STEP 1: MEETING YOUR FERTILITY SPECIALIST
At your first appointment Dr Karen Kong will review your medical history, assess your general health, and arrange initial tests and investigations for you and your partner.

Please bring a doctor’s referral from a GP (valid for 12 months) Ensure the referral includes both partners’ names.

For women, depending on the level of testing already performed, the fertility specialist may order further pathology tests. For men, a blood test for hepatitis B and C, HIV and a sperm analysis are all routinely conducted.

Pre-pregnancy screening for some genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis is available and can be discussed with your specialist.

Other diagnostic tests may include some or all of the following:

BLOOD TESTS FOR WOMEN
Rubella immunity (German measles),
Chicken pox,
Hepatitis B and C,
HIV,
Full blood count, checking your blood group, your thyroid status and
Current pap smear (within last 2 years);
OTHER FERTILITY TESTS FOR WOMEN
Vaginal ultrasound to check for fibroids, polyps, ovarian cysts, and to act as a ‘baseline’ for reference during your treatment
BLOOD TESTS FOR MEN
HIV
Hepatitis B and C
OTHER FERTILITY TESTS FOR MEN
Semen analysis to check for antibodies and any possible infection

One in six Australian couples experience trouble conceiving. A good first step is to see a Fertility Specialist who can assess your overall reproductive health and conduct some simple tests to identify any underlying causes of pregnancy delay. These fertility tests typically include:

Female Infertility Tests

A combination of blood tests and ultrasound scans to help identify any specific issues such as PCOS or endometriosis and to check ovulation is occurring each month.

Egg count (AMH) Test

A simple blood test that measures the level of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) in the blood and provides a good indication of ovarian reserve.

GENETIC TESTING

For patients who are at risk of a variety of inheritable conditions we offer sophisticated scientific techniques to test for genetic disorders.

Natural Killer Cells

A simple blood test to measure that number and activation levels of the Natural Killer Cells, the main immune-cell type found in the uterus involved in the implantation of an embryo.

Ovulation cycle tracking is a simple process that can help you identify which days you’re most fertile. 

We do this by tracking your hormone cycle to predict when ovulation is going to take place.

Ovulation is triggered by a surge of hormones from the pituitary gland (Luteinising Hormone). This usually takes place 24 hours before ovulation.

By carrying out simple blood and ultrasound tests to detect this hormone surge, we can advise you of the ideal time to have sex to give you the best chance of conception. 

It doesn’t require a consultation with a fertility specialist or any invasive fertility treatments or medicines and is more accurate than the home ovulation predication kits.

Also, only the female partner in treatment needs to come into the clinic for cycle tracking, but your partner is always more than welcome to join any appointments. 

IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) is a procedure, used to overcome a range of fertility issues, by which an egg and sperm are joined together outside the body, in a specialised laboratory. The fertilised egg (embryo) is allowed to grow in a protected environment for some days before being transferred into the woman’s uterus increasing the chance that a pregnancy will occur. 

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) can be used to overcome a range of fertility issues and for many couples, gives them the best chance of having a baby.

Artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination (IUI) involves inserting the male partner’s (or donor’s) prepared semen through the neck of the womb (cervix) and into the uterus, close to the time of ovulation. It is a simpler, less invasive form of fertility treatment.

A laparoscopy is a keyhole surgery, and may be recommended to check your tubes are open (tubal patency) and the condition of your uterus and ovaries. It can also treat conditions such as  

• endometriosis
• tubal microsurgery
• removal of fibroids
• correction of uterine abnormalities. 

Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows your doctor to look inside your uterus in order to diagnose and treat causes of abnormal bleeding. Hysteroscopy is done using a hysteroscope, a thin, lighted tube that is inserted into the vagina to examine the cervix and inside of the uterus.

Fibroids are benign lumps of tissue, which grow in the muscular part of the uterus. They are very common – up to 80% of women have at least one fibroid – and increase with age. They are not cancerous or otherwise at all harmful to your health. Uterine fibroids aren’t usually dangerous, however, sometimes, very large fibroids  can cause discomfort and might lead to complications such as anemia (a drop in red blood cells). Anemia causes fatigue from heavy blood loss, and rarely, a transfusion might be needed to counteract the blood loss.

Endometriosis is when the cells that line the uterus or endometrium, grow in places outside the uterus (such as the pelvis). Around 10% of women of reproductive age are affected by endometriosis. It is quite a common condition, especially in women over 30 who have not yet had children.

Egg freezing is a method of storing a woman’s unfertilised eggs to allow her to try to conceive at a later date, when natural conception would be unlikely. It may be seen as a way of preserving the possibility of fertility for women who are not in a position to become pregnant straight away, or whose fertility is at risk for medical reasons such as cancer treatment.

Frozen eggs may be stored for many years without significant deterioration. When the woman is ready to use her eggs, they are warmed, and then fertilised with sperm. The aim is for the fertilised egg to develop into an embryo, which can then be transferred to the woman’s uterus giving a chance of pregnancy.