1. Ensure your doctor has advised the type of treatment you are undertaking ie: ovulation tracking, ovulation induction, donor insemination (AID), or insemination with husband’s sperm (AIH).

2. Day 1 this is the first day of your period. It does not mean the first day of spotting, it means the first day of a full bleed.

3. Injections If your Doctor has asked you to use injections of Gonadotrophins (eg. Puregon or Gonal F), these commence on Day 2 of your cycle.Instructions regarding injections are given from 7:30am at the Canberra Fertility Centre. Please be here by 9:00am. Appointments are not required.

4. Blood Tests are taken from 7:30am and generally start on Day 8 of your cycle. Please be here by 9:00am. Appointments are not required.

5. Ultrasound’s An appointment is required for ultrasound measurements. Appointments commence at 7:30am Monday to Friday mornings. Please phone the Canberra Fertility Centre on 6282 5458 for an appointment time. Please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time, and have an empty bladder. If you are delayed or unable to attend, please contact the clinic so that your appointment can be rescheduled.

6. Country Patients If you live in the country and you need to send blood samples then you must come to the Canberra Fertility Centre to obtain the correct packaging material. Failure to correctly package blood samples for transport can lead to the courier refusing to transport the sample or prosecution. Please contact Pam at the Canberra Fertility Centre to obtain the correct packaging material.

7. Results Please phone Canberra Fertility Centre between 2:00pm and 3:00pm Monday to Friday for your results and for further instructions. On weekends and public holidays, phone the Canberra Fertility Centre (Phone: 6282 5458) between 12:00pm and 1:00pm. It is important to phone at these times as you may need to return that afternoon. Please make sure you are contactable by phone during your treatment. If you cannot contact the clinic then make a prior arrangement to obtain your results and any instructions. If you phone after your doctor’s rooms or the Canberra Fertility Centre has closed then do not contact John James Hospital as they do not have access to patient treatment results and cannot advise you. In this situation, phone the Canberra Fertility Centre at 7:30am the following morning to obtain instructions. Nursing staff make every effort to contact patients before closure of the clinic.

8. Artificial Insemination with Husband’s sperm (AIH). Treatment is timed for just prior to expected ovulation. Make sure that your partner is easily contactable during treatment. If treatment is needed in the afternoon, you will be contacted, and you will be given a time for your partner to attend the Canberra Fertility Centre to provide a semen sample. If treatment is for the following morning then contact the centre to make an appointment for him to provide his sample.

9. Donor Insemination Treatment is timed for just prior to expected ovulation. Please phone the Canberra Fertility Center when you know the time of your appointment. We need at least two (2) hours notice to prepare the straws. Failure to give adequate notice can result in delays.

10. If you are to have an ovulation induction cycle then some form of stimulatory drugs are used, either Clomid or gonadotropins.

Clomid You need a prescription from your doctor. Make sure you obtain this at least two weeks prior to commencing the treatment. The John James Hospital Pharmacy has Clomid in stock, however, most other pharmacies do not carry Clomid in stock and you may have to wait several days to get it.

Gonadotrophins (Puregon or Gonal-F) You need a specialist prescription from your doctor. Allow at least ten working days to obtain this prescription. As the gonadotrophins are not readily available from pharmacies, allow at least five working days for the prescription to be filled. However, the John James Hospital Pharmacy has gonadotrophins in stock at all times. Gonadotrophins are administered by injection and you must contact the coordinating sister at the Canberra Fertility Centre (phone: 6282 5458) to organise this. The injections will be given by a nurse then instruction given so that you can safely self administer the drugs at home. The drugs may be stored at the Canberra Fertility Centre if required. (AIH, AID and IVF patients do not require a script as medications are available from the IVF unit for these procedures only).

Ovidrel/Pregnyl You need a prescription from your doctor. Allow two weeks to get this prescription filled, but you do not need it to start treatment. It will be needed approximately two weeks after treatment commences (prior to ovulation). These drugs are again not readily available from most pharmacies, except for the John James Hospital Pharmacy.

11. Progesterone Pessaries Progesterone is often prescribed by your doctor.
Progesterone comes as vaginal pessaries and is only available from Canberra Fertility Centre. If your doctor requests that you use progesterone you must make sure you can obtain supplies before the centre is closed as supplies are not available from the John James Hospital Pharmacy. If you cannot pick up supplies before the clinic closes then phone the clinic to make other arrangements.

Hours of Business
Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 4:00pm
Saturday: 7:30am to 1:00pm
Closed Sunday
Public Holidays: 7:30am to 1:00pm

Canberra Fertility Centre
John James Health Care Campus
Strickland Crescent DEAKIN ACT 2600

PO Box 228 Curtin ACT 2605

Telephone: 02 6282 5458
Facsimile: 02 6281 2087