An open invitation has been issued by the team at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) to anyone seeking fertility advice to attend a free Fertility Fair taking place from 10am-5pm on Saturday 10 September at their state-of-the-art clinic at 135 Aztec West, Bristol.

The programme for the day will enable guests to meet leading fertility experts, attend presentations, browse exhibitor stalls, take a tour of the Centre and have a mini consultation, all free of charge. Places can be reserved by calling BCRM on 0117 259 1159.

The event will feature some of the UK’s leading fertility experts giving insights into many aspects of fertility issues and treatments, with a dedicated session aimed at people interested in egg donation treatment and another on treatment options for female couples and single women about using donor sperm services.

BCRM’s medical director and lead consultant, Valentine Akande, said: “This is the first time we have held a public event at the purpose-built new centre we moved to in January this year, and we’re delighted by the initial response from the trying-to-conceive community.

“We already know there’s a lot of interest in the free-of-charge mini consultations being offered by our consultants on the day which will, of course, take place in absolute privacy as always.

“I would urge anyone hoping for a one-to-one appointment to reserve their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment because obviously we can only offer a limited number on the day.”

The general programme for the fair includes sessions of interest to would-be fathers, illustrating the unintrusive techniques now used to test sperm and male fertility including oxidative stress testing and DNA fragmentation.

Fertility counsellors will be also available to discuss the support BCRM provides to patients before, during and after treatment, as well as the Women’s Wellbeing programmes provided by a local therapist.

Tours being offered inside the clinic will give visitors a fascinating insight into the high-tech work done in the embryology lab, including techniques such as timelapse microincubation and preimplantation genetic testing. And the world’s first IVF baby, Louise Brown, will present a lively account of the history of IVF.

Throughout the clinic building, the exhibitor stalls available for visitors to browse include:              

• BCRM Laboratory

• BCRM Patient Support and Counselling Team

• BCRM Finance

• Access Fertility – IVF finance programmes

• Logix Pharma:  MiOXSYS –  Sperm oxidative stress testing

• Examen –  Sperm DNA fragmentation testing

• Cooper Genomics –  RI Witness system and Preimplantation genetic testing

• Pharmasure – Impryl and Inofolic fertility supplements

• BRIST-IVF study – University of Bristol /BCRM collaborative research programme to improve IVF outcomes

• Victoria Gazzard – Women’s Wellbeing and Fertility Therapies

• Cryos – Sperm Bank

Although this is a free event, capacity is limited so anyone wishing to attend is advised to reserve their place as soon as possible by calling BCRM on 0117 259 1159. Registered visitors will be sent an information pack to help them plan their day.