Are you new to the world of fertility?
Read our quick guide here to help you
IUI (Intrauterine insemination)
Costing much less than IVF, IUI is used by patients who are having trouble getting pregnant. It’s also sometime called artificial insemination.
The procedure in the clinic is that sperm (which has been screened) is inserted into the uterus, the aim being that it will meet the egg in the fallopian tube. This is timed to fit in with your menstrual cycle, at the time when the ovary has released one or more eggs.
It is a fairly simple procedure and patients may try IUI for several cycles before moving onto IVF if no clear factor of infertility is determined. IUI is also often utilised for same sex female couples where no underlying fertility issues are at play.
IVF (In vitro fertilisation)
Normally used by couples who have spent up to a year attempting to get pregnant, same sex couples, or women with certain medical conditions.
The process:
- Stimulation – Your consultant will put together a treatment protocol which can include you taking a number of injections during the course of your treatment. You will be given medication (sometimes referred to as gonadotrophins) to stimulate your ovaries to hopefully increase the number of eggs you produce in a cycle. In some cases, patients are given medication to downregulate their ovaries before starting the stimulants, in order to help make the stimulation medication more effective. Whilst taking the medication, you will be monitored by the clinic who will undertake hormone blood tests and follicular tracking scans to check how you are responding to medication.
- Trigger – You will be given a specific time by the clinic to administer a trigger injection which signifies to the ovaries to start to release any eggs from the follicles in your ovaries. This injection is administered 36 hours prior to your egg retrieval.
- Egg collection – In the clinic, and under sedation, your available eggs will be collected. This is a relatively simple procedure and usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Fertilisation – The collected eggs are mixed with sperm (your partner’s or a donor’s) in the laboratory to hopefully generate embryos. Your consultant may recommend that ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection) is used as part of this process. This is where a single sperm is injected directly into individual eggs, in order to increase your chances of fertilisation. These embryos are monitored and after 2, 3, 5 or 6 days will be ready to be transferred.
- Embryo transfer – The eggs are then transferred into your womb. As the UK follow NICE guidelines, it is likely that a single embryo will be transferred if it is a good quality blastocyst. In some cases, where clinically recommended, two or three embryos may be transferred at a time. Having an embryo transfer is a simple procedure and sedation is not normally required.
- Typically two weeks after the transfer , you will take a pregnancy test to see if the procedure has been successful.
Any remaining embryos are frozen for use in the future.
At Assured we offer fixed price multi cycle IVF plans, with and without refunds. See these here.
Egg freezing
Every woman’s chance of conceiving naturally falls as they get older – because the quality and number of eggs drops. Egg freezing is a way to maximise your fertility opportunities, by freezing your eggs early.
The eggs that you freeze should preserve their quality at the time of the freeze.
During an egg freezing cycle, your ovaries are stimulated with medication to increase the number of eggs that are released during each cycle. Guidance recommends that people aged 36 and under should aim to freeze at least 20 mature eggs. People over this age, should look to freeze more.
Egg Freezing is used by women who may wish to delay starting a family, protecting against the natural reduction of their egg reserve and egg quality over time. It may also be suitable in certain medical situations, for example for those who suffer from endometriosis, have a family history of premature ovarian failure, or are soon to receive treatment for cancer.
The process
- Pre-treatment screening – to confirm that the treatment is a possible option for you
- Stimulation – to increase the number of eggs that your ovaries release during the treatment cycle
- Collection – a minor procedure under sedation which takes around 20 – 30 minutes
- Freezing and storage – your mature eggs are rapidly frozen and stored at -196°C.
Your eggs can be stored for up to 55 years subject to proper consent.
We offer an attractive egg freezing plan with refunds for early success. Read more here.
