Dr Roger Perkins
IVF specialist Perth
- Female infertility and male infertility factors
- Fertility tests for women and men
- IVF treatment
- ICSI treatment
- IVF Cost
Dr Roger Perkins | Perth IVF
What is IVF?
Dr Roger Perkins | Infertility Specialist Perth
Female infertility and male infertility factors
Because you have been exploring IVF, then you will also have developed a deeper understanding of male and female fertility. There are many factors which can lead to a couple experiencing infertility. These include conditions which affect either the woman or the man. It is very important that you receive the correct advice as a couple to make the right choices in order to obtain the best outcomes. Treatment of subfertility is a highly specialised area which should be undertaken by gynaecologists with specialised training in Fertility.
At my practice, I build on my extensive experience in fertility treatment and IVF.
Dr Roger Perkins | Perth Fertility Specialist
Fertility tests for women and men
As an essential part of this process, a detailed history and evaluation of the couple is required. In this way, your treatment can be tailored to your individual needs.
In addition to a full evaluation of the couple, it is also vital to have a detailed discussion about your overall health. Lifestyle modification, including optimised management of any medical disorder, following a healthy diet, ensuring regular exercise and maintaining psychological well being are all important to achieve a healthy child.
Detailed tests on both the man and woman are carried out where needed. These include detailed testing of hormone levels, assessment of tubal patency, and specialised sperm tests.
Dr Roger Perkins | Perth Fertility Clinic
IVF treatment
In many cases, simple modifications will lead to pregnancy. Sometimes, adjusting hormone levels will be sufficient. Where IVF is needed, the couple receives detailed information in a series of unrushed consultations at my Perth practice, to ensure a full understanding of the processes at all stages.
It is usual practice to instruct the woman on administering additional hormones in order to collect multiple eggs at once. This makes the whole process more efficient and less expensive.
The eggs are collected by a specialised gynaecologist using complete anaesthesia, so as to be painless. The same afternoon, the sperm are either mixed with the eggs (IVF) or injected (ICSI) by one of the highly trained embryologists in the Fertility Clinic. The couple are allowed home the same morning and can resume normal activities.
In suitable cases, we use minimal hormone stimulation before the egg collection, and collect immature eggs from the smaller follicles, which avoids hyperstimulation and side effects. These eggs are matured for 2 days in the laboratory prior to fertilisation. This process is called ‘in vitro maturation’ and is rarely undertaken except in our Perth based fertility clinic at Fertility Specialists of Western Australia.
Over the next 5 days, the embryos that resulted from the fertilisation are carefully observed and evaluated to ensure normal development.
On the fifth day following fertilisation, one of the embryos will be placed inside the uterus, again by the fertility specialist. This process is performed quickly and painlessly in the Fertility Specialists Clinic and does not require anaesthesia.
All remaining healthy embryos are stored at a very low temperature in the laboratory. They are allowed to be stored for up to 10 years.
Dr Roger Perkins | Perth Fertility Clinic
ICSI treatment
ICSI is a variation of IVF treatment, usually indicated when the ejaculated sperm count is very low. In cases where there is no sperm in the ejaculate, sperm would already have been collected directly from the testis, using procedures such as TESA and micro TESE. Surgical collection of sperm by these techniques is highly specialised.
ICSI is performed in the clinic laboratory where individual sperm are manipulated directly into each egg. Whereas in conventional IVF, a large number of sperm are allowed to mix with the eggs freely.
Dr Roger Perkins | Perth Fertility Specialist
Male fertility specialist
At my practice, I nurture a particular interest in male infertility, and often use highly specialised procedures to overcome any male fertility issues.
If the male partner has no sperm in the ejaculate, procedures such as TESA and micro TESE offer an alternative approach to collect sperm. In situations where the sperm count is low, ICSI will often be the recommended type of IVF procedure.
Although my work as a gynaecologist and a fertility specialist involves working with you as a couple, patients appreciate my approach to fertility as a shared journey involving individual management of both the male and the female. Optimising fertility through lifestyle, and selecting the most suitable tests and procedures in order to increase your chances of becoming pregnant, is a process that involves both you and your partner.
Dr Roger Perkins | Fertility Specialist Perth
IVF Cost
In order to provide a high quality of care, there is a lot of emphasis in the Fertility Clinic on making sure couples receive the best care possible. We believe that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach, and each couple is managed individually. You may be aware of some clinics, who may try to keep costs low by treating a large number of couples using similar treatments, and minimising consultation and follow up with the specialist. I believe that you deserve all the time and support you need when you embark on such an important life-changing journey.
Inevitably, given the complexity of IVF technology, there are expenses in providing the best IVF treatment. Please contact Fertility Specialists WA for an estimate. Be aware that the ‘out of pocket’ costs will vary between individuals depending on Medicare eligibility, Safety Net, Private Health Insurance, and so on.
Dr Roger Perkins | Fertility Specialist Perth
Tubal reversal surgery
I have received specialised training in performing reversing surgery following tubal sterilisation. Very few other fertility specialists in Perth do this procedure.
We know that circumstances may change in a woman’s reproductive career and she may wish for more children, where previously a sterilisation had taken place. I am able to assess whether reversal surgery is feasible, in order to optimise the chance of further children.
Reversal surgery is sometimes preferred over the alternative which is going through IVF. It all comes down to your personal situation and your preferences. I spend plenty of time explaining the different approaches to having further children, because I believe that as a patient you deserve total clarity before you make any decisions about IVF, ICSI or reversal surgery.
The operation is undertaken fully anaesthetised and requires a few nights in hospital before going home. I use a powerful operating microscope similar to the microscope used for micro TESE. Careful joining of the tubes is undertaken using fine sutures and both tubes are checked during the operation to ensure that they are open again.
More about Dr Roger Perkins
Male Infertility
Highly specialised male fertility procedures
"My aim is to make you feel comfortable at all times. My consultation style is unrushed and I respect your schedule by minimising waiting times. You are a unique person and I make it my goal to truly get to know you."
