# The Times article - Prof Winston



## Anabelle

hi everyone

wasnt sure where to put this, quite interesting, about the trauma of infertility

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1918417,00.html

A
x

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## Fidget

Hi Anabelle

Great article thanks

Debs
xxxxxxxx


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## candle76

Thanks, will pass it on to friends ands family anything to try to get them to understand

Candle


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## Rachelbee

That's very interesting, thanks for posting it!

Rachel x


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## Kamac80

Thanks hun very interesting

Kate xx


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## Baxy

That man talks a lot of sense!!

Thanks for posting it

xxx


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## Ruthieshmoo

WOW that has made me feel far more Human... was beggining to worry about myself!

Shall definatly pass it on to family and friends so they understand!
R xx


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## Edna

Well I always thought Robert Winston was a thoughtful kind man. Interesting way of looking at things and good that he has a voice and is using it on our behalf.


Edna


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## jayb

Oh so true
Thanks Anabelle

Jaybxx


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## allison kate

He has captured the essence on Infertility bang on.  Hopefully it will make some people sit up and take note.

Thanks for posting it Anabelle


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## *Jenny*

i agree with this article, however, my DH has had cancer and to be honest comparing it to that is a bit worrying,. Yes as the article said a lot of cancer patients now a days do have hope of surviving but in most cases the price for survival is their fertility. Among a lot of other long term affects. I am not saying that he is wrong, but it does not seem to include the amount of people on this site that have become infertile through cancer treatments. however, i think for people to read that article who don't know about infertility it does get the point across to them.

Jenny and DH


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## flowerpot

xxx


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## Flopsy

Hi girls,

It's a very good article but as Jenny pointed out there are a few of us here with cancer and infertility. It is true that we coped better with the cancer than the infertility. however, they may be because my DH is still alive.

Thanks to Professor Winston for making some very good points and explaining his opinion so well.

With love to all from,


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## HollyB

I think the article has all the right sentiments and I agree that fertility treatment and support for infertility in this country is a shambles. However, having lost my father to cancer I think the comparison is crass. Nothing I have suffered during infertility can compare to that pain and loss.


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## chezza

Hi

I think that possibly Robert Winston means to compare infertility to cancer in that it 
is a condition that causes great trauma to those who find themselves with fertility problems, which I think is good, although I can see that those who have suffered loss due to cancer would no doubt think this is inapropriate.

I do have a friend who had ovarian cancer at age 19 and she had already lost her mother to it when she was only 15 and she did say to me that the worst part of the diagnosis at that time for her was that the treatment would leave her infertile, which surprised her.  She did fully recover from cancer (apart from her fertility) and is now in her 50's.

At least it has raised the point of the governments lack of funding for treatments.

Cheryl x


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## TessaF

Having been ttc for over 3 years now with failed treatments etc I can understand where he is coming from re emotional aspect of IF.  I lost my mum to cancer ten years ago and think that a lot of the emotions we went through as a family are similar IF - it is the daily not knowing what the long term outlook is that is the hardest to deal with.  However, it is also true that IF is not a terminal illness as cancer can be so shouldn't really be placed in the same category, but i think in Winston's defence he is refering to the toll on the mental health of IF sufferers, some of whom may well find their journey too hard to cope with.  In this respect he is right to try and raise the profile of that suffering because as we all know most of the time the grief is hidden behind closed doors and can have a terrible toll on your mental health and your relationships.  My DH suffered from depression last year, brought on by the prospect of IF treatments etc and thankfully we have finally come through the other side, although I think we are both now more aware of how delicate the balance is between feeling low and becoming clinically depressed over tx.

If IF was not such a personal subject perhaps we would all be better at discussing our feelings in public, but I personally find it reallly difficult to do that because I feel I am allowing virtual strangers into a part of my life that in normal circumstances would be shared only with my DH.  Because of this I am grateful to articles like this that can speak for us - I have emailed it to friends already!

So thanks for posting link!!!


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## ELFIE

I agree with many of the points Prof Winston makes-I dont think he should have made any comparisons to having cancer though.

I have found that there is little recognition by doctors/consultants etc of the emotional despair that dealing with fertility problems brings.They just want to talk about the clinical side of things and a lot of them have no interest whatsoever in the stress ,frustration and depression that we all feel from time to time.I was so surprised and shocked by the lack of empathy and communication skills that my consultant possessed.

The state of fertility treatment in this country is a shambles-it's a postcode lottery and a lot more money needs to be invested-not only in the medical/research side of things but in the emotional side of fertility treatment too.

Elfie.


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