The Scottish government funded education project, Your Future Fertility, began in 2012 and is the first of its kind in the country.
The project creates awareness by providing information to a range of organisations including colleges, universities, voluntary organisations, GPs, sexual health clinics and many more.
During 2016/2017 the project distributed over six thousand (6480) “your future fertility” leaflets which are aimed at giving an informative overview of fertility information including lifestyle, eating disorders, age, weight, smoking, age etc.
The charity secured places and attended 31 university/college Fresher’s and Health event weeks across Scotland giving presentations and supplying information. The project also attended the Fresher’s event at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference centre (SECC) where 12,000 students attended over the 2 day festival.
The analysis of evaluation forms distributed at these events confirms that very few students are aware of the impact of age, BMI and lifestyle factors on fertility, highlighting the need for projects such as this to continue to engage with young people and delivery information in an appropriate way.
During the year we also presented to GP surgeries, midwives, student nurses, mental health nurses, voluntary organisations and numerous universities, etc. Read the full update of our 2016/17 activities here.
Testimonials include:
I was delighted to welcome (the staff) from Fertility Network Scotland to speak with our year 2 midwifery students on our Paisley Campus. This session formed part of our mental health module where we explore the emotional and psychological impact of both mental health difficulties and challenges that may arise during pregnancy and childbirth. The session was recorded so that it could be shared with our students on our Hamilton campus. The opportunity for my students to hear from two such passionate knowledgeable advocates for infertility care and support is not only inspiring but prepares these future midwives for the realities and complexities of clinical practice.
– Tom McEwan MSc, Lecturer in Midwifery, University of West of Scotland
The West of Scotland University filmed the presentations given to the students and requested permission to share this with other students throughout the year.
Throughout the year we attended clinic patient evenings/days, as well as many events with other voluntary organisations, family planning clinics, the gathering, health weeks, science café and sexual health events.
Through our continued work with Unison and local authorities, 18 local authorities have implemented a fertility policy within their current medical policy with the remaining 14 boards agreeing at the STUC conference to have this implemented by July 2017.
During 2016/17 the project was externally evaluated by Graeme Reekie, of Wren and Greyhound Limited. The evaluation asses the project’s outcomes and processes, and made recommendations for its future efficiency and effectiveness. The evaluation was highly positive and the full evaluation can be viewed here.
We are grateful to the Scottish Government for their support