Single Women

Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, and the quantity and quality starts to decline by the early 30s, with a major deterioration and greater potential for chromosomal abnormalities by age 40. Although science can help achieve great things, it is still much easier to start your family before age 35.

Don’t leave it too late to start considering your options. Although the average age of menopause is 51, some women will experience it in their early 40s and peri-menopause changes that precede menopause by a few years can make pregnancy very difficult. Successful pregnancies over age 40 are still relatively unusual.

Freezing eggs for the future is still not a guaranteed route to future pregnancy. While you may want to consider this as a back-up plan, it is usually better to create embryos for freezing if you are not ready to go ahead yet. Read more in our fact sheet.

We will test your hormone levels and other factors that may be contributing to low fertility or infertility (such as hypothyroid in women). These tests can also identify if you are entering perimenopause or menopause.

This test involves using a fibre-optic telescope to inspect the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the uterus to identify any physical problems. It’s surprising how often this simple investigation reveals a problem such as endometriosis or cysts, which would cause difficulty for a natural pregnancy or an IVF pregnancy. These problems can usually be treated with medication or surgery, depending on the individual situation.

Where your specialist suspects the possibility of some other barrier to pregnancy, he/she may recommend ultrasound or other investigative procedures.

If your donor is a friend or not from our donor bank, we will review his semen analysis to ensure that he has sufficient effective sperm to give you a good chance of achieving a pregnancy.

Assuming all is okay, and test for infectious diseases are negative, we will freeze and quarantine some of your donor’s semen samples for future use in your treatment.

We have a comprehensive donor sperm program, and no waiting list for donor sperm availability. This includes non-identifying details of the donors’ characteristics, medical history etc to select a suitable donor for you. There are certain rights and restrictions around privacy, which we will explain to you. Read more in our factsheet.

Intra-uterine insemination using donor sperm involves thawing an appropriate amount of the frozen sample. The sperm are extracted from semen and concentrated and then placed directly into the uterus using a small catheter. It can be used in conjunction with ovulation induction to give you the best chance of successful conception.

This is a simple matter of taking medication or having injections that help induce regular ovulation. The medication is normally taken at the beginning of the menstrual cycle and your response is monitored through the cycle using ultrasound. The clinician can then determine when you are due to ovulate and therefore the best time for intercourse or insemination. Read more in our factsheet.

Depending on your fertility circumstances your specialist may recommend In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) as your best chance of achieving a pregnancy with donor sperm. IVF is an increasingly popular and successful procedure that involves stimulating your ovaries and retrieving eggs. These are then inseminated with your chosen donor sperm and the resulting embryos transferred to your uterus and / or frozen for future use. Read more on our IVF pages.

If there are surplus good quality embryos created in your IVF cycle these can be frozen for future use. This minimises the need for further IVF cycles should you need to have further treatment or want to add further siblings to your family.

If you can’t use your own eggs for IVF due to premature menopause, ovarian failure, because you are a carrier of a genetic disorder or because your ovaries do not respond to hormonal stimulation or are producing poor quality eggs, you can use an egg donation in conjunction with donor sperm in an IVF cycle. The egg donor may be a relative, friend or someone from our egg donor program.

We offer you a free counselling session with one of our fertility counsellors for each cycle of IVF. You can even use this up to four months after your treatment if you find the effects catching up with you. Additional sessions can be arranged whenever you need them. These sessions can be used to talk through any issues and get strategies to cope more effectively with your reactions.

Our Life Fertility Clinic Nurse Coordinators are available to discuss any problems you’re experiencing during your treatment. They are available by appointment or by phoning the clinic. Whether it’s a quick chat to check what you’re feeling is normal or an opportunity to ask about something worrying you, it’s good to know there’s someone who understands your situation and has the time to talk things through with you.

Healthy nutrition, moderate exercise and relaxation techniques all help keep you on track for the demands of treatment and prospective parenthood. Life Fertility offers a range of resources, complementary classes and sessions to make sure you are your best emotionally and physically to cope with the challenges of treatment. Learn more about this program.