Fertility Insights Programme

If you’re trying to have a baby you may be wondering how your past or current lifestyle, as well as other factors beyond your control may impact your ability to conceive. Our Fertility Insights Programme will help you understand the factors affecting your fertility, and guide you to understanding the path to pregnancy in six simple to follow steps.

Step 1: Understand your fertile window

You might be surprised to learn that an average fertile couple has just a 20-30% chance of conceiving in any given month. 

The timing of intercourse plays an important role in conception. Having sex 24-48 hours prior to ovulation gives a woman the best chance of falling pregnant because it is at this time that she is at her most fertile. Based on the length of a female’s menstrual cycle, our fertile window calculator will tell you when your ‘fertile window’ is. 

 

Step 2: Optimise your health and lifestyle

As a couple, there are a number of ways you can best prepare for pregnancy from a health and lifestyle perspective. These include:

  • Stopping smoking, as it reduces fertility by around 40%, and also increases the risk of miscarriage
  • Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake
  • Optimising weight by following a healthy diet and exercise routine
  • For a female, taking folic acid, ideally for three months prior to trying to conceive, as it is one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida and lower the risk of miscarriage and early pregnancy loss
  • Managing known conditions, such as diabetes. This improves the chances of a healthy baby, and reduces the risk of miscarriage
  • Visit your GP for antenatal blood tests to ensure optimum pre-pregnancy health
  • Reviewing current medications and any implications for pregnancy with your GP
  • Understanding your menstrual cycle

Step 3: Attend a free fertility information session

We hold a number of free information seminars throughout the year in various locations across Melbourne. At these friendly and informative sessions you can meet our fertility specialists and hear them explain more about the reasons why you may not be falling pregnant as quickly as you had hoped, and the options available to help you become pregnant. You will also have the opportunity to talk with them one on one, and have your questions answered in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

Step 4: Call us on our free phone number - 1800 111 483

If you are under 36 and have been trying to fall pregnant for twelve months or more, or if you are over 36 and have not fallen pregnant after six months of trying, we recommend seeking advice.

Our friendly and experienced Fertility Liaison Coordinator is on hand to provide confidential guidance for your individual circumstances. They work closely with our clinical team and are happy to talk at a time convenient to you. You can contact them by calling 1800 111 483 or complete our contact form and they’ll get back to you at a convenient time.

Step 5: Have an initial consultation with a fertility specialist

At your initial consultation with your fertility specialist they will conduct a comprehensive assessment of your fertility, which will help your understand your potential to become pregnant and all your available options. This may include initial blood tests for her, to understand ovulation and the number of eggs available, and for him a semen analysis to understand quality and volume of sperm.

Step 6: Start your personalised pregnancy plan

Your test results will be returned promptly and your fertility specialist will guide you through them, recommending the best approach to help you achieve pregnancy and get your plans for a family underway.

Based on your individual circumstances, we will help you on a journey to parenthood that is highly personalised and right for you. For some couples, non or minimally invasive procedures such as timed conception and ovulation induction or artificial insemination (IUI) are a first line treatment option to increase fertility. For others, in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment may be recommended.

Want more information?

If you would like to make an appointment please call us on 1800 111 483 or complete the form below.