Ovulation Induction (OI)

There are many natural ways to increase fertility in both men and women, helping to increase your chances of getting pregnant. Here are just a few:

1. The secret is in the timing

   Many people are unaware that there are only about six days each month when you may get pregnant – the best chance being on the day of ovulation. For women on a regular 28-day cycle, the day of ovulation is normally about 14 days after the start of a period.

2. Reduce alcohol intake and stop smoking

   Both alcohol and smoking can have a negative impact on fertility and reproductive health. Stopping smoking and drinking less can help to improve your chances of having a baby.

3. Keep to a healthy weight

   Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using height and weight and can be an indicator of health. Ideally, your BMI should be below 25. Excess body fat can reduce your chances of becoming pregnant, as it can contribute to low sperm count in men.

4. Eat well

   Eating a healthy, balanced diet has many advantages. It helps maintain an ideal body weight, aids the regulation of hormones and improves your fertility health and wellbeing.
   Foods such as green leafy vegetables (folic acid, calcium and iron), eggs and dairy (calcium), nuts and seeds (vitamin E, zinc and selenium) and citrus fruits (vitamin C) contain key nutrients needed for healthy fertility.

Find out more on how to improve your fertility naturally.

There are many natural ways to increase female fertility, helping to increase your chances of getting pregnant. Here are just a few:

1. The secret is in the timing
   Many people are unaware that there are only about six days each month when you may get pregnant – the best chance being on the day of ovulation. For women on a regular 28-day cycle, the day of ovulation is normally about 14 days after the start of a period.
2. Reduce alcohol intake and stop smoking
   Both alcohol and smoking can have a negative impact on fertility and reproductive health. Stopping smoking and drinking less can help to improve your chances of becoming pregnant.
3. Keep to a healthy weight
   Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using height and weight, and can be an indicator of health. Ideally, your BMI should be below 25. Excess body fat can reduce your chances of becoming pregnant.
4. Eat well
   Eating a healthy, balanced diet has many advantages. It helps maintain an ideal body weight, aids the regulation of hormones, and improves your fertility health and wellbeing.

Foods such as green leafy vegetables (folic acid, calcium and iron), eggs and dairy (calcium), nuts and seeds (vitamin E, zinc and selenium), and citrus fruits (vitamin C) contain key nutrients needed for healthy fertility.

Find out more on how to improve your fertility naturally.

Under normal circumstances, ovulation occurs once a month when a ripened egg which is ready to be fertilised is released from the ovaries. For couples who are trying to conceive, regular ovulation is incredibly important as this is when a woman is most fertile. If a woman isn’t ovulating properly, fertility drugs can be prescribed in order to boost the natural system and increase the chances of successful conception.

This leaflet provides an overview of how fertility drugs are used during your treatment.

There are many treatments available for female infertility and the treatment you require depends greatly on what diagnosis you receive.

If you’re not ovulating, the first recommendation will be to have ovulation induction (OI). This treatment ensures you are releasing eggs at the right time, ready for fertilisation, through support of your own menstrual cycle.

There are a number of reasons you may currently not be producing eggs. However, regular ovulation can usually be restored using fertility drugs (pills or injections). Around seven out of 10 women taking these drugs will ovulate, and four out of 10 will conceive in the first three months. The choice of drug will be made by our experts after careful assessment. Fertility drugs stimulate the development and ovulation of mature eggs to be released ready for fertilisation.

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is another treatment option which involves bringing the eggs and sperm together at the right time. You will have an initial consultation with one of our fertility specialists to agree your personalised treatment plan. You will be closely monitored by regular ultrasound scans and blood or urine tests. Depending on the number and size of your follicles, and the thickness of your endometrium, an injection may be given to induce ovulation. The sperm is carefully washed and prepared, and IUI is performed at the optimum time to achieve a pregnancy.

Other treatment options include:

• IVF – for more information on this please visit our designated IVF page
• ICSI – Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a lab technique that may be appropriate for you if your sperm need a bit of extra help to achieve successful fertilisation. Your embryos, created using the ICSI technique, are then transferred in exactly the same way as in standard IVF
• Blastocyst culture – This is a scientific term for when your embryos are kept in our laboratory incubators for longer. This ensures they undergo critical developmental changes before being returned to the uterus
• Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) – If you had embryos frozen during a previous cycle, they can be thawed and placed in your uterus, avoiding the need to go through another IVF cycle
• Surrogacy – In some cases, potential parents need the help of another person to carry and deliver their baby for them

IVF may be an appropriate treatment in cases of unexplained or male factor infertility, if you have blocked fallopian tubes, or have experienced a lack of success with other fertility treatments, such as ovulation induction or IUI.