NewLife Fertility Center offers a wide range of Fertility Treatments

Our experts are performing these procedures:

 

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) 

  • What is it? Intrauterine insemination, also known as artificial insemination, involves inserting sperm into the womb at the time of ovulation using a catheter (a very fine needle or probe). The woman may need to take fertility drugs to stimulate egg production. The sperm used may be her partner's or donated.
  • Used to treat: unexplained infertility, premature ejaculation, erection difficulties.
  • Success rate: five to 15 per cent per cycle.                                            
  • For information about IUI, click here.

 

In vitro fertilization (IVF)

  • What is it? Eggs and sperm are collected and fertilised in the laboratory before the resulting embryo is transferred to the womb. The woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate the production of eggs. Once these are mature, they're collected by the doctor, using ultrasound to guide the collecting tube. The man produces a sperm sample, which is prepared before being put with the eggs in a Petri dish and left for a few days to see if fertilisation takes place. If a healthy embryo develops, this is placed in the womb using a catheter (a very fine needle or probe). Usually, no more than one or two are placed. Any remaining embryos suitable for freezing may be stored for future use. The sperm and/or eggs used may be the couple's own or donated.
  • Why it's used: to treat unexplained infertility, blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, PCOS.
  • Success rate: about 33 - 36 per cent per cycle.
  • For more information about IvF, click here.

 

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

  • What is it? A single sperm is injected into the cytoplasm or centre of a single egg. This is then transferred to the womb using the same process as IVF.
  • Why it's used: to treat male factor infertility, such as low sperm count or poor motility (mobility or movement) or abnormally shaped sperm. ICSI may also be used following previous unsuccessful attempts at fertilisation using IVF and when sperm has been retrieved directly from the epididymis or the testicles (see 'Sperm extraction', below).
  • Success rate: as for IVF, about 33 - 36 per cent per cycle, sometimes more.
  • For more information about ICSI, click here.

Blastocyst transfer

         

If during previous IVF attempts, the embryos fail to implant in the womb, the doctor may suggest a blastocyst transfer. The embryo is allowed to develop for five or six days before being transferred to the womb. Because the embryo is more developed and transfer occurs closer to the time that implantation would occur naturally, the pregnancy rate is usually higher. However, some embryos will die in the laboratory, so the number of embryos available for transfer and freezing will be fewer. For this reason, it's generally only offered to women who produce a large number of good quality embryos.

  

Assisted hatching

Before attaching itself to the wall of the womb, an embryo has to break out (hatch) from a gel-like membrane known as the zona pellucida. This membrane can be tough or thickened and some fertility experts think it may impede implantation of the embryo in the womb. To help the embryo break through, the embryologist may make a tiny hole in the membrane before it's transferred to help the hatching process.

 

 

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

  • What is it? PGD involves checking the genes of embryos aged between two and five days, created by IVF for genetic diseases such as sickle cell, thalassemia, Down's syndrome, haemophilia and cystic fibrosis, as well as for some inherited diseases of later life such as breast, ovarian and bowel cancer. Disease free embryos will then be transferred to the womb.
  • When it's used: if a couple has a child with a genetic disease and is at risk of having another; if there have been several terminations because a genetic disorder was diagnosed; if there's a strong family history of breast,  bowel or ovarian cancer.
  • For more information about PGD, click here.

 

Pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS)

  • What is it? PGS (sometimes called aneuploidy screening) involves checking IVF embryos to ensure they have the correct number of chromosomes, and that these are normal.
  • When it's used: if parents are older, around 45 years, with a high risk of having a baby with chromosome disorder such as Down's syndrome or if the mother has a history of recurrent miscarriages. Normal cells contain 23 pairs of chromosomes, making a total of 46 chromosomes. PGS involves screening embryos produced by IVF to ensure they have this number. This avoids embryos with the wrong number of chromosomes being transferred to the womb. In Down's syndrome, for example, there are three copies of the number 21 chromosome instead of the usual two.

 

Sperm extraction

  • What is it? A small operation that removes sperm from the epididymis (the tube where sperm mature in the man's body) or the testicles (where sperm cells are made) for use in ICSI or another treatment. There are several different methods of sperm extraction:
  • PESA (percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration) involves guiding a small needle into the epididymis to draw out fluid containing sperm.
  • TESE (testicular sperm extraction) uses the same method to remove tissue from the testes.
  • MESA (microsurgical sperm aspiration) uses a small needle to extract mature sperm from the epididymis.
  • Why it's used: when a man can't produce sperm - for example, after a vasectomy failed reversal.
  • Success rate: when used in ICSI, about 25 per cent per cycle.


 

Are you interested in a personal consultation?

Just give us a call at 24490737 or send us an email.

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