Fertility Centre

It is a procedure to preserve the sperm cells for future use. Semen can be used successfully after cryopreservation. It is advisable as a backup semen sample for specific situations such as difficulty in producing a sample on the day, a male partner away for employment, or declining semen quality.

Sperm freezing is also available for men before they go through chemo or radiotherapy, a vasectomy, or prostate surgery.

IVF is the most common kind of ART. It is done by joining the sperm and eggs outside a woman’s body in a small dish in the laboratory to allow fertilisation to occur. One or more embryos are then transferred into the woman’s uterus.

The patient will need to undergo an ovulation induction with a combination of a few drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce more follicles or eggs.

This treatment is suitable for:

• An obstruction preventing sperm release, due to injury or infection
• Congenital absence of the vas deferens (men born without the tube that drains the sperm from the testicle)
• Vasectomy
• Non-obstructive azoospermia – the testicles are producing such low numbers of sperm that they don’t reach the vas deferens.

ICSI is a procedure whereby a single healthy sperm is injected into the centre of the egg using a delicate microneedle. This method is used when the sperm have difficulty penetrating the egg or when the sperm count is very low.

The wife will still need to undergo ovulation induction with a combination of a few drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce more follicles or eggs.

Embryo freezing is useful for storing surplus embryos after a cycle of IVF, as patients who fail to conceive may become pregnant using such embryos without having to go through a full IVF cycle again.

Alternatively, if pregnancy occurred, they could return later for another pregnancy. Embryo freezing is also an option for couples who may not want to transfer too many embryos and risk a multiple pregnancy.

Oocyte cryopreservation is aimed at three particular groups of women:

• Those diagnosed with cancer who have not yet begun chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Women with a family history of early menopause
• Those who would like to preserve their future ability to have children, either because they do not yet have a partner, or because of work commitments

Extended embryo culturing is a technique used to provide high-quality embryos that are capable of continued development and result in a higher live birth rate. This is particularly useful for younger women with a good prognosis for pregnancy from IVF.

However, less than 55% of human embryos progress to the blastocyst stage after five days of culture, resulting in fewer embryos available for freezing.

Women over the age of 35 are at an increased risk for chromosomal abnormalities. Embryo biopsy can be done to rule out these abnormalities and genetic diseases during pregnancy.

The biopsy involves taking a small sample of cells from the embryo using a micromanipulator and micropipette, and the cells are then sent out for genetic screening.

A FET cycle is for women with wish to use their frozen embryos in the future, e.g. after delivery of a child, after an unsuccessful stimulated IVF cycle. FET is also a good option when the endometrium lining or hormone is showing signs of not suitable for a fresh embryo transfer during a stimulated IVF cycle.

It is a laboratory procedure performed mostly on cleavage stage embryos before being transferred back to the patient’s womb. During the procedure, a small opening is made on the outer shell of the embryo. LAH can assist the embryo in breaking out of this shell to facilitate the implantation process.

IUI is a simple procedure where the doctor uses a small catheter to put the washed sperm into the uterus after minimal stimulation with medications or injections.