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The term In-vitro fertilisation or IVF, literally means fertilisation “in glass” and refers to the process where a person’s eggs are fertilised outside of the body in the laboratory. Using sperm, embryos are created which are then transferred back to the uterus a few days later, or frozen for use at a later date.
The first successful IVF baby was born in 1978 in Manchester, England. Since then, millions of babies have been born through IVF and ICSI treatment.
IVF/ICSI is specifically recommended for those with absent, blocked or damaged fallopian tubes. It is also often used in cases of unexplained infertility. Where there is male factor subfertility it can be used in combination with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). It is also an option for those wishing to become pregnant with the assistance of donor sperm.
Under the care of our team, a woman is given fertility medications, mainly in the form of injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple follicles. Follicles are the small fluid filled structures within the ovaries, each of which will hopefully contain an egg.
The number and size of the developing follicles is measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. The exact number of follicles which develop varies greatly between patients. One of the purposes of testing is to give you and us an idea in advance of how many follicles and eggs may develop.
The final preparation for egg retrieval involves a hormone injection which mimics the natural trigger for ovulation. Egg retrieval will take place 36 hours after this injection.
Egg retrieval is a minor theatre procedure which is carried out in the clinic under sedation.
A trans-vaginal ultrasound probe is used and a needle attached to the probe is carefully passed through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and follicles.
The ovarian fluid within each follicle is aspirated and then examined in the IVF laboratory by the embryologist for the presence of an egg.
After identification, the eggs are washed and transferred into a special culture in an incubator.
While the egg retrieval is happening, the sperm is also prepared. A semen sample is provided by the male partner or the donor sperm sample is prepared for use. In the laboratory, a concentrated preparation of the best motile sperm is extracted from the semen sample. This sperm preparation (containing approximately 150,000 sperm) is added to the dishes containing the eggs, and they are incubated together overnight.
In some couples an alternative form of insemination is required called ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), which involves injecting a single sperm into each egg using a very fine needle, rather than mixing the eggs and sperm in a dish
Regardless of the method of insemination used, on the morning after egg retrieval, the eggs are examined to see which have fertilised.
Fertilised eggs (zygotes) are cultured in the IVF laboratory until day 5 or 6, the blastocyst stage. At that point the embryos are either transferred or frozen, depending on the individual circumstances. Any additional embryos that are not transferred at the blastocyst stage can be frozen.
The embryo transfer is a simple theatre procedure that does not usually require anaesthesia.
The embryo(s) are placed back into the uterus by the doctor by way of a small catheter inserted through the cervix. The fluid containing the embryo(s) is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus.
The correct positioning of the embryo(s) is confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, so the woman is required to have a full bladder for the procedure.
Under the care of our team, a woman is given fertility medications, mainly in the form of injections to stimulate her ovaries to produce multiple follicles. Follicles are the small fluid filled structures within the ovaries, each of which will hopefully contain an egg.
The number and size of the developing follicles is measured by trans-vaginal ultrasound scans. The exact number of follicles which develop varies greatly between patients. One of the purposes of testing is to give you and us an idea in advance of how many follicles and eggs may develop.
The final preparation for egg retrieval involves a hormone injection which mimics the natural trigger for ovulation. Egg retrieval will take place 36 hours after this injection.
Egg retrieval is a minor theatre procedure which is carried out in the clinic under sedation.
A trans-vaginal ultrasound probe is used and a needle attached to the probe is carefully passed through the vaginal wall into the ovaries and follicles.
The ovarian fluid within each follicle is aspirated and then examined in the IVF laboratory by the embryologist for the presence of an egg.
After identification, the eggs are washed and transferred into a special culture in an incubator.
While the egg retrieval is happening, the sperm is also prepared. A semen sample is provided by the male partner or the donor sperm sample is prepared for use. In the laboratory, a concentrated preparation of the best motile sperm is extracted from the semen sample. This sperm preparation (containing approximately 150,000 sperm) is added to the dishes containing the eggs, and they are incubated together overnight.
In some couples an alternative form of insemination is required called ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), which involves injecting a single sperm into each egg using a very fine needle, rather than mixing the eggs and sperm in a dish
Regardless of the method of insemination used, on the morning after egg retrieval, the eggs are examined to see which have fertilised.
Fertilised eggs (zygotes) are cultured in the IVF laboratory until day 5 or 6, the blastocyst stage. At that point the embryos are either transferred or frozen, depending on the individual circumstances. Any additional embryos that are not transferred at the blastocyst stage can be frozen.
The embryo transfer is a simple theatre procedure that does not usually require anaesthesia.
The embryo(s) are placed back into the uterus by the doctor by way of a small catheter inserted through the cervix. The fluid containing the embryo(s) is pushed through the cervix and into the uterus.
The correct positioning of the embryo(s) is confirmed by abdominal ultrasound, so the woman is required to have a full bladder for the procedure.
IVF is not something which can ever be ‘a sure thing.’ A core part of the consultation process in advance of your treatment is for our team to inform you of what we think your chance of success is based on your history and test results. This will help you make the most informed decision about the process and whether it is right for you. Most women and couples who undergo IVF will succeed but it can sometimes take multiple attempts. However, through our evidence based fertility treatment, we are confident that our team of experts can help to give you the best shot at a successful outcome. You can view our success rates here.
Not at present. We encourage patients to use their embryos by doing frozen embryo transfers before starting a new cycle with us.
No, you can purchase donor sperm separately from our partner sperm bank European Sperm Bank.
No, this is not an add on which we provide.
No, we do not have a restriction on BMI.
We do not have an age restriction on any treatment in Thérapie Fertility, though upcoming Irish legislation may require this to change.
Yes, it is of course possible to transfer multiple embryos. However, in most cases we usually recommend transferring just one or two. The reason for this is to try to avoid a multiple pregnancy. While twin or triplet pregnancies can be very healthy, they do come with increased risks. In order to reduce this risk, we like to try for a healthy singleton pregnancy. If your medical and fertility history indicates, we may advise to transfer more than one embryo.
IVF is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology and for the majority of cases, IVF or other fertility treatments can help you realise your dream of becoming pregnant.
From the very start when we reached out for some advice to today holding our baby girl, the staff at Therapie have been amazing! Whether it was after our 1st, 2nd or even 3rd cycle, through the good times n not so good times there was always someone at the end of the phone or email to talk things through with you. The first appt answered so many questions we had and from there on really helped us understand the whole progress more. Couldn't recommend them enough and have done to many of my friends and work colleagues.
Big thanks from Ariana and ofcourse from happy Mama and Daddy for great experience to all staff members of fertility clinic carrickmines from reception up to top !!!
We cannot speak highly enough of the exceptional care we received from everyone at Therapie Fertility. We first visited for fertility testing and chose to continue our journey with them through IUI and eventually IVF. Every appointment was met with a warm, friendly welcome, and over time we got to know all the nurses and Dr. Kennedy so well. Communication through the patient portal was clear and convenient, which made the process even smoother. We were incredibly fortunate to achieve success and now have a beautiful baby boy. We’ve already recommended Therapie Fertility to friends on similar journeys. Thank you so much for everything!
My experience at Therapie has been nothing but positive! All the doctors and nurses were absolutely amazing. I started my fertility journey with therapie February 2024 as a solo mother by choice and I couldn’t have chosen a better clinic to start my journey. Lisa the nurse in Galway was nothing but outstanding throughout my time with her. Her professionalism and kindness towards her patients and the communication via the portal always gave me reassurance on any questions I had throughout the whole process. I now have my beautiful baby boy and forever grateful for all at therapie for helping to make my dream come true of becoming a mammy to my beautiful baby boy who I welcomed the beginning of October 2025 🩵
Thérapie Fertility has been a place of genuine care and compassion from the very beginning. The team consistently offered thoughtful support, always taking the time to listen and understand our needs. Every appointment felt personal, never rushed, and centred on what was best for us not just medically, but emotionally too. Their honesty and transparency stood out explaining each step clearly, never giving false promises, but always giving us grounded, realistic hope. We always felt informed, supported, and reassured throughout the entire process. Thanks to their expertise and heartfelt approach, we now have two beautiful children something we once only dreamed of. We are deeply grateful for the way they cared for us, shared our sadness and our joy!
Me and my partner have nothing but good things to say about therapie fertility, from the minute we stepped inside it was nothing but calm, comfort and endless knowledge from the doctors and nurses! We were made feel very comfortable and we left that first free consultation with so much confidence, in less than a year from the first meeting we fell pregnant and now have a beautiful baby boy now! We can’t thank you enough!!
I want to thank everyone in Thérapie for my wonderful experience from start to finish. Last year on the 27th of August I walked into their Dundalk clinic and spoke with Amy, she answered every question I had and I left with such hope, knowing I didn’t need to look anywhere else, this clinic was for me. Everyone at every stage of this journey I’m so grateful for. This year on the 27th of August I welcomed my beautiful daughter into the world, as a single mother by choice, after suffering heartbreaking losses long the way. I couldn’t have done it without Thérapie and the team. I would happily recommend them to anyone needing assistance on their fertility journey.
It would be remiss of me to give anything other than 5 stars for this review since we had one cycle of reciprocal IVF (my eggs were removed, fertilized and one embryo was implanted into partner) which resulted in the birth of health identical twin babies. We had used another clinic before (and had a successful pregnancy) but weren’t entirely happy with the service received. We felt dr Kennedy was straight talking, realistic, and pragmatic as well as very down to earth. He gave us a very clear clinical plan & the rest was organized by the nurses and admin staff. If I was pushed to provide constructive feedback, I’d say that the pricing for the “complete reciprocal package” was a little ambiguous as there were a few of times we were surprised with being asked to pay €100 here and there without explanation (when challenged this, the additional cost was revoked which was appreciated). In summary, we found the whole experience very professional, friendly and efficient, and was the best investment we’ve ever made 🩷
