Individually tailored care to maximise your fertility potential.
Simone will take the time to learn your unique fertility situation, and then provide you with a tailored solution to boost your chances of becoming pregnant.
MBBS, MRMed, FRANZCOG
Fertility Specialist Brisbane
Simone has been a fertility consultant for almost two decades. She is one of the few post-graduate fertility specialists in Brisbane, which gives her a vast knowledge of fertility and the treatments required for pregnancy. Add this to her extensive experience, and you have one of the most skilled and sought-after fertility specialists in South East Queensland.
Why can’t I get pregnant?
Pregnancy is complex, and there are many possible reasons why you’re struggling to get pregnant.
To identify the possible factors contributing to your infertility, we discuss your medical history, complete a clinical examination, and arrange appropriate testing for yourself and your partner.
Patients then return for review once the test results are available, and we will discuss your treatment options based on these results.
6 Possible causes for pregnancy difficulties
1. Ovulation Disorders
Ovulation disorders affect follicle recruitment, release of mature eggs and the resulting menstrual cycle. Ovulation disorders are a common cause of infertility. These disorders include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian failure, and overproduction of prolactin and hypothalamic dysfunction.
Signs and symptoms vary depending on the type of ovulation disorder that is present, but these often include irregular or absent periods.
2. Fallopian Tube Blockage
If fallopian tubes are blocked or scarred – they can impact the ability for egg and sperm to meet and therfore pregnancy to result. Tubal disease can be single sided or bilateral. A blocked tube can be caused by pelvic infection (the most common cause), scar tissue, endometriosis, and complications with previous pregnancies or miscarriages.
If you have a fallopian tube disease you may experience abdominal pain, painful periods, or fever. More frequently, howver, you will have none of these symptoms.
A blocked fallopian tube is diagnosed by physically passing fluid through the tubes – this can be done with an X-ray (hysterosalpingogram), ultrasound (HyFoSy) or at the time of laparoscopy and hystseroscopy.
3. Endometriosis
Endometriosis is when the uterus’s cell lining (endometrium) grows elsewhere in the pelvis. This diagnosis is found more frequently in women with unexplained infertility. To diagnose and treat endometriosis, a surgical procedure called a laparoscopy is required.
4. Uterine issues
An irregularly-shaped uterus can be congenital (from birth), or develop (scarring, fibroids), and can occasionally be the presumed reason for miscarriages or other fertility problems. Abnormal uterus shapes are common, and not always associated with fertility issues.
Adenomyosis is a condition in which the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) grows into the muscle wall of the uterus. It is not able to be surgically corrected, and has a known association with both infertility and miscarriages.
5. Sperm Issues
At least one third of fertility issues are associated with male factor infertility. Your partner may have poor quality sperm, a low sperm count, that decrease the chance to fall pregnant without help.
6. Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual problems that affect intercourse are varied, and occur for both men and women. They include emotional factors like stress, anxiety, and depression; physical factors like erectile dysfunction, and medication factors such as reactions to certain drugs.
What does a fertility doctor do?
A fertility doctor (or specialist) diagnoses and treats fertility problems, to help couples become pregnant. They are experts in
reproductive endocrinology and infertility, which allows them to identify potential causes of infertility in both men and women,
and then treat them with the most effective methods.
Some tests that fertility doctors carry out include fertility assessments, blood tests, and ultrasounds. Treatments include ovulation
cycle tracking, ovulation induction, artificial insemination, IVF, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
When should I see a fertility specialist?
If you are under 35, you should see a fertility doctor in Brisbane if you have been trying to get pregnant for over a year. If you’re older than this, the time drops to six months.
Exceptions to these rules include:
• If you have menstrual irregularities or other ovulation issues
• If you have endometriosis and have not conceived within six months.
• If you have a known tube blockage, or a history of pelvic inflammatory disease.
• If you have had a tubal ligation (sterilisation), or your male partner a vasectomy.
• If you have a family history of premature menopause.
- If you have had a tubal ligation (sterilisation), or your male partner a vasectomy.
- If your male partner has any of the following issues:
- Undescended or torted testes
- Scrotal trauma
- Varicocele
- Known sperm issues
- A history of chemotherapy treatment
- A history of sexual dysfunction
If any of these exceptions match your situation, you should consider visiting your GP for a referral to a fertility specialist.
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Fertility specialists Brisbane – Solutions we provide
If any of these exceptions match your situation, you should consider
visiting your GP for a referral to a fertility specialist.
In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is one of the most effective forms of fertility treatment. It can be completed using the couple’s own eggs and sperm, or a donor’s. IVF works by collecting mature eggs from the ovaries, allowing sperm to fertilise them, and then implanting them in the uterus. This cycle
takes about three weeks.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a form of IVF used when a male’s sperm are weak or damaged, and unable to fertilise an egg by themselves. It works by injecting a sperm directly into a mature egg, negating the need for it to find its own way.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
Intrauterine insemination (IUI, and also known as medical insemination) is when concentrated sperm are injected into your uterus when your ovary is releasing eggs. If successful, a sperm will swim into the fallopian tube and fertilise one of the eggs.
Ovulation Induction (OI)
Ovulation induction (OI) uses medication to induce ovulation and encourage eggs to develop in the ovaries. The more healthy eggs that are released, the more chance you have of becoming pregnant.
Our Fertility Process
Our fertility process is thorough, and tailored to your unique circumstances.
This is an overview of how it works:
- Book an appointment with Simone, to discuss your medical history and the difficulties you’re having. You’ll need to bring the following:
- Your GP’s referral letter
- Your Medicare or DVA card
- Health cover information
- Copies of X-rays, MRI’s, CT scans or other scans you may have had
- Simone may ask you to complete tests like sperm tests, blood tests, x-rays, or ultrasounds.
- After Simone has analysed the collected information, she will make a diagnosis and make another appointment with you to discuss treatment options.
- Treatment begins, and may include repeated visits to the clinic to complete.
Book an appointment today with Simone your fertility doctor in Brisbane
Get the very best help with your pregnancy understand your fertility better, and how a fertility specialist can help you have a baby.
Fertility Brisbane FAQs
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about fertility specialist doctors
Fertility treatment is a collection of medical techniques that help you to become pregnant, such as invitro fertilisation (IVF), artificial insemination (IUI), and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). They can be extremely successful for women for are struggling with having a baby.
Yes, you need to get a referral from your GP or another medical practitioner to visit a Brisbane fertility specialist.
Invitro fertilisation (IVF) is a complicated process affected by your age, the quality of your embryos, and your history of pregnancy, so success rates are extremely difficult to predict. For this reason, you should be wary of clinics who promise success rates for invitro fertilisation (IVF).
Instead, what we promise is exceptional invitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment carried out by one of the most highly-qualified fertility specialists in Brisbane, at City Fertility’s world-class clinic. This will make a huge difference in your invitro fertilisation (IVF) success rate.
Initial consultations are 60 minutes long, and unlike other fertility practices, your first appointment is not a ‘screening’ appointment with another doctor or nurse.
Simone prides herself on exceptional communications with her patients, and you should walk away from your first consultation with a better understanding of your potential fertility issues, as well as having a timeline regarding investigations and possible interventions required for your fertility solution.
The costs of consultations will be quoted to you at the time you make your first appointment.
I offer good value to patients, given the long consultations that I have with you, and the ongoing review of results that are returned to me. I offer a very comprehensive service, and I want to spend time understanding your issues, ensuring appropriate investigations are performed and helping you to realise your dream of a family. These costs are ‘outpatient’ and therefore apply to Medicare Safety Net – meaning that once you have spent over the threshold, you will receive 80% of the ‘out-of-pocket’ expense back.
The costs of fertility medicine are not insignificant, but luckily in Australia, patients have good financial support from the Medicare Safety Net. For further information, click on the Medicare Safety Net link.
I have longer appointments than many fertility specialists in Brisbane. Our initial consultation lasts for 60 minutes, and review appointments are 30 minutes. It is important to be able to spend time with you both, in order to maximise the clinical outcomes, but also to ensure that you have ample opportunity to ask questions, and time to understand my answers to your questions.
It is preferable for both partners to come to see me. It is important that you meet with me as a couple. Despite a common misconception that the females are most likely to have fertility issues, approximately 30% of couples have male factor infertility and almost another 30% have both male and female factors requiring intervention. There is a lot of information.