Our IVF Process

Below you can follow a typical patient journey through The Fertility Centre, and learn about what to expect when you decide to seek fertility treatment with our highly experienced team. Before you start treatment:

  1. Call us to make an appointment on 1800 842 862: Alternatively, you can send us a request online, and we’ll call you back to you by the next working day.
  2. Obtain signed referral forms for both you and your partner from your GP referring you to The Fertility Centre and completed Medical History Form (located below). You will need to bring these with you to your first appointment.

Our IVF process

1. Initial appointment

NSW and QLD - Meet with a fertility nurse

If you're based in NSW or QLD, an experienced fertility nurse will review your medical history, and explain the process involved in IVF/ICSI cycles to you.

VIC - Meet with an intake nurse and fertility doctor 

If you’re based in Victoria, an experienced intake nurse and fertility doctor will review your medical history,  order any necessary diagnostic and screening blood tests, explain the process involved in IVF/ICSI cycles to you, and if appropriate, refer you to a fertility specialist.

2. Fertility specialist appointment

A fertility specialist will review your medical history and order any necessary diagnostic and screening blood tests. If appropriate they will recommend an IVF treatment plan.

3. Pre-treatment appointments

All information relating to treatment costs, payment plans and Medicare rebates, will be explained to you, prior to you undertaking treatment.

Our nursing team, a key point of contact throughout treatment, will explain in detail your IVF medications and treatment plan.

If you're based in Victoria, patients receiving treatment will also attend a mandatory counselling appointment.

4. IVF treatment

On the first day of your period you will commence treatment with a low dosage of fertility drugs containing FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) to stimulate your ovaries to encourage the growth of eggs for one or two weeks.

5. Treatment monitoring

You will have blood tests and ultrasound scans in order to determine the response of your ovaries to the FSH drug

6. Egg & sperm collection

Once your ovaries have suitably responded to the FSH you will have an injection to trigger ovulation.

Your egg collection is organised for approximately 36 hours later at The Fertility Centre. The procedure is performed by our fertility specialists.

You will commence on progesterone pessaries the day after your egg collection, and continue using them until you undertake your pregnancy test.

On the same day as your egg collection, your partner will provide a fresh semen sample.

7. Embryo development

The eggs and sperm are then examined in our laboratory where our scientists will perform either IVF or ICSI, dependent on the treatment plan recommended by your fertility specialist.

All embryos will be grown to blastocyst stage and suitable embryos frozen, with the aim of then thawing and transferring the embryo with your next cycle.

We will keep you informed about the progress of your embryos.

8. FET cycle

Transfer of an embryo will occur in a subsequent frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle and will usually occur in the menstrual cycle immediately following your IVF treatment cycle. Frozen embryo cycles will generally be undertaken using hormone preparation. This involves treatment with an oral estrogen medication and the addition of a vaginal progesterone. Your fertility nursing team will explain the cycle in detail prior to the cycle commencing.

9. Pregnancy test

Approximately two weeks after the transfer of an embryo in your frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle, you will attend The Fertility Centre for a pregnancy blood test. Your nurse will call you later that day with the results.