we have compiled a list of commonly asked questions related to various medical topics to provide you with quick and reliable information. Our goal is to address your queries.
People often ask, "Why are we having trouble conceiving?" There are several reasons:
30% of fertility issues are due to female factors, 30% to male factors, 20% to a
combination, and 20% are unexplained.
For women, the most common issue is
age,
with fertility declining after 35 and significantly by 40. Other factors include
ovulation problems, womb or fallopian tube issues like scar tissue or endometriosis,
and overall health, as being overweight or underweight can impact fertility.
For men, the primary issue is poor quality or insufficient sperm, either due to low
production or poor sperm quality.
In general, if you are unable to conceive after a year of regular unprotected
intercourse then you should seek medical advice. If you’re struggling to conceive,
you’re not alone. Infertility is a fairly common issue that can affect one in 7
people in the UK. Fertility challenges occur more often than most people realise.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 15% of people
globally, struggle with fertility problems, so you’re not alone if you face these
challenges.
We have a wide range of test and treatments at Care Fertility, and treatment is always designed around the needs of each individual. Your doctor will discuss test results in detail with you and advise you clearly on the most suitable treatment.
Costs depend on which treatment you need but the treatment journey can be broken down
in to stages, with costs involved at each stage.
You will need to pay for your initial consultation, any pre-treatment tests or
scans, and then for the treatment itself with any necessary medication.
An easy way to get started is to make a call to our new patient enquiry team on 0806 424 4977. They can answer all your questions
including costs, funding, how does IVF
work, how long does treatment take. When you’re ready, they can book a consultation
for you and give you the guidance and support you need about what to do at each
stage of your journey, so hopefully nothing ever feels overwhelming.
You also might want to join one of our fertility information events, we hold these
regularly and details are available on our website.
Our Carepals teams are available to answer your questions and guide you on what your
next steps are when you’re starting treatment and beyond. They can advise on consent
forms, making payment and answer questions you might have about your treatment
process.
They are all knowledgeable and caring, and will offer you the support you need..
PGT-A is used to screen embryos for imbalances in chromosome numbers.
Following fertilisation, an embryo divides into 2 cells, then four, eight, sixteen
and so on, until 5 or 6 days after fertilisation there are over 100 cells. At this
stage the embryo is known as a blastocyst embryo and it has an outer layer of cells
called the trophoblast which surround the outside of the embryo. These are the cells
that develop into the placenta. There is also a ball of cells inside the trophoblast
called the inner cell mass and it is these cells that develop into the foetus and
then baby.
In PGT-A, approximately 5 cells are removed from the outer layer of the blastocyst.
This biopsy procedure is performed by a highly skilled senior embryologist. Biopsied
embryos are then frozen and the biopsied cells are sent to a specialist laboratory
for PGT-A analysis. The results of the test are available within a few weeks. If the
biopsied cells have 46 chromosomes, the embryo they came from is suitable for
transfer, and embryo transfer can take place in a frozen embryo replacement cycle.
Studies have shown that removal of cells from the blastocyst doesn’t harm the
embryo’s development and thousands of babies have been born after transfer of
embryos that were biopsied.
Caremaps-AI®, our time-lapse imaging technique, has been designed to help us choose
the best embryo without genetic testing. It allows us to predict which embryos have
the most potential, which can increase your chances of successful IVF treatment. We
have now collated almost half a billion images, from 63,000 embryos, from our very
own time lapse incubators and trained a machine learning model to assess them
accurately and automatically. The Machine Learning analyses embryo development from
fertilisation right up to the point of embryo transfer to the patient.
With Caremaps-AI® we can select embryos with improved accuracy as we know which has
the greatest chance to become a baby. We have confidence in our technology because
we have built and tested it ourselves and because we only use our information
collected from our very own laboratories.
Generally yes, and your doctor can give you advice on this. There are a few important
points to be aware of:
When you’re having a semen analysis: We recommend that you abstain from any
form of ejaculation for the two to five days before your semen analysis to
ensure a robust sample.
During your IVF treatment: Sex during the early stimulation phase of an
IVF cycle is fine as long as you are using a form of barrier
contraceptive eg. condom. If you were to ovulate unexpectedly, we
want to avoid the possibility of multiple pregnancy.
After embryo transfer: On returning home, we generally advise
that you take things easy, avoiding lifting and strenuous
activity including sexual intercourse.
Endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women in the UK, and around 1.5 million people in the
UK are currently living with the condition. Endometriosis can affect anyone of
childbearing age. Whilst endometriosis may make it harder to conceive on your own,
your chances of getting pregnant with endometriosis can be high, depending on the
severity of your condition, age, overall health, and fertility treatment options.
Since endometriosis can take many forms, and the success rates of treatments vary,
your doctor will outline your best treatment options with an individual plan for
you. Our teams are very experienced in identifying the causes and symptoms of
endometriosis and the fertility treatment options available to help you conceive.
With the right treatment, the chances of getting pregnant with endometriosis are
high for most people.