Newlife IVF’s millenary milestone

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It’s a proud moment for us because when we established our clinic four years ago, we set out to provide patients with the highest standard of fertility care.

‘When starting Newlife IVF, I was very conscious of the people I surrounded myself with – I wanted to work alongside people who had been practising in their respective fields for many years and had significant experience, but who saw and wanted an opportunity to do things differently and injected our shared values into our work,’ said Dr Tiki Osianlis, Newlife IVF’s Managing Director and Scientific Director.

And we did just that! Our six founding doctors, including Dr Osianlis, Dr Chris Russell, Dr Nicole Hope, Dr Sameer Jatkar, Dr Hugo Fernandes and Associate Professor Martin Healey, already had a wealth of knowledge and experience at the time. So, they paired their expertise with a unique offering for the TTC (trying to conceive) community, centred around a more personalised, caring and supportive experience for couples and individuals wanting to begin or expand their families. Their intention was to create a service that enabled them to navigate the fertility journey alongside their patients.

Fertility specialists Dr Hugo Fernandes, Dr Sameer Jatkar and Dr Nicole Hope posing with a cake while celebrating the clinic's 1,000th baby milestone.

Staying true to this ethos has propelled Newlife IVF to where it is today – four years of scientific excellence accompanied by the gift of new life (1,000 new lives, to be exact!).

Helping others grow their families is what we do best

We’re pretty chuffed to have reached this momentous occasion. So, too, are the new parents of our 1,000th baby, Jess T and Luke.

‘We feel so privileged to be a part of this incredible milestone! It is amazing to think of how many families have been created thanks to Newlife IVF, and we will be forever thankful to count ourselves and our precious baby Liam among that number,’ said Jess T.

Like many parents-to-be, Jess T and Luke’s fertility journey came with challenges. ‘We had been trying to conceive for over a year without any success, including an early miscarriage. Friends of ours had also experienced infertility and recommended Dr Chris Russell and Newlife IVF. From our first consultation with Chris, we immediately felt like we were in good hands and that this would be our best chance to fulfil our dream of starting a family,’ she said.

It’s no secret that the path to parenthood is peppered with emotional highs and lows. For this reason, our team go above and beyond to help our patients feel supported, empowered, informed and in control throughout every step of their fertility journey.

‘Chris always made Luke and I feel like valued patients. He respected our input and preferences, and we always left our appointments feeling comfortable about the next course of action. Our counsellor also helped to put my mind at ease throughout my IVF journey. It was comforting knowing that I had extra support if I needed it,’ said Jess T.

Fertility treatment is more than just science

Fertility care hinges on more than just using the latest scientific tools and techniques (although we have those, too!). Rather, an exceptional fertility experience involves developing an empathetic and trustworthy relationship with your fertility provider. Just ask Jess S and Tim, who have recently conceived their third IVF baby with help from Dr Russell and the Newlife IVF team. In fact, they’ve been with us from the very beginning.

‘When we began our fertility journey with Chris, we didn’t know Newlife was only a month old. The care and support we received from the whole team was nothing short of exceptional. We always felt like we were in good hands’, said Jess S.

‘When we first saw Chris, we were so overwhelmed with grief and fear of potentially never being able to have a baby. We didn’t understand what was ahead of us. Chris was kind, gentle and understanding of all these emotions,’ she said.
The patient-doctor relationship grew from strength to strength, with Jess S and Tim returning to our clinic for babies two and three.

‘There was so much fear and anxiety when we first started the IVF process. But the staff at Newlife were so supportive and encouraging. The care and advocacy they provided was above and beyond. When we returned for our second and third transfers, we knew we would be looked after each time. And we were! Every time we’ve gone back to see Chris, it felt like we never left. He knew our journey, understood what we wanted for our family and supported us. I’m now halfway through my third pregnancy and feel like part of the furniture,’ said Jess S.

The Newlife IVF team celebrating the clinic's 1,000th baby milestone

Empathy lies at the heart of Newlife IVF

So it’s been four years of Newlife IVF, with 1,000 babies born, and many more to go. We feel extremely privileged to be part of our patients’ fertility journeys and are proud of all that we’ve achieved for them.

‘It’s immensely rewarding to help any patient achieve their dream family, but to help Jess and Tim have three babies in quick succession, and 1,000 babies in all over our first four years, really highlights the excellence that we are aiming for and achieving at Newlife IVF,’ said Dr Russell.

As we continue doing what we do best (building families and supporting our patients), we remain dedicated to offering you a more personalised, caring and supportive experience to bring you joy at the end of your journey with us.

So, here’s to the next thousand and all that follow thereafter!

Take the next step towards a new life

If you’re ready to begin your fertility journey, call us on (03) 8080 8933 or book online via our appointments page.

World-class study sheds light on schooling outcomes of IVF children

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Understanding the long-term outcomes of IVF

Now, more than ever, couples and individuals are using fertility treatments such as IVF to begin or expand their families. In fact, 1 in 18 babies born in Australia are now conceived using IVF (as reported in 2020).1 Practically, this represents one to two children in every classroom.

Given the steady rise in IVF use throughout recent years, we must gain a deeper understanding of the long-term outcomes for these children, particularly regarding their developmental and educational milestones. Therefore, as part of my PhD research, I sought to discover if IVF-conceived children were at greater risk of developmental and educational delays than naturally conceived children.

The scientific proof is in the pudding

In the largest IVF-related Australian study, we assessed the schooling outcomes of 412,713 children aged between four and nine years (born between 2005 and 2014). The Australian Early Developmental Census (AEDC) – which examines physical health and wellbeing, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, communication skills and general knowledge – was used to assess developmental trends in children at school entry. Additionally, the National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test measured educational outcomes such as grammar and punctuation, reading, writing, spelling and numeracy, in grade 3.

The results from our study are reassuring to current and prospective parents and fertility specialists – we found equal developmental and educational outcomes between IVF and naturally conceived children. In fact, our findings indicated that IVF-conceived children performed slightly better in one learning domain, demonstrating they are more adept at writing than their peers.2 This suggests that school-based achievement is not adversely affected by IVF status.

Further to this, our results contradict previous studies that reported poorer school performance among IVF-conceived children. However, it’s worth noting that IVF technologies have evolved and advanced considerably since these studies, which date back to 2001. Therefore, our findings are more generalisable to modern-day fertility practice.

Results that set your mind at ease

Worry and anxiety are common in parenthood. However, these reassuring findings provide current and prospective parents with one less cause for concern. This robust analysis and large dataset have shown no link between IVF conception and adverse developmental outcomes for school-aged children, confirming that Australian IVF children have the same early childhood and schooling outcomes as their peers. While further research is needed to explore other long-term implications for IVF children, these results are encouraging and a good news story overall.

 

  1. Newman JE, Paul RC, Chambers GM. Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2020. Sydney: National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2022. ↩︎
  2. Kennedy AL, Vollenhoven BJ, Hiscock RJ, et al. School-age outcomes among IVF-conceived children: A population-wide cohort study. PLoS Med, 2023;20(1): e1004148. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004148 ↩︎

Newlife IVF is Climate Active certified!

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Our efforts to implement sustainable business practices that reduce our carbon footprint have allowed us to become members of a community of progressive organisations known as the Climate Active network. This Australian initiative represents our nation’s collective effort to measure, reduce and offset carbon emissions that contribute to global warming.

What it means to be Climate Active

We’re serious about sustainability and addressing climate change – so much so that we’ve become a carbon-neutral organisation. This means that we’ve calculated our carbon emissions and have taken action to remove the equivalent amount of carbon that our business produces from the earth’s atmosphere. We’re also continuing to look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint even further.

Improvements we’ve made so far include introducing a recycling program to limit our waste. We’ve converted paper-based processes to digital workflows and, in doing so, have become a 95% paperless business. We also opt for reusable and environmentally friendly products whenever possible while sourcing as many materials as we can from Climate Active certified suppliers. Our electricity is now sourced from a carbon-neutral energy retailer, and we have also invested in Australian and international emission reduction projects.

To ensure that we remain accountable and on track, we’ve assigned ‘climate champions’ to each business department who are responsible for increasing environmental awareness and driving behavioural change in line with our sustainability goals. Collectively, these initiatives will help our business remain Climate Active, while also working towards our future ambitions of further reducing carbon emissions year after year.

How will these changes affect our fertility care?

They won’t! We may have developed a green thumb, but it’s business as usual, and Newlife IVF will continue to offer an exceptional standard of fertility care at an affordable price.

There is, however, a broader implication for our patients – this certification helps you identify brands and businesses working towards a bright and sustainable future. Therefore, you can choose to work with Climate Active organisations that are doing their part to support climate leadership and sustainable business practices.

Change happens when we all play our part, and we are proud of the efforts we have made so far to combat climate change.

Learn more about Newlife IVF’s accreditations.

Climate Active Accreditation logo

Your fertility treatment and COVID-19, including vaccination advice

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Is IVF treatment going ahead?

The current restrictions to non-elective surgery that led to the suspension of some IVF services in Victoria will be lifted from 11.59pm on Tuesday 25 January 2022. This means that IVF stimulation cycles can resume from 26 January 2022. However, as the 26th is a public holiday, in-clinic procedures such as egg collection will effectively resume on 27 January 2022. Please contact your fertility nurse on Day 1 to check in as you usually would.

In the meantime, all other procedures continue as planned, including IVF cycles that commenced prior to 6 January 2022, frozen embryo transfers (FET), intrauterine insemination (IUI), ovulation induction, urgent medical egg freezing (e.g. due to impending cancer treatment), semen analyses and sperm freezing.

Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I’m undergoing fertility treatment or IVF?

Yes. Based on advice from the Australian & New Zealand Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, we support the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters, during fertility treatment. There is no evidence that the vaccine will affect your overall fertility or current treatment, nor the pregnancy that follows. This is true for both men and women.

We recommend that you avoid having the vaccine (or booster) in the days leading up to your admission to the hospital for embryo transfer or egg collection. Approximately 15% of patients have a fever following vaccination. Whilst this in itself is not worrying, hospital protocols may prevent patients who have a fever from being admitted to the hospital.

Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I am pregnant?

Yes. The Pfizer vaccine is now recommended for all women who are pregnant. There has been extensive use of this vaccine in the US and UK with no specific pregnancy complications and no increase in overall complications compared to non-pregnant recipients. There has been no increase in fetal abnormalities or birth defects, nor is there any plausible reason for how this could occur. What has been seen with vaccine administration is a reduction in the chance of the pregnant woman getting COVID-19, and we know that pregnant women are more likely to get severe COVID infection requiring hospitalisation, admission to an Intensive Care Unit, and death.  Increased rates of premature delivery of babies has been seen in pregnant women with severe COVID, and this can be reduced through vaccination.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) cause miscarriage?

No. There is no evidence of an increased risk of miscarriage or abnormalities in the physical development of your baby.

Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I am breastfeeding?

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are thought to be safe and not considered to be a risk to your child.

How do COVID-19 vaccines work?

These vaccines protect you from COVID-19 by fooling your immune system into making an immune response to small proteins that are associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus causing the disease COVID-19). Your body will then have pre-built immunity should you ever be exposed to the real virus and you will be protected. For an adequate response, it is recommended that you receive the vaccine twice, several weeks apart (for Pfizer, which is currently the only vaccine recommended for use during pregnancy or for men and non-pregnant women aged 40–59) and several months apart for AstraZeneca (which men and non-pregnant women aged 18–39 may receive if they provide informed consent). A booster shot is now also recommended. At the time of writing, it is recommended that Victorians have their booster 3 months after their second vaccination. Further booster shots may be recommended in the future.

What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

There are minimal side effects that remain uncommon. These include a sore injection site, headache, fatigue, temperature rise and muscle weakness. These symptoms are not from you having ‘mild COVID-19’; they are a result of the immune response that your body mounts in response to the vaccine.

What should I do if I am newly pregnant?

Get the vaccine as soon as possible! As above, the Pfizer vaccine has been determined safe for use during pregnancy in Australia.

What effect does the COVID-19 pandemic have on my fertility treatment?

As of 27 January 2022, we will be back to offering all of our usual fertility treatments. In the meantime, Newlife IVF remains open, and our fertility specialists, nurses and counsellors are all available, with consults taking place virtually (via telehealth or videoconferencing). Patients are still able to attend face-to-face appointments with their fertility specialist when an examination is required. During IVF cycles, patients are able to attend for pathology and ultrasound tracking in person, as well as undergo their fertility procedures in our on-site partner day surgery, Epworth Eastern Ekera.

Please note: Newlife IVF must follow directives from the Department of Health, as well as the policies of Epworth Eastern Hospital, and these are subject to change. Currently, all patients undergo exposure risk screening prior to attending our facilities, and in some circumstances, a COVID-19 swab is required.

Further, any patient actually diagnosed with coronavirus will be managed by the Department of Health, and they will be unable to attend the clinic while infectious.

As we all know, Government and Department of Health advice can change at short notice. However, we are hopeful that there will be no further forced interruptions to IVF or fertility treatment once all treatment resumes on 27 January 2022.

If I am having difficulty conceiving, is it still safe to seek help?

It is safe to undergo fertility assessment and treatment due to the numerous precautions we’re taking during the process. We still advise you to seek help from one of our specialists in line with our usual recommendations:

  • If you are under 35, we advise seeking help after 12 months of trying for a baby without success.
  • If you are over 35, we recommend seeking help after just 6 months of trying.

We can arrange a virtual consult or see you in our rooms with suitable precautions in place. Our clinic is taking a number of steps to ensure safety, such as maintaining social distancing by staggering patient appointments and temperature checks. Please ensure good hand hygiene and frequent hand washing or use of hand sanitiser if attending in person.

We recommend patients remain proactive about their fertility assessment and treatment throughout this period due to the natural decline in fertility with age.

What should I do during this period if I’m undergoing fertility treatment?

We are encouraging our patients to do all the recommended actions to reduce their risk of being exposed to COVID-19 including social distancing and hand hygiene, and we are strongly supporting vaccination against COVID-19 before and during fertility treatment. It’s even more important than usual to keep healthy by eating well and exercising to benefit your physical and mental health – see our blog for useful tips.

What happens if I am quarantined during or before my fertility treatment?

During your period of quarantine, we will be following advice from the Department of Health and Human Services, who may advise that you are unable to attend Newlife IVF clinics for appointments, ultrasounds, blood tests or fertility procedures (such as embryo transfer). If you suspect you need to self-quarantine or have been told to undergo quarantine, please contact our nursing team as soon as practicable by calling (03) 8080 8933. While our first priority is to reduce the spread of coronavirus through our community, we will do what we can to facilitate your care and continue with your treatment, if it’s appropriate and safe to do so. For example, some appointments can be managed by teleconference, or home delivery of medications may be appropriate. Your fertility nurse will advise what is possible in your particular situation.

What effect does COVID-19 have on pregnant women?

Over the course of the pandemic, lots of information has been gathered on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy.  We can now say with confidence that:

  • There is no direct effect on a baby’s physical development if his/her mother is infected with COVID-19. By this, we mean, the virus itself does not lead to an increase in fetal abnormalities.
  • There are some reports of COVID-19 causing an infection in an unborn baby, but the risk must be quite low.
  • There is an increase in premature birth if the mother is infected with COVID-19.
  • Pregnant women are not more likely to become infected with COVID-19 than non-pregnant women.
  • Pregnant women are more likely to have severe COVID-19 infections. Severe infection includes a much higher rate of hospital admission, respiratory distress syndrome, and intensive care unit admission for mechanical ventilation (breathing with a tube). This is the major contributor to the increase in preterm birth; pregnant women can be so unwell that the baby must be delivered, regardless of the gestation, in order to save the mother’s life.
  • Pregnant women are more likely to die from COVID-19 infection than non-pregnant women.

However, it is important to note that most pregnant women who have a COVID-19 infection experience a mild infection only and recover fully with no impact on the pregnancy.

Can I pass coronavirus on to my baby?

It is possible but very unlikely.

If I am diagnosed with coronavirus during my pregnancy, what effect will it have on my baby?

The major risk to your baby is that premature birth is more likely.  It does not increase the chance of abnormalities in your baby.

I’m still worried – what can I do?

It is understandable to feel anxious at this time on top of the normal worries associated with fertility treatment and pregnancy.  Don’t feel like you have to cope alone. We are always here to help, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Please do not hesitate to call (03) 8080 8933 to speak to one of our team members or email [email protected].  We will then direct you to our fertility specialists, nursing or counselling team, as appropriate, for support and information.

This is certainly an extraordinary time but we will all get through it together.

If you have any further questions, do get in touch!

Stay safe and take care, from Chris and the rest of the Newlife IVF team.

#inthistogether

Disclaimer: all information in this post is correct as of 20 January 2022 and will be regularly updated as new information and advice from health authorities comes to hand.