At Manchester Fertility we often see many patients who have had repeated failed cycles elsewhere, or who suffer miscarriages despite initial positive pregnancy tests following their cycles of treatment.
So what do we do if this applies to you? All unsuccessful cycles are reviewed by our team where we closely examine your cycle. If you have repeated miscarriages despite initial good diagnosis, healthy embryos and implantation, we will not put you through more cycles in the hope that one will work.
We will discuss what investigative testing may be worth considering with you. We will advise you accordingly which testing is recommended and what isn’t, for your particular situation. For example, any immunity disorders identified through tests which may be preventing your pregnancy from continuing, or any chromosome problems in either you or your partner, which although are not ‘fixable’ may call for a different treatment approach.
There are often many testing options which you will read about online, but it’s important to bear in mind that although some of these may be well-researched and safe, some of them may not and are considered ‘experimental’ or even dangerous - with you paying the cost.
As a clinic which only offers evidence-based techniques and treatments, we typically follow the advice offered by leading organisations such as the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, European Society of Human Reproduction, American society of Reproductive medicine and the British Fertility Society, when examining further testing options for you.
To help you understand which are well-researched, valid and worth the cost, and which aren’t, we use a simple ‘traffic light’ system - green for well researched and worthwhile undertaking; amber for some evidence and potential benefit; and red when there is no evidence or treatment is harmful.
The most important aspect however is listening to you - and what you want. In our many years of experience in treating all forms of infertility, we know how important it is for our patients to maintain as much ‘control’ as possible during treatment. This feeling of ‘loss of control’ - when success or otherwise of your treatment is out of your hands - is often a major source of stress and anxiety. And so we are here to ensure that the right testing is carried out for you, and that you fully understand the implications of the results.
It’s important to also remember that for most people, infertility treatment is not as straightforward as simply undergoing IVF and then having a baby. We call it a treatment journey for a reason. We have a lot to learn about your eggs, your sperm and your embryos along the way, and if your cycle doesn’t result in a baby straight away it doesn’t mean you can’t have a family. Our goal is to always give you a baby, but the path to that may involve specific testing and investigations. Please also remember that we never recommend any treatment if we don’t believe it will work for you. So if a cycle doesn’t work, rest assured that we do our utmost to find out why.
Last updated: 27th March 2013
