Welcome to the OVA blog

Endometriosis affects up to 1 in 10 women worldwide, yet it can take years to diagnose. We speak to Louise Mitchell, Nurse Manager at LWC Bristol, about the symptoms, treatment options, and what the condition means for your fertility.

David Williams OBE, Chair of JD Healthcare Group, has retired after more than 20 years of transformative leadership, guiding the growth of London Women’s Clinic from a single Harley Street clinic to over 20 UK locations. He leaves a lasting legacy of clinical excellence, mentorship, and dedication to both colleagues and patients.

On Saturday 18th April, 600 people walked through the doors of the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London for the fourth Familymakers Show — and the energy in the room felt like something that has been a long time in the making. Because in many ways, it has.

"If she hadn't made that phone call, I would never have known that embryo had a chance..." At 46, having already been through three IVF cycles and preparing to begin donor egg treatment, Ella had almost given up on the idea of becoming a mother using her own eggs. Then an embryologist at London Women's Clinic made a call that changed everything. This is the story of one frozen embryo, a DNA swab sent from overseas, and the four-year-old girl who is now the light of her mother's life — and why advances in genetic embryo testing are making the seemingly impossible possible.

Michelle was 39 when she walked into a London Women's Clinic open day, already certain of one thing: she didn't want to waste time. What followed was two IVF cycles, a devastating first round where no embryos were chromosomally normal, a mosaic result, and an embryo that came back from retesting as something extraordinary — euploid, chromosomally normal, and ready to become her daughter.

UK Guide How does endometriosis affect fertility? Learn about getting pregnant with endometriosis, egg freezing, and fertility preservation from London Women’s Clinic.

Learn how IVF, celebrated alongside vaccines and penicillin, creates life, transforms families and stands as a global public good in fertility care.

Explore how Sir Robert Edwards’s pioneering IVF work and polymathic vision transformed reproductive medicine and gave hope to families worldwide.

Discover safe, secure and regulated egg freezing in London. Learn about 55-year storage, expert care and how we protect your fertility future at every stage.

Expert IVF, egg freezing & LGBTQIA+ fertility care at LWC Cambridge. Kind iVF & cutting-edge treatments in the birthplace of IVF.

Discover the latest fertility statistics and treatment trends in the UK with key insights from the HFEA Trends Report. See what's changing in fertility care.

London Women’s Clinic has long been a strong, proactive force in inclusive fertility care - welcoming patients from all backgrounds and family structures. As pioneers in LGBTQIA+ fertility since the 1990s, we’ve partnered with DIVA to support the new IVF Equality Manifesto - a call to ensure that fertility care across the UK is fair, inclusive and supportive for all. We understand that no two families are the same.

The UK’s surrogacy laws remain outdated despite proposed reforms, but London Women’s Clinic continues to support intended parents through ethical surrogacy, a new partnership with Nappy Endings, and ongoing advocacy for legislative change.

When London Women’s Clinic became one of the first clinics in the UK to provide IVF to same-sex couples, the tabloids dubbed our clinical leadership, Dr Kamal Ahuja, ‘the gayby doctor’. We were proud to own that label then, proud to own it now, and proud to advocate for the highest standards of LGBTQ+ fertility care, always.

London Women’s Clinic data reflects the latest national figures released by HFEA.

London Women's Clinic are proud to announce the opening of our new clinic in the heart of Cambridge, bringing our world-class, Harley Street fertility treatments to the historic home of IVF.

In recent years, the concept of egg freezing has gained significant traction as a means of preserving fertility.

In the ever-evolving landscape of reproductive choices, social egg freezing has emerged as a significant option for women seeking to take control of their fertility.

Learn how egg freezing can help women's fertility, manage infertility, and increase your chances for getting pregnant later in life.

There are several options for effective fertility preservation. See this key guide for information on egg freezing, embryo preservation, and key information for making your decision.

Discover how egg freezing can help preserve your fertility for future family planning. Learn about the process, success rates, and what to expect in this ultimate guide.

The donation of sperm, eggs and embryos is at its highest level ever according to the latest national figures from the HFEA. After 10 years and over 8,000 shipments of frozen eggs, embryos and donor sperm to our clinics nationwide, London Egg Bank has decided to make UK-sourced donor eggs available to partner clinics across the country.

Egg freezing is now the UK’s fastest growing fertility treatment, says the HFEA.

It is a privilege for London Women's Clinic to join BioNews in celebrating its silver jubilee, and to support this selection of articles on egg freezing.

But for many patients who choose to defer their pregnancy for another day egg freezing can provide reproducible and reassuring results.

Egg donation continues to revolutionize parenthood options for couples in the UK and a recent study data reveals its success in helping same-sex female couples embrace reciprocal IVF, bridging genetic connections for fulfilling shared motherhood.

A new London Women’s Clinic study genetically testing almost 1000 embryos finds chromosome errors at a very early stage

Increased popularity driven by treatment in single patients and those in female same-sex relationships

The increasingly popular fertility preservation technique of egg freezing is now fulfilling its promise

Mark and Nick openly share their experience of becoming fathers for the first time, through surrogacy at London Women's Clinic and using donor eggs from London Egg Bank

The HFEA’s latest 2023 report, which records all fertility treatments performed each year in UK clinics, reveals record numbers of patients freezing their eggs for future use.

How a global star known from Bollywood to Hollywood found her path to parenthood.

Egg freezing is a revolutionary technology that allows mature eggs to be frozen and stored for later use. Women wanting to wait to have children can now access this technology, rather than worrying about the tick of the 'biological clock'.

We at London Women’s Clinic are thrilled to share the opening of our new fertility clinic in Colchester. Opening our doors at 57 Priory Street - just a 10 minute walk from Colchester Town rail station - allows us to proudly expand our world-class fertility care through the county of Essex and its surrounding areas.

London Women's Clinic, part of JD Healthcare group, one of the UK’s largest independent providers of reproductive medical services, today announces its acquisition of two fertility clinics in Bromley and Eastbourne and a satellite centre at Brighton.

On 29 March 2023 the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission published their long-awaited final recommendations on reforming the law on surrogacy - here's what you need to know.

The legal framework in which surrogacy procedures are arranged and carried out is due for overhaul, according to proposals published in a review of current legislation.

The first few pregnancies have been announced, with encouraging results

'The ship has sailed', said screen star Jennifer Aniston, giving voice to what so many women in their early 50s feel when facing up to childlessness.

London Women's Clinic (LWC) is pleased to announce the opening of its new fertility clinic at 10 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1NU from 16th May 2022. The clinic is conveniently situated 5 minutes walk from the Tunbridge Wells railway station.

If you are under 40 and are trying to get pregnant, there is an 70-80% chance that you will conceive naturally within the first year. Whilst these odds may sound promising to some, many soon-to-be mothers will still seek tips to increase their chances of succeeding.

Launched in December 2021, Harley Street Concerts was created with the aim to reunite the medical and musical communities once again through a series of regular musical performances in Marylebone.

Knowing that they would need to use a sperm donor, Darel and Lauren came to London Women’s Clinic to benefit from their experience in same-sex fertility. Read their story below.

The process of egg sharing amongst same-sex female couples sees one partner’s eggs being used to impregnate the other – resulting in the egg provider being the biological parent and the person carrying the baby being the gestational parent. Lauren and Lisa describe how this process helped them start their family.

In an article published by BioNews, Dr Kamal Ahuja, Scientific and Managing Director of JD Healthcare; and Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director of London Egg Bank and London Women’s Clinic; comment on the HFEA’s latest findings regarding the increase in UK-based egg donations.

After several miscarriages, Paul and Gemma welcomed their beautiful rainbow baby in September 2020. Read about their pregnancy after miscarriage journey and how they kept the faith.

After struggling to maintain a healthy pregnancy due to her PCOS diagnosis, Becky’s friend offered to be a surrogate to help her dreams of a family come true. She describes her story below

A reversed vasectomy and low ovarian reserve were the starting point for the challenges ahead.

New survey confirms what we always thought about egg sharers – that those who share their eggs with patients unable to produce them are usually motivated by a wish to help others

It has been more than 40 years since the birth of the world’s first ‘test-tube’ baby. While there have been few moments in the fertility landscape more ground-breaking than the arrival of Louise Brown, the advancements of the last four decades have seen a huge change in the way we approach fertility.

Brentwood Borough Council in Essex has completed a leasehold agreement with one the UK’s leading fertility clinics.

Kelly and Ian knew from the start they would need some help. Here’s how they found it at LWC Darlington…

Six years after they started a journey with LWC London Bridge, Debby and Mark tell us how that journey to parenthood worked out for them…

A recipient of donor sperm from the London Sperm Bank, Samantha*, writes a letter to her donor

A London Women’s Clinic patient, Sarah*, shares her experience of using donor eggs and donor sperm to undergo IVF…

A question we are often asked by patients is whether frozen eggs can be transported from one of our clinics to another location.

The decision to share eggs with another woman is an act of kindness we see daily at the London Egg Bank.

We are often asked by patients ‘what prompted the egg donors to act?’. Every individual’s reasons vary, but one thing which binds them all is a motivation to help others and to offer a chance at starting a family to those who desperately want it.

With the development of concise egg bank catalogues, the searching experience for donor eggs is easier than ever. But is it equally easy for everyone all the time?

The time restraint on frozen eggs has been described as an unfair regulation. We are advocates for this law seeing an appropriate reformation.

Children born as a result of egg (or sperm) donation now have the right at age 18 to know the identity of their donor.

The options open to single women wanting to conceive are now more varied than ever. A study from Barcelona sheds more light on the motivation behind the choice to have a child solo.

Linh and Henrik visited the London Women's Clinic for fertility treatment and had two beautiful children at LWC London Bridge. Working alongside them was LWC's own Mr Michael Summers. Read more about their story here.

Expert opinion seems to take the view that, when it comes to egg collection, the more eggs available the better. This seems to be the case for IVF, egg donation, and social egg freezing.

A further look at the innovative time-lapse technology used by London Women's Clinic in conjunction with many of our IVF packages. In this blog we explain what time-lapse technology is and why it's useful.

Many women go through a difficult period of time in between their fertility treatment and the result. Our latest blog gives some essential insight for those that need support through the Two Week Wait.

London Women's Clinic were visited by French TV station, France 2, to talk more about donor anonymity with Professor Nick Macklon.

IVF alone is not always enough to ensure that a sperm fertilises an egg especially in situations where sperm numbers and strength are reduced. ICSI combined with IVF can help many couples who otherwise would be unable to conceive.

This Part Two instalment concludes our talk with Dr Janet Evans, regarding the common misconceptions around fertility. Make sure to check out Part One if you haven't already.

LWC's Dr Janet Evans helps us debunk common fertility myths that can hinder your journey to pregnancy. Read this Part One installment to rid yourself of any misconceptions you might have heard.

According to the latest HFEA figures, Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) cycles have increased by 11%.  We sat down with Andrew Thomson, the Laboratory Manager at LWC Wales to discuss this new trend.

Figures show an increasing number of same sex female couples seeking fertility treatment. We speak to Dr Hemlata Thackare, Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist about her experience treating same sex couples.

Heather and her wife Jacey had intra-partner egg donation treatment at the LWC Bristol and now have a baby son.

New statistics show that egg freezing is the fastest growing fertility treatment. We speak to Giles Palmer, Senior Embryologist and Business and Quality Manager at the LWC Cardiff to understand why egg freezing has increased in popularity.

Georgina and her husband Chris had IVF Lite treatment at the LWC Cardiff and now have two children Francesca and Harri.

We speak to Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director of the LWC, about his research into preconception care and fertility and how diet can influence the outcome of fertility treatment.

Natalie had IVF as part of the LWC's egg-sharing programme in Harley Street and now has her son Oliver.

What is IUI and how does it work? In this short post, Dr Janet Evans, Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist at our LWC Cardiff clinic explains what you need to know.

We speak to Professor Nick Macklon to understand why fertility declines, and how women trying for a pregnancy over 40 can achieve this.

Recently there have been stories in the news about egg-freezing, which cause people to question the ethical validity of women sharing their eggs – in other words, donating them to women in need.

Recently we worked with the BBC on their egg freezing documentary. You can see their video here, and the audio version goes out on Radio 4 at 5pm today (Tuesday 19th March).

On National No Smoking Day, we discuss how smoking could affect your fertility and the steps you can take to help you quit smoking for good.

Following a diagnosis of endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), Nicola and her partner tried unsuccessfully to conceive.  They came to the LWC Brentwood for IVF and are now 15 weeks pregnant.

Kirsty and her partner had IVF treatment at the LWC Harley Street.  After the devastating loss of their twins they had success with two Frozen Embryo Transfers and now have two children Lily and Harry.

Egg freezing can seem like a simple solution for women who know they want to be a mum in the future but not now. Trisha Patel, one of our fertility coaches at the LWC shares how we can provide support to women who are freezing their eggs.

Using the latest technologies, and innovations in the laboratory enable us to select the best embryo possible for transfer, giving our patients the best chance of having a baby.

At the London Women’s Clinic, we recognise that the cost of fertility treatment can be a substantial financial commitment.  With this in mind, we have revised our price list and price packages in our London and South East clinics starting from 1st January 2019.

At the London Women’s Clinic, we’re dedicated to helping you start – or grow – your family. With that in mind, we’ve changed how we offer our IVF packages for 2019 in our London and South East clinics.

There have been many articles in the news about adoption numbers reducing due to the increased chances of success through IVF.  Although it’s true that success rates have increased, many women and couples struggling with infertility feel that it’s unfair to assume that they should adopt rather than try for a baby of their own.

After one devastating pregnancy loss after another, Charlene and Neil were offered a new PGT-M technique of 'karyomapping' to help prevent the miscarriages.

It has been widely proposed that the chance of success in IVF can be best predicted by a measurement of 'ovarian reserve'. How can that best be done - and why are experts excited about the hormone AMH?

With concerns over a no-Brexit deal affecting the import of sperm from Europe, we ask the question why go overseas when you can buy British sperm? The LWC works with the London Sperm Bank (LSB) to provide donor sperm for our patients without a wait.

PGT-A can help you achieve a healthy pregnancy if you have had miscarriages in the past or are concerned about conceiving in your late thirties or early forties.

Liz and her husband almost gave up their hopes of having a baby. But they persisted through long waits, changed appointments and failed IVF on the NHS attempts to finally succeed at LWC London Bridge (formally the Bridge Centre).

One by One IVF is an innovative approach to IVF that moves away from the usual method of collecting the egg and returning the embryo to the uterus within the same cycle.

LWC uses latest technology and techniques to maximize pregnancy success and ensure healthy baby delivery - a cornerstone of their pioneering approach.

Alisha and her husband’s fertility journey was made more complex when they discovered that they were both carriers of the cystic fibrosis gene. Here she shares their story of opting for PGT-M treatment.

At the London Women’s Clinic we see many women over 40 come through our doors looking for fertility treatment. That’s why we have created a dedicated Fertility for the Over-40s treatment programme.

At the London Women’s Clinic we have designed a specific Fertility for the Over-40s programme tailored to help women over 40 to have a baby.

Our modern lifestyles can play a big part in male fertility, but the good news is that there are a number of things that men can do to improve their sperm count.

The desire to ‘hold it together’ in front of others whilst going through fertility treatment is very common.

Many reports of surrogacy document negative stories of failed arrangements, but in reality very few surrogacy arrangements end in tears. Many couples successfully have a child through surrogacy. Vasanti Jadva and colleagues from the University of Cambridge Centre for Family Research have been following these families to find out what happens to all concerned.

Kathleen donated her eggs through our partner clinic, the London Egg Bank, which has seen hundreds of women come through its doors looking to donate their eggs since it opened in 2013. Here she tells her story.

Having a failed treatment cycle is always a disappointment and can be particularly frustrating when you have good quality embryos.  Our new implantation clinic aims to improve success rates for patients who have had failed treatment despite the transfer of good embryos by assessing the womb lining (endometrium).

Our Senior Fertility Counsellor, Tracey Sainsbury, talks to Anya Sizer from the Fertility Network about the difficulties of dealing with secondary infertility.

"We will be eternally grateful to LWC Wales for their professionalism, care and support"

Professor Nick Macklon tackles IVF myths answers questions that many people have surrounding the health and wellbeing of IVF births and babies.

Often we forget how the fertility treatment roller coaster can impact men too.  Here a previous IVF patient gives a male perspective on infertility and his tips to supporting a partner through treatment.

"It’s scary to think that you’ll not be able to have a baby without IVF but we made the right choice by going to the LWC Cardiff and having our treatment with the best in the field"

Mr Peter Bowen-Simpkins, Executive Medical Director of the LWC, who has spent much of his career in Wales, talks about the ever-evolving process of IVF that has happened during his career and his hopes for the future.

Alison and her husband had treatment at LWC London Bridge in 2005 using a surrogate (her sister-in-law) and donor eggs.

Forty years ago on 25th July 1978, Louise Brown, the first baby in the world was born as a result of IVF. Advances in both science and technology mean that we can help more people achieve their dream of having a child.

"We have our final piece to our jigsaw and life now is truly complete."

"Having  a  child  on  my  own  is  without  a  doubt  the  most  challenging,  craziest  and  happiest  thing  I  have  ever  done."

Carrie Thomas from South Wales had suffered from endometriosis and eventually had both Fallopian tubes removed. IVF was the only chance of pregnancy - but this time success followed success.

Find out more about why Lisa and Kelly decided to have treatment at The London Women's Clinic using donor sperm from the London Sperm Bank.

Leona, 37 and happily married, endured two ectopic pregnancies, with both tubes removed. Now, following two IVF disappointments, she and her husband have twins to complete their family.

Louise was in her mid-30s, without a partner, and afraid that time was running out for a family. But she made a choice and followed her instincts. My advice, she says, is ‘Go for it and never give up’.

For Liam and Laura McCaffrey from Milford Haven in West Wales, becoming parents to Owen, now aged two, involved a long journey in many ways, from a serious illness through to Liam’s sperm travelling thousands of miles to help them achieve their dream.