News & Blog

In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the best-known fertility treatments. However, it’s also associated with several advantages and disadvantages you might not know about, which could inform your choice of which fertility treatment to use.

Advances in modern medicine have created numerous assisted reproductive technologies to help people overcome fertility challenges. Two such treatments are in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI). But what’s the difference between them, and which one is right for you? In this article, we explain each treatment in more detail, highlighting how they differ and why one may suit you better. Keep reading to learn all you need to know about IVF and ICSI.

Among the guests at BCRM’s celebration of ’40 years of made-in-Bristol IVF babies’ were some pioneering parents who had their treatment decades ago. Here, one such mum, Maggie, shares her story. “My husband and I started trying for a family in 1985 when I was nearly 33. “Ten years later, by which time we were on the two-year waiting list for IVF treatment, we conceived unexpectedly and were delighted to become parents to a baby girl. “When our daughter reached 18 months we wanted to try for a second baby, but I was 44 by then and IVF was not available to women over 45 so, with the clock ticking, we decided to pay for private treatment at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM).

Guests at the party held last year to celebrate the milestone of 40 years of IVF babies ‘made in Bristol’ included one family whose own IVF ‘baby’ is now 23 years old. His parents were among many attendees who grabbed the chance to tell the team at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) how very grateful they are for their support to have a baby at a time when it looked like that might not happen. “Motherhood has been all I hoped it would be and more,” said dental nurse, Sharon. She also shared her recollections of what it was like going through fertility treatment at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) two and a half decades ago.

When a couple with an IVF daughter decided to share the story of their fertility treatment to give hope to others struggling to have a baby they were also keen to highlight the courage of the medical staff who supported them during the pandemic. Lizzie said: “We feel they were very brave, simply in carrying on doing their jobs at Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine in that climate.

Knowing which fertility treatment suits you can be challenging, but BCRM can help. Learn more about IUI vs IVF and see which is best for you.

“We are profoundly grateful for the miracle that is IVF and the expertise and care given to us by the team at the BCRM. Seeing those two strong heartbeats on the initial early scans was like a dream come true.

A couple from Bristol who were struggling to have a baby now have a three-year old son and a five-month-old daughter who probably would not have been born were it not for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).