This Clinic is dedicated to the treatment of fertility problems, by low-technology techniques, avoiding the stress and costs of IVF and GIFT, although there are working relationships with other Clinics providing these facilities.

The main treatment is by the use of artificial insemination, using specially prepared sperms which are introduced deep into the uterine cavity (IUI). This technique has a proven success. Donor sperms are used when the sperms of the male partner are not suitable for use. Donors are carefully selected to be fertile, healthy, free from history of hereditary disease and free from infection such as HIV, hepatitis and syphilis. Cytomegalovirus, cystic fibrosis and chromosomal abnormalities are also screened. Matching for the male partner's characteristics is meticulous, and total confidentiality is assured.

Treatment is painless, involving passing a small tube into the womb, with timing of treatment dependant on appearances of the womb and ovaries on the ultrasound scan, together with the testing of the urine for a hormone (LH) which indicates ovulation. If scans are not used, timing may be by dates when fertility in the cycle is considered to be highest, or by using ovulation testing kits as described above.

Sometimes patients are not suitable for treatment with simple programmes. They may require rather more complex approaches such as IVF or ICSI. These are known as 'test tube babies'. In these techniques, the patient is assessed for suitability, and an attempt is made to produce many eggs which are exposed to sperms under the care of the embryologist, and the resulting embryos then put back into the womb a couple of days later by a procedure very similar to that used at intra-uterine insemination. Very occasionally, if the sperm quality is very poor, an individual sperm may be injected directly into the egg. This technique is known as ICSI, the previous technique being called IVF.

The unit works very closely with another treatment centre, where the egg retrievals and embryo transfers take place on the premises of that Unit.

In the most recent series of results at NELFS (1999), the pregnancy rate per treatment was 11.4% and the previous year's take home baby rate was 7.9%. These results compare favourably with nationwide statistics for treatment of patients across the total age range.