IN VITRO FERTILISATION (IVF)

IVF is one of the primary treatments offered for couples experiencing infertility and is a more involved procedure than IUI as it requires stimulating your ovaries to produce eggs, retrieving your eggs, having an embryologist fertilise them with your partners sperm or donated sperm in a laboratory, followed by close observation of any developing embryos, until the optimum time for transfer which ensures only the best quality embryos are placed back into your uterus so that they can continue growing as with a normal pregnancy.

Why choose IVF?

If you or your partner have been diagnosed with a genetic, anatomical or hormonal fertility problem, you are likely to be offered IVF treatment as which provides a greater chance of success than other treatments.

Your consultant will advise if an IVF treatment pathway is appropriate for you, particularly if you or your partner have been diagnosed with any of the following;

• Fallopian tube damage or blockage
• Ovulation disorders including premature ovarian failure
• Endometriosis
• Uterine fibroids
• Impaired sperm production
• Unexplained infertility
• A genetic disorder

Side-effects

Reactions to medications may include skin irritation at the injection site, abdominal bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, and nausea. You may also be at risk of Ovarian Hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) where the ovaries may have produced too many eggs.

After a successful IVF treatment, there are also associated risks with multiple births, miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.