How to Start Your fertility Journey at Sunfert: A Step-by-Step Guide

Thinking about starting our fertility journey but unsure where to begin? Whether you are planning for a family, have been trying to conceive, or simply want to understand your reproductive health, knowing what to expect can make the first step feel less overwhelming.

At Sunfert International Fertility Centre, we believe that every fertility journey should begin with clear information, personalised guidance and compassionate care. This guide explains how to book your first fertility consultation, prepare for your appointment and understand the different stages of IVF treatment, if recommended by our fertility specialist.

The first step in our fertility journey is to arrange a consultation with a fertility specialist. You are welcome to walk into any of our Sunfert branches in Bangsar South, Ipoh, Seremban or Kuching. However, we recommend booking an appointment in advance to help minimise waiting times, check the availability of your preferred fertility specialist and allow our team to prepare any necessary documents or assessments.

You can book an appointment by phone, WhatsApp, social media or through our website. Once we receive your booking, our team will contact you to confirm the appointment details.

If you have never had a fertility assessment, or if your previous test results are more than 1 year, please let our team know when booking. This will help us recommend the appropriate assessments or tests and, where suitable, arrange for our fertility assessments and consultation to take place on the same day. This can help minimise the need for multiple visits and make better use of your time.

Tip: Having your latest fertility assessment results available during your consultation can help our fertility specialist better understand our fertility health and provide more personalised advice based on your individual circumstances.

Your first fertility consultation is an opportunity to discuss your reproductive health, medical history and family planning goals with a fertility specialist. Bring any previous fertility test results, medical reports or treatment records to help our fertility specialist better understand your circumstances.

We encourage you to attend with your spouse or partner, if applicable, as fertility challenges can arise from factors relating to either partner or both. Attending together can help you better understand our fertility health and discuss the next steps with our fertility specialist.

What fertility assessments may be recommended?

During your consultation, our fertility specialist may recommend fertility assessments based on your medical history, individual circumstances and previous investigations. These may include:

• Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) Blood Test: Helps assess ovarian reserve.
• Transvaginal Ultrasound Scan (TVS): Examines the female reproductive organs, including the ovaries and uterus.
• Semen Analysis (SA): Assesses sperm health, including sperm concentration, motility and morphology.

These assessments may be particularly helpful if you have never undergone fertility testing or if your previous test results are more than one year old. However, even if your reports are less than a year old, our fertility specialist may recommend repeating certain assessments if the existing results are insufficient or if further evaluation is needed. The need for additional testing will depend on your individual circumstances and your fertility specialist’s recommendations.

Understanding your results and discussing the next steps

Our fertility specialist will interpret the findings alongside your medical history and other relevant factors, as no single test can provide a complete picture of fertility. Based on your consultation and assessment results, our fertility specialist will discuss suitable treatment options and recommend the next steps according to your individual needs.

If In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) is recommended and you decide to proceed, our fertility specialist will develop a personalised treatment plan. Depending on your treatment protocol, the next stage may involve ovarian stimulation, where medication is used to stimulate the development of multiple ovarian follicles in preparation for egg collection.
 

Ovarian stimulation is the stage of IVF treatment in which fertility medication encourages the development of multiple follicles, each of which may contain an egg. This helps increase the number of eggs available for collection during the subsequent egg retrieval procedure.

This stage typically lasts around 8 to 12 days, although the duration varies depending on your response to medication and your treatment protocol. During this period, you will attend 3 follow-up appointments, where our fertility specialist will use ultrasound scans to assess follicle growth and determine when the eggs may be ready for retrieval.

Based on your progress at each appointment, our specialist may adjust your medication or monitoring schedule as needed and guide you through the next steps of your treatment.

Oocyte pick-up (OPU), also known as egg retrieval, is a procedure in which our fertility specialist collects eggs from your ovaries when they are ready. The procedure is typically performed under sedation or anaesthesia, depending on the clinical protocol.

After retrieval, the collected eggs are assessed by our embryology team and, if suitable, fertilised with sperm in the laboratory. The resulting embryos are monitored as they develop, typically for 5 to 7 days.

Not every collected egg will fertilise, and not every fertilised egg will develop into an embryo suitable for transfer or freezing. Our embryology team carefully assesses embryo development and works with our fertility specialist to determine the appropriate next steps.

Our fertility specialist will explain the available options based on your treatment progress, embryo development and individual circumstances.

After your eggs have been fertilised and the embryos have developed in the laboratory, our fertility specialist will discuss the next steps with you. Depending on your medical circumstances, treatment progress and personal preferences, you may proceed with a fresh embryo transfer or freeze suitable embryos for a future transfer.

What Happens During a Fresh Embryo Transfer?

A fresh embryo transfer involves placing a suitable embryo into your uterus during the same IVF treatment cycle, usually a few days after egg collection. If our fertility specialist confirms that the timing and clinical conditions are suitable, the transfer can proceed without the need to freeze the embryo first. Your doctor will explain the procedure and guide you through the next steps.

When Might Embryo Transfer Be Postponed?

Sometimes, a fresh embryo transfer may not be the most suitable option for that treatment cycle. Your fertility specialist may recommend freezing suitable embryos and postponing the transfer if your body needs more time to recover from ovarian stimulation, your hormone levels or uterine lining are not ideal for transfer, or there are other clinical considerations that could affect the timing.

A frozen embryo transfer may also be an option if you are not yet ready to proceed with the transfer for personal, emotional or practical reasons. In this situation, suitable embryos can be frozen for future use, allowing you more time to prepare before moving forward. If additional testing, such as Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT), is planned, the transfer may also need to be postponed until the results are available.
 

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing (PGT) may be considered as part of an IVF treatment plan when there is a relevant clinical indication or genetic risk.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A), assesses whether the tested embryo sample has the expected number of chromosomes. Certain chromosomal abnormalities are associated with conditions such as Down’s Syndrome and may affect embryo development or pregnancy outcomes.

PGT-A can provide additional information to support embryo selection in appropriate circumstances, but it cannot guarantee implantation, a successful pregnancy or the birth of a healthy baby, nor can it eliminate all miscarriage risks.

Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic (PGT-M), is designed to test embryos for a specific inherited genetic disorder caused by a change in a single gene. It may be considered when one or both partners carry a genetic variant that could be passed on to their child, including variants associated with certain forms of Thalassaemia.

Genetic Carrier Screening can help identify selected inherited genetic risks in people who may not have symptoms themselves. If screening identifies a relevant risk, genetic counselling and further testing may help determine whether PGT-M is an appropriate option.

Neither PGT-A nor PGT-M is necessary for every IVF cycle, and our fertility specialist will explain the potential benefits, limitations and suitability of these tests for your circumstances.

If you are facing fertility challenges, start with a consultation with our specialists. We will guide you through our fertility journey with expertise and compassionate care. 

Make an appointment with our Fertility Specialist today and take the next step toward your parenthood goals.