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Ovulation Induction Ovulation induction can be used for women who have been diagnosed with Hypothatic Pituitary failure or women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCO) and consequently may not be ovulating (Annovulatory). Monitoring the response to these drugs can be in the form of a blood or urine test (measuring Luteninizing Hormone). ...
Blastocyst Transfers More evidence is suggesting that patients who have undergone multiple treatment cycles without a successful outcome, having had good quality embryos may benefit from a blastocyst transfer. Women who are at risk of multiple pregnancies may also benefit as one blastocyst is normally transferred. Blastocyst transfers are normally performed on ...
Fertility Counselling Experiencing difficulty in conceiving can affect an individual or couple in different ways. Some may experience feelings of isolation, failure or a sense of embarrassment. This can affect an individual’s confidence or self esteem. In some instances this can start to affect the relationship, which in turn can have ...
Fertility Forum Please use our fertility forum, which contains Ask a fertility Nurse topic to enable you to ask your specific fertility questions. You can also support each other in the following topics, IVF, ICSI, PGD and other assisted conception treatments. There are also forums for comments on PCO, Endometriosis and ...
Assisted Hatching Assisted Hatching may be offered to couples who have had IVF/ ICSI cycles with good quality embryo’s but have not achieved a pregnancy. It may be considered that the zona (outer shell of the egg) may be quite thick which could prevent the embryo from hatching out of the ...
Fertility - What you can ...
Egg Donation Egg donation is offered to couples if the female produces no/very low numbers of eggs. This treatment may also be offered if, in the hormone profile an elevated FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) has occurred. If this has occurred it can indicate that there is premature ovarian failure which means ...
Sperm Donation Sperm donation is offered to couples for numerous reasons: The male partner may have a low number or absence of sperm in the ejaculate. There may be a risk of passing a genetic disease to a child such as cystic fibrosis. The male partner may be HIV positive and the couple have ...
Fertility ...
Persona Ovulation Kits PERSONA consists of Test Sticks and a handheld Monitor. The Test Sticks collect hormones from the first urine of the day and process them into information that the Monitor can ...
Fertility Vitamins Vitamins and minerals are essential substances that your body needs in small amounts to let it carry out all of its different functions. The makers of Clearblue, the UK’s number one selling brand of Home ...
Sperm Bank Sperm banks facilitate couples or individuals to have a child through donor insemination. Not all clinics have their own banks. Sperm donors are carefully screened as required by HFEA. A donor will need to see a doctor for a physical examination. A urine sample is needed to screen for chlamydia ...
Female Fertility In order for a couple to optimise their chances of conceiving a healthy child it is important that both examine their diet and lifestyle prior to conception or treatment. Changing/ adapting ...
Fertility Acupuncture Acupuncture is an ancient system of healing which is widely used in the East and more recently in Western societies to help promote good health on the levels of body, mind and spirit. The principles of acupuncture are based on the belief that general health issues and specific conditions ...
Male Fertility In order for a couple to optimise their chances of conceiving a healthy child it is important that both examine their diet and lifestyle prior to conception or treatment. Changing/ adapting ...
Fertility Homeopathy Information coming ...
Clearblue Fertility Monitor Clearblue Fertility Monitor can maximise your chances of becoming pregnant by reliably indicating the days of your cycle when you are most likely to conceive – the days closest to ...
Surrogacy There are a number of selected units in the UK that offer surrogacy. HFEA will have listings of all the units who offer this service. Full Surrogacy The woman carries the child for the commissioning couple. The Embryo is provided by the commissioning couple and therefore the host (the carrier of the ...
Infertility Initial Investigations Female A Hormonal profile, taken between Day 2-Day 6 of the cycle. In addition, screening investigations will be performed for HIV, Hepatitis B and C. FSH- Follicle Stimulating Hormone which stimulates the ovary to produce a follicle LH- Luteninizing ...
Fertility Treatment - Glossary Adoption: The legal process in which a couple adopt a child and become its legal parents. Annovulatory: Absence of ovulation. Antral Follicles: Smaller follicles which develop as a result of FSH ...
Follicular Tracking Follicular tracking can be used to track a woman's natural cycle. It is a helpful guide for both the fertility team and the couple to have a greater understanding of the individual’s ovulatory pattern. Follicular tracking is normally performed by vaginal ultra sound scans from Day 9 ...
Aromatherapy Essential oils have been used for thousands of years to help promote health and well-being. Very little direct evidence exists to suggest that aromatherapy can help with fertility issues. Even so, such issues can cause a great deal of psycho-emotional strain on individuals and on relationships. Specific essential oils in ...
IVF - In vitro Fertilization IVF or In vitro Fertilization is a treatment that is offered to couples with unexplained fertility, endometriosis or the female has blocked or an absence of fallopian tubes. The female will be advised by one of the medical staff when in her cycle to start ...
Fertility Reflexology Reflexology, a traditional healing art dating from the ancient Egyptians and Chinese, involves manipulation of pressure points in the hands and feet and is often used to ease period pain, headaches, sinus and back problems as well as the effects of chemotherapy. Practitioners claim the soles of the feet are ...
Male Infertility Male infertility occurs in approximately one third of all couples experiencing difficulty in getting pregnant. The diagnosis of male infertility is achieved through the male partner producing a semen sample. This ...
Fertility - Alternative Therapies There exists an ever-growing range of complementary therapies offering different kinds of help and support to couples who wish to plan for a baby. Issues around fertility can provide ...
Egg Freezing Egg freezing is a relatively new procedure to be offered by clinics. It has evolved to address different issues, one of those is a growing trend in the population which is women leaving the decision to have a child in later life. As women age so do the eggs ...
Semen Freezing This procedure involves the freezing of sperm. Vials of sperm can be frozen for immediate or impending treatment. Most clinics charge for this service. Screening tests would have to be compete before samples are frozen. It is offered for men who: Have difficulty in producing samples for treatment Are having PESE Are ...
ICSI - Intracytoplasmic sperm Injection ICSI or Intracytoplasmic sperm Injection is offered to a couple when the semen sample does not fall within 'normal' parameters. This can be due to: Oligozoospermia - Low number of sperm in the ejaculate Athenzoospermia - Poor progression or movement of the sperm Teratzoospemia - High numbers of ...
Super Ovulation Induction This may be offered to couples as a first step before the invasiveness of IVF. Couples with unexplained infertility or women diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCO) may be offered super ovulation. It may also be a consideration where the male partner’s semen analysis is suboptimal. Clomiphene Chomiphene or Clomid ...
Fertility Nutrition We are all aware of the need to eat healthily and to ensure that our diet is balanced. A wealth of information exists which aims to inform and guide us through ...
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Infertility Definition What is Infertility? Infertility is when a couple have been having unprotected regular intercourse for 1 year without achieving a pregnancy. The NICE guidelines suggests that 80% of couples will conceive within ...
Female Infertility Female Infertility accounts for approximately one third of couple’s experiencing difficulty in getting pregnant. Some are related to Ovulatory disorders, others can be due to Tubal damage or Endometriosis. Polycystic Ovarian syndrome-PCO PCO is an endocrine condition. It is suggested that it is as a result of Insulin resistance which causes ...
IUI IUI or Intra- uterine Insemination is a procedure where prepared sperm is inseminated (placed) directly into the uterus (womb). IUI can be used in conjunction with drugs such as FSH, which are used to stimulate the ovaries to produce follicles. FSH or Follicle Stimulating Hormone is used to help the ovaries ...
PESA / TESE / MESA These procedures are offered to couples in cases where the male has no sperm present in the ejaculate. They are used in conjunction with an ICSI procedure. (For more information please see the ICSI section). In some semen samples there may be no sperm present in the ...
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT) This is a procedure that allows natural fertilisation to take place in the fallopian tubes. A woman uses FSH injections to stimulate the ovaries. The eggs are collected and then replaced into the fallopian tube with the sperm. This replacement requires a laparoscopy procedure. The success rates ...
Ovulation Tests How do Ovulation Tests Work? Most people don’t realise that there are only a few days in a woman’s cycle when making love can result in conception – and only 2 days ...
Fertility and Getting Pregnant Getting pregnant involves a number of complex stages. Each of these stages must be successfully completed before a positive pregnancy test can be achieved. In a normal menstrual cycle, a ...
PGD Pre-Genetic Implantation Diagnosis or PGD is the analysing of a cell from an embryo. At present sex linked chromosomal abnormalities and single gene disorders can be treated with PGD. Couples who are offered treatment have either: Been identified as a carrier of a genetic disease Have had children born who have been ...
Pre-implantation genetic aneuploidy screening (PGAS) Pre-implantation genetic aneuploidy screening (PGAS) is an increasingly popular procedure with older women. PGAS aims to improve the chance of having a healthy live birth in the following patient groups: Women aged 40 and above Couples who have undergone at least three fresh IVF cycles without success ...
Unexplained Infertility Unexplained infertility accounts for one third of couple’s experiencing difficulty in getting pregnant. It is when investigations in both partners fail to reveal a reason why natural conception is not ...
The Frozen Embryo Replacement Cycle Unlike IVF or ICSI a Frozen Embryo replacement cycle does not require the ovaries to be stimulated. Instead Oestrogen is administered, normally in tablet or patch form. This enables the uterine lining to develop for the embryo’s to be replaced. Vaginal scans will also be performed ...
Pregnancy Tests How do Pregnancy Tests work? When you become pregnant your body starts to produce the pregnancy hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (HCG). The amount of HCG in your body doubles every 2 – ...
Adoption Adoption is a lengthy and complicated process. To proceed with adoption a couple will not be accepted unless they have completed treatment and are no longer pursuing fertility treatment. The first contact should be with the local social services department requesting information on adoption in the local area. There may ...
Fertility Treatment The following is a concise list of fertility treatments available with links to further information. You can also use our fertility clinics advanced search to identify which clinics offer which ...