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10 Sep Fertility problems? Show UK clinics the door!

  Fertility problems affect around 1 in 6 UK couples of reproductive age. Many will be offered limited treatment at NHS fertility clinics. Or, more likely, no treatment at all: read all about the NHS postcode lottery here. Instead of getting help in their hour of need, desperate fertility patients face crippling costs at private UK clinics. But there’s no need to get nobbled. Just show these clinics the door.

23 Jun IUI: why you shouldn’t have artificial insemination

  IUI, or artificial insemination, is fighting for its survival. Well, in the UK at least. If you thought you’d get IUI on the NHS,  you could be disappointed. Guidelines have recommended a reduction in state-funded IUI. Why?

14 Jun Is sex during IVF a good idea?

Read any fertility forum and you’ll find sex and IVF don’t get along too well. ‘I felt so unsexy’, writes one woman. ‘After my umpteenth trans-vaginal scan, sex was the last thing on my mind’. And: ‘We deliberately didn’t have sex before or after our IVF treatment – now we’ve forgotten what it’s like’.

16 May Smoking and IVF: why it’s a bad idea

  Smoking and IVF. Few would disagree the two don’t mix. Tobacco use during any pregnancy is bad enough. The NHS now offers a breathalyser service to all pregnant women. That's how seriously smoking and prenatal care is taken.

21 Apr IVF treatment in Europe? You’re in safe hands.

Legal protection for IVF patients in Europe is impressive. It's in a different league, for example, to cosmetic surgery, which still attracts some cowboy operators. Not so for IVF. Strict EU laws on fertility treatment, plus well-regulated industry practice, have been evolving for 30 years. If you choose to have an IVF cycle at a licensed fertility clinic in Europe, you'll get fair and safe treatment.

11 Apr Farewell Bob Edwards, visionary IVF pioneer

  The death of British IVF pioneer Bob Edwards marks a life that changed the lives of millions. Since 1978, the year Edwards presided over the first IVF baby, over six million babies have been born thanks to the techniques he developed. The role of his colleague, the laparoscopy expert Patrick Steptoe, should also not be underestimated.

01 Mar The Great British IVF Robbery?

If you’re over 40, you may qualify for state-funded IVF. Or maybe not. The recently updated NICE guidelines on fertility treatment, non-legally binding and ignored by most GPs, recommend that women aged 40 to 42 have access to IVF treatment on the NHS. The bad news? Several caveats apply to the access criteria.

28 Jan PGS testing during IVF: should you have it?

Preimplantation genetic screening, or PGS, is a viable option for certain IVF patients. Available, for an additional fee, to IVF couples anxious about the chromosomal health of their embryos, PGS takes place before your embryo transfer (and delays it until the results are back). Due to its pre-transfer timing, it has to be better than chorionic villus sampling or an amniocentesis, which look for fetal problems several weeks into a pregnancy.

18 Jan Is full anonymity best for egg and sperm donors?

  Donor anonymity is a contentious issue. Should donor-conceived children have the right to trace their donor parents? In the UK, the law says yes. The result? Many egg and sperm donors are discouraged from coming forward. Supply is still dwarfed by demand, so patients go abroad. You'll be waiting for a donor for at least six months in the UK, and probably 12.

09 Jan Top 10 reasons to have IVF in the Czech Republic

  Deciding to go abroad for IVF treatment is a big step. Which country is best? Do you head for EU clinics, or venture further afield? Here's our tip: proceed directly to the Czech Republic. Why? These are the top 10 reasons we went there...