Patients - Midland Fertility Services

Midland Fertility Services 

The Patients’ Guide to Services 2009-2010 

‘Building futures, 

transforming lives’

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As part of the 21st birthday celebrations, MFS commissioned a photograph which included 

at least one child from 19 of the 21 years since 1988, when Brett Rigby, the unit's first baby 

was born; a total of 26 children aged 10 weeks to 19 1 / 2 years old. The final image is 'comp'd' 

together from 12 individual images - even the shadows were added electronically afterwards! 

Some of the children met on the day, some met each other at the party, but some still haven't 

seen each other even though they're part of the final historic image.


Welcome to the Patients' Guide 

to Midland Fertility Services 

Dr Lockwood celebrates ‘21 Magical Years for MFS’ 

Selecting a fertility clinic and starting treatment 

can initially appear to be a complicated 

process. This Patients' Guide to Services 

explains all about how MFS cares for patients, 

and its range of investigation, treatment, 

preservation and other services. Details of 

costs and terms and conditions are in the 

separate Patient Finance Information leaflet. 

The guide is intended to demystify fertility 

treatment and enable new patients to feel 

positive about the available choices and 

moving ahead. We hope that current and 

former patients and health professionals will 

enjoy our latest news and reading about our 

success rates for 2007 and 2008. For more 

detailed information about MFS visit 

www.midlandfertility.com. 

Contents 

About MFS 2 

MFS in 2008-2009 5 

Services at MFS 8 

Getting Started 9 

Investigations 10 

Fertility Investigation Package 10 

Ovarian Reserve Testing 11 

Recurrent Miscarriage Service 12 

Sperm Analysis 13 

Treatments and Procedures 14 

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) 14 

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) 16 

Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm 

Injection (ICSI) 18 

Surgical Sperm Retrieval 20 

Egg Sharing and Donation 22 

Embryo Freezing, Thawing 

and Transfer 24 

Surrogacy 26 

Embryo Transfer Policy 26 

Blastocyst Transfer 27 

Preservation Services 28 

Sperm Freezing 28 

Vasectomy Reversal Back-Up 29 

Egg Freezing 30 

Additional Services 32 

Midland Fertility Services | 1


About MFS 

The MFS Board of Directors (l-r): Judith Baron, chair; Anna Kavanagh, quality and business director; 

Su Barlow, laboratory director; Heidi Birch director of nursing services; Dr Gillian Lockwood, medical director 

The leading provider 

MFS has been a leading provider of assisted 

conception services to both private and NHSfunded 

patients since 1987. The clinic is 

committed to providing the highest possible 

standard of care, and success rates and longstanding 

contracts with many health authorities 

demonstrate this commitment to excellence. 

The MFS team continually strives for 

improvements in fertility treatments. Skills, 

experience, innovation and the constant review 

of all aspects of treatment and service mean 

MFS can offer patients the best possible 

chance of both diagnosing the cause of their 

infertility and getting pregnant. 

MFS is independent of any larger organisation, 

allowing for the expansion and introduction of 

new treatments and services. MFS has an 

open access policy where selection criteria are 

not applied unless required by law or medical 

advice. 

MFS treats both private and NHS-funded 

patients. All patients receive the same high 

quality care and have access to all members of 

the clinical and scientific teams. 

2 | Midland Fertility Services


Dedicated to patient care 

MFS has a dedicated team of professionals, 

including fertility nurse specialists, clinical 

midwives, obstetrician / gynaecologists, 

embryologists, laboratory technicians, 

independent counsellors and administrative, 

business support and housekeeping staff. 

Doctors, fertility nurse specialists or a clinical 

midwife are the main points of contact during 

the care of every patient, providing friendly 

faces throughout treatment. The clinic also 

provides 24 hour emergency cover. 

Fertility nurse specialist Vicki Robinson and clinical 

research fellow Dr Karolina Palinska-Rudzka 

Location, privacy and comfort 

MFS is located in a discreet modern building 

which offers easy access, privacy and comfort. 

All the patients at MFS have fertility 

investigations or treatment and all the clinic's 

services are provided at this site. 

Aldridge is a small town north east of 

Birmingham, near Sutton Coldfield and 

situated on the edge of the Staffordshire 

countryside. MFS is easily accessible from 

around the UK, close to major road and railway 

links and a 45 minute drive from Birmingham 

International Airport. Details of 

accommodation are available for patients who 

would like to stay in the area during key stages 

of treatment. 

Flexibility 

MFS offers a full range of fertility 

investigations, preservation services and 

treatments, combining excellent clinical care 

with clear information, counselling, emotional 

support, follow-up care and personal attention 

throughout. 

Treatment programmes are designed to be as 

accessible as possible, keeping the number of 

appointments to the minimum required for 

quality care. Patients are welcome to book 

appointments at any available time during the 

extended opening hours. 

Opening Times 

Monday to Friday 

Saturday and Sunday 

7.30am - 6.30pm 

8.00am - 1.00pm 



Making a first appointment 

To book a first appointment, please telephone 

01922 455911. An initial consultation can 

usually be booked within four weeks. New 

patients are asked to obtain a referral letter 

from their GP or hospital specialist, if possible. 

For more information before making a decision 

or to look around the clinic, please telephone 

MFS and the team will be more than happy to 

help. Prospective patients are also welcome to 

attend any of MFS's free, no-obligation open 

evenings from 6.00-8.00pm on: 

Thursday 29 October 2009 

Thursday 26 November 2009 

Thursday 10 December 2009 

Thursday 28 January 2010 

Thursday 25 February 2010 

Thursday 25 March 2010 

Thursday 29 April 2010 

Thursday 27 May 2010 

Thursday 24 June 2010 

Thursday 29 July 2010 

Thursday 26 August 2010 

Thursday 30 September 2010 

Patient Forum 

The MFS Patient Forum is an interactive 24/7, 

virtual patient support group for past, current 

and future MFS patients. Access it free, online 

at www.midlandfertility.com. 

Keeping patients informed 

Patients are involved in all decisions about 

treatment. MFS's experienced staff guide 

them through their fertility investigations or 

treatments and provide all the necessary 

information and advice to help them make 

decisions that optimise their chances of 

conceiving. 

Feedback 

To enable MFS to monitor the treatment 

experience at the unit patients may be asked to 

complete questionnaires. MFS welcomes all 

feedback - both positive and negative - which 

should be addressed to Anna Kavanagh, 

director of quality and business. Patients' 

experiences of MFS can help to improve the 

services offered. 

Complaints can be addressed to any member 

of the MFS team, who will pass on the 

comments to Anna Kavanagh in her role as 

complaints officer. Any issues can then be 

investigated thoroughly and a summary of the 

investigation made available to the patient. A 

copy of the complaints procedure is available 

to all new patients and can be found via 


www.midlandfertility.com 

Full details of all MFS's services, costs and 

commitment to patient care are available at 



MFS In 2008-2009 


MFS 'babies', patients and staff celebrate 21 years of MFS 

In 2008 MFS celebrated 21 years of providing 

fertility treatment to people in the Midlands 

and throughout the UK. In the same year the 

clinic achieved a clinical pregnancy rate from 

IVF and ICSI, for women under the age of 38, 

of 29.4% per cycle started and 40.1% per 

embryo transfer. The livebirth rate for IVF and 

ICSI treatments in 2007 for women under the 

age of 38 was 26.4% per cycle started and 

33.6% per embryo transfer. 340 babies were 

born in 2008 including MFS's first baby from a 

frozen blastocyst and the 4,000th baby 

following treatment at MFS. 

As well as achieving a livebirth rate per cycle 

started in 2007 for IVF and ICSI frozen embryo 

transfers of 35.6% for women under the age of 

38 (which is almost double the national 

average of 19.9%), embryologists in the MFS 

laboratory also achieved high success rates for 

blastocyst transfers in 2007, with a livebirth 

rate per transfer of 43.4%. With the elective 

single embryo transfer (eSET) policy MFS 

implemented in early 2009, such results will 

help to achieve the government target for 

reducing the number of multiple births 

following fertility treatment, while maintaining 

the pregnancy rate for singleton babies. 

More than 1,000 current and former patients 

and their babies, toddlers, children and 

teenagers joined MFS for the clinic's 21st 

celebrations in June 2008. Some of them 

appear in the commemorative picture on the 

front cover of this Patients' Guide to Services. 

Later in 2008 MFS brought vitrification to the 

West Midlands and further enhanced the 



the same friendly welcome and the same high 

standard of care - just more shades of blue! 

Lynsey Bissell, Caroline Price and Kathy Gargett 

model the new administration staff uniforms 

reputation of the egg freezing service. MFS is 

now able to offer both the 'slow-freeze' 

method, from which all the UK 'ice babies' from 

their mothers' own eggs, have been born so 

far, as well as the 'flash-freezing' technique 

which can increase the survival rates of the 

eggs after thawing from 65% to 95%. 

Following the expansion of the unit to a second 

floor of Centre House in early 2007, the 

remodelling of MFS continued through 2008 

and 2009, with two new treatment rooms and 

a new nurses' station. It's part of a 

commitment to ensure that MFS has the 

facilities, staff, experience and skills capable of 

delivering more than 900 IVF cycles per year, 

while providing both highly-personalised 

treatment and a comfortable environment for 

every patient. 

Throughout the year MFS met the challenges 

of the 'fertility regulator', the hospitals' 

watchdog, and the quality management 

assessor, by satisfactorily completing internal 

or external audits from the HFEA, the 

Healthcare Commission, which has since been 

replaced by the Care Quality Commission and 

the BSI. By meeting these rigorous 

requirements and providing excellent patient 

care, MFS constantly strives to improve the 

service it provides to its patients. 

In January 2009 a very special MFS 'baby' 

popped into Centre House on a very special 

day. Michael Robinson is MFS's first baby 

born from a frozen embryo and he made a 

return visit to the unit on his 18th birthday. He 

met Heidi Birch, director of nursing services, 

who was involved in his parents' treatment in 

MFS staff also received a 'makeover' with the 

introduction of uniforms for the nursing and 

business support teams. The new look offers 

MFS's first frozen embryo transfer baby was 18 in 

January 2009. Michael Robinson pictured with (l-r): 

Heidi Birch, Dr Gillian Lockwood and Su Barlow 



1990 and he also observed laboratory 

manager Jo Johnson freezing newly-created 

embryos in liquid nitrogen tanks - just as ‘his’ 

embryo had been preserved all those years 

ago! 

In March 2009 the first phase of the data 

management system (DMS) went 'live' with 

the conversion of more than 17,000 patient 

records to the new database. The launch of 

the electronic diary linked to the finance 

activity in September completed phase two of 

the DMS. Planning for the final phase of the 

DMS implementation continues when all 

current patient notes will be converted from 

hard-copies to computer data and all new 

patient notes will be held electronically rather 

than in paper format. The DMS ensures 

business security and continuity of care, even 

in the event of a serious incident, as the data 

is not stored exclusively at Centre House and 

could be accessed by MFS from any location. 

On-going investment in new technology 

included the introduction of an electronic 

witnessing system which generates a unique 

barcode for every patient that is applied to all 

dishes, tubes and sample pots which contain 

their gametes, embryos or blood. Whenever 

these samples are used, the barcode is 

scanned and matched against the patient's 

notes before the next stage of the procedure, 

providing reassurance to both patients and 

staff. 

In June 2009, MFS welcomed two very special 

MFS clinical midwife Beth Elton with her husband 

Thomas and their MFS ICSI twins Barney and Toby 

babies. Toby and Barney were born to Beth 

and Thomas Elton after ICSI treatment at MFS 

and following two failed cycles at another clinic 

- which Beth underwent while continuing her 

role as a clinical midwife at MFS and sharing 

the highs and lows of her patients' treatments 

while she was experiencing her own 'fertility 

journey'. It's a dream come true for Beth and 

Thomas and another wonderful 'Made in 

Aldridge' story. 

Finally, in June MFS relaunched 

www.midlandfertility.com, including 

comprehensive details of all investigations, 

treatments and preservation services, as well 

as advice on preparing for treatment, staff 

profiles, news, summarised and detailed 

success rates and the unique Cost Estimator© 

to give patients a clear idea of the true cost of 

any proposed treatment. For more information 

about any of the services included in the 

Patients' Guide to Services, visit 




Services at MFS 

MFS offers a comprehensive range of 

investigations and treatments for male and 

female sub-fertility and fertility preservation 

services and also diagnostic tests for recurrent 

miscarriage. 

The clinical team includes consultant 

gynaecologists and doctors, as well as nurses 

and clinical midwives who have chosen to 

specialise in fertility medicine after graduating 

or after many years of general nursing or 

midwifery. Working closely with the doctors, 

they all have a variety of extended skills, 

including ultrasound scanning, IUI 

insemination, egg collection, embryo transfer 

and surgical sperm retrieval. This skills mix 

makes some of them the most highly trained 

and experienced fertility nurses and midwives 

in the world. 

The following pages provide a brief overview of 

the most frequently used services and 

treatments MFS offers, plus cumulative 

statistics for the period January 2005 to 

December 2007, including live birth rates, and 

for January to December 2008, showing 

recent pregnancy rates. 

For more detailed information on treatments, 

please request the appropriate MFS treatment 

information booklet available from reception, 

by asking a member of the team, or 

as a downloaded PDF file from 



Getting Started 


The first step in any fertility treatment is to identify 

and understand the reasons why pregnancy has not 

occurred naturally. MFS divides this diagnosis 

process into several stages: 

● initial consultation 

● treatment assessment 

● counselling 

● follow-up and treatment planning 

Initial consultation 

At their first appointment at MFS every 

patient meets the doctor, fertility nurse 

specialist or midwife who will be one of their 

contacts during treatment. They will: 

● take a full medical history and ask about 

lifestyle issues 

● explain the legislative framework that 

MFS works within 

● answer any questions 

Treatment assessment 

To plan treatment effectively, MFS will need to 

perform certain tests, which may duplicate others 

a patient may have had elsewhere, including: 

● baseline hormones (FSH and LH). 

Normally tested on day two to five or 

possibly up to day six if in conjunction with 

ORT (see page 11) 

● vaginal pelvic ultrasound scan 

● blood tests for routine infection screening 

(HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) - a 

requirement for all patients having licensed 

fertility treatment 

● sperm analysis 

Counselling 

Counselling support is provided by members of 

the clinical team and also by fertility 

counsellors. This service is available before, 

during and after treatment and is included in 

the costs for as long as it relates to treatment 

at MFS. 

Occasionally MFS may be unable to proceed 

with treatment until a patient has seen an 

independent counsellor. This may be because 

of the type of required treatment or because 

there is an issue that needs discussing before 

treatment can be offered. The counsellor will 

only advise MFS that they have seen the 

patient and all issues remain confidential 

unless the patient agrees disclosure; 

counselling is not part of the assessment for 

treatment. 

The counselling advice line 01332 694622, is 

available everyday of the year between 

9.00am and 10.00pm. 

Follow-up and treatment planning 

Using the information gathered from the initial 

consultation, tests and investigations, MFS 

can recommend the appropriate treatment for 

each patient. These options will be discussed 

in full, including any risks and also the success 

rates. At this visit, treatment may be planned 

immediately, or the clinical team may advise 

that more advanced tests and investigations 

are needed. 

Whatever is decided, the patient will leave this 

appointment knowing what they need to do 

next to begin treatment. 



Investigations 

MFS offers a comprehensive range of 

diagnostic tests and investigations for male 

and female sub-fertility and recurrent 

pregnancy loss. For about 30% of couples 

trying to conceive, more than one problem 

contributes to their infertility. Even if a couple 

is aware of a factor such as tubal blockage or 

low sperm count, additional tests will reveal 

another problem for about 30% of couples 

whose infertility is investigated further - and 

pregnancy may not be possible until both 

problems are addressed. 

Fertility Investigation Package 

The Fertility Investigation Package (FIP) is a 

comprehensive investigation of both male and 

female partners for the most common causes 

of infertility. It offers more thorough testing 

than home-test kits and also includes 

ultrasound scans and counselling. 

● 

● 

● 

● 

measurement of male and female 

hormones 

ovarian reserve testing 

a sperm analysis 

a review of the test results and a 

discussion of future options 

Who can benefit from the FIP? 

● couples who have been trying to conceive 

for some time (typically after two years 

where the woman is under 35 years old, or 

after one year if the woman is 35+) 

What is included in the cost? 

● initial consultation 

● counselling (if appropriate) 

● an ultrasound scan 

How long do the tests take? 

The FIP may require two or more appointments 

at MFS in a month. 

Results 

Results may either identify treatable problems 

which may prevent pregnancy or reassure 

some couples that they have a good chance of 

conceiving naturally. 

10 | Midland Fertility Services : Investigations

Measuring a woman's ovarian reserve may 

provide vital information about whether she 

can 'safely' defer trying for a baby for a few 

years or whether her 'reproductive life span' is 

so low that she should not delay. The 

measurement of anti-Müllerian hormone 

(AMH) as a predictor of ovarian response to 

stimulation with hormones during fertility 

treatment gives an accurate indication of a 

woman's spontaneous fertility potential and 

her response to fertility stimulation drugs. 


Ovarian Reserve Test (ORT) 

Over-the-counter fertility testing kits may 

provide similar results to the MFS ORT, but will 

not be as comprehensive and do not include an 

ultrasound scan, an explanation of the results 

by a fertility specialist, or offer any counselling. 

Who can benefit? 

● any woman who wants to assess her 

fertility potential who is planning to 

conceive either naturally or with fertility 

treatment 

● any woman interested in elective egg 

freezing (see pages 30-31) is required to 

undergo an ORT at MFS a maximum of 12 

months before progressing to the egg 

freezing preparation service 

What does the test involve? 

In addition to measuring AMH to help gauge a 

woman's fertility potential, the MFS ORT also 

includes: an assessment of LH and FSH 

hormones, a single consultation with a fertility 

specialist, an ovarian ultrasound scan which 

may indicate problems which can reduce the 

chance of spontaneous pregnancy and 

counselling, where appropriate. 

How long does the test take? 

The blood test should be taken on day two to 

five of the woman's cycle and the results may 

be known within two to four weeks of the blood 

test. 

Results 

The interpretation of the woman's ovarian 

reserve includes assessment of the hormone 

test results, the scan, her age and lifestyle and 

also of her fertility and medical histories. 

Results are given at a single consultation 

combined with an ultrasound scan on day two 

to six of the woman’s cycle. 

Investigations : Midland Fertility Services | 11


Recurrent Miscarriage Service 

Who can benefit? 

● any woman who has experienced two or 

more miscarriages, whether she conceived 

naturally or after fertility treatment 

● the woman does not have to be an existing 

patient of MFS 

● a woman may 'self-refer' - a doctor's 

referral is not necessary 

The recurrent miscarriage service at MFS 

seeks to identify any treatable causes of 

miscarriage and to offer early diagnosis and 

appropriate management by a dedicated team 

of the MFS clinical staff. To maximise the 

convenience to the patient, blood tests may be 

sent to her to be completed at her GP surgery. 

Miscarriage occurs in about 10-15% of all 

pregnancies and increases with the age of any 

woman trying to conceive. Recurrent 

miscarriage - or recurrent pregnancy loss 

(RPL) - is defined as the loss of three or more 

pregnancies and affects 1% of all women. 

However, even after a number of miscarriages, 

a successful pregnancy remains possible. The 

specialised tests at the MFS recurrent 

miscarriage service may help to identify 

specific problems and treatments may be able 

to prevent future pregnancy losses. 

What is included in the service? 

Initial investigations include: 

● medical history and examination, including 

a BMI assessment 

● karyotype blood test (both partners) for 

genetic abnormalities, the problem for 

about 3-5% of couples with RPL 

● anti-phospholipid antibodies blood test - a 

high level of anti-phospholipid antibodies is 

the cause of miscarriage in about 15% of 

women with RPL 

● FSH and LH hormone blood test 

● ultrasound scan to identify any 

abnormalities of the uterus or ovaries 

● follow-up consultation 

● counselling 

● following any positive pregnancy test, an 

early pregnancy ultrasound at six weeks 

gestation 

Additional investigations which may also be 

required are also available. 

Results 

Not all causes of RPL can be treated, but 

certain treatments, specifically for 

thrombophilias can be very effective. 

12 | Midland Fertility Services : Investigations

Private Sperm Analysis 

Male factor infertility accounts for about 35% 

of infertility and a seminal fluid analysis (SFA) 

is a comprehensive way to assess if any 

difficulty in conceiving is related to a problem 

with sperm. A private sperm analysis at MFS: 

● assesses the volume, concentration, 

motility (movement) and morphology 

(shape) of the sperm 

● measures the number of white blood cells, 

antisperm antibodies and the Ph balance 

of the sample 


No doctor referral is required. A private sperm 

analysis at MFS requires only one two-hour 

appointment and the results are available the 

same day. 

Who may benefit? 

Any man who has been actively trying to 

conceive with his partner for up to 12 months 

and is not aware of any reasons which could 

prevent this from occurring. 

What does the test involve? 

Guidance about providing the sample will be 

given once the appointment is confirmed. After 

analysing the sample at MFS, an embryologist 

will give the man: 

● the results of the analysis 

● observations on a comparison with a 

'normal' semen analysis 

● advice on the probability of his sperm 

achieving either a natural pregnancy, or 

whether fertility treatment such as IVF or 

ICSI is recommended 


● the laboratory analysis of the sperm 

sample 

● a same-day follow-up appointment with a 

member of the laboratory staff to report 

the results 

● a copy of the report detailing the results 

Freezing or storage of any sperm sample, or 

any other investigations or treatments are not 

included in the cost. 

How long does the test take? 

Allow about two hours for the single 

appointment to provide the sample, the 

laboratory analysis of the sample and the 

follow-up appointment with a member of the 

laboratory team for the results. 

Investigations : Midland Fertility Services | 13


Treatments and Procedures 

Following an initial consultation and treatment 

assessment, the MFS clinical and scientific 

teams will have all the information needed to 

advise a patient on whether fertility treatment 

is necessary and if so, what type is 

recommended for a specific woman or couple. 

All fertility preservation and treatment plans at 

MFS are tailor-made to maximise the chance of 

success for each individual patient. The 

following information outlines the main 

treatments offered by MFS. 

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) 

Intrauterine insemination (IUI) involves placing 

carefully prepared sperm directly into the 

uterus, close to the time an egg is released 

(ovulation). IUI is one of the simplest and least 

invasive fertility treatments. 


● women who have at least one healthy 

Fallopian tube, to allow the sperm and egg 

to meet and for fertilisation to occur 

● women with cervical mucus problems 

which may prevent sperm from entering 

the uterus 

● couples with 'unexplained infertility' 

● women having treatment with donor sperm 

IUI is not suitable for women with damaged 

Fallopian tubes or for men with very poor 

quality sperm. 

14 | Midland Fertility Services : Treatments and Procedures


What does treatment involve? 

● 

● 

● 

● 

most IUIs at MFS are carried out during a 

woman's natural cycle, where only one egg 

is usually produced, so reducing the risk of 

a multiple pregnancy 

women who do not ovulate regularly are 

given fertility drugs to stimulate their 

ovaries to produce more than one egg and 

ultrasound scans are used to predict the 

day on which the egg is released. A 

hormone injection may be given to initiate 

ovulation, or to boost the natural LH surge, 

allow to more accurate timing of ovulation 

and to increase the probability of 

pregnancy 

only highly motile (active) partner or donor 

sperm is placed into the uterus via a fine 

plastic catheter, passed through the cervix 

a pregnancy test may be done 14 days 

after IUI insemination 


● monitoring scans, preparation of the 

sperm, IUI procedure, pregnancy test and 

scan and/or follow-up to review the 

treatment cycle 

The fee for freezing sperm and/or for donor 

sperm (if required) and the HFEA levy for using 

donor sperm are not included in the cost. 

How long does treatment take? 

An average of four to five weeks from the 

beginning of the treatment cycle to pregnancy 

test. 

Donor treatments and the law 

For information on donor conceived children, 

donor identification and the law see page 23 

and also visit the donor treatments section of 


Results 

IUI: January - December 2008 

Age All 

Partner Donor Total 

≤35 36-39 ≥40 All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Number of inseminations 66 29 33 4 48 26 14 8 114 

Pregnancy rate (%) 12.1 13.8 9.1 25.0 16.7 19.2 7.1 25.0 14.0 

IUI: January 2005 - December 2007 

Age All 

Partner Donor Total 

≤35 36-39 ≥40 All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Number of inseminations 306 181 68 57 430 221 128 81 736 

Livebirth rate (%) 10.8 14.4 8.8 1.8 12.8 15.4 13.3 4.9 12.0 

Treatments and Procedures : Midland Fertility Services | 15


In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) 

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) literally means 

fertilisation 'in glass'. Instead of the sperm 

fertilising the egg within the body (in vivo), 

fertilisation takes place in a sterile dish (in 

vitro) in a laboratory. 

IVF has been available in the UK since 1978 

and since then, more than four million babies 

have been born worldwide following IVF 

treatment. 


● women with blocked Fallopian tubes 

● men and women with 'unexplained infertility' 

● men with moderately poor sperm function 

IVF is not suitable for couples where the man 

has poor quality sperm or no sperm at all 

(azoospermia). 

Almost 2,000 babies have 

been born after IVF 

treatment at MFS 


● daily injections or a nasal spray 'down 

regulate' the woman's usually monthly 

cycle to a temporary menopausal state, 

before daily injections of gonadotrophin 

drugs stimulate the ovaries to produce 

more eggs than occur in a natural cycle. 

The dose of drugs is carefully calculated to 

optimise the chance of pregnancy for each 

patient 

● regular ultrasound scans monitor the 

number and size of the growing follicles. 

When these have grown sufficiently the 

patient is advised of the day of her egg 

collection (usually about two weeks after 



● 

● 

● 

● 

she first starts taking the stimulating 

drugs) 

egg collection is performed with ultrasound 

guidance under conscious sedation and 

with pain relief 

where partner sperm is to be used, the 

sample must be produced at the clinic 

immediately before egg collection 

IVF using the standard insemination 

technique needs approximately 150,000 

good quality sperm for each egg. The 

inseminated eggs are placed in an 

incubator and checked the following 

morning for signs of normal fertilisation 

the fertilised eggs (embryos) are cultured 

before the embryo transfer, two to six 

days after fertilisation, where one or two 

of the best quality embryos are placed into 

the uterus 

● any remaining good quality embryos can 

be frozen and stored for any future 

attempts to conceive 

● a pregnancy test may be done up to 14 

days after the IVF embryo transfer 


Treatment planning, monitoring scans, 

teaching how to give injections, egg collection, 

sperm preparation, fertilisation of eggs, 

embryo transfer, freezing of embryos and 

storage for first year, pregnancy test and six 

week dating scan and/or follow-up to review 

the treatment cycle. 


An average of five to eight, weeks from the 


test, depending on the drug protocol. 

Results 

IVF: January - December 2008 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 407 207 126 74 

Pregnancy rate per cycle started (%) 26.8 31.4 24.6 17.6 

Pregnancy rate per embryo transfer (%) 36.5 43.6 31.3 25.5 

IVF: January 2005 - December 2007 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 1089 600 326 163 

Livebirth rate per cycle started (%) 22.0 25.5 23.0 7.4 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 27.7 31.9 27.8 10.2 



Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm 

Injection (ICSI) 

Intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) 

involves the injection of a single healthy sperm 

into the cytoplasm - the jelly-type middle - of 

an egg. IVF using the standard insemination 

technique requires approximately 150,000 

sperm for each egg, but ICSI requires just one 

good quality sperm per egg. 

MFS introduced ICSI to the West Midlands in 

1994 and it has greatly improved the prospects 

of parenthood for many couples with specific 

fertility problems, particularly male factor 

infertility. 


● men with poor quality sperm 

● men who have had surgical sperm retrieval 

because they are azoospermic 

● 

● 

couples with previous fertilisation failure 

from standard IVF insemination 

women using thawed/frozen eggs 

More than 2,000 babies have 

been born following ICSI 

treatment at MFS 


● the first part of the process is the same as 

for IVF, when fertility drugs are used to 

down regulate and then stimulate the 

ovaries to allow several eggs to be 

collected during the egg collection 

procedure (see IVF, pages 16 - 17) 



● 

● 

● 

around the time of the egg collection an 

embryologist prepares the sperm for ICSI. 

This may be taken from a sample produced 

earlier that day, or from a frozen sample, 

or from a small sample of tissue (a biopsy) 

taken from the testis (see Surgical Sperm 

Retrieval, pages 20-21). The best quality 

sperm are isolated and incubated until it is 

time for the ICSI procedure 

after egg collection, the eggs are 

examined by the embryologist to check 

they are mature and suitable for sperm 

injection. A single sperm with the best 

shape and swimming-ability is selected 

and, under a microscope, using a glass 

needle finer than a human hair, is injected 

into the centre of the egg 

the injected eggs are placed in an 

incubator and checked the next morning 

for signs of successful fertilisation - when 

they become embryos 

● embryos are transferred to the uterus two 

to six days after the ICSI sperm injection 

● good quality embryos which are not 

transferred may be frozen for later use 

● a pregnancy test may be done up to 14 

days after the embryo transfer to confirm 

if the treatment has been successful 


Treatment planning, monitoring scans, 

teaching how to give injections, egg collection, 

sperm preparation, ICSI injection of eggs, 

embryo transfer, freezing and storage of 

embryos for first year, pregnancy test and six 

week dating scan and/or follow-up to review 

the treatment cycle. 


An average of five to eight weeks from the 


test, depending on the drug protocol. 

Results 

ICSI: January - December 2008 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 391 221 122 48 



ICSI: January 2005 - December 2007 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 1139 647 342 150 


Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 27.7 31 28.3 8.8 



Surgical Sperm Retrieval (SSR) 

About one man in a hundred produces no 

sperm in his semen (azoospermia). This might 

be due to a vasectomy (the male sterilisation 

operation), illness, trauma or a genetic 

condition. For some men with these problems, 

it may be possible to surgically retrieve sperm 

directly from the testes for MFS scientific staff 

to achieve fertilisation of an egg with ICSI (see 

pages 18-19). 


● men who have had a vasectomy or failed 

vasectomy reversal 

● men who are carriers of certain genetic 

conditions, for example Cystic Fibrosis 

● men who do not produce sperm in their 

semen, for example in cases of retrograde 

ejaculation 

In 2008, for women less than 

35, using surgically retrieved 

sperm with ICSI, MFS 

achieved a pregnancy rate 

per embryo transfer of 55.6% 


An SSR is usually planned in advance but in 

exceptional circumstances can also be carried out 

as an emergency procedure if the man is unable 

to produce a sperm sample on the day of his 

wife's or partner's egg collection. Under sedation 

and with pain relief, a clinical team led by an MFS 

doctor or nurse may use two different methods to 

surgically retrieve sperm: 



● 

● 

PESA is the least invasive method and 

involves inserting a fine needle into the 

epididymis, the convoluted tube that 

leaves the testis to become the vas 

deferens. It is suitable for men who have 

had a vasectomy, or who were born 

without a vas deferens 

TESA involves passing the needle directly 

into the testis to remove a small core of 

tissue, which is then prepared by scientists 

to release the developing sperm 

the female patient may start her fertility 

treatment knowing that enough sperm is 

available to use with the ICSI procedure. 


● treatment planning 

● sperm analysis 

● surgical sperm retrieval procedure 

The costs of the initial consultation, treatment 

assessment, ICSI and freezing and storage are 

additional. 

Samples are passed immediately to the MFS 

laboratory where a scientist checks them for 

sperm suitable for use in ICSI. Once enough 

are identified, the procedure is stopped. 

Surgically retrieved sperm may be frozen, so 


SSR is a one hour procedure and the 

appointment may be confirmed after 

satisfactory routine infection screening. 

Results 

Surgical Sperm Recovery with ICSI: January - December 2008 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 53 25 17 11 



Surgical Sperm Recovery with ICSI: January 2005 - December 2007 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 


Livebirth rate per cycle started (%) 18.4 18.6 27.5 0 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 22.4 23.1 33.3 0 



Egg Sharing and Donation 

● 

● 

● 

● 

age 

premature menopause 

ovarian failure 

a risk of passing on hereditary diseases 

Egg sharing is not suitable for everyone and 

there are many issues to consider. Donor egg 

sharers are women who meet certain age, 

lifestyle and clinical criteria who may benefit 

from IVF or ICSI treatment. The MFS policy 

for selecting egg sharers ensures that the 

donor's chances of becoming pregnant are not 

lowered and that the recipient has the best 

possible chance of conceiving. 

MFS actively coordinates the donation and 

receipt of donor eggs via the egg share and 

egg donor service. Women who require donor 

eggs for their fertility treatment may receive 

them either from an altruistic egg donor or 

from another woman who is willing to donate 

some of the eggs produced during her fertility 

treatment. For women willing to share their 

eggs, the egg sharing scheme can help other 

people have fertility treatment, as well as help 

to fund their own IVF or ICSI treatment. For 

more extensive information for egg sharers, 

donors and recipients visit the egg sharing and 

donor treatments pages of 



Women may require donor eggs for reasons 

including: 


● egg donors and sharers have essentially 

the same procedure as IVF patients (see 

IVF, pages 16-17). Fertilisation for egg 

sharers follows with either IVF or ICSI, as 

required (see pages 16 -19) 

● egg recipients receive drugs to coincide 

with the donor's cycle, monitoring scans 

and the fertilisation of the allocated eggs, 

followed by an embryo transfer 


● there are no costs to altruistic egg donors 

and they may be compensated for their 

travel and some other expenses. Altruistic 

egg donors receive: monitoring scans, 

teaching of how to give injections, egg 

recovery and a follow-up consultation 

● egg sharers receive: monitoring scans, 

teaching of how to give injections, egg 

recovery, fertilisation of up to half the 



● 

eggs collected, embryo transfer, storage of 

frozen embryos for first year, pregnancy 

test, scan and/or follow-up to review the 


egg recipients receive: monitoring scans, 

fertilisation of the allocated eggs, embryo 

transfer, storage of frozen embryos for 

first year, pregnancy test, scan and/or 

follow-up to review the treatment cycle 


Screening a donor and matching a recipient 

usually takes up to four weeks. For altruistic 

donors, treatment takes an average of five to 

six weeks from the beginning of the treatment 

cycle to egg collection. Treatment for egg 

sharers and egg recipients takes about eight to 

10 weeks from the beginning of the cycle to 

pregnancy test. 

The law and donor sperm, eggs and 

embryos 

In 2005 the law regarding donor anonymity 

changed so that any child conceived after 1 

April 2006 from donor sperm, eggs or embryos 

from donors registered after 1 April 2005 will be 

able, on reaching the age of 18 - or sooner if 

they are to marry - to access identifying 

information about the donor. This has reduced 

the number of available donors and had a 

severe impact on donor services throughout the 

UK. Any concerns about the implications of the 

removal of donor anonymity can be discussed 

with MFS staff or a counsellor. For more 

information about donor identification and the 

law visit the 'donor treatments' pages of 


Results 

IVF & ICSI for Egg Share Donors & Recipients: January - December 2008 

Five cycles resulted in two clinical pregnancies for the donors and three clinical pregnancies for 

the recipients 

IVF & ICSI for Egg Share Donors: January 2005 - December 2007 

All IVF ICSI 

Total cycles 67 37 30 

Livebirth rate per cycle started (%) 14.9 18.9 10.0 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 19.6 22.6 15.0 

IVF & ICSI for Egg Share Recipients: January 2005 - December 2007 

Total IVF ICSI 

Total cycles 67 38 29 

Livebirth rate per cycle started (%) 34.3 34.2 34.5 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 39.0 38.2 40.0 



Embryo Freezing, Thawing 

and Transfer 

extended from five to up to 10 years and may 

be increased further in exceptional 

circumstances. Some MFS patients have had 

babies more than 10 years after their embryos 

were originally created and frozen. 

Embryos can be stored at an extremely low 

temperature (-196˚C) to suspend their 

development. Once frozen, embryos can 

remain in liquid nitrogen for many years 

without deterioration before being thawed and 

used in treatment. 

Freezing good quality embryos offers a chance 

of conceiving either after an unsuccessful 

fresh embryo transfer, or following a 

successful transfer and pregnancy. Using 

thawed frozen embryos gives the possibility of 

a brother or sister for a patient's baby from a 

single cycle of IVF or ICSI treatment. 

Legislation determines the time that MFS, 

with patient consent, is allowed to store 

embryos. On 1 October 2009 this was 

Where other clinics may 

charge an additional fee for 

all embryo storage, the cost 

of embryo freezing and one 

year's storage at MFS is 

included in the fees for all 

treatments involving IVF 

and ICSI. 

MFS contacts patients every year to make 

sure they wish the clinic to continue storing 

their embryos and so it is vital that MFS is 

updated about any patient change of address 

while embryos remain in storage. 


● following a fresh embryo transfer, good 

quality surplus embryos created during IVF 

or ICSI treatment may be frozen and 

stored for the patients' future use 

● following egg collection for IVF or ICSI 

treatment, patients who have been 

advised not to go ahead with a fresh 

embryo transfer will have their embryos 



● 

frozen for use in treatment at a later date 

as a fertility preservation option, a woman 

in a relationship who has a medical 

condition or who requires medical 

treatment that may make her prematurely 

infertile, can have embryos created and 

frozen to give her the chance of having 

children with her current partner at a later 

date 


● most thawed/frozen embryos are replaced 

in the uterus in a natural cycle, which 

eliminates the need to take fertility drugs 

● sometimes the patient may require 

hormone tablets to improve her 

endometrium, particularly if her menstrual 

cycle is irregular or an adequate uterine 

lining cannot be achieved naturally 

● before embryos can be frozen, both 

partners will be asked to complete a form 

consenting to the storage of the embryos. 

This is an important legal requirement, so 

it is essential that both partners advise 

MFS immediately of any change in their 

circumstances or their address while 

embryos remain in storage 


● monitoring scans before the embryo 

transfer, thawing and monitoring of 

embryos in the lab, embryo transfer and 

pregnancy test and scan and/or follow-up 

to review the treatment cycle 

● the initial cost of embryo freezing and one 

year's storage is included in the original 

IVF or ICSI treatment fee 


See pages 17 and 19 for details of the time 

required for IVF and ICSI treatments. The thaw 

and transfer of frozen embryos requires an 

average of four to five weeks from the start of 

the treatment cycle to pregnancy test. 

Results 

Frozen Embryo Transfers: January - December 2008 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 




Frozen Embryo Transfers: January 2005 - December 2007 

Age All ≤35 36-39 ≥40 

Total cycles 590 370 138 82 


Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 30.3 33.6 27.5 18.3 



Surrogacy 

● 

couples for whom pregnancy is clinically 

inadvisable 

MFS offers host surrogacy treatment, where 

the commissioning couple provide the embryos 

which have been created through IVF or ICSI 

and which are then placed in the uterus of the 

surrogate. Both the commissioning couple and 

the surrogate must be UK residents. 


● couples for whom non-surrogate fertility 

treatments have failed 

Embryo Transfer Policy 


● both the commissioning couple and the 

surrogate receive extensive and separate 

consultations from different members of 

the clinical team to cover all the issues of 

surrogacy and the welfare interests of any 

current or future children 

● counselling is recommended 


Surrogacy may require IVF or ICSI, and 

possibly include the use of donor sperm, eggs 

or embryos and so a summary of the costs is 

not possible. Guidance on the cost for any 

individual couple is available at the initial 

consultation or at the follow-up appointment. 

To reduce the risk of multiple births, MFS 

adheres to the HFEA code on embryo transfers 

which was implemented in 2001 to achieve a 

balance between reducing multiple births and 

maximising a woman's chance of having a 

healthy baby. The Code makes a distinction 

based on age and states that in a single 

treatment cycle, a maximum of: 

● two embryos can be transferred to a 

woman of less than 40 years of age, with 

no exceptions 

● 

three embryos may be transferred to a 

woman aged 40 and over if she is using 

her own eggs 

In addition, MFS also adheres to the elective 

single embryo transfer (eSET) policy 

implemented by all fertility clinics in the West 

Midlands in January 2009 to reduce the 

number of IVF and ICSI multiple pregnancies in 

the UK to 10% by 2012. To achieve this, some 

patients will be offered only a single embryo 

transfer. 


Blastocyst Transfer 

A blastocyst is an embryo which has 

developed into a multi-cellular mass five or six 

days after the sperm has fertilised the egg. 

Because a healthy blastocyst may have a 

greater chance of implanting, the pregnancy 

rate may be maintained even though fewer are 

replaced - so reducing the risk of a multiple 

pregnancy. 



Blastocyst transfer may be suitable for the 

following patients having IVF or ICSI: 

● those who are advised for medical reasons 

to avoid a twin pregnancy 

● those who would prefer to avoid a twin 

pregnancy for other reasons 

● those who meet the criteria for a single 

embryo transfer (eSET) 

● those who have had negative results after 

earlier embryo transfers 


● before IVF or ICSI egg collection, MFS 

staff will discuss the suitability of a 

blastocyst transfer with the patient 

● 

● 

a decision about blastocyst transfer is 

made three days after the egg collection 

fresh blastocysts are transferred five or six 

days after egg collection. Remaining 

blastocysts may be frozen and stored for 

possible future use 


There is no additional charge for blastocyst 

culture and transfer as part of IVF and ICSI 

treatment at MFS. 


Blastocyst transfer does not change the 

average length of treatment time for standard 

IVF or ICSI, or for frozen embryo transfer. 

Results 

Blastocyst Transfers: January - December 2008 

IVF FET ICSI Total 

Number of patients getting to blastocyst transfer 102 73 76 251 

Pregnancy rate per blastocyst transfer (%) 46.1 38.4 52.6 45.8 

Blastocyst Transfers: January 2006 - December 2007 

IVF FET ICSI Total 

Number of patients getting to blastocyst transfer 78 78 94 250 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 38.5 50 45.7 44.8 



Preservation Services 

MFS offers a range of services for men and 

women who wish to 'preserve' their fertility by 

freezing and storing sperm, eggs or embryos 

for possible future use: 

● sperm collection and freezing (see below) 

● vasectomy reversal back-up plan (see page 

29) 

● egg freezing (see pages 30 - 31) 

● embryo freezing (see pages 24 - 25) 

Sperm Freezing 

elective reasons, including men who work 

in high-risk occupations, such as the 

military or any man whose sperm count is 

declining prematurely 

What does the procedure involve? 

● 

● 

● 

● 

a single consultation 

routine infection screening 

laboratory analysis of sperm 

freezing of viable sperm 

Sperm collection and freezing is a non-invasive 

and long-established procedure which has led 

to the birth of many thousands of babies, 

worldwide, following the thaw of the sperm and 

its use to achieve a pregnancy either through 

IUI, IVF or ICSI. 


In addition to freezing sperm as part of a 

couple's fertility treatment, MFS is also able to 

freeze sperm to preserve a man's fertility. This 

may benefit: 

● men diagnosed with cancer or other 

medical conditions which require 

chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment 

● men who wish to preserve their fertility for 


● routine infection screening, laboratory 

analysis and freezing of the sperm 

sample(s), storage of the sperm for the 

first year 

The costs of any surgical sperm retrieval, other 

investigations or treatments, or storage after 

the first year are not included. 


● for pre-medical treatment sperm freezing; 

this service is available at short notice and 

may be completed within 24 hours 

● for elective sperm freezing; from 

consultation to sperm freeze, about two to 

three weeks 

28 | Midland Fertility Services : Preservation Services


Vasectomy Reversal Back-Up 

The MFS Vasectomy Reversal Back-up Plan 

(VRBP) enables any man considering a 

vasectomy reversal to freeze sperm or 

testicular tissue removed during the surgical 

procedure, to: 

● avoid the need for a second surgical 

procedure should the reversal fail and 

reduce the cost of any future fertility 

treatment 

● reduce anxiety, because if the reversal is 

unsuccessful, or if the man has continuing 

fertility problems, sperm is stored ready 

for use with ICSI (see pages 18-19) 


Any man planning a vasectomy reversal 

operation. 

What does the procedure involve? 

● an MFS scientist attends the vasectomy 

reversal operation and collects any 

extracted sperm or biopsied testicular 

tissue to freeze for use in future possible 

ICSI treatment (see pages 18-19) 

● after the operation, MFS undertakes a 

detailed analysis of the quality of the 

sperm being ejaculated following the 

reversal, to assess any need to freeze 

sperm in case the reversal is not 

permanent 

● if no sperm can be produced naturally 

following the reversal, the sample 

collected during the reversal procedure 

may be used in ICSI treatment 


● infection screen and pre-conception 

consultation 

● extraction and freezing of sperm 

● one year's storage of sperm 

● post-reversal semen analysis and freezing 

of ejaculated sperm (if appropriate) 

● the vasectomy reversal procedure and 

ICSI treatment are not included in the cost 

of the VRBP 


The VRBP is scheduled around the vasectomy 

reversal operation. MFS can do a sperm 

analysis two to four weeks after the reversal 

surgery and sperm can also be frozen at this 

time, in case any initial success is not 

permanent. 

Results 

MFS is confident that the VRBP should be 

successful for a previously fertile man. (See 

page 21 for the results of ICSI using surgically 

recovered sperm.) 

Preservation Services : Midland Fertility Services | 29


Egg Freezing 

Freezing eggs is a much newer technique than 

sperm or embryo freezing and has been 

available at MFS since 2000. To date (August 

2009), MFS continues to be the only UK clinic 

to have achieved livebirths following the 

freezing of the mothers' own eggs, after the 

birth of four babies since June 2002. These 

livebirths were achieved using a 'slow-freeze' 

method, but since late 2008 MFS has also 

been able to vitrify eggs, a process which may 

improve pregnancy rates by increasing the 

survival rates of the eggs after thawing from 

65% to 95%. 

Egg freezing offers no guarantee of successful 

future conception. The chance of a woman 

achieving a successful pregnancy is higher 

when she conceives before the age of 35. 


'emergency' egg freezers: 

● young women with cancer who require 

chemotherapy or radiotherapy which may 

harm their ovaries and damage their 

fertility 

● other women who need to freeze eggs 

within one month because of an 

emergency medical condition 

'elective' egg freezers, including: 

● women who are not in a relationship and 

who want to 'preserve' their fertility 

● women with non-emergency medical 

conditions which are likely to result in 

premature ovarian failure or the loss of 

their ovaries 

● women who, possibly with their partner, 

have ethical concerns about freezing 

embryos as part of their fertility treatment 

MFS offers two egg freezing services: 

● a rapid-response service for 'medical 

emergency' patients, available seven days 

a week to maximise access to the service 

and minimise any delay to the start of 

required therapy or surgery 

● a comprehensive three-stage service for 

all other 'elective egg freezers' to address 

the emotional issues often involved in 

elective egg freezing which ensures the 

client is aware of both the potential and 

limitations of egg freezing 


For emergency egg freezing patients: 

● treatment can be arranged at short notice 

● the first part of the process, including egg 

collection, is the same as for IVF (see 

pages 16 - 17) 

For elective egg freezing clients: 

● stage one: an ORT (see page 11) to 

assess the woman's potential response to 

fertility drugs 

30 | Midland Fertility Services : Preservation Services


● stage two: the elective egg freezing 

preparation service. If the clinical team is 

satisfied that the woman meets the clinical 

and scientific criteria and she has met with 

the counsellor to consider her ability to 

deal with the emotional implications of 

elective egg freezing, she may progress to 

egg freezing treatment 

● stage three: egg freezing. The first part of 

the treatment, including egg collection, is 

the same as for IVF (see pages 16 - 17) 

For all egg freezing patients: 

● following egg collection, the eggs are 

prepared for freezing using either the 

slow-freeze or vitrification processes, or a 

combination of both 

● the eggs are stored at -196°C. When the 

woman is ready to conceive, MFS can 

thaw the eggs, fertilise them using ICSI 

with partner or donor sperm and transfer 

any resulting embryos 


For all egg freezers: 

● the egg freezing service includes 

treatment planning, monitoring scans, 

teaching how to give injections, egg 

collection and freezing for one year 

The subsequent thaw, ICSI fertilisation of the 

eggs and the storage fees after the first year 

are not included in the cost of the egg freezing 

procedure. 

For emergency egg freezing patients: 

● MFS may be able to secure funding from 

the patient's PCT to meet the cost of egg 

freezing for cancer patients. The patient is 

liable for the cost of the treatment and will 

be refunded if funding is secured 

For elective egg freezing clients: 

● the three stages of treatment are costed 

and invoiced separately 

● the stage two preparation service includes 

two consultations and at least one 

counselling appointment 


Depending on the drug protocol: 

● for emergency egg freezing patients: two 

to four weeks from the beginning of the 

treatment cycle to egg freezing 

● for elective egg freezing clients: around 

four months from the beginning of the 

elective egg freezing preparation service 

to completion of any possible egg freezing 


Results 

Worldwide, clinics which fertilise many thawed frozen eggs achieve the same pregnancy rate per 

embryo transfer as they achieve for frozen embryo transfers. 

Egg Thaws and Transfers: January 2000 - December 2007 

Age 

All 

Total cycles 19 

Livebirth rate per cycle started (%) 15.8 

Livebirth rate per embryo transfer (%) 18.8 

Preservation Services : Midland Fertility Services | 31


Additional Services 

MFS always seeks to enhance its range of services and now offers both acupuncture therapy and 

ante-natal scanning at the unit for the benefit of MFS patients, before, during and after 

conception. 

Acupuncture 

Acupuncture is at the forefront of the rapid 

growth of complementary therapies in the UK. 

As practiced by members of the British 

Acupuncture Council (BAcC), it is an holistic 

approach to health based on more than 2,000 

years of development and refinement in the 

Far East. The tradition is as much about the 

maintenance of general health and well-being 

as the management of a particular condition 

and a number of studies have suggested that 

acupuncture around the time of embryo 

transfer may improve success rates in IVF 

cycles. In addition it may be useful in managing 

stress associated with sub-fertility and fertility 

treatment. 

The acupuncture service at MFS is provided by 

June Powell, a member of BAcC, and is 

available on Thursdays at MFS and by 

arrangement at another time or venue. To 

make an appointment contact her on 07860 

168254 or 01295 738644. 

MUMS@MFS Ante-natal Services 

MFS now offers a range of ante-natal 

screening services via a satellite service from 

MUMS - Midlands Ultrasound Medical 

Services (visit www.mums.me.uk). 

MUMS offers the very latest in nuchal and 

marker scanning for Down's and other 

Still and moving 4D scans by MUMS provide clear 

images in the uterus of a baby's development and 

features 

chromosomal conditions, plus 20 week 

anomaly and 26 week fetal well-being scans. 

In addition, parents-to-be enjoy the 

reassurance of the latest-technology, noninvasive 

4D diagnostic and screening 

scans,which give much clearer still and DVD 

images of the baby at 26-28 weeks than 

regular ultrasound scanning. All these 

services are available at MUMS in Solihull, but 

MUMS@MFS brings them to MFS patients on 

Thursday afternoons in the familiar 

environment of the MFS unit. 

To make an appointment for ante-natal 

scanning with MUMS@MFS, contact MUMS 

on 0121 704 2669. 

32 | Midland Fertility Services : Additional Services

Midland Fertility Services is an independent hospital, 

established in 1987 for the investigation and 

treatment of infertility. MFS specialises in 

assisted conception techniques and 

employs highly-qualified, full-time 

staff dedicated to their work at MFS. 

Statutory Compliance 

MFS is licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology 

Authority, centre no 008, for the performance of IVF, ICSI, 

gamete and embryo donation and for gamete and 

embryo storage: 

Nominal licensee: Anna Kavanagh 

Person responsible: Gillian Lockwood 

Accredited consultant: Mike Bowen 

MFS is registered with the Care Quality Commission 

as an independent hospital providing in vitro 

fertilisation, certificate number P030002061. 

Registered provider: Midland Fertility Services Ltd 

Registered manager: Anna Kavanagh 

Responsible individual: Heidi Birch 

For a copy of the most recent MFS inspection report 

visit www.cqc.org.uk and search for Midland Fertility 

Services in the section ‘Find Care Services’, 

or telephone 03000 616161. 

MFS: 

● 

● 

● 

● 

is certified by BSI Quality Assurance with 

BS EN 9001:2008 (formerly BS5750) 

is registered with the Office of Data Protection 

Registrar and adheres to its code of practice 

delivers counselling support within the ethical 

framework of the British Association for 

Counselling and Psychotherapy 

has Investor in People accreditation 

© 2009 Midland Fertility Services Ltd 

All rights reserved. No paragraph or other parts of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by 

any means, including photocopying and recording, without the written permission of Midland Fertility Services Ltd.

Services at MFS 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Fertility Investigation Package 

Ovarian Reserve Testing 

Recurrent Miscarriage Monitoring 

Sperm Analysis 

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) 

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) 

Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) 

Surgical Sperm Retrieval 

Egg Sharing 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

● 

Egg/Embryo Donation 

Surrogacy 

Sperm Freezing 

Vasectomy Reversal Back-Up Plan 

Egg Freezing (including Vitrification) 

Embryo Freezing 

Blastocyst Culture and Transfer 

Assisted Hatching 

Genetic Screening 

How to get to Midland Fertility Services 

Third Floor, Centre House, 

Court Parade, Aldridge, 

West Midlands WS9 8LT 

t: 01922 455911 

f: 01922 459020 

e: mfs@midlandfertility.com 

w: www.midlandfertility.com 

Issue: 01-10/2009 

© 2009 Midland Fertility Services Ltd

Patients - Midland Fertility Services

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