Female Couple Fertility Journey

If you are same sex female couple you will need sperm for fertility treatment. There are several regulated sperm banks where you can obtain your sperm. You can email us for a free up-to-date list of our recommended sperm banks. You will also need to decide which one of you will have the fertility treatment with donor sperm. It is also possible for both partners to have treatment through a “shared motherhood” programme, in which one partner gives the eggs and the other carries the pregnancy. Here is a typical pathway.

Female Couple Fertility Journey

If you are same sex female couple you will need sperm for fertility treatment. There are several regulated sperm banks where you can obtain your sperm. You can email us for a free up-to-date list of our recommended sperm banks. You will also need to decide which one of you will have the fertility treatment with donor sperm. It is also possible for both partners to have treatment through a “shared motherhood” programme, in which one partner gives the eggs and the other carries the pregnancy. Here is a typical pathway.

Female Tests

A pelvic ultrasound scan can assess the womb, the ovaries and the fallopian tubes. The assessment of the womb will include looking at the size and position, as well as looking for problems such as fibroids and polyps. The assessment of the ovaries will include looking at the size, nature, location and the number of follicles as well as looking for any cysts. The follicles are small fluid filled sacs that contain the eggs.

The follicle count is a good measure of egg count in the ovaries. The ultrasonographer will make a specific assessment of the ovaries to see if they have polycystic appearance or if there is any endometriosis in the ovary. Ultrasound can also help to look for fluid filled blocked fallopian tubes, which are called hydrosalpinges. However, a full assessment of fallopian tubes will need more advanced tests.

AMH test is one of the best tests to assess the store of eggs in your ovaries. It does not tell us exactly how many eggs you have in the ovaries, but it does give a good idea about whether you have a good number of eggs or if your egg count is low in the ovaries. It is a simple blood test, and it can be done at any time in your menstrual cycles (unlike some other hormone tests which need to be done at specific times in your menstrual cycles). The AMH result is usually available after 2 or 3 days after the test. As the AMH result varies by female age, results need to be interpreted in light of the female age and clinical history.

Problems Found

Fibroids
Endometriosis
Ovarian Cysts
Endometrial Polyps

Treatments

The purpose of IVF treatment is to create and grow embryos (fertilized eggs) in the laboratory, and transfer one or two embryos into the womb at the correct time (usually between days 2 to 5 of embryo development).

More on IVF

ICSI is the same as IVF treatment, except for one step: In ICSI the egg and sperm are brought together by injecting the sperm directly into the egg. ICSI is useful when there is problem with donor sperm concentration, movement or shape, or if there is a history of poor fertilisation of eggs in previous IVF cycles.

The purpose of IUI is to introduce sperm into the womb cavity, just at the correct time (that is on the day before or day of ovulation).

More on IUI

Using donor eggs and donor sperm in the same treatment cycle is more common than you might think. As IVF success rates using own eggs are lower for older women, you may be advised to use donor eggs instead of your own, and we generally recommend the use of donor eggs if you’re aged 44 and above.

Surgical Treatments

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