Preparing for Conception

Just like an athlete preparing for a competition, you should keep your health at its peak in the months before ART in order to maximize the chance of pregnancy. It is important to lead a healthy lifestyle and have adequate rest and sleep. Try to reduce your stress levels by delegating your work or organizing your work schedule around your ART programme. Perform regular exercises and try to keep your weight within the ideal body weight for your height. Stop smoking if you are a smoker and only consume alcohol within the allowable limits (1 unit per day for the female partner and 2 units per day for the male partner).

For the male partner, it is advisable to take anti-oxidants supplements especially if you are a smoker. Anti-oxidants such as zinc, selenium and vitamins A, C and E have been shown to improve sperm integrity and may improve embryo quality. For the female partner, it is important to take Folic acid 0.4 mg daily to reduce the risk of fetal abnormalities like cleft lip and neural tube defects. If you are consuming traditional herbs or supplements which may contain large doses of female hormones such as tong kwai and pat chan, you should discontinue them especially during the injection phase of treatment.

Choosing an IVF centre is probably your most important decision. Many factors are crucial to the success of the IVF Programme. The centre that you choose should have the following:

• Well trained and experienced team of clinicians, embryologists, counsellors and fertility nurses who are easily accessible 24/7
• Well equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment, proper laboratory clean rooms with HEPA filtration and ancillary facilities such as Laser Assisted Hatching and freezing programme.
• One-stop-centre located in a multidisciplinary hospital offering the full range of fertility services such as laparoscopic keyhole surgery to optimize the female partner before the ART programme to managing your subsequent pregnancy
• Affordable all inclusive package price with no hidden charges and interest free payment
• Well proven track record of high success rates
• Runs a large ART programme of at least 200 cases per year to benefit from the economy of scale cost reduction and accumulation of experience