How Men are coping in lockdown
To mark Men’s Health Week, this week in the UK we are chatting with Tom Webb the Director of The Easy Bit, and Morten Ulsted CEO and co-founder of ExSeed.
The Easy Bit
First up it’s Tom. Tom has spoken on the podcast before and this time joins us now that his film – The Easy Bit is finished and now available to watch. The aim of the film is to help men realize that there is help and support out there for them, particularly as more often than not the focus, when going through a fertility struggle, is on the woman.
Tom has been overwhelmed by the reaction the film has had from both men and women, but he wasn’t expecting the overwhelming response from the fertility industry on how the film has opened its eyes to how men feel. Hopefully, this will result in changes to care within the clinics and consideration of the language used by men and couples. You can view The Easy Bit now on Vimeo
Mental Health and Fertility
During the film, the men being filmed used the words such as shame, upset, anger, horrific ordeal, and emotional toil, to explain their experiences of infertility and all talked about the feeling of being ignored throughout their journey.
The film highlighted that counseling services within clinica are all set up for women and no support is available for men. However, Tom found that men do prefer to access support very differently from women such as through podcasts, peer-to-peer support, and men-only Facebook groups. To visit the Men Only Fertility Support Facebook page click here
Tom tells us how watching the film can teach men so much and validate their feelings. One of the men filmed said that being vulnerable makes you stronger
COVID-19 and Men
The new guidelines within clinics due to COVID-19 mean that men may well be excluded from the majority of appointments. Tom believes that excluding men will do so much damage, and he hopes that clinics will consider ways in which men can be safely included during this time.
ExSeed the Home Sperm Test
Morten Ulsted is the CEO and co-founder of the sperm home test ExSeed. Morten set about developing an advanced home test that is as good as clinic tests. The test uses the amazing computing power and camera technology we all have in our pockets on our smartphones.
What ExSeed Tests
Using your phone as an advanced microscope, the ExSeed test looks at sperm concentration and motility. Morten wanted to design a test that any healthcare practitioner, anywhere in the world, will look at the result and feel confident with what it says.
As well as testing, ExSeed also offers a personalised programme to improve sperm based on the test. This bespoke advice supports men to work on and improve their lifestyles to optimize their fertility. Through the ExSeed App users are also able to book a chat with a doctor, dietician, or personal coach
When should you test with ExSeed?
Morten tells us that the test can be used for men who are curious about their fertility, those who are starting out trying to conceive, and those who have been trying for some time and want to monitor any progress. The ExSeed box comes with 5 tests and Morton recommends that as sperm parameters can fluctuate on a daily or weekly basis, you should test once then wait about a week and repeat the test. It’s important to abstain from ejaculation 48 hours beforehand.
ExSeed costs £149.00 for 5 tests and is available on the ExSeed website. Check out Natalie’s Facebook Group where she’s going...
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