Today, that vision, combined with the collective expertise and experience of our fertility specialists and support staff, has earned Newlife IVF recognition as one of Victoria’s top-performing IVF clinics.
According to the latest figures reported by the Herald Sun (sourced from the Federal Government’s Your IVF Success website), Newlife IVF holds the highest IVF success rate in Victoria for women under 35, with an impressive 62.5% of embryo transfers resulting in live birth.
For women aged 35 to 42, Newlife IVF also leads with the highest birth rates per embryo transfer in Metropolitan Melbourne (31.7%), placing us third overall in Victoria for this age group.
‘We are delighted to share that we have had another great year for our patients, with our pregnancy and birth success rates consistently above the national average. Our fertility specialist team focuses on providing the best possible milieu for eggs to mature and embryos to implant, and our amazing embryologists focus on every aspect of the egg, sperm and embryo care to provide a nurturing environment to achieve their developmental potential,’ said Dr Nicole Hope, fertility specialist and Medical Director at Newlife IVF.
A vision for exceptional fertility care
As a clinician-owned and led fertility clinic, we’re proud to be one of the few independent specialist fertility centres in Victoria. This independence allows us to offer a more personalised, supportive experience than corporate-owned clinics.
‘We feel so privileged to play a part in our patients’ journeys. Being able to provide a level of care that helps them achieve their dream of starting a family is truly an honour for us,’ said Dr Tiki Osianlis, Newlife IVF’s Managing Director and Scientific Director.
Every aspect of our practice is designed with our patients’ needs in mind. From our state-of-the-art laboratory to our use of advanced scientific tools and techniques, we combine expert-led care with cutting-edge science to give our patients the best possible chance of building the family they dream of.
‘Our IVF success rates highlight how effective our approach is. It’s not just about the science – it’s about the people. The entire team, from our fertility specialists and nurses to our embryologists, counsellors and admin staff, take the time to truly understand each patient’s unique journey. We adapt our care to fit their needs, and every single one of us is genuinely invested in helping our patients achieve their dream of becoming parents,’ said Dr Tiki.
Giving you Newlife in a different way
At Newlife IVF, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build their family, which is why we’re committed to making high-quality fertility treatment as accessible as possible. We remain committed to delivering outstanding results and compassionate care, empowering our patients with the best possible chance of success.
If you’re ready to explore your options for having a baby, you can make an appointment with one of our specialists by calling (03) 8080 8933 or by booking online.
IVF is an assisted reproductive technique that helps people overcome fertility challenges to start or grow their families. This process involves fertilising an egg with sperm in a specialised laboratory, with the resulting embryo carefully transferred into the uterus with the aim that it will lead to a pregnancy.
Whether you’re just beginning your fertility journey or considering your options, understanding the IVF process is an empowering first step. In this article, we’ll guide you through the process that we use at our fertility clinic in Melbourne, to help you make informed decisions about your next steps.
A step-by-step guide to the IVF process at Newlife IVF in Melbourne
From the initial consultation through to the embryo transfer procedure, IVF involves a series of carefully coordinated stages – tailored to your unique needs – that are designed to give you the best chance of pregnancy success.
Initial consultation with our Melbourne-based fertility specialist
If you’re concerned about your fertility and would like to seek advice from a fertility specialist, you will need a referral from your GP to attend our IVF clinic.
During your initial consultation, your fertility specialist will assess your health and the factors contributing to your fertility issues, as well as provide tailored advice, including recommendations about diet and lifestyle. This process involves taking a thorough medical history from you, performing relevant examinations and ordering appropriate tests. Your fertility specialist will also discuss all available treatment options with you so you can make an informed decision about whether the IVF process is right for you.
If it is decided that IVF treatment is appropriate, we will register you as a patient at our fertility clinic. At this stage, mandatory tests, such as screening for infectious diseases, will be conducted if they have not been done previously.
Personalised fertility treatment planning
As no two fertility journeys are the same, fertility care at our IVF clinic in Melbourne is never one-size-fits-all. Our approach begins with uncovering the root causes of your fertility challenges and guiding you through the treatment options that best suit your unique circumstances. These options can range from straightforward solutions like fertility optimisation and ovulation induction to advanced treatments, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), IVF, or IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Ovulation induction and hormone stimulation
Ovulation induction is a commonly used fertility treatment for individuals with ovulatory dysfunction. Often serving as an early intervention, it can be effective as a standalone treatment or combined with others, such as IUI or IVF, to improve the chances of conception. Ovulation induction involves using fertility medication to stimulate your ovaries to produce one or more mature eggs and assist with ovulation. For those undergoing IVF, hormone stimulation with fertility medications is used to stimulate your ovaries to produce a higher number of mature eggs than they normally would. This is a critical step in preparation for egg retrieval.
During this stimulation phase, self-administered hormonal injections are given over 8–14 days to encourage the development of multiple eggs, increasing the number available for retrieval and fertilisation.
Fertility blood tests and monitoring
Careful monitoring plays a vital role throughout the stimulation phase. Using a combination of blood tests and ultrasounds, your fertility specialist will closely track how your ovaries are responding and how the follicles (sacs in the ovaries that contain eggs) are developing. These tests allow your specialist to assess if everything is progressing as planned and fine-tune your fertility medication to optimise your results.
As you near the end of the stimulation phase, monitoring is used to determine the optimal time for the ‘trigger injection’, which prepares the eggs for ovulation (i.e. their release from the ovaries). Your fertility nurse will liaise with your fertility specialist and guide you on when to administer the injection, as precise timing is essential – the egg retrieval procedure must occur before natural ovulation. Monitoring usually takes place at one of our Newlife IVF locations in Melbourne. However, you don’t have to be in Melbourne to access treatment. We have patients that live in rural or interstate locations and we work with local pathology and ultrasound providers to assist with our patients’ monitoring needs.
Egg retrieval procedure at our IVF clinic in Melbourne
Egg retrieval, also known as egg collection or egg pickup, is a key step in the IVF process. This procedure involves collecting eggs from your ovaries, which can be frozen for future use or fertilised in the next stage of your IVF cycle.
Performed at our IVF clinic under sedation, egg retrieval is a straightforward procedure that typically takes 20–30 minutes. During this time, your fertility specialist carefully collects eggs from your ovaries using a fine needle guided by ultrasound imaging. On average, 8–12 eggs are retrieved, although the exact number depends on factors such as age, ovarian response to the medication and health history.
Collecting multiple eggs at once is important to IVF success. A higher number of eggs increases the chance of developing the healthy embryos needed for a successful embryo transfer and pregnancy.
Our team understands that undergoing egg retrieval can feel both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. But you can rest assured that we’re here to support you every step of the way so that you feel informed and comfortable throughout the entire IVF process.
Sperm collection and ICSI treatment
On the day of egg retrieval, fresh semen samples are collected from the male partner. If you’re using frozen or donor sperm, our embryologists will ensure the sample is thawed and ready for use.
For standard IVF, the semen sample is carefully prepared by removing the seminal fluid (the fluid that contains sperm), isolating the motile sperm and removing immotile sperm before the insemination procedure
For ICSI, the process is more precise. Only a single sperm is used for fertilisation, requiring experienced embryologists to select the healthiest and most viable sperm and inject it directly into the egg.
Selecting the ideal sperm is a delicate process requiring years of expertise. Our embryologists are trained to identify sperm with the best shape and structure to maximise the chances of successful fertilisation.
Fertilisation and embryo development
The next step in the IVF process is fertilisation, where egg and sperm are brought together.
In some cases, depending on the sperm quality and the patient’s previous history, we use standard insemination, where each egg is placed in a laboratory dish and exposed to thousands of prepared sperm. The fittest sperm may then fertilise the egg naturally, mirroring what would occur in the body.
However, if there are challenges such as low sperm count or abnormalities in sperm quality, an advanced technique called ICSI may be used. With ICSI treatment, a single, healthy-looking sperm is carefully injected into an egg to increase the chances of fertilisation. While this method offers additional precision, it’s important to note that not all eggs will successfully fertilise.
If fertilisation occurs, the resulting embryos are carefully placed in an incubator that mimics the conditions of the female body. Over the next five days, these embryos grow and divide, preparing for the next stage of the IVF process – embryo transfer.
The embryo transfer procedure
The embryo transfer is one of the quickest yet most important stages of the IVF process. During this procedure, a carefully selected embryo is placed into your uterus with the hope that it will successfully implant and lead to pregnancy.
Performed under ultrasound guidance, the transfer involves using a long, thin instrument to gently release the embryo through the vagina and cervix into the uterus. For most women, the procedure feels similar to a routine pap test. It is quick, requires no anaesthetic and allows you to resume your usual activities afterwards.
At Newlife IVF, our fertility specialists and embryologists are committed to providing the highest standard of care and technology to maximise your chances of IVF success.
Pregnancy testing and ongoing support
The pregnancy test represents the culmination of weeks of preparation. This fertility blood test measures the level of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in your body – a hormone produced when a fertilised egg (an embryo) implants into the uterus. Elevated hCG levels can indicate a successful IVF cycle and the achievement of pregnancy.
This test is performed approximately eleven days after the embryo transfer, giving your body the necessary time to respond to implantation. While waiting for results can be an emotional experience, our dedicated team is here to support you regardless of the outcome.
This webinar, presented by fertility specialists Dr Chris Russell and Dr Nicole Hope, provides a more detailed explanation of the IVF process.
Why choose Newlife IVF?
At Newlife IVF, we understand how significant the IVF process is, and we’re committed to walking beside you on your journey to parenthood. Whether celebrating your success or exploring the next steps, you’ll always have compassionate care and expert guidance from our team.
Clinician-owned and led fertility clinic in Melbourne
As one of few independent specialist fertility centres in Victoria, we take pride in offering a more personalised, compassionate and supportive experience compared to corporate-owned clinics.
State-of-the-art IVF treatment in Melbourne
Every aspect of our practice is thoughtfully designed with your needs in mind, from our expert-led care to our state-of-the-art laboratory and scientific tools and techniques.
Advanced scientific techniques and high IVF success rates
We incorporate cutting-edge scientific advancements into every step of our IVF treatment process, helping to give you the best possible chance of achieving a successful pregnancy.
Our approach includes the use of the EmbryoScope time-lapse system, which provides continuous monitoring of embryo development, sequential media to nurture embryos, and EmbryoGlue to enhance implantation potential when transferring embryos into the uterus.
For ICSI treatment, we take it a step further with egg spindle visualisation technology, allowing us to carefully select eggs with the greatest potential for fertilisation.
Our IVF success rates reflect the effectiveness of these methods, consistently exceeding the national average and giving our patients a better chance of achieving their dream of parenthood.
Accessible and affordable IVF treatment in Melbourne
At Newlife IVF, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to build their family, which is why we are committed to providing affordable IVF treatment. Our fee structure is designed to be transparent and accessible, ensuring that fertility treatment, including IVF, is reasonably priced and doesn’t involve the stress of unexpected costs.
Contact Newlife IVF – your trusted fertility clinic in Melbourne
The current restrictions to non-elective surgery that led to the suspension of some IVF services in Victoria will be lifted from 11.59pm on Tuesday 25 January 2022. This means that IVF stimulation cycles can resume from 26 January 2022. However, as the 26th is a public holiday, in-clinic procedures such as egg collection will effectively resume on 27 January 2022. Please contact your fertility nurse on Day 1 to check in as you usually would.
In the meantime, all other procedures continue as planned, including IVF cycles that commenced prior to 6 January 2022, frozen embryo transfers (FET), intrauterine insemination (IUI), ovulation induction, urgent medical egg freezing (e.g. due to impending cancer treatment), semen analyses and sperm freezing.
Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I’m undergoing fertility treatment or IVF?
Yes. Based on advice from the Australian & New Zealand Society of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, we support the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccination, including boosters, during fertility treatment. There is no evidence that the vaccine will affect your overall fertility or current treatment, nor the pregnancy that follows. This is true for both men and women.
We recommend that you avoid having the vaccine (or booster) in the days leading up to your admission to the hospital for embryo transfer or egg collection. Approximately 15% of patients have a fever following vaccination. Whilst this in itself is not worrying, hospital protocols may prevent patients who have a fever from being admitted to the hospital.
Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I am pregnant?
Yes. The Pfizer vaccine is now recommended for all women who are pregnant. There has been extensive use of this vaccine in the US and UK with no specific pregnancy complications and no increase in overall complications compared to non-pregnant recipients. There has been no increase in fetal abnormalities or birth defects, nor is there any plausible reason for how this could occur. What has been seen with vaccine administration is a reduction in the chance of the pregnant woman getting COVID-19, and we know that pregnant women are more likely to get severe COVID infection requiring hospitalisation, admission to an Intensive Care Unit, and death. Increased rates of premature delivery of babies has been seen in pregnant women with severe COVID, and this can be reduced through vaccination.
Does the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) cause miscarriage?
No. There is no evidence of an increased risk of miscarriage or abnormalities in the physical development of your baby.
Should I have the COVID-19 vaccine (or booster) if I am breastfeeding?
Yes. COVID-19 vaccines are thought to be safe and not considered to be a risk to your child.
How do COVID-19 vaccines work?
These vaccines protect you from COVID-19 by fooling your immune system into making an immune response to small proteins that are associated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus causing the disease COVID-19). Your body will then have pre-built immunity should you ever be exposed to the real virus and you will be protected. For an adequate response, it is recommended that you receive the vaccine twice, several weeks apart (for Pfizer, which is currently the only vaccine recommended for use during pregnancy or for men and non-pregnant women aged 40–59) and several months apart for AstraZeneca (which men and non-pregnant women aged 18–39 may receive if they provide informed consent). A booster shot is now also recommended. At the time of writing, it is recommended that Victorians have their booster 3 months after their second vaccination. Further booster shots may be recommended in the future.
What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?
There are minimal side effects that remain uncommon. These include a sore injection site, headache, fatigue, temperature rise and muscle weakness. These symptoms are not from you having ‘mild COVID-19’; they are a result of the immune response that your body mounts in response to the vaccine.
What should I do if I am newly pregnant?
Get the vaccine as soon as possible! As above, the Pfizer vaccine has been determined safe for use during pregnancy in Australia.
What effect does the COVID-19 pandemic have on my fertility treatment?
As of 27 January 2022, we will be back to offering all of our usual fertility treatments. In the meantime, Newlife IVF remains open, and our fertility specialists, nurses and counsellors are all available, with consults taking place virtually (via telehealth or videoconferencing). Patients are still able to attend face-to-face appointments with their fertility specialist when an examination is required. During IVF cycles, patients are able to attend for pathology and ultrasound tracking in person, as well as undergo their fertility procedures in our on-site partner day surgery, Epworth Eastern Ekera.
Please note: Newlife IVF must follow directives from the Department of Health, as well as the policies of Epworth Eastern Hospital, and these are subject to change. Currently, all patients undergo exposure risk screening prior to attending our facilities, and in some circumstances, a COVID-19 swab is required.
Further, any patient actually diagnosed with coronavirus will be managed by the Department of Health, and they will be unable to attend the clinic while infectious.
As we all know, Government and Department of Health advice can change at short notice. However, we are hopeful that there will be no further forced interruptions to IVF or fertility treatment once all treatment resumes on 27 January 2022.
If I am having difficulty conceiving, is it still safe to seek help?
It is safe to undergo fertility assessment and treatment due to the numerous precautions we’re taking during the process. We still advise you to seek help from one of our specialists in line with our usual recommendations:
If you are under 35, we advise seeking help after 12 months of trying for a baby without success.
If you are over 35, we recommend seeking help after just 6 months of trying.
We can arrange a virtual consult or see you in our rooms with suitable precautions in place. Our clinic is taking a number of steps to ensure safety, such as maintaining social distancing by staggering patient appointments and temperature checks. Please ensure good hand hygiene and frequent hand washing or use of hand sanitiser if attending in person.
We recommend patients remain proactive about their fertility assessment and treatment throughout this period due to the natural decline in fertility with age.
What should I do during this period if I’m undergoing fertility treatment?
We are encouraging our patients to do all the recommended actions to reduce their risk of being exposed to COVID-19 including social distancing and hand hygiene, and we are strongly supporting vaccination against COVID-19 before and during fertility treatment. It’s even more important than usual to keep healthy by eating well and exercising to benefit your physical and mental health – see our blog for useful tips.
What happens if I am quarantined during or before my fertility treatment?
During your period of quarantine, we will be following advice from the Department of Health and Human Services, who may advise that you are unable to attend Newlife IVF clinics for appointments, ultrasounds, blood tests or fertility procedures (such as embryo transfer). If you suspect you need to self-quarantine or have been told to undergo quarantine, please contact our nursing team as soon as practicable by calling (03) 8080 8933. While our first priority is to reduce the spread of coronavirus through our community, we will do what we can to facilitate your care and continue with your treatment, if it’s appropriate and safe to do so. For example, some appointments can be managed by teleconference, or home delivery of medications may be appropriate. Your fertility nurse will advise what is possible in your particular situation.
What effect does COVID-19 have on pregnant women?
Over the course of the pandemic, lots of information has been gathered on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy. We can now say with confidence that:
There is no direct effect on a baby’s physical development if his/her mother is infected with COVID-19. By this, we mean, the virus itself does not lead to an increase in fetal abnormalities.
There are some reports of COVID-19 causing an infection in an unborn baby, but the risk must be quite low.
There is an increase in premature birth if the mother is infected with COVID-19.
Pregnant women are notmore likelyto become infected with COVID-19 than non-pregnant women.
Pregnant women are more likelyto havesevere COVID-19 infections. Severe infection includes a much higher rate of hospital admission, respiratory distress syndrome, and intensive care unit admission for mechanical ventilation (breathing with a tube). This is the major contributor to the increase in preterm birth; pregnant women can be so unwell that the baby must be delivered, regardless of the gestation, in order to save the mother’s life.
Pregnant women are more likely to die from COVID-19 infection than non-pregnant women.
However, it is important to note that most pregnant women who have a COVID-19 infection experience a mild infection only and recover fullywith no impact on the pregnancy.
Can I pass coronavirus on to my baby?
It is possible but very unlikely.
If I am diagnosed with coronavirus during my pregnancy, what effect will it have on my baby?
The major risk to your baby is that premature birth is more likely. It does not increase the chance of abnormalities in your baby.
I’m still worried – what can I do?
It is understandable to feel anxious at this time on top of the normal worries associated with fertility treatment and pregnancy. Don’t feel like you have to cope alone. We are always here to help, and the coronavirus pandemic is no exception. Please do not hesitate to call (03) 8080 8933 to speak to one of our team members or email [email protected]. We will then direct you to our fertility specialists, nursing or counselling team, as appropriate, for support and information.
This is certainly an extraordinary time but we will all get through it together.
If you have any further questions, do get in touch!
Stay safe and take care, from Chris and the rest of the Newlife IVF team.
#inthistogether
Disclaimer: all information in this post is correct as of 20 January 2022 and will be regularly updated as new information and advice from health authorities comes to hand.
A diet low in sugar, processed carbohydrates and trans-fats will improve your fertility by supporting regular ovulation. The best way to achieve this is by eating wholesome, non-processed foods. Cutting out sugary drinks is also a great strategy to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. On top of this, we recommend that you increase your level of omega-3 by consuming flaxseed, fish oil, salmon, sardines or walnuts.
Exercise
The benefits of regular exercise on health and overall well-being are well known. As such, it’s hardly surprising that regular exercise can boost your fertility. We recommend 45 minutes of exercise 3–4 times a week, with weight training or high-impact interval training particularly beneficial. Ultimately though, find something that works for you. Of course, balance is critical – overdoing the exercise can make your menstrual cycle irregular and make it harder for you to get pregnant.
Weight
Ideally, women should strive to maintain a healthy weight, with a BMI between 18.5–25 kg/m2. Outside of these limits, studies have demonstrated a decrease in spontaneous pregnancy rates and increased time to pregnancy. As an added incentive, maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy also provides benefits for you and your baby. You can calculate your BMI using this handy online calculator.
Stress
Through its influence on hormones, persistently high stress levels may hinder your chances of becoming pregnant. At the same time, there’s no denying that the struggle to conceive can be emotionally taxing. It’s a vicious cycle that may sometimes be hard to break. Try incorporating activities into your routine that lower stress, such as mindfulness, yoga and counselling. Ensuring a nutritious diet, adequate exercise and a decent night’s sleep can also do wonders for your mental well-being. Perhaps most importantly, ensure you have supportive people around you throughout your fertility journey.
Caffeine
Don’t panic, you don’t need to cut out caffeine completely. However, it is thought that excessive caffeine consumption can reduce fertility. We recommend you limit yourself to one cup of coffee per day (a hard ask for some, we know).
A good night’s sleep
The relationship between sleep and fertility is not completely understood. However, recent studies suggest that regularly getting 7–8 hours of sleep each night is the optimum amount required to boost your fertility.
Smoking
Exposure to smoke (through smoking or second-hand smoke) makes it more difficult to become pregnant. Smoke can harm your eggs, disrupt the journey of a fertilised egg to the womb and change the level of hormones responsible for normal fertility. Furthermore, it can increase the chances of you miscarrying or giving birth prematurely. Men don’t get off scot-free either; smoking reduces their fertility too. On the bright side, these effects are reversed within a year of quitting. So, if ever there was a time to quit, it’s now.
Alcohol
No safe level of alcohol consumption has been established during pregnancy. Most women know that abstinence throughout pregnancy is important. However, what’s less commonly known is that heavy drinking can negatively impact your fertility. Studies show that women who consume a lot of alcohol take longer to get pregnant, and couples who do not drink during IVF treatment have more favourable outcomes than those who do drink.
Ultimately, if you’re planning a pregnancy, cutting out alcohol is the best option.
Review your medications
Certain medications may reduce your fertility. Your fertility specialist can advise whether this may be applicable to any medications you are taking.
Folate and multivitamins
While these don’t actually affect your fertility, they are very important in ensuring the healthy development of your baby early in pregnancy. In particular, adequate levels of folate can prevent deformities in your baby’s brain and spinal cord. Folate is present in a variety of foods and can also be taken in a pregnancy multi-vitamin. We recommend a taking good-quality pregnancy multi-vitamin when you’re trying to conceive and throughout the first trimester of your pregnancy.
For more information or to book an appointment with one of our fertility doctors, please call (03) 8080 8933 or email [email protected]. Fertility appointments can also be booked via our online booking page.
Our three Melbourne clinics are based in Box Hill, Clayton and East Melbourne and are open Monday–Friday: 8:00am–5:00pm. We welcome patients from all over Victoria, as well as those seeking care interstate or internationally. All fertility treatment requiring day surgery or lab access (e.g. egg collection, embryo transfer) will take place at our state-of-the-art treatment centre in Box Hill. Fertility consultations and IVF cycle monitoring can be arranged at all three Melbourne clinics.
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What is IVF and how does it work?
