Fertility Treatments

Ovulation Induction and Timed Sexual Intercourse (OI)

A first-line fertility treatment and is used when you ovulate irregularly or not at all. With OI, you take hormones at the beginning of your menstrual cycle. The hormones can be taken in the form of a tablet or as daily injections. Your Fertility Specialist will guide you through this. During that time you will be monitored with blood tests and ultrasounds. Your Fertility Specialist will establish when your ovulation is due and recommend a specific timeframe to have intercourse with your partner. Your Fertility Specialist will advise you when to have your pregnancy test, usually 16 days after your ovulation.

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

Intra-Uterine Insemination is the insertion of sperm into the uterus, this is done in a procedure at Connect IVF labs. You will be given medications to stimulate ovulation and time of ovulation is monitored. IUI is planned around the time of your ovulation. Before the insemination, your partner’s sperm is washed and prepared, and the most motile sperm is isolated to be inserted. Your partner will be given times to present to the lab for sperm collection and then you will both have a time for the IUI. Your Fertility Specialist will advise you when to have your pregnancy test.

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

A series of processes to help you with conception. Your ovaries are stimulated to produce more oocytes, these are then collected by a minor surgical procedure, known as OPU (oocyte pick up). This procedure requires anaesthetic. Your Fertility Specialist will monitor how your follicles are growing and what size they are. When they are ready, it is time for your OPU. Fertilisation happens on the same day as the oocyte retrieval. In an IVF cycle, healthy sperm and oocytes are brought together in a dish and incubated overnight. In some cases, ICSI may be recommended by your Fertility Specialist (read below). About three to five days later, the embryo is transferred into the uterine cavity. In other cases, the embryo is frozen and will be transferred in a later IVF cycle. The embryo transfer is a simple procedure, takes about five minutes, no anaesthetic required.

Fertility Preservation (Egg Freezing)

Oocyte freezing allows a woman to have her unfertilized oocytes stored in a specialised facility. To allow the oocytes to be collected, hormonal medication, blood tests and ultrasounds will be required to monitor the size and growth of the oocytes. OPU will occur in our day surgery under anaesthetic. The lab will freeze your oocytes and store them for future use. When the oocytes are ready to be used, the lab will thaw the oocyte and then inseminate with sperm. The aim is for the fertilised oocyte to develop into an embryo, which can then be transferred to the woman’s uterus.

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

Used when infertility is caused by male factor such as low sperm count, poor sperm morphology or poor sperm motility. ICSI is when a single healthy sperm is injected directly into each mature oocyte.

Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)

Is a day procedure, when sperm are extracted from the testes. This is done in males with no sperm in their semen, when there is either a mechanical block or markedly reduced sperm production. These sperm are used to fertilise the oocyte by ICSI.

Sperm Freezing

Sperm freezing for medical reasons; chemotherapy, radiation or for fertility preservation purposes. Sperm can also be frozen as back up for use during IVF treatment if the male partner is unable to attend on the day of OPU.

Donor Services

Egg donation, sperm donation and embryo donation can be used in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments to help individuals or couples who are struggling with infertility. Connect IVF can provide you with donor services. Please visit our Donor Services page to learn more.

Additional Resources:

Please click here to download our Introduction to fertility treatment booklet.

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