Fertility Health and Wellbeing

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.

Health and lifestyle are an important factor when undergoing fertility treatment. We believe you should have every opportunity to optimise your health and lifestyle.

Supplements can help your chances of conception, but you need to take a fertility supplement that has been proven to help.

Impryl can boost your chances of conception and is suitable for both men and women. It provides balanced support to your metabolism, containing activated micronutrients that help every cell: from the biggest (eggs) to the smallest (sperm). This helps ensure that the egg or sperm are of the best quality to conceive.

For the best chance of success, take Impryl for at least three months.

If you have PCOS and are finding it difficult to conceive, Inofolic Alpha can maximise your chances of success by helping improve ovulation and egg quality. It also helps reduce your PCOS symptoms such as unwanted hair, acne and oily skin. It provides you with a unique formulation that contains myo-inositol, folic acid and alpha-lactalbumin.

Did you know that about 35-45% of people struggle to absorb myo-inositol? Myo-inositol absorption is helped by taking it in combination with alpha-lactalbumin which is in Inofolic® Alpha.

Inofolic® Alpha is available in sachet form and Inofolic® Alpha plus is available in capsule form and this is recommended for anyone with a BMI of over 25.

To give your body the best chance, take Inofolic® Alpha or Inofolic® Alpha for at least 3 months.

You can purchase both Impryl and Inofolic Alpa through our partner, Fertility Family or directly from our clinics.

There are many potential causes of infertility and fertility problems can affect either partner. But in a third of cases of infertility, these are caused by female factors.

These broadly include: ovulatory disorders (including PCOS); poor egg quantity or absence of eggs; blocked fallopian tubes; endometriosis; or physical problems with the uterus; and, in about a third of the cases, unexplained infertility.

Find out more about these major causes of female infertility.

Using ultrasound imaging, we can test if your fallopian tubes are open. Visit our East of England clinics, including those in Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Wickford, for expert fertility tests.

The fallopian tubes play a vital role in natural conception. They are the place where sperm and egg meet and where the embryo is nurtured for the first five days of its existence. We test them using the HyCoSy diagnostic test.

This involves placing a thin catheter into the uterus. A small balloon on the tip is inflated to seal the uterus entrance. Once in place, a small amount of effervescent fluid is injected into the uterus.

By ultrasound imaging the fluid can be tracked in real time as it passes from the uterus and through the fallopian tubes. If the fluid is seen spilling from the end of each tube, tubal patency is confirmed. If this fails to happen, the tubes may be damaged.

The procedure is similar to an internal examination like a smear test and is available at our clinics in Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich, Wickford and throughout the East of England. It is best carried out between day eight and day 15 of your cycle, although it can be done at any time after bleeding has stopped.

In the UK, you can receive NHS funding for IVF up to the age of 42 (if you meet the criteria). However, as a private clinic, Bourn Hall has no upper age restrictions. Cases are considered on an individual basis. We judge each case on the likelihood of success and, if a patient’s chance of success is very low, we would not recommend treatment. More information on IVF over 40 is available here.

If you have been trying for a baby for more than one year with no success, you may need to seek advice from your GP. Women aged 36 and over, and anyone who’s already aware they may have fertility problems, should seek help sooner.

If you suspect you have a fertility problem, you should not wait to seek help. As well as our Fertility Health + Wellbeing tests, we offer free consultations with our fertility nurse specialists. These are the first step in understanding your symptoms and identifying some of the potential problems you might be encountering. Our specialists will talk about your concerns and your medical history, and put you on the right path.

To start this process, or to speak to one of our team, fill in our enquiry form.

At our clinics in Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Wickford, we can help you to understand how your sperm is doing with semen (sperm) analysis tests.

Semen (sperm) analysis is a series of measurements made on your ejaculate, the results of which are used to make an assessment of your fertility. Along with other clinical information, the results help to determine the likelihood of natural conception or, if necessary, what type of assisted conception treatment is appropriate for you.

The main measurements made in semen analysis tests include the concentration of sperm and how many are motile (moving as they should), progressive, and normal in shape. If one or more of these measurements is below the normal range, fertility may be impaired. As part of our analysis, judgement is made on how many of these values fall below normal range and to what extent.

Semen analysis is a good indicator of your fertility, but it does have its limitations, as it does not test how the sperm will interact with eggs.

Semen samples are produced by masturbation in specially designated private rooms at one of our clinics in Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich, and Wickford, or with one of our at-home test kits. Ideally, the sample should be produced after sexual abstinence of at least two days, but no more than seven.

For more information about our facilities at Bourn Hall, and how we can help you to understand your fertility health, please get in touch.

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.

A semen analysis is £190. We highly recommend that if you are having a stand alone assessment that you additionally have an individual consultation with one of our fertility consultants to discuss your results. A full fee schedule can be found on our website.

This test is necessary for all men wishing to use their own sperm during their treatment. The results of the semen analysis will help decide the most appropriate treatment and semen analysis should have been performed prior to your medical consultation. The results and implications will be discussed with you at the time of your consultation. You can request the full report from us after your consultation. It is important to maintain a period of strict sexual abstinence of two days (minimum) to seven days (maximum) before the test.

NICE guidelines indicate that you have a higher chance of getting pregnant with IVF if your BMI (Body Mass Index) is between 19 and 30.

You can have treatment at Bourn Hall with a BMI between 19 and 35, but to be eligible for NHS funded treatment your BMI will need to be 30 or under. Having a BMI of more than 30 does have a significant negative effect on IVF pregnancy success rates and your Consultant will discuss options available to you if your BMI is over 30 and you are looking to fund your own treatment.

Although IVF success rates are most favourable in women with lower BMIs, there are ways to improve the success rates in patients with BMIs of 25-30. This includes using the antagonist protocol instead of the longdown regulation protocol, which heralds better results in women with a higher BMI. Find out more about improving success rates for women with a BMI between 25-30.

Every 28 days (or thereabouts), between the ages of around 13 and 51, a woman will release a mature egg from her ovary which has the potential to be fertilised and develop into an embryo. If fertilisation does not occur, then the mature egg, along with spongy lining of the womb which developed to protect and nourish the developing embryo, is lost through the menstrual bleed.

This is all information we know, however the hormonal changes that govern our monthly cycle tend to be more of a mystery to us. A distant memory of a biology lesson might tell you that oestrogen, progesterone and FSH all play a role, but what that role is we can’t quite remember.

This leaflet aims to provide an overview of some of the key processes involved in our menstrual cycle and how these relate to our fertility.

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.

If you have been trying to conceive for more than one year and lifestyle changes have not been enough, it may be time to think about taking a fertility test. We offer a range of checks for women, including an AMH blood test(s) and a pelvic scan.

Find out more about our Fertility Health + Wellbeing tests.

Our network of fertility clinics including Cambridge, Colchester, King’s Lynn, Norwich, Peterborough and Wickford, cover the whole of the East of England, treating both private and NHS patients.

Our specialist team is also here to help with advice about the right tests and treatments for you and to support you every step of the way.

To contact any of our clinics, please get in touch with our patient services team.

There are two main causes of male infertility: a lack or absence of sperm, or poor sperm quality. Both of these issues can be caused by a variety of factors; some men are affected by an injury or illness, and some may suffer from a genetic condition that affects the quality of their ejeculate. Others may have suffered from environmental factors, such as the effects of drugs such as steroids, while, for some, hormonal issues can hinder sperm production. For more detailed information on the causes of male infertility, please read our Male infertility causes (blog).