Fertility & IVF

Our services include:

• Comprehensive fertility care for patients with:
  
  • General or unexplained infertility 
  • Endometriosis-associated infertility
  • Recurrent miscarriage management 
  • Ovulation disorders, including PCOS
  • Male factor infertility
• Fertility preservation, including egg freezing (oocyte vitrification)
• PGD / PGS (Genetics) 
• Donor conception, with a special interest in caring for single women and same-sex couples
• Reproductive care for transgender and gender diverse people
• Surrogacy

Fertility Care Tailored to Your Needs

Getting started on your fertility journey requires a few appointments to ensure you're embarking on the treatment that's right for you:

1. Referral from Your GP To schedule a consultation with Sam, you need a referral from your GP. Ensure the referral is addressed to Dr Samantha Mooney, and includes both your and your partner's names, if applicable.
2. Consultation with Sam During this appointment, your medical history will be thoroughly reviewed, and you will receive initial advice about your treatment options. If you have a partner, they should attend as well. Further testing might be required for you or your partner, or your specialist might determine you are ready to begin IVF, in which case a treatment plan will be created. Sam works closely with the team at Genea Fertility (Heidelberg) to ensure compassionate and expert fertility care.
3. Meeting Your Genea Fertility Nurse You and your partner (if applicable) will meet with your fertility nurse who will explain the IVF process as per your personalised treatment plan, review your timeline, explain the MyGenea cycle companion app, demonstrate how to self-administer fertility medications, and answer any questions you may have.

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Understanding Each Stage of Your IVF Cycle

The IVF process typically spans approximately two weeks, though individual experiences may vary based on personal circumstances and medical history.

Here’s an overview of a standard IVF cycle

1. Starting Treatment and Monitoring
   A blood test will confirm if your body is ready to start treatment. For one week, you will self-administer fertility medication daily. This medication, a form of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), stimulates your ovaries to produce more eggs than usual. After a week, you'll add a second injection daily for another three to four days to prevent premature ovulation. During this period, you’ll have regular monitoring appointments at the Genea clinic, including blood tests to check hormone levels and ultrasounds to measure follicle growth. These appointments usually occur between 7:00am and 9:00am.

1. Embryo Development
   ‍The fertilised eggs (embryos) are placed in Genea’s Geri® incubation system and monitored for five days. Geri® replicates the natural environment of a woman’s body. Each patient’s embryos are kept in individually controlled chambers, and a time-lapse camera allows continuous monitoring. You can also watch the development via the Grow By Genea® app.
2. Embryo Transfer and Vitrification
   Five days post-egg collection, you will return to Genea for embryo transfer, a simple procedure where an embryo is transferred into your uterus using a fine catheter. This process is similar to a pap smear, and you can usually resume normal activities afterward. Additional embryos can be frozen for future use.
3. Pregnancy Test
   Eleven days after the embryo transfer, your nurse will schedule a pregnancy test. Results are typically available by mid-afternoon, and you will receive a call with the outcome. We know that this waiting time (often referred to as the Two Week Wait) can cause much anxiety and Genea's counsellors are available to provide support and tools when you need.

Additional testing during an IVF cycle may sometimes be recommended by Sam. This testing occurs between Step 5 embryo development and Step 6 embryo transfer and vitrification). If this is is recommended as part of your treatment plan it's important to note that this will extend your IVF process:

• Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) If recommended or requested, PGT is performed on embryos at Day 5 via embryo biopsy. Cells from the outer layer are tested in our pathology lab, and embryos are frozen during this phase.

Learn more about Genea Fertility here