know, we also get told when we're teenagers, hey,
we're a condom. You know you'll get pregnant. And some of our mates, did you know they didn't get pregnant when the condo brookes once or they're just a bit useless once. So to go from that you have to sort of really carefully time it. You know, those are so very different ends of the spectrum. So some people are some woman a lot of ovulator ratically as well, their cycle won't be consistent. It may range, you know,
seventeen days even more. So, you know, trying to pinpoint ovulation in some situations, I think people may actually, you know, they only they really sort of focus on having sex in this period and maybe they do actually miss the boat because it's a later ovulation. So if you haven't sex two or three times a week, you know, regardless where you're at in the cycle, you will get the timing right. Okay, So I think you know that's a
general thumb. You know, you use your apps, look at all that kind of stuff, but you still want to be having sex broadly at least twill three times a week.
What about I remember this advert years ago. It ended up with the line and folic acid for reproduction, and somebody's texted me about folic acid. What what's the role of follic acid for?
Just to prevent spina bifitter so spina bist an narsty or neuritube defect, quite an narsty spinal condition. It doesn't help people become pregnant, but it's really more of a public health measure. Those who are taking folic acid preconceptually will have lower rates of spina bifida. I believe in New Zealand we don't fortify our breed with fol eight. So I think that's that's part of I don't know too much about that, but yeah, it's it's purely to
reduce that id and when you are pregnant. A lot of people take it beforehand, but it's really when you are pregnant for sort of help development of the fetal brain.
But well, these about but these are I mean, these are important things to know because a lot of people, you know, they love the pink Himalayan sort of sultan things. It's like, well, that's not I dosed. I mean salts where we get iding from generally? Isn't it all vitamins?
That's exactly right, Yeah, no, exactly. Yeah.
That's just just one last question, because time has flown. What are the treatments that are available now? Are there any specific things that stand out to you that have changed that changed the game for people who might twenty years ago have struggled to conceive in terms of YE fertility associates.
Yeah, so, I mean, our standout performer in terms of treatment has been IVF. You know, IVF has continued to increase in success rates and become more refined. You know, it is our kind of you know itsel that's our higher paid player on the team, if that makes sense.
So things like insemination remain very simple, if anything, probably you know, we've found that early recourse to IVF treatment and many situations is he so actually sort of being brave enough to talk to our patients and actually say, hey, look, IVF. You know it is your best your best step. You know there are other options or you know this all that, but this, this will be people's best best option. So you know, I think it's forty years since we're the
first child born in New Zealand with IVF. I think that was not too long ago, and forty five the first child born in England. So you know, it's it's been a massive, amazing colesion of technology and knowledge.
Yeah, hey, Simon, thanks so much for joining us.
And people can reach you in Wellington and I think you wake for Field Clinic as part of Fertility Associates, right, and I think.
We're on the we're on the TIRA, so Fertility Associates Wellington on the tear.
The wrong wrong address there.
Sorry, I do some work there as well.
Good stuff.
So yeah, ready music probably shouldn't said that.
I think you can mention so much for thanks so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate it.
No worries. Thanks very dumb.
Yeah, good, we'll catch you again.
That's something from Fertility Associates and you know, if you if you wanted to speak to a doctor, then give them a call. And anyway, we'll be back in just a moment to wrap sport with Elliot Smith, who is next. Yes, that wraps up the parents squad actually, because now it is that time of day at eleven minutes to six.
Good weekend, collective sports.
Rat and look he's in the studio. I wish we had the cameras on because he's pretty in pink today Elliot Smith and now Elliott I just need you to acknowledge that I did predict. It's not over yet, but I did predict the Warriors would come back and beat the Broncos.
Yeah, it is half time and they lead sixteen six over the Broncos this afternoon at Mount Smart Stadium. You did predict it. Yeah, congratulations, there are still forty minutes to go.
I did call the Chiefs and the Blues at the other week.
You said the Blues would win comfortably in the final.
If I recall right, And I also predicted that the Titans would beat the Warriors.
You did, and so you're on track for three from three.
I just wish I had the money on it.
Yeah, you should have. You should have look id caution to say there are still forty minutes to go, and in a Warriors game, there is plenty of time for the game to go one of two directions. So we wait and see. But a very good start from the Warriors. A couple of tries from Chanelle Harris Tavita could have been a third. I just had one ruled out before halftime. But sixteen six at the break, you'd take that from
the Warriors' perspective against the Broncos. So, yes, they're missing some their State of origin players who are being rested this week coming off the game on Wednesday night, but buying large, a pretty good start from the Warriors.
Actually, I guess who cares who they're resting. What matters is on the pitches.
Two points is up for grabs, so that's what you need to do, and these are the games to the Warriors perspective that you need to win. Coming off the back of that humiliation last week on the Gold Coast, they need to balance back and all the signs are pretty positive so far this afternoon.
Yeah.
I always find it one of the more fatuous sort of discussions that you hear about who's missing from the field in sport, because it's like, Okay, you do it briefly and let's move on to who's on the pitch.
Yeah, that's right. Although I think in the NL it is important because you've got the state of origin period where some teams do get weakened by things, and this traditionally has been a very strong period for the Warriors, where they go through last week obviously belted by the and they're playing a Broncos, you know, a team dominated by state of origin players. There are a few players out. But having said that, you know it's the same as
week one of the competition. There are still two points for a win, so do you take those if you get in the saft Now.
We've had the all blacks named and the captain all that sort of thing, when it's actually the when's the first game for the All Blacks.
This time next week, well not exactly this time next week sevenar five, next Saturday night against England in Dunedin.
That is actually hitting the ground running, isn't it.
How are England looking?
England have had a game under their belts. They played Japan last week relatively comfortable. Then obviously they've had the Six Nations a bit earlier on in the years, So if you're comparing the two, you know, new slate for the All Blacks versus England coming in with a bit more time under their belts, then that's obviously a benefit for England. They're in the country at the moment, training away and so you know, I guess it's we'll find out next Saturday night.
Won't be very much.
Looking forward to it.
And of course the Mario Blacks they're playing.
Japan tonight, so that's at ten o'clock over in Japan, so that's another one with a lot of those players. And that Mex just coming off the Super Roggy playoffs and now into multi All Blacks mode. They haven't had a lot of time together. I mean that squad was only selected on Tuesday. They're now playing it game on Saturday night, which is quite remarkable, isn't it So the quivery, quick turnaround for the moldy All Blacks.
But they're looking as a team.
What's the selections looking strike?
Yeah, I mean there's got the strong base of a few players that missed out on All Black selection, a few players that perhaps you know, you don't know too much about. Is the case sometimes of the moldy All Blacks that you have to dig a little bit deeper to find moldy heritage in certain positions. But really looking forward to watching that game tonight. All Blacks played Japans that later on in the year, so interesting to get
a prac on on how things are tracking. But yeah, the big game for the All Blacks next Saturday night seven or five. Life here on News Talks.
Absolutely I'm looking forward to hearing your call on that, Elliott, And good to see you mate, Thanks for coming home, Thank you.
There we go, Elliott Smith, the voice of.
Rugby and Carago Chicken before get.
And thanks so much for listening and stay tuned for Roman Travers.
He's got a special, very special guest joining him to take calls about his stories and incredible career. Barry Holland will be in with from seven to eight with Roman Travers and join us again tomorrow. We've got Davis similar O'Connors.
Or what was I saying?
It was about to give the wrong Samin Brown? What has I had the wrong name for singing? The Ministry of Minister of Transports joining us. Enjoy your night, We'll catch you soon and have a great evening.
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