82 fertility guides
Trying to conceive
Ovulation, timing, fertility testing and what actually helps when trying to conceive — every claim sourced to NHS, ACOG, RCOG or NICE.
FertilityDoes Acupuncture Help Fertility? What the Evidence ShowsAcupuncture is offered widely alongside IVF, usually on a claim about blood flow to the uterus.…FertilityAlcohol, Caffeine and Smoking When Trying to ConceiveSmoking: odds ratio 1.60 for infertility (ASRM). Alcohol: fecundability 0.87. Caffeine: NICE finds…FertilityAt-Home Fertility Tests and AMH: What They Cannot Tell YouFertility MOTs and postal AMH kits are sold as an egg count. NICE says do not use AMH to predict…FertilityBasal Body Temperature Charting: What It Confirms and What It Cannot PredictACOG says BBT charting confirms ovulation but cannot predict it; NICE advises against using it at…FertilityBlocked Fallopian Tubes: What It Means for ConceivingTubal damage causes about 20% of couples' fertility problems. How blockage is found, when surgery…FertilityBreastfeeding and FertilityBreastfeeding suppresses ovulation, but only under strict conditions and never permanently. How the…FertilityCarrier Screening and Conceiving with a Known Genetic ConditionIf both parents carry a recessive gene there is a 25% chance per pregnancy (ACOG). Screening…FertilityChances of Conceiving by AgeWhat actually happens to fertility across your twenties, thirties and forties, using figures from…FertilityChemical Pregnancy: A Very Early Loss, ExplainedA positive test followed by a period a few days later is a very early miscarriage. Why it happens,…FertilityHow to Choose a Fertility Clinic: What to Check FirstSuccess rates are a poor way to choose a clinic, and the regulator says so. Inspection ratings,…FertilityConceiving Again After Gestational DiabetesGestational diabetes often returns in a next pregnancy and raises your risk of type 2 diabetes. The…FertilityConceiving Again After Pre-eclampsiaPre-eclampsia can recur, and preventive treatment in the next pregnancy starts early. What to do…FertilityCoping With the Emotional Weight of Trying to Conceive47% of UK fertility patients report depression often or always and 4 in 10 report suicidal…FertilityDonor Egg IVF: Success Rates, Law and What Actually ChangesHFEA data for 2018-19: birth rates stayed above 30% per embryo transferred at every recipient age…FertilityEarly Menopause and Getting Pregnant: POI ExplainedPremature ovarian insufficiency is not always permanent and ovulation can return. What the…FertilityEgg Collection: What Actually Happens on the DayNICE NG257 tells clinics to offer conscious sedation and not to flush follicles. What the 20 to 30…FertilityEgg Freezing and Fertility Preservation: What the Data ShowsUK egg freezing cycles rose 170% to 6,932 in 2023. Average age at freezing is 35, at thawing 40.…FertilityEmbryo Grading Explained: Day 3, Day 5 and What the Score MeansNICE NG257 tells UK clinics to grade embryos using the ARCS and UK NEQAS scheme. What embryologists…FertilityEmbryo Transfer: What Happens, and How Many to TransferNICE NG257 sets embryo numbers by age, requires ultrasound guidance and says bed rest over 20…FertilityA Failed IVF Cycle: What Went Wrong and What Comes NextThe HFEA says around three quarters of IVF treatment is unsuccessful. The questions that turn a…FertilityFaint Line on a Pregnancy Test: What It Actually MeansA faint line within the reading time is a positive result. What changes the darkness, why line…FertilityFertility After an Ectopic Pregnancy: What the Data Shows65% of women are healthily pregnant within 18 months of an ectopic pregnancy, rising to about 85%…FertilityFertility Apps and Wearables: Do They Actually Help?Calendar-based apps scored 0 of 30 in published testing. Oura reports 1.26 days mean error, but its…FertilityFertility Options for Trans and Non-Binary PeopleHormone therapy suppresses fertility and over time can end it. What can be preserved, at what…FertilityFertility Supplements: What the Evidence Actually ShowsCoQ10, inositol, maca, agnus castus and antioxidant blends are sold hard to people trying to…FertilityFertility Tests: What Your Doctor Will Actually OrderThe short defined list NICE NG257 recommends, from day-21 progesterone to HSG, plus the nine tests…FertilityIVF Abroad: What Is Not Regulated When You TravelCheaper headline prices, different laws. What the UK regulator says about donor anonymity, embryo…FertilityFolic Acid and Prenatal Vitamins Before Conception400 micrograms daily from 3 months before; 5mg if you are higher risk. Cochrane found a risk ratio…FertilityFrozen Embryo Transfer: Rates, Protocols and Trade-offsHFEA data for 2023: 33% birth rate per frozen embryo transferred versus 25% fresh, but the two…FertilityGetting Pregnant After a Molar PregnancyFollow-up after a molar pregnancy means hCG monitoring, and you are asked to avoid conceiving until…FertilityGetting Pregnant After a Preterm BirthA previous preterm birth raises the chance of another, and treatments exist that work best when…FertilityGetting Pregnant After a TerminationAn abortion does not usually affect your future fertility, and ovulation can return within about…FertilityGetting Pregnant After a Vasectomy: Reversal or Sperm RetrievalTwo routes exist after a vasectomy: surgical reversal, or retrieving sperm for ICSI. What decides…FertilityGetting Pregnant Again After Having a BabyFertility returns before your first period, and can return three weeks after birth. What that means…FertilityGetting Pregnant After Tubal Ligation: Reversal or IVFAfter female sterilisation there are two routes: surgical reversal of the tubes, or IVF, which…FertilityGetting Pregnant as a Same-Sex Female Couple: Your OptionsIUI, IVF with donor sperm and reciprocal IVF are the routes. The legal parenthood forms, the NHS…FertilityHaving a Baby on Your Own With a Donor: What to KnowSolo parenthood by choice is one of the fastest growing routes in UK fertility. The treatments, the…FertilityHome Insemination and Known Donors: The Risks Nobody ListsCheaper and simpler than a clinic, but the donor may be the legal father of your child. What the UK…FertilityHow Long Can Embryos Be Stored? The 2022 Law ChangeUK law allows eggs, sperm and embryos to be stored for up to 55 years, but only if consent is…FertilityHow Long Should It Take to Get Pregnant?Over 80% of couples conceive within a year and over 90% within two (NICE NG257). The per-cycle odds…FertilityHow Long to Wait Between PregnanciesShort gaps between pregnancies carry higher risks, and a caesarean or preterm birth changes the…FertilityHow Much Does IVF Cost? What the Quote Leaves OutUK clinics set their own IVF prices, so the same treatment can cost two or three times more at one…FertilityICSI vs IVF: When the Injection Is Actually JustifiedNICE NG257 says do not use ICSI for non-male factor problems when semen parameters are normal. When…FertilityMale Fertility: What Actually Improves Sperm QualityMale factors affect around 30% of couples. What NICE NG257 and a 90-study Cochrane review actually…FertilityIrregular Periods and Trying to ConceivePeriods are irregular if the gap is under 21 or over 35 days (NHS). PCOS affects 8-13% of women.…FertilityIUI Explained: How Intrauterine Insemination Actually WorksHFEA puts IUI success at roughly a third of IVF for about a quarter of the cost. NICE NG257…FertilityIVF Add-Ons: What the HFEA Traffic Lights Actually MeanThe UK regulator rates optional IVF extras from green to red, and most sit at grey, yellow, black…FertilityIVF Drugs and Their Side Effects, Protocol by ProtocolLong protocol, antagonist protocol, trigger and luteal support: what each drug group does, what…FertilityIVF Success Rates by Age: How to Read the HFEA NumbersHFEA 2024: 30% birth rate per embryo transferred overall, 38% at 18 to 34 and 8% at 43 to 44. What…FertilityNHS Funding for IVF: The Criteria and the Postcode GapOnly 28% of UK IVF cycles were NHS-funded in 2024, from 25% in England to 54% in Scotland. What…FertilityNo Sperm in Your Semen Analysis: What Happens NextAzoospermia means no sperm in the sample, not no sperm at all. The two types, the tests that…FertilityOHSS: Symptoms, Risk Factors and TreatmentRCOG puts mild OHSS at up to 33 in 100 IVF patients and moderate or severe at just over 1 in 100.…FertilityOvulation Induction: What the Drugs Do and What to ExpectOvulation induction treats a specific problem, not slow conception in general. What the main drugs…FertilityOvulation Predictor Kits: How They Work and Where They FailCochrane: with urine ovulation tests the live birth chance goes from 16% to 16-28%. How LH kits…FertilityPreconception Health: What Actually Makes a DifferenceFolic acid cuts neural tube defect risk sharply (risk ratio 0.31, Cochrane). The short list of…FertilityPreimplantation Genetic Testing: PGT-A, PGT-M and What NICE SaysNICE NG257 says do not offer PGT-A to improve live birth rates. The HFEA rates it red for having a…FertilityReciprocal IVF (Shared Motherhood): How It Actually WorksOne partner provides the eggs, the other carries the pregnancy. What the steps involve, who counts…FertilityRecurrent Miscarriage: What Testing Can and Cannot Tell YouRecurrent miscarriage affects about 1% of couples. Which tests are offered, why half find no cause,…FertilitySecondary Infertility: Trying for a Second BabyAfter 3 years of trying, the chance of conceiving naturally next year is 1 in 4 or less (NHS). Why…FertilityMale Fertility: What a Semen Analysis Actually MeansWHO 2021 reference values in full: 16m/mL concentration, 42% total motility, 30% progressive, 4%…FertilitySex, Timing and the Fertility Myths That Refuse to DieThe fertile window is the 6 days ending on ovulation (ASRM). Why position, lying down and lubricant…FertilityShort Luteal Phase: Is It Stopping You Getting Pregnant?A luteal phase shorter than about 10 days is often blamed for infertility. What is actually…FertilitySurrogacy Explained: The Law, the Process and the UK NumbersIn the UK the surrogate is the legal mother until a parental order is granted, and only expenses…FertilityThyroid Problems and Fertility: What the Evidence ShowsASRM sets the TSH cutoff at 4.12 mIU/L and advises against levothyroxine for subclinical…FertilityTrying Again After Stillbirth or Neonatal DeathWhat a next pregnancy involves after losing a baby: the investigations that shape it, the extra…FertilityTrying to Conceive After a CaesareanHow long to leave your scar to heal, how a caesarean affects your next pregnancy and birth options,…FertilityTrying to Conceive After a Traumatic BirthFear of giving birth again is a real barrier to another pregnancy. How to get a birth debrief,…FertilityTrying to Conceive After Coming Off Contraception83.1% conceive within 12 months of stopping contraception (22 studies, 14,884 women). Delays by…FertilityTrying to Conceive After a MiscarriageMiscarriage affects 8-24% of recognised pregnancies; 6 in 10 women with three unexplained losses go…FertilityTrying to Conceive at 35: What the Numbers Actually SayAround 82% of women aged 35-39 conceive within a year, 90% within two. The real cumulative rates…FertilityTrying to Conceive at 40: The Real Odds and the Real TimelineAbout a 1 in 10 chance per cycle at 40 (ACOG); a 10% IVF birth rate per embryo transferred at 40-42…FertilityTrying to Conceive With Diabetes: What to Do FirstNICE sets specific preconception targets for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, including HbA1c…FertilityTrying to Conceive with Endometriosis: What the Guidelines Actually RecommendEndometriosis is found in 25-40% of infertile women vs 0.5-5% of fertile women. NICE NG73 on which…FertilityTrying to Conceive with PCOS: What Works, According to the EvidenceLetrozole beats clomiphene for live births in PCOS (OR 1.72, Cochrane high-certainty) and is…FertilityThe Two Week Wait After Embryo TransferThe NHS gives a test date around 16 days after transfer and says to use it. Why symptoms cannot…FertilityTwo Week Wait Symptoms: Why You Cannot Tell YetDay-by-day symptom lists cannot separate early pregnancy from an ordinary luteal phase, because the…FertilityUnderstanding Cervical Mucus: What It Tells You and What It Does NotACOG: cervical mucus turns thin, slippery and stretchy before ovulation. How to read the pattern,…FertilityUnexplained Infertility: What the Diagnosis Actually MeansAbout a quarter of couples have no identifiable cause. NICE NG257 says try for 2 years, then…FertilityWeight and Fertility: What the Evidence Actually ShowsTwo trials found pre-treatment weight loss did not improve live births (27% vs 35%; 12.2% vs…FertilityWhat IVF Actually Involves, Start to FinishA cycle takes 3 to 6 weeks. HFEA birth rate per embryo transferred: 35% under 35, down to 5% at…FertilityWhat to Avoid in the Two Week Wait: What Actually MattersHot baths, exercise, coffee, lifting, flying: most two week wait rules have no evidence behind them…FertilityWhen to See a Doctor About Fertility12 months of trying, 6 months over 35, and no wait at all from 36 or with a known cause. The…