Becky’s Blog

Progesterone: IVF patients know it well. Why? Because progesterone support is essential for getting, and staying, pregnant after fertility treatment. But some progesterone products work better than others. Some have side effects. Others are fiddly. A few are expensive. So here’s the lowdown on the role of progesterone during IVF – and the best way to take it.

We love Tina Malone. She had the courage and determination to have IVF with donor eggs at 50. The fact that it worked, albeit with the tragic loss of one of her twins, is a testament to medical science, and to her. Every woman has an equal right to a baby. Age is relative. Tina Malone has shown that donor eggs are a superb alternative to traditional IVF for women who, through circumstances often beyond their control, have families later in life.

An ovulation calculator is an inexpensive way to predict when you’re fertile. If you’re having difficulty conceiving, one of these tools may just help. Try our own ovulation calculator here. There are loads of other ovulation calculators out there. Almost all are free, but which stand out? You need reliability, but none are 100-per-cent accurate and others don’t work at all. So here’s our guide to the best ovulation calculators on the web.

  sexy couple lying in bed. use sex toys. How to conceive? We all know the basics. But to maximise your chance of getting pregnant, you need to do more than you think. How much sex should you really have? Should you bin the booze and buy some jogging shoes? And are hot baths really bad for sperm? We present the 10 best ways to get pregnant. The facts, not the myths, on how to conceive.

  Nurse manipulating a surgical instrument for laparoscopy A laparoscopy can treat women with specific infertility problems. It could be a key procedure for prospective IVF patients - and others trying to identify a gynaecological cause for their infertility. But IVF patients have had many tests already. Will an invasive laparoscopy really find anything new?

  Churches and statues of Prague in the evening sun Private fertility care in the UK is doing rather well for itself. Sixty per cent of IVF cycles are now carried out by private fertility clinics. The cost of IVF, including medication and extras, can top £20,000. That’s because many IVF patients in the UK end up having three cycles, not one. It’s a scandal. British fertility clinics are making hay while the sun shines. And it’s shining a lot.