Antral Follicles: Found in the ovaries, an antral follicle is filled with fluid and an immature egg. An antral follicle count can help reveal a woman’s fertility potential.
Blastocyst: When an egg is fertilised and the eggs start to divide, it is called a blastocyst. This happens roughly 5-6 days after fertilisation.
Cycle: A cycle of IVF refers to a full, completed round of treatment.
Donor: When a sperm sample or egg cell is donated by someone else for your fertility treatment.
Egg Freezing: If a woman wants to preserve her fertility, her eggs can be frozen at sub-zero temperatures to be used at a later date.
Fallopian Tubes: Egg cells travel through the fallopian tubes from the ovaries to the uterus.
Fertilisation: The fusion of sperm and egg cells to form a new cell, which will grow into an embryo.
Genetic Testing: A genetic test will allow you to check an embryo for abnormalities before it is implanted into a woman.
HyCoSy: A test to see whether a patient’s fallopian tubes are blocked or patent.
Hysteroscopy: A procedure which allows a physician to inspect a patient’s uterus through the vagina.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI): A technique in which a sperm cell is introduced to an egg cell during IVF.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF): The process by which an egg is fertilised outside of a woman’s body.
Morphology: The size/shape of sperm.
Motility: The movement of sperm.
Ovaries: The reproductive organ in which egg cells are produced.
Ovulation: When an egg is released from the ovaries.
Polycystic Ovaries: If small cysts develop around the ovaries, hormone production and fertility can be affected. This is a common disorder among women of reproductive age.
Sperm Count: A test used to help determine a man’s fertility.
Tubal Blockage: When a woman has blocked fallopian tubes, the egg and sperm cannot meet. This makes fertilisation impossible.
Ultrasound: An ultrasound scan uses high frequency sound waves to produce images of internal organs, such as the womb.
Vasectomy: A male sterilisation procedure which seals the tube that carries sperm from the testicle to the urethra.
Womb: Also known as the uterus, the womb is the organ in which a baby is carried during pregnancy.
Zona Pellucida: As an egg develops in the ovary, it is surrounded by a thick transparent membrane called Zona Pellucida.