Lorraine's resident doctor, Dr Hilary, has come under fire from both a leading charity and viewers after a recent interview on the show.
Dr Hilary, who has starred on the show for years, and Lorraine, were discussing infertility, and the proposal that it should be treated just like any other illness on the NHS.
During the chat, the pair also spoke with viewers who were going through IVF. Many of the women phoning in were coming to Dr Hilary for help and advice.
One caller, Catherine, got in touch in order to ask Dr Hilary’s advice on how she could have a successful pregnancy through IVF.
She said, “I’m just wondering what I can do differently. I’ve had three fresh rounds of IVF – two of those resulted in miscarriage. And I’ve had two frozen rounds as well.
“I’m just wondering, because I can’t keep doing this. We can’t necessarily afford it. And it does have a huge impact on our lives, negatively. And I’m just wondering what I can do different to get a successful outcome for the next round?”
Dr Hilary then responded, explaining that he understands how difficult it can be.
He then went on to advise Catherine to relax, and that when she finally stops thinking about it, it may happen naturally.
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He said, “I’m sure you’re doing everything you possibly can. I’m sure you’ve researched it throughly by now. And it is so emotional.
“What I would say is, and this is probably the hardest thing to do, is just relax about it. There have been so many people that I’ve known who’ve gone through several rounds of IVF and nothing happens. And when they’ve given up, and gotten on with their lives, it miraculously happens naturally.
“Sometimes stress itself can have a very negative effect. So try living your life as normally as you can.”
Dr Hilary went on to point out that the success rate of IVF decreases as you age.
He continued to say, “Get on with your life, be happy, relax as much as you can. Do all those things, nutrtion, and all that, that will help. Just be positive and keep your fingers crossed – and we will as well.”
Dr Hilary has since faced backlash for his comments from leading UK fertility charity, Fertility Network UK.
They wrote, ‘@Lorraine #FertilityEtiquette What not to say: just relax and it will happen. @FertilityNUK is disappointed that Lorraine’s @DrHilaryJones offered this insensitive advice to a fertility patient asking for help after 4 unsuccessful IVF cycles.’
The organisation also asked their followers for their views – who also seemed equally upset by the advice.
Many called his comments “insensitive”, while another agreed that being told to ‘relax’ is ‘One of the most upsetting comments you can make to a woman struggling with infertility’.
One viewer wrote on social media, ‘I can’t believe Dr Hilary is telling this poor lady to ‘relax and stay positive’ about 4 rounds of IVF failing. All I can say is he must have minimal experience of infertility #insensitive #lorraine’
Fertility Network have confirmed that they have been in touch with the team at Lorraine regarding the interview.
