IVF overseas: why European clinics lead the way
IVF treatment overseas continues to make sense for UK fertility patients. This blog has criticised the provision of IVF in the UK before. Now we’re doing it again. We’re deeply concerned to see the cost of IVF continuing to rise in the UK, year on year. IVF prices are, in part, fuelled by the inconsistent eligibility criteria for NHS fertility treatment. Even if you’re lucky enough to get one cycle on the NHS, it almost certainly won’t pay for a second.
Read More»Top 5 reasons to have donor-embryo IVF abroad
IVF using donor embryos, rather than donor eggs, is an alternative and surprisingly affordable form of fertility treatment. With good success rates and low costs, donor-embryo IVF is, in some ways, the ‘forgotten’ IVF procedure. Here are the top 5 reasons to consider it – and why going abroad may be your best option.
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Pregnant and 40? Accentuate the positive!
At last – some research that gives pregnant women control, not consternation. A new study from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, reviewing evidence from other studies on a similar subject, suggests early induction of older pregnant women (aged 40 or above) may reduce the risk of stillbirth. The paper’s authors recommend these women are given the option to start labour early. This is pragmatic advice that should be welcomed. After all, it’s not every day you face a problem you can do something about.
Read More»How much exercise is good for IVF patients?
Well-meaning friends say ‘take it easy’. Doctors say ‘don’t overdo it’. But who’s right when it comes to exercise before and during pregnancy? And should you tread particularly carefully when you’re having IVF?
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PGD during IVF: is it really worth the money?
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, has been quietly flexing its muscles in recent years. Available, at additional expense, to IVF patients concerned about passing on inherited conditions, it’s the 21st century’s answer to chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. Those two invasive tests are carried out on the mother several weeks into a pregnancy.
Neither is nice or risk-free. PGD’s trump card is that, although it also carries risks and is an imperfect science, it takes place before implantation. Couples can therefore make an informed, and perhaps less agonised, choice as to whether to proceed rather than abort.
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