What is IVF and how does it work?
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a mainstream treatment to help you get pregnant. It involves a series of procedures where we take eggs and sperm and fertilise them in the laboratory under careful controls to create embryos.
Once they reach the right stage of development, one or more embryos are transferred to your uterus, hopefully resulting in a pregnancy.
IVF Process
The IVF process involves careful timing and coordination and involves several key steps.
1
Ovarian stimulation
2
Egg retrieval
We harvest your eggs through a minor surgical procedure.
At Demeter Fertility, this is done in our clinic under local anaesthetic, rather than in hospital. This can save you a considerable amount of money.
3
Fertilisation
4
Embryo monitoring
For 3-5 days, we monitor your embryos in the laboratory until they reach an appropriate stage of development.
5
Transfer
6
Pregnancy test
About 2 weeks later, it’s time for a pregnancy test.
While some patients become pregnant after one IVF cycle, it’s common to need repeated cycles to achieve a pregnancy.
IVF Due Date Calculator
As soon as you’re pregnant, you’re keen to know your baby’s due date.
When a couple conceives naturally, there’s no way of knowing precisely when conception occurred. That’s why the due date is calculated as 40 weeks from the day of your last period.
With IVF, we know precisely when conception occurred so we calculate your due date a little differently.
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How much does IVF cost?
Medicare rebates are available for many aspects of IVF treatment including ultrasounds, blood tests, most medications, specialist consultations and nursing support.
Nonetheless, there can still be out-of-pocket costs for IVF treatment. At Demeter Fertility, we’ve structured our services to reduce your costs as much as possible while maintaining our high standard of care.
- Structure our fees to ensure you gain the maximum Medicare rebate
- Harvest eggs in our clinic under local anaesthetic to avoid the cost of hospital admission and treatment
- Don’t charge any extra costs for freezing eggs, sperm or embryos during your treatment cycles.
How successful is IVF?
IVF success depends on many factors, including your age, overall health and the cause of your infertility. Many clinics exclude more difficult patients, including those above a certain age or weight. If you only take the easy patients, your success rates look great!
At Demeter Fertility, we operate from a different ethos. We’re here to help anyone who wants to start a family and we’d never exclude you based on your age, weight or sexuality. We listen to your story and do our best to help you. That includes taking a ‘whole-body’ approach to fertility, aiming to improve your nutrition and overall health.
The Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) calculated the chance of having a baby after one, two or three cycles of IVF and found that:
Regardless of age, less than 50% of patients conceived after only one IVF cycle.
After 3 cycles, 61-67% of women under 35 got pregnant and so did 25% of women aged 40-41.
IVF is an important decision, involving both a financial and emotional investment. Success is influenced by many different factors in your personal journey. At Demeter Fertility, we do our best to help you understand your odds of success so you can make an informed choice.
IVF Support and Care
Frequently Asked Questions
In Australia, you can’t choose your baby’s gender for family balancing or personal preference.
IVF gender selection is available for medical reasons only. It may be used if you have a strong family history of a genetic condition that is associated with a particular sex. In those circumstances, you may be able to use gender selection to conceive a child of the opposite sex.
Yes, we have extensive experience here.
Demeter Fertility was the first IVF Unit in Australia to enter into service level agreements with multiple overseas donor banks. Many of our patients use donor eggs or sperm to overcome fertility concerns. That includes single women and same-sex couples.
Timed intercourse involves having sex when the woman is most fertile, typically around the time of ovulation, so that sperm has the best chance to meet and fertilise an egg.
Demeter Fertility can identify the right time by tracking your menstrual cycle through ultrasounds, blood tests and urine tests.
IUI involves taking sperm from the male partner or donor, preparing it in the lab and then inserting it into a woman’s uterus where it will hopefully meet and fertilise her egg.
It can be a good option for:
- Heterosexual couples with no other known fertility issues
- Single women
- Same-sex couples.
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Learn more:
What is Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)
TESA is a minimally invasive procedure used for couples facing male infertility issues. It involves inserting a small needle into the testicle to take sperm directly from the testicular tissue. It can help men who make sperm but don’t release it (a condition known as obstructive azoospermia).
Once we’ve extracted this sperm, it can be used in IVF treatment.
What is endometrial receptivity analysis (ERA)?
Endometrial Receptivity Analysis (ERA) is an advanced diagnostic test to assess if the lining of the uterus is ready for embryo implantation. The results help guide the timing of embryo transfer during IVF.
ERA may improve the chances of successfully establishing a pregnancy. It can be useful for patients who have had recurrent implantation failure or miscarriages.
Demeter Fertility offers comprehensive ERA testing as part of our commitment to providing cutting-edge fertility options and personalised care to help couples achieve their goal of parenthood.
What is multi-COS?
Multi-COS is a one-of-a-kind treatment plan developed by our medical director, Dr David Knight, based on extensive research. It consists of numerous egg collection procedures within one menstrual cycle window and is an extension of the DuoStim or Latiteal stimulation protocol that Dr Knight has been using over the past 10 years.
This treatment is a very specific and unique approach, which is not appropriate for everyone. It is usually offered and recommended to patients who are undergoing or have undergone ovarian rejuvenation therapy to support new egg development and follicular growth. This is to ensure when new follicles grow, we are still able to collect them even if you have passed your natural ovulation window.
What is recurrent implantation failure (RIF)?
When you have multiple cycles of IVF but don’t get pregnant, we call it recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Good quality, well-developed embryos are being transferred but for some reason, they just don’t implant into your uterus, meaning you don’t get pregnant.
This is a distressing experience for many patients. At Demeter Fertility, we understand the emotional toll of RIF and work hard to identify its cause. That can involve many different tests with the results used to create a personalised treatment plan to optimise the chances of a successful pregnancy and provide you with the support you need.
What is embryo glue?
Embryo glue is a special solution used during embryo transfer to increase the chances of implantation. It helps create a sticky surface the embryo can attach to.
Embryo glue contains a high concentration of hyaluronan, which is naturally found in the female reproductive tract and plays a crucial role in helping an embryo attach to the uterus.
At Demeter Fertility, we offer embryo glue as part of our advanced IVF procedures, aiming to maximise the chances of successful implantation and, ultimately, a healthy pregnancy for our patients.
What is ovarian rejuvenation and platelet-rich plasma (PRP)?
Ovarian rejuvenation and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an innovative fertility treatment offered at Demeter Fertility, often in conjunction with other IVF treatments.
We take a small sample of your blood and isolate the PRP then we carefully inject it into your ovaries under ultrasound guidance. The growth factors in PRP help to stimulate the ovaries to help increase your fertility.
What is preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)?
PGD involves testing embryos created through IVF for specific genetic conditions or chromosomal abnormalities.
PCG helps us to select embryos that are free from genetic defects for transfer. This increases the chances of a successful pregnancy and reduces the risk of passing on a genetic disorder to your baby.
What is preimplantation genetic screening?
PGS involves screening embryos for chromosomal abnormalities which may lead to miscarriage or developmental problems. It means we can select and transfer only healthy embryos, increasing the likelihood of a successful pregnancy.
What is poppyseed oil flushing?
It’s a procedure to flush the fallopian tubes with poppyseed oil to clear blockages or debris and increase the chances of conception.
Poppyseed oil is a natural substance derived from poppy seeds. It has gained attention in the field of reproductive medicine for its potential benefits in fertility treatments.
At Demeter Fertility, we offer poppyseed oil flushing as part of our comprehensive fertility evaluation and treatment options.