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  • Festive period opening hours.

    Please note GRFC opening hours over the festive period from 22 December 2023 to 2 January 2024.

    22 December 2023 – Our office is opened from 9am to 3pm.

    23 December 2023 – Closed

    24 December 2023 – Closed

    25 December 2023 – Closed

    26 December 2023 – Closed

    27 December 2023 – Our office is opened 9am to 5pm

    28 December 2023 – Our office is opened 9am to 5pm

    29 December 2023 – Our office is opened 9am to 3pm

    30 December 2023 – Closed

    31 December 2023 – Closed

    1 January 2024 – Closed

    2 January 2024 – Closed

    Usual working hours resume from 3 January 2024.

     

    Please note: If you are a current patient undergoing treatment, please call 0141 211 8545 and leave a message.

     

    GRFC staff send you Seasons Greetings and wish you the very best for 2024.

  • Update Sunday 13th March 2022

    On the 7th January 2022 it was nationally agreed that fertility treatment for unvaccinated women would be deferred with immediate effect. This recommendation was reviewed, as planned, alongside emerging evidence of risk and the prevailing levels of COVID-19, during January and February 2022.

    Data from PHS demonstrates that both COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations are stabilising, and a reduced proportion of cases are resulting in hospitalisations, following the emergence of Omicron as the dominant variant. While data specifically on pregnant women is very limited, the available data on unvaccinated individuals suggests that the risk of severe disease requiring hospital or critical care admission has reduced over the last four to six weeks. Therefore, it has been determined that fertility treatment for unvaccinated patients will no longer be deferred.

    The JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) advice on vaccinating pregnant women, namely that pregnant women should now be considered as a clinical risk group and part of priority group 6 within the vaccination programme remains the same. Therefore, we will continue to fully inform patients, prior to their treatment, of the evidence concerning the safety of vaccines in those planning pregnancy, undergoing fertility treatment and the pregnant population in respect of maternal and perinatal outcomes, including evidence for continued vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Furthermore, we will continue to advise patients at the start of the fertility pathway, and at every opportunity thereafter (making every contact count) about the risks of non-vaccination.

    In line with the reviews recommendations, we will also ask patients to sign an informed consent form acknowledging that they are aware of the risks prior to treatment, similar to other aspects of the fertility pathway.

    The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and there is no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility in women or men.

    More information is available on this at https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/the-vaccines/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-the-coronavirus-vaccine

  • Fertility treatment and vaccination FAQ

    Please click for fertility treatment and vaccination FAQ

     

    For more information please visit NHS Inform for the most recent advice on the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and pregnancy. Here you will find information specific to those in the process of having fertility treatment.

    https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/the-vaccines/pregnancy-breastfeeding-and-the-coronavirus-vaccine

     

     

     

  • Edited update 7th January 22: Covid Vaccination Policy

    The Scottish Intensive Care Society Report, published on 13 October, highlighted that of the 89 COVID-19 positive pregnant women who were admitted to critical care between December 2020 and end September 2021, 88 were unvaccinated, 1 was partially vaccinated, and none were fully vaccinated. Wave 3 has seen increased numbers of pregnant women being admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms requiring critical care, with clinicians reporting a particular peak in September.

     On 16 December, the Scottish Government, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith wrote to NHS Chief Executives highlighting recent updates to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice on vaccinating pregnant women, namely that pregnant women should now be considered as a clinical risk group and part of priority group 6 within the vaccination programme.

     In addition to this, the latest evidence from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) and the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) shows that unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies have died after admission to hospital with Covid-19 and 98 % of pregnant women in ICU with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. We also know that of all the women who have died during pregnancy or up to 6 weeks after birth, 88% of them were unvaccinated. 

     In light of the above evidence, the speed at which the Omicron variant is spreading through communities and the safety of pregnant women and their babies, it has been nationally agreed that fertility treatment for unvaccinated women will be deferred with immediate effect. We will review this decision during February 2022 or earlier if appropriate. Older women who have their treatment deferred, will have the deferral time added back on to their fertility journey to ensure that they do not lose out on eligibility for treatment due to their age.

     Women who are within 12 weeks of having their second Covid vaccine dose or who have had their booster will continue their treatment as normal. For those who have recently had or are about to receive their booster vaccination, treatment can begin 10 days after the booster vaccination has been received. Positions on waiting lists will not be penalised if extra time is needed for vaccination.

    Further information regarding the Omicron variant will continue to become available and any changes to current guidance will be communicated as soon as it becomes available.

    Please click on the link below for the link for the latest updates on Scottish Government website https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fertility-treatment-for-unvaccinated-patients/

    For further information regarding covid vaccination in pregnancy and breastfeeding, please see the following link:

     

  • Festive Opening times

    Please see below for closures and reduced services over the festive season. 
    Friday 24th Dec - Reduced service. Opening hours will be 9am - 12noon(reduced staff). 
    Saturday 25th Dec - Closed
    Sunday 26th Dec - Closed
    Monday 27th Dec - Closed
    Tuesday 28th Dec - Closed
    Wednesday 29th Dec - open. Opening hours 9am - 5pm (reduced staff) 
    Thursday 30th Dec - open. Opening hours 9am - 5pm (reduced staff)
    Friday 31st Dec - Reduced service. Opening hours will be 9am - 2pm (reduced staff) 
    Saturday  1st Jan - Closed 
    Sunday 2nd Jan - Closed
    Monday  3rd - Closed
    Tuesday 4th - Closed
    We fully reopen on the 5th January 22, 9am - 5pm. 
    On days where we are closed patients currently receiving treatment can call the Nurses line: 0141 211 8545
    Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

  • Update 29 January 2021

    We are delighted that we are now once again able to book all treatment types including new IVF or ICSI cycles or PGT treatments. Please get in touch with our admin team by telephone or email. 

    We thank you for your patience and understanding. 

    If you require further support during this difficult time please visit  www.fertilitynetworkuk.org or contact them by telephone: 01294 279162  Mobile: 07411752688 

     

    Prof Scott Nelson on behalf of the GRFC Team

  • COVID Vaccines

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published updated advice on 30 December 2020 to advise that women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.

    Getting vaccinated before pregnancy will help prevent COVID-19 infection and its serious consequences. In some cases, women will need to make a decision about whether to delay pregnancy until after the vaccine becomes available to them. There is no evidence to suggest these type of vaccines cause issues with fertility. 

     

    Further information can be found on the following websites should you require.

    https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19---vaccine-letter-from-the-chief-medical-officer-updating-on-the-vaccination-programme---1-january-2021/

  • DO NOT COME TO THE CLINIC

    Please follow all Public Health Scotland Advice 

     

    Coronavirus in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

     

    You should self-isolate and book a COVID-19 test if you have symptoms (new continuous cough, fever or loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste).

  1. What is Coronvairus and what is the background?

    On 31 December 2019 the Health Commission of Hubei Province, China announced a cluster of unexplained cases of pneumonia. Isolation and genome sequencing of the virus identified it as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). On the 11 February 2020, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses defined the virus as "Acute severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" (SARS-CoV-2), with the associated respiratory disease COVID-19 (CO-rona VI-rus D-isease 2019).  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique challenges to the global healthcare community, with rapid escalation of the number of affected individuals and associated mortality over recent weeks. Clinical and public health guidance has primarily focused on minimising the potential health impact using the best available scientific advice and evidence to inform decision making to help contain the virus, delay its spread and mitigate its effect on infected individuals.  Countries have adopted individualised timing of risk reduction strategies reflecting their differential risk assessments, with Italy having the largest number of affected cases outside of China.

  2. What is the risk to pregnant women of getting COVID-19? Is it easier for pregnant women to become ill with the disease? If they become infected, will they be more sick than other people?

    We do not currently know if pregnant women have a greater chance of getting sick from COVID-19 than the general public nor whether they are more likely to have serious illness as a result. Pregnant women experience changes in their bodies that may increase their risk of some infections. With viruses from the same family as COVID-19, and other viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, women have had a higher risk of developing severe illness. It is always important for pregnant women to protect themselves from illnesses.

  3. How can pregnant women protect themselves from getting COVID-19?

    Pregnant women should do the same things as the general public to avoid infection. You can help stop the spread of COVID-19 by taking these actions:

    • Cover your cough (using your elbow is a good technique)
    • Avoid people who are sick
    • Clean your hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer

  4. Can COVID-19 cause problems for a pregnancy?

    We do not know at this time if COVID-19 would cause problems during pregnancy or affect the health of the baby after birth.

  5. Can COVID-19 be passed from a pregnant woman to the fetus or newborn?

    We still do not know if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus that causes COVID-19 to her fetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. No infants born to mothers with COVID-19 have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. In these cases, which are a small number, the virus was not found in samples of amniotic fluid or breastmilk.

  6. If a pregnant woman has COVID-19 during pregnancy, will it hurt the baby?

    We do not know at this time what if any risk is posed to infants of a pregnant woman who has COVID-19. There have been a small number of reported problems with pregnancy or delivery (e.g. preterm birth) in babies born to mothers who tested positive for COVID-19 during their pregnancy. However, it is not clear that these outcomes were related to maternal infection.

Fees

FEE POLICY IF TREATMENT AFFECTED BY COVID-19

  • Should your treatment have to be postponed during ovarian stimulation because of you becoming unwell with COVID-19, we will recommence the ovarian stimulation once you are well at no additonal cost. 
  • Should you become unwell after your oocyte retrieval we will freeze all suitable embyros at day 5 and your first frozen embryo transfer will be at no additional cost.
  • Should you wish to postpone your treatment after booking we will hold your funds until it is feasible for you to commence treatment.