Welcome to our latest e-newsletter!In this Spring newsletter, we welcome Dr Pete Benny as Genea Oxford Fertility’s new Medical Director. We share the Stanley family’s remarkable story, provide information about the Prepair test, and take a look at a robotic-assisted technology trial in Christchurch. Leading Fertility Specialist returns home to head Genea Oxford Fertility We are delighted to advise that fertility specialist Dr Pete Benny is returning to Christchurch to take up the role of Medical Director at Genea Oxford Fertility. Dr Benny, who is currently the Medical Director of Monash IVF NSW and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, will return to Christchurch to take up his new role in the New Year. “I had always planned to come back to Christchurch and was lucky to be presented with this exciting opportunity,” he says. “As well as helping Genea Oxford Fertility to grow, I am keen to be involved in developing a succession plan for the clinic and training new fertility specialists to work there.” Prior to leaving Christchurch, Dr Benny practiced as an obstetrician and gynaecologist and held a number of roles in the city’s burgeoning fertility services. These included Clinical Director of Canterbury District Health Board’s IVF Unit until 1993; Medical Director of Healthlink South’s IVF service until 1996; Medical Director of The Fertility Centre until 2008; and Medical Director of Repromed Christchurch (now Fertility Associates) until 2010. “Many of the people I worked with are still in Christchurch, including (Genea Oxford Fertility specialists) Janene Brown and Richard Dover. I am really looking forward to being back amongst them.” Dr Benny says he finds his specialty endlessly interesting. “One of the things that is fascinating me at the moment is research into how the uterus and embryos communicate with each other.It seems highly likely that embryos send a number of messages that the uterus reads and then decides whether or not to accept them. It is so interesting to think about what those messages might be.” He says amongst Australian IVF specialists, there is currently an increased focus on choosing the best embryos to put back into the uterus. Pete Benny “A lot of thought is going into things that impact on implantation,” he says. “The biggest issue around the world is of course educating society about what happens with fertility and ageing. People need a better understanding, so that they start planning their fertility and don’t leave it too long.” Appointments are now being taken for consultations with Dr Benny in the New Year. Growing the Stanley Family Nicole and Nick Stanley feared they would not be able to have any more children, after a cycling accident turned their world upside down. Thankfully, the expertise and medical technology available at Genea Oxford Fertility, have meant they have been able to continue to grow their family. Rylee May (5), Nick and Nicole with Thomas (8 weeks) and Lincoln (3). The Tauranga couple had always planned a big family and were overjoyed to welcome their first baby Rylee May into the world five years ago. But, as they prepared for baby number two, life took an unexpected turn. In 2015, when Nicole was six weeks’ pregnant, she was out in her car when she came across her injured husband lying on the side of the road. Nick had been cycling to work when a van cut him off and he crashed. The accident resulted in him spending two months in hospital and then time at the Otara Spinal Unit, adjusting to life in a wheelchair. He didn’t return home until Nicole was 30 weeks pregnant and preparing for the birth of baby Lincoln, who is now three. “We had to adjust to a new way of life and, over time, Nick managed to regain the use of his left arm,” Nicole says. However, it didn’t take long before the couple decided they still wanted to have more children and they began looking for help. After two unsuccessful rounds of IVF at a North Island clinic that resulted in one poor quality day three embryo, they were devastated. Searching for advice and information online, they found an IVF support group on Facebook and a person in the chat forum suggested contacting Genea Oxford Fertility. “People in the Facebook group were saying how great the Genea Oxford Fertility team were. We thought we needed to try something different and after an initial consultation felt they were the right fit,” Nicole says. Nick and Nicole travelled to the Christchurch clinic to begin treatment, which resulted in six embryos being successfully produced. “I really liked that we could talk to the embryologist there. That was not something I could have done before. She rang and talked to me for 40 minutes. It was a completely different feel to the other clinic. It was fantastic. I feel very fortunate we came in contact with Genea Oxford.” Following IVF, the couple received the wonderful news that Nicole was pregnant, and in July 2019, a healthy baby Thomas was born in Tauranga Hospital. In a serendipitous twist, Nicole, on her second visit to Christchurch, sat down in the waiting room beside the woman who had referred her and Nick to Genea Oxford Fertility. Their babies were both due on the same day and she and Nicole still chat regularly. The Stanley family are now adjusting to their new, even busier, life with Nick having returned to full-time work as an occupational therapist. “We feel very blessed,” Nicole says. “The accident changed every aspect of our lives, but we didn’t want it to affect how many children we had. Thanks to Genea Oxford that’s been a possibility. We are both very grateful that were able to have Thomas. He is one thing we wouldn’t have had if Nick hadn’t had the accident.” Robotic technology offers benefits for challenging gynaecological surgery Gynaecologist Michael East is undertaking a trial with Southern Cross where he will perform 10 hysterectomies using da Vinci robotic-assisted surgical technology. The surgical system, which provides minimally invasive surgery, is described by the manufacturer as translating “your surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, bending and rotating instruments while performing the procedure.” Mike says better mobility for surgeons provides benefits for more difficult gynaecological surgery. “Sometimes you have small restricted places to get to. The robotic system allows you to access them more easily and have more freedom of movement. “One of the most obvious benefits is that if you can lessen the time of surgery, you lessen the time under anaesthetic. For one particular pelvic floor repair procedure you can probably halve the time. A hysterectomy on the other hand may take the same amount of time but there may be less blood loss.” Mike’s Oxford Women’s Health colleagues, Mike Laney and Simon Jones, trained in the robotics technology in Orlando nine years ago but until now medical insurance and public hospital funding issues have posed an obstacle to progress. Michael East Mike East says he expects that in the next few years the use of the robotic system will become more common, especially with improvements and innovations in the technology. “There is a lot of experience in Australia using robots and we can piggyback off that.” Reminder of rare genetic conditions test From a simple mouth swab, couples planning a baby can find out if they are carriers of three rare but important genetic conditions. The Prepair test available through Oxford Women's Health and Genea Oxford Fertility checks for Cystic fibrosis (CF, Fragile X, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). If someone is identified as being at high-risk of passing one of these conditions on to a baby, they will be referred to a geneticist for further assistance. Oxford Women's Health obstetrician Chris Spencer says there has so far been a low uptake of the test but he wants to make it widely known that it is available. "Some people who have had babies with these conditions have felt strongly that the test should be offered," he says. "It's not something that would suit everyone: you do have to think about what would happen if you had that unexpected result. However a lot of people are quite nervous about having a baby and want all the information they can get." Ideally, people should be screened before pregnancy to determine if they are carriers. The test involves a simple saliva swab which is sent to VCGS in Melbourne for testing. Results are back within 10 working days from receipt of sample. Chris Spencer Our clinicians discuss any positive result with the patient and refer them to genetic counsellors at VCGS. More information about the test is available on the Oxford Women's Health website. |