Fertility treatments, explained

Fertility tests & 'fertility MOT'

AMH test, ovarian reserve scan, semen analysis

A set of blood tests and scans that give a snapshot of your reproductive health – how many eggs you're likely to have, whether you're ovulating, and (for a male partner) sperm count and quality.

Initial fertility consultation

Your first appointment with a fertility specialist. They'll go through your history and any test results, explain your options, and agree a plan – which might be more tests, treatment, or simply time.

Ovulation induction (fertility drugs)

Clomifene, letrozole, gonadotrophins

Medication that helps you ovulate (release an egg) regularly. It's often the first treatment for people with PCOS or irregular periods, and is used with timed sex or with IUI.

IUI (intrauterine insemination)

Artificial insemination

Washed, concentrated sperm is placed directly into the womb around the time you ovulate, using a thin catheter. It's less invasive and much cheaper than IVF, but has lower success rates per cycle.

IVF (in vitro fertilisation)

Your ovaries are stimulated with hormones to grow several eggs, which are collected and fertilised with sperm in a lab. The best embryo is put back in your womb and any other good embryos can be frozen for later.

ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection)

A type of IVF where an embryologist injects a single sperm directly into each egg. It's the main treatment for male fertility problems.

Frozen embryo transfer (FET)

Frozen embryo replacement (FER)

An embryo frozen during an earlier IVF cycle is thawed and placed in your womb. No stimulation or egg collection is needed, so it's simpler and cheaper than a fresh cycle.

Donor sperm & donor insemination

IUI with donor sperm (IUI-D / DI)

Using sperm from a donor – either through IUI (donor insemination) or IVF. It's how most single women and female same-sex couples start a family, and is also used when there are serious sperm problems.

Donor eggs & egg sharing

IVF using eggs from a donor, fertilised with your partner's or donor sperm and placed in your womb. Success depends mainly on the donor's age, so it can greatly improve chances for older women or those with very few eggs.

Reciprocal IVF (shared motherhood)

Shared parenthood, partner-to-partner IVF

In a female same-sex or LGBTQIA+ couple, one partner's eggs are collected and fertilised with donor sperm, and the embryo is carried by the other partner. Both are part of the pregnancy – one genetically, one by carrying the baby.

Egg freezing

Oocyte cryopreservation, social or elective egg freezing

Your ovaries are stimulated and eggs collected as in IVF, but the eggs are frozen instead of fertilised. Later they can be thawed, fertilised (with ICSI) and an embryo transferred.

Embryo freezing

Freezing embryos created during IVF – either spare good-quality embryos from a cycle, or as a way to preserve fertility with a partner or donor sperm.

Fertility preservation for medical reasons

Before cancer treatment, surgery or gender-affirming care

Freezing eggs, sperm, embryos or ovarian tissue before treatment that could affect fertility – such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or some surgery.

Embryo testing (PGT-M, PGT-SR, PGT-A)

Pre-implantation genetic testing, formerly PGD/PGS

During IVF, a few cells are taken from each embryo and tested, so only embryos without a specific condition (PGT-M), chromosome rearrangement (PGT-SR) or an abnormal chromosome number (PGT-A) are transferred.

Surrogacy

Another woman (the surrogate) carries and gives birth to a baby for you. In the UK it's legal but must be altruistic – surrogates can only be paid reasonable expenses.

Male fertility & surgical sperm retrieval

Semen analysis, SSR, TESE, PESA

Sperm problems are part of the picture for around half of couples having difficulty. Treatment ranges from lifestyle changes and medication to collecting sperm surgically for ICSI.