When is your fertile window open?

So, you’ve decided you want to try to have a baby! To give yourself the best chance of conceiving you should learn a bit more about your own body. Do you know when your fertile window is open? When exactly are you at your most fertile? Here are some things you should know before you start […]

What is the best age gap between children?

When you know you’d like more than one child, one of big questions you ask yourself is ‘what age gap is best?’. Of course, it isn’t always easy to fall pregnant when planned but, if you are able to roughly time when your babies will come, what age gap is best for you, your family […]

Testing Testes – What is male infertility?

When a couple is trying to get pregnant and things aren’t happening quite as quickly as expected, nine times out of 10 it is the woman who will head to the doctor to get checked out. That’s despite the fact that male infertility is just as likely to be the cause for the couple’s trouble […]

9 ways to support a friend with fertility issues

When your friend is having fertility issues all you want to do is support her. But it isn’t easy to know what to say about such a personal and emotional subject. The very last thing you want to do is upset or insult her. Everyone is different. Everyone handles things differently. It is hard to […]

This is what IVF means to me …

Someone once said to me that they thought IVF was amazing in the same way that an aeroplane can fly. It used to be something so cool and mysterious, but now it’s just commonplace. It struck a chord with me, and piqued my interest as I find it fascinating how we all give such different […]

The process of egg donation

With one in six Australian couples of reproductive age experiencing difficulties conceiving a child, no wonder potential parents are taking such drastic measures as advertising for donor eggs to complete their family. Faith Haugh’s introduction to fertility and egg donation began when she was looking in the paper for a second job. Instead of applying […]

Surrogacy and why many parents break the law

Tim is a Queensland GP. He and his wife, Kate, a 38-year-old teacher, are ready to break Queensland law. I met them last month. Kate had undertaken seven IVF attempts – only two had been successful, but both resulted in miscarriages. Diagnosed with endometriosis and haemachromatosis, her physician is finally recommending surrogacy – another woman […]

So what REALLY happens during conception and infertility?

We all have a vague idea of what happens during conception but for many people, it isn’t something they’ve thought too much about since Year 9 science class. The basic idea is pretty simple but the science behind it is fascinatingly complex. So what EXACTLY does go on down there during conception? And why does […]

Reasons to consider genetic screening before trying to conceive

The hope for every parent is to have a healthy child. Over the years conception and pregnancy has become an institution of constant reformation. The introduction of many risk-reducing exercises has seen a dramatic increase in healthy conception, and as such a considerable decrease in babies born with physical and intellectual differences. Folate intake, elimination […]

13 early signs of pregnancy and symptoms

When I first fell pregnant it was ‘sore breasts’ that sent me to the chemist to buy a pregnancy test. But there is a range of early pregnancy signs and symptoms and everyone is different. Pregnancy signs and symptoms vary from person to person — even from pregnancy to pregnancy — so you may experience […]