We provide a range of fertility treatments, including IVF and ICSI

THRIVE FERTILITY – WHAT IS IVF Treatment

What is IVF?

IVF stands for ‘in vitro fertilisation’. It’s a form of fertility treatment in which eggs, sperm and embryos are handled outside the body and then implanted into the uterus in the hope of establishing a pregnancy.

What is ICSI?

Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection, or ICSI, is a modification of the standard IVF process that is particularly helpful in addressing male infertility.

In standard IVF, the sperm fertilise the eggs “naturally”. In ICSI, the embryologist injects the sperm into the eggs with a specialised micro-manipulator. ICSI may be recommended when the sperm parameters are low.

Whether your eggs are fertilised via IVF or using ICSI, the next stages are the same. The embryo(s) are allowed to develop in optimal conditions within the embryology laboratory before being transferred into the uterus.

What does am IVF/ICSI journey look like?

When undergoing IVF/ICSI, the journey may look something like this:

Stimulation Phase

We use hormones to promote egg follicle development within your ovaries. There are numerous treatment protocols, individualised according to your particular circumstances. During stimulation you will have regular monitoring with ultrasound and blood tests. The Thrive Fertility nursing team will liaise with you during stimulation and provide regular updates, and you will be able to access your treatment plan through our patient portal.

Stimulation Phase

Egg Collection

Thrive Fertility is located in the Northern Private Hospital with modern operating theatres. We’ll perform a minimally invasive surgical procedure to collect your eggs under anaesthesia in the same building, providing a safe and quick transfer of your eggs to our embryology laboratory.

Egg Collection

Embyro development

Your embryos are kept in the optimal conditions within our laboratory to allow them to develop. The most favourable embryo is selected for embryo transfer, and surplus embryos can be stored (cryopreserved) for future use. Thrive Fertility uses time-lapse monitoring of embryos with Embryoscopes for all our embryos. Embryoscopes provide stable optimal conditions and detailed morpho-kinetic information that can be used to select the embryo with the best probability of achieving pregnancy.

Embyro development

Embryo transfer

We aim for elective day-5 blastocyst single embryo transfer under ultrasound guidance, to ensure optimal positioning of the transfer catheter. To enhance the embryo’s chance to implant, we use Embryoglue as standard of care for all embryo transfers.

Embryo transfer

Cryo-storage

At Thrive Fertility we can ‘freeze’ surplus embryos not used in a fresh stimulation cycle that have achieved the required development milestones. Embryos that are cryo-preserved can be stored for future utilization and transferred in a frozen embryo transfer cycle.

Cryo-storage

Peace of Mind

At Thrive Fertility we use RI Witness electronic witnessing to track the movement of eggs, sperm and embryos in our laboratory. The system uses electronic monitoring at each workstation to ensure that at every step is securely managed.

Peace of Mind

If pregnancy occurs, we celebrate with you and then provide pregnancy care. If pregnancy does not occur, we review your needs and advise you on whether to consider another IVF cycle or a frozen embryo transfer.

The emotional journey of IVF

You may experience numerous intense emotions throughout your IVF journey, including:

Grief and loss – you may be grieving because you can’t conceive naturally, have miscarried, have had unsuccessful IVF cycles or because you can’t have your own biological child.
Envy – it seems so unfair that you’re on a harder journey than friends or family.
Overwhelmed – there are so many decisions, unfamiliar terminology and numerous appointments (we do our best to simplify the process for you)
Heartbreak – it can be deeply distressing to discover you’re not pregnant after an IVF cycle.
Hope – this is what keeps you going through the ups and downs of IVF.
Elation – there’s nothing like discovering you’re finally pregnant.
Anxiety – this can be present throughout the stages of IVF and may continue during pregnancy.

Thrive Fertility was born from our personal experience of infertility. We’ve been where you are, we know what it’s like. That’s why we provide a range of support services throughout your IVF journey.

IVF FAQs

Can you choose gender with IVF?

Only for medical reasons.

In Australia, gender selection is available through IVF for medical reasons only. Some families may have a strong history of genetic conditions associated with a particular sex. In these circumstances, you may be able to use IVF to conceive a child of the opposite sex.

Under current laws, you cannot use IVF gender selection for reasons of family balancing.

How successful is IVF?

We understand that IVF involves both a financial and an emotional investment. You put all that effort in because you want a baby. Understandably, you’re keen to know if it’s likely to succeed.

At Thrive Fertility, our purpose-built laboratory achieves clean-room ambient air quality for optimal sperm, egg and embryo handling.

While we use state-of-the-art equipment to improve your outcomes, the most important factors influencing pregnancy rates include your age, health and cause of infertility.

Learn more about how to assess IVF success rates

How long does IVF take?

A stimulation cycle is approximately 4 weeks and includes:

Stimulation phase: this varies but is typically between 8-14 days.
Egg collection: scheduled 36-37 hours after final trigger.
Embryo development: usually for 3-5 days before embryo transfer.
Pregnancy test: scheduled 10-12 days after embryo transfer.

Calculating your due date after IVF

Working out when your baby’s due is an exciting part of pregnancy – it’s also vital for your pregnancy care. If you conceive naturally, your due date is taken as 40 weeks from the first day of your last period rather than from your estimate of when conception occurred. However, if you conceive through IVF, we know exactly when you conceived. There are a few different ways to calculate your due date after IVF.

Egg retrieval method

Egg retrieval date + 266 days (38 weeks)

Frozen embryo transfer

For 3-day-old embryos, use your transfer date + 263 days.
For 5-day-old blastocysts, use your transfer date + 261 days.

Due Date Calculator

When did your last period start?

Generally, how long are your cycles?

Calculate your due date

Your baby is likely to be born on or around*

*Only your physician can accurately determine your due date or the date of your conception based on his/her knowledge of your complete medical condition.

Change my informations

In partnership with Clearblue®.

Remember, the estimated due date is just a guide! Even when we know the date of conception and take ultrasound measurements throughout pregnancy, very few babies are born on their due date. The due date is helpful to monitor your baby’s growth and development during your pregnancy.

How can we help?

At Thrive Fertility we want to support you on your journey to parenthood. We believe that IVF should be accessible and want you and your family to flourish.

We can explore the reasons you may be struggling to conceive and advise you on the options available to you, which may include IVF.