Treatment options

"It is our aim to offer you the best possible care through further investigation, advice and treatment."

If you and your partner have been trying to conceive for 12 months or more (6 months if you are 35 years and over) we encourage you to seek advice from a fertility specialist.

Step 1 Make an appointment at your local clinic by calling 1800 111 IVF (1800 111 483) - this can be done prior to obtaining a referral from your GP.

Step 2 Visit your GP for a referral to the IVFA doctor you have made an appointment with.

Step 3 Meet with the IVFAustralia doctor you have made your appointment with. They will record your medical history, consider tests, and discuss with you what your treatment options are – some are simple, others more involved.

Below is a very simplified chart of treatment options. Please note that this is a guide only and every patient/couple requires complete assessment and a diagnosis made, before treatment is offered. This Web Page is not designed as a gynaecology textbook but only to reinforce the availability of treatment options, many of which are quite simple. The remainder of the web pages focus on the complex options because they require more detailed explanation.

CAUSE	INVESTIGATION	TREATMENT OPTIONS
Failure of Ovulation	Hormone Assessments	Fertility drugs (tablets or injections) Rarely ovum donation
Blocked or damaged Fallopian tubes	Laparoscopy Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)	Tubal microsurgery IVF
Endometriosis	Laparoscopy	Surgical/laser treatment Drug therapy IVF
Fibroids	Laparoscopy Hysteroscopy Ultrasound Scan	May not need treatment but if necessary, can be removed surgically, often laparoscopically.
Hostile cervical mucus	Post-coital test (PCT) Confirm ovulation Antisperm antibody test	IUI* IVF**
Failure of sperm production	Initial semen analysis Hormone assessments Testicular biopsy	Surgical sperm collection (SSC) Donor sperm
Blocked/absent vas deferens	Scrotal examination Screen for cystic fibrosis	Unblock microsurgically SSC with IVF/ICSI
Low sperm numbers and / or poor sperm movement	Semen analysis ("sperm count")	IUI, IVF or ICSI
High numbers of abnormal forms	Semen analysis	IVF or ICSI***
Antisperm antibodies	Antisperm antibody screen	Steroids now rarely used. Sperm preparation for IUI, IVF or ICSI

* Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
IUI is commonly used to treat infertility for women who have normal healthy Fallopian tubes and when more complex treatments are not appropriate. Treatment involves placing partner's concentrated semen inside the womb near the time of ovulation.

** In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
Mature eggs are collected from the ovary after ovulation enhancement, placed with sperm in the laboratory, and later one or two of the resulting embryos are transferred
to the uterus.

***Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
A single sperm is injected directly into the egg to achieve fertilisation. This method is very successful in overcoming problems of male infertility.

[Click here to print the complete IVFAustralia Treatment guide]

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