Unit Information
Gateshead Fertility Unit is a purpose-built unit situated on the 3rd floor of the Jubilee Wing in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The Centre was designed to provide patient centered care on a single site by a dedicated team of clinicians, nurses, and scientists.
We offer a broad range of services for the investigation and treatment of people with fertility problems including:
- Diagnostic Andrology
- Ovulation induction with or without ultrasound monitoring
- Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) with partners sperm
- Donor Insemination (DI)
- Shared motherhood arrangements for same sex couples
- In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- Egg Donation (using a known donor)
- Embryo freezing
- Frozen Embryo cycles
- Surgical Sperm Extraction
- Sperm freezing
Couples who request a private appointment may contact the Unit directly on 0191 445 2768 to make an appropriate appointment with a consultant.
An initial consultation with our specialists will cover your medical history and outline our recommendations for further investigation or treatment.
Our Ethos
We have been offering fertility treatment since 1997 and our approach has always been to put our patients at the heart of everything we do. Our ethos of individualised treatment pathways has grown with us from the beginning and has resulted in a caring team that delivers a high quality service.
Our consultants have a broad range of experience as obstetrics and gynaecology clinicians with many years’ experience in the field of assisted conception.
We make time to listen, and it is important to us that you are fully informed at each stage of your personal fertility journey. Our dedicated fertility nurses will be your main point-of-contact, providing nursing care, information and support throughout your treatment. Our scientists will guide you through the laboratory aspects and care for your eggs, sperm and embryos.
Our Laboratory
Our embryology laboratory is equipped with EmbryoScope™ incubators, incorporating a state-of-the-art time lapse system with a camera that continuously captures images and records them as a video of the embryonic development.
This system allows the embryologist to monitor embryo cell divisions while the embryos are still in the incubator, and we can carry out a comprehensive analysis of the development of the embryos.
Based on recent studies, the cell division pattern of the embryos is becoming a valid alternative for selecting the embryos which have the best potential for implantation.
All patients undergoing an embryo transfer procedure will benefit from the use of EmbryoGlue™ as standard.
The majority of stages in your treatment cycle are double checked by a state-of-the-art computer software system called IVFWitness™. This system ensures the identity of your eggs, sperm and embryos whilst they are stored and processed and documented evidence of this is available on request. This electronic system has been approved by the HFEA.
Success Rates
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority keep a record of all cycles performed in the UK and annually publish success rates for each fertility unit.
It is important to remember that these statistics reflect the general success rates, and it is vital to discuss your individual case with the consultants.