IVF and fertility treatment: what to expect

If getting pregnant has not happened, or you already know you need help, fertility treatment can feel like a maze. This guide covers the basics in plain English. It does not replace advice from your own fertility team.

The main treatments

• Medicines to help ovulation, or surgery for things like blocked tubes or endometriosis
• Intrauterine insemination (IUI): sperm are placed into the womb around ovulation. This is often used with donor sperm.
• IVF (in vitro fertilisation): eggs are collected, fertilised with sperm in a lab, and an embryo is placed in the womb
• ICSI: a single sperm is injected into an egg during IVF, often used for male factor problems

What a cycle of IVF involves

A full cycle usually takes around 3 to 6 weeks. You use injections or a nasal spray to calm your ovaries, then daily injections to grow more eggs, with scans and blood tests along the way. Eggs are collected with a needle through the vagina, under sedation, in about 20 minutes. They are mixed with sperm in the lab and, a few days later, an embryo is transferred. Frozen embryos can be used later.

Who can get IVF on the NHS?

NICE guideline NG257 (published in March 2026, replacing CG156) says IVF should be offered if you have not reached your 42nd birthday and either have a diagnosed cause of infertility that other treatments cannot fix, or have unexplained fertility problems and have not conceived after 2 years of regular unprotected sex. People using artificial insemination qualify after 12 cycles, at least 6 of which are by IUI. Under 40, that means up to 3 full cycles of IVF (and up to 3 more can be considered if the first 3 do not work). At 40 or 41, it means 1 full cycle.

Choosing a clinic

• In the UK, clinics must be licensed by the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority). Check the HFEA website for their inspection reports and success rates.
• Success depends mainly on age and the cause of infertility, so be wary of clinics that quote only their best numbers.
• Ask for the total cost, what is included, and what happens if a cycle is cancelled.
• Treatment abroad may not be regulated in the same way, so think carefully about safety.

Be careful with “add-ons”

Clinics may offer extras on top of IVF, often for hundreds of pounds. The HFEA rates them with a traffic light system. Many have not been shown to improve your chances of having a baby, and a few come with potential safety worries. At the time of writing, for example, PGT-A (screening embryos for chromosome problems), platelet-rich plasma and endometrial receptivity testing all have a red rating. Always ask: “What is the HFEA rating, and what is the evidence it will help me?”