Helix Clinic blog

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)  is set to launch a new website that can provide patients with detailed information on every UK based IVF clinic. IVF success rates have been shown to be almost indistinguishable between clinics, so the new website will allow people to take other information into account when choosing a clinic, from waiting time to multiple birth rates.

Generally the trend has been for IVF success rates to rise for women up to the age of 42. For women between 40 and 42, the 2007 success rates were as high as 12%, increasing to over 32% for women under 35.

The new website is called ‘choose a fertility clinic’, and should be available through the HFEA site soon.

Tags: IVF

Some women who are having trouble getting pregnant get worried at the thought of all the drugs involved in assisted reproduction treatments like IVF. However, it is possible to do IVF in a natural cycle without hormonal stimulation.

A natural IVF cycle basically involves collection of a naturally produced egg, followed by fertilisation in laboratory and subsequent replacement of the embryo. It is less expensive and less invasive than a normal IVF cycle and in addition, because no drugs are used to stimulate the ovaries, it can be easily repeated in following cycles if unsuccessful after the first go.

The only thing is that success rates tend to be low compared to stimulated cycles. However, for women who don’t want to take conventional fertility medicine, or who can’t take fertility medicines, this treatment could be an option to consider. For example, women who are ovulating and have damaged tubes may wish to try a natural cycle of IVF before moving on to stimulated IVF.

Obviously, the natural IVF cycle fits well with the natural approach of acupuncture. No research has yet been done to see if the natural IVF success rates are improved if women also have acupuncture treatment, but based on previous studies of acupuncture and IVF it could be an interesting study to look at.

Tags: fertility, infertility, IVF, natural cycle

If fertility consultants had a way to check collected eggs for chromosome abnormalities, they would be able to reduce the chances of miscarriage or birth defects after implantation. Recently, in Nottingham, doctors collected 9 eggs from a woman undergoing treatment and were successful in using a new screening technique to help identify the best eggs with intact chromosomes. The 41 year old woman had previously had 2 miscarriages and 13 subsequent unsuccessful courses of IVF, but fell pregnant after the cycle that used the new screening process.

The process could also potentially be helpful to doctors wanting to reduce the number of twins and triplets as a result of IVF, as it could improve the chances of selecting the most promising embryo and reducing the need to implant 2 or more in any given cycle.

The technique has not yet been subject to full rigorous trials so will probably not be widely available for some time yet, but seems a promising development in fertility medicine.

Tags: chromosome abnormalities, egg screening, infertility, IVF, miscarriage

AMH stands for Anti-Mullerian Hormone, which is produced directly by the ovarian follicles. AMH levels correlate with the number of antral follicles present in the ovaries , so women with lower AMH  have lower antral follicular counts compared to women with higher levels.

Antral follicles are small follicles (about 2-8 mm in diameter) that can be seen, measured and counted with ultrasound. Antral follicles are also referred to as resting follicles, and according to some fertility clinics, the antral follicle count (in conjunction with female age) is the best test for estimating ovarian reserve and/or chances for pregnancy with IVF. The day 3 FSH levels are also important.

AMH levels are considered optimal between 28.6 pmol/L - 48.5 pmol/L, satisfactory between 15.7 pmol/L - 28.6 pmol/L and low between 2.2 pmol/L - 15.7 pmol/L. They do not vary through the menstrual cycle and can be measured on any day.

Because AMH levels correlate with the number of early antral follicles, they is useful for prediciting ovarian response in an IVF cycle. Women with low AMH levels are more likely to be poor ovarian responders.

The AMH test can also give a measure of ovarian aging – women with poor ovarian reserves generally have low levels of AMH. The AMH test is fairly new, expensive and not always available, which is why the gold standard for ovarian reserve testing is still the day 3 FSH test.

Tags: AMH, Anti-Mullerian hormone, antral follicles, FSH, infertility, IVF

Once in a while, we see patients who are going through IVF and are having difficulty with their fertility clinics or consultants. They may feel that their consultant doesn’t sufficiently answer all their questions and concerns, or sometimes they find their consultant to be quite cold and aloof. Since they are paying a lot of money for the treatment, this can lead to bad feeling.

If the cycle is unsuccessful it is not surprising that patients can feel unconfident about starting a new cycle with the same clinic or consultant. Often the main issue stopping someone change clinics is a financial one, and the clinic that they might like to go to seems above budget.

In our experience, when this situation arises patients often like to talk about it with us, and our advice stems from thinking about the whole IVF treatment in holistic terms. An IVF cycle is a very stressful process, partly because everything seems to move so slowly. Frustrations or worries can easily build up, which in turn puts the physical body under more stress. Lack of confidence in a clinic or consultant is an unnecessary extra source of stress that could negatively affect the outcome of the cycle.

Our advice would be to find a consultant and clinic that make you feel as confident as you can that they are doing a good job. It may cost more money, but the peace of mind you will gain is far more important in the long run. Based on our experience watching many women go through IVF, we are convinced that if a patient can find a clinic that they feel happy with, the chances of a successful cycle improve.

Tags: infertility, IVF