Your most common questions around fertility treatments – answered

According to the World Health Organisation, one in six couples struggle with fertility. It can be difficult and disheartening, with a multitude of reasons behind it, but SIMS IVF, one of the most renowned clinics in Ireland, wants to help couples and individuals achieve their dream of parenthood.

Their Clonskeagh Clinic, which welcomes both public and private patients, has a full team of highly sought-after senior fertility consultants, embryologists, nurses and counsellors, specialising in treating both male and female infertility well as providing LGBTQ+ family building services.

They offer a range of testing, investigations and treatments, including IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), donor programmes, fertility preservation (egg/sperm freezing), and pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) and options for those embarking on solo motherhood. There’s also counselling, nutritional advice, and holistic therapies to support emotional and physical well-being of patients under their care.

Here, Dr Marta Moschetta, who has worked in this field for 20 years and is now the Clinical Director of Clonskeagh Clinic, answers some of the most common queries people have.

When should I consult a fertility clinic?

This mainly depends on your age. If you are older than 35 years, we would recommend making an appointment when 6 months of regular intercourse has been unsuccessful. For younger patients, I would recommend some preliminary tests after 6 months with a view towards considering treatment after 12 months of trying.

The earlier you test, you can reduce the time to treatment and emotional energy that may be exhausted trying naturally when this may ultimately be unsuccessful. One in six couples experience trouble conceiving. If you have been trying to conceive for more than 12 months (or six months if you’re over 35 years of age) without success, we recommend you book an appointment.

How long will the entire process take when a treatment is undertaken in your clinic?

To start, it is preferable to have an Anti-Müllerian hormone or AMH blood test, and if you have a male partner a semen analysis completed in advance of an initial consultation, as this will enable your doctor to make a diagnosis quicker and recommend the most appropriate treatment for the couple.

The next step will involve interaction with the nursing team where other possible tests will be discussed if required, based on the individual’s medical history and if necessary an additional consultation can be arranged with your doctor to finalise the treatment plan based on the additional test results.

When the treatment plan is in place you will be contacted by phone and the nursing team will explain the treatment plan and process in detail including the timelines for attending the clinic for scans and possible insemination or egg collection procedures. All these steps will take you between 1- 2 months.

What can I do to improve the number of follicles or the quality of my eggs?

The number of follicles will depend on the age of the patient, genetic factors, family background and lifestyle.

The only variable that the individual can control is lifestyle and it is recommended to maintain a healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whilst avoiding excessive alcohol, smoking, drugs and processed foods.

Regular exercise and good quality vitamins are encouraged with supplements such as Coq10 and testosterone also being considered.

To book a consultation in one of their six Irish clinics, visit sims.ie/contact

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