Patient Stories

100% Recommend Concept

After having failed IVF at another hospital and then many tests and medication at another clinic after that, a friend recommended Concept. She had had an excellent experience and conceived her son there, so we thought we would try one last place.
From our first zoom call with Dr Onur we knew this clinic would be different. He made us feel at ease straight away and gave us great advice. From then on every appointment I had was the same. Everybody from the receptionists to the doctors, nurses and embryologists were amazing! They always gave us the right advice, are kind, caring and just very genuine. Other places made me feel like just another number and pound signs. At concept you are always welcomed with a smile and everybody knows your name and actually speaks to you.
We had a failed frozen cycle but luckily had some more embryos in the freezer! I was gutted when it didn’t work but Dr Kamal gave me some very good advice and reassured me to have a break and come back again. I wanted to go again straight away but I listened to his advice and I’m glad I did as it resulted in my beautiful baby girl who is now 3 months old and happy and healthy.
There is so much more I can say about Concept. Its very clean, they always give you a detailed chat at the end of each scan and when they discuss results with you, which is brilliant as I didn’t really experience that anywhere else.

I would personally like to thank Dr Kamal, Dr Harleen and Dr Onur for everything they do. Also Oriol who always has a smile and also gave us some good advice and looked after our frozen embryos. Emily, Rachel, Marian and Mary were absolutely brilliant and were who I would see most often. They were also there when I needed advice over the phone. They do their job brilliantly and with so much compassion. Joanna on reception was always so happy, polite and helpful, thank you!

We are forever grateful to concept and all of the staff there and would 100% recommend them.

And here is Lab Manager, Oriol with the beautiful little girl!

“After 6 years of trying to get pregnant, with the NHS and other private investigations, all we were told was that my infertility was unexplained, which was very frustrating.

As someone with a high BMI, some clinics wouldn’t even let us book a consultation. Even though I had a high BMI, I was fit and healthy so always felt a little cheated by an outdated means of deciding if I was eligible.  When we did our research, we could see that Concept Fertility treated patients on an individual basis and my higher BMI didn’t immediately exclude us. At our very first meeting we were reassured that Concept Fertility could help us and discussed the different types of procedures offered.   We decided to go for IVF.

Fast forward a few months and we started our treatment. When I was initially scanned, immediately a blocked tube was picked up.  We also discovered my other tube was also blocked.

This was a huge shock as both the NHS and other clinics had done these scans and neither had picked this up. We discussed what should happen next and decided that we would continue with stimulation and at every scan check the blocked tubes to see if this had changed. We were also told that due to the blocked tubes, if we did decide to go ahead with transfer, then our chances of a successful attempt would decrease further due to the fluid in my tubes being toxic to the embryo. We were thankful for this information as we could have just gone ahead and not made an informed decision. When we got to collection, my tubes were really blocked, so we decided along with the doctors that we would freeze the embryos, so that I could have my tubes removed.  Once this happened, we could then start the process of transfer. This was February 2020! We found a private surgeon to remove my blocked tubes but this was delayed until September 2020 due to lockdowns.

My operation was successful and after a few weeks we arranged to speak to Concept Fertility again to start the process of FET. It was agreed that we could start when I had my next period which happened early October 2020.

The world was now a very different place due to Covid, with most appointments now online.  However, anything that needed to be discussed we could do via zoom or making a call with the clinic. Throughout this time all of the staff were calm, happy and always friendly. They also ensured that we felt safe and listened to.

Fast forward to early November and we received a phone call from Angela to tell me I was pregnant!  I think I cried all day at work.  I was totally shocked and feeling very blessed.  At our 6 week scan, Adam was able to come along and we were able to see a tiny dot on the screen but that tiny dot meant so much to us.

After a straight forward pregnancy, we welcomed Isla into the world in July 2021.

We cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for us to make our little miracle happen”.

“We had first visited Concept on an open evening. This then led to a zoom consultation with Dr Ojha to discuss various options such as IUI or IVF, and being in a same sex couple who would carry first. Following this, we both had a scan to check how many follicles we each had and went on to proceed with the IUI route.

Everyone at Concept made us feel very welcomed and cared for. We felt the guidance given to us throughout the process was clear, informative and had supported us on the journey.

We bought a 3 cycle IUI package and I had a successful pregnancy on the first try. We feel extremely lucky and over the moon with our little buddle of joy. Thank you to the team, we have recommended you to many of our friends. We will be back for a sibling for our little man”!

Mary is a lovely lady in her late 30s who tried to conceive naturally for years without success. After 4 failed cycle of IVF elsewhere, she decided to move her embryos to our clinic. “Me and my husband got married in 2005. We tried to conceive naturally for years and had a few miscarriages as a result. I also had fibroids so I had them removed with surgery but it didn’t work. We decided that we needed help, so we went to a well-known fertility clinic and we started IVF.

We chose their three cycle package to give us better chance but I never got pregnant. Then we went for another round of IVF at another clinic, but the result didn’t change. Me and my husband were very disappointed, then a colleague of mine told me about you. She strongly recommended you.

We felt really well cared for in Concept and the difference was huge. The doctors and the staff were always caring about how the treatment was going. If I have to mention an example: the progesterone blood test. Without asking us for more money, Concept always monitored me. In other clinics this didn’t happen.

After the transfers in other clinics no one gave us the chance to have a follow up with the Doctor. With Concept after the first cycle and after the miscarriage, we met the doctor for a consultation as a reassurance and we used that appointment to ask all the questions that we had about the cycle”.

At Concept we feel it is important to be realistic about your chances of success in your fertility treatment, and for that you have to understand what the doctors or embryologists are saying. If you have good chances, you shouldn’t give up just because you have had bad results so far but equally, if your expectations have been raised too high, an unsuccessful outcome can be terribly distressing. Fertility treatment can often be a long journey and not all people are ultimately successful. It sounds like a cliché but we are on that journey with you.

“The support in this clinic is one of their best strengths. All the staff went the extra mile to make us feel supported: the nurses Angela, Yemi, Dr Kaur, Mr Ojha, Jo in reception. Everyone has been amazing with us. I can’t not mention Maria, the lab manager, she was always encouraging me and I know she gave my embryos the best possible care.

We tried for a second round of frozen embryo transfer after two months. I was quite positive because even if the first cycle resulted in a miscarriage, it almost worked. This gave us hope.

When we found out that I was pregnant on my second round I was really scared until I had completed the first trimester. Everyone was really caring about me in the clinic, they looked after me for the whole process.

The second cycle gave us a wonderful little boy and I am seriously considering going back for another son or daughter.  I feel so positive about going back. I am really excited.

Concept has been a family for me. Angela was the first person that told me that I was pregnant and she stood by me every step of the way. We didn’t give up thanks to the people there. We can’t be more grateful to Concept and I recommend you to everyone who is trying to have a baby.”

Katherine and Ashley are a lovely young couple who came to Concept Fertility after trying naturally for one year. We loved being part of their journey helping them having this lovely bundle of joy.
“When we got married we started to try to conceive naturally. After trying for nearly a year we decided that we didn’t want to wait any longer. We went to our GP as we were hoping for treatment with the NHS but because of my young age, I was 27, they were not really being forthcoming.

We saw Concept Fertility’s advert in a local magazine and we decided to book a slot for one of their Open Events . It was kind of love at first sight. We felt very comfortable with everyone there and didn’t feel the need to shop around. Mr Ojha was really thorough and we felt very reassured with his knowledge and in the way that everyone spoke to us. No one was pressuring us to book an appointment.

After spending 10 minutes with the Doctor at the open event he reassured us: “There is no rush to do this, we can do it now but if you want to wait a bit we can.” We didn’t feel that people were trying to get our money. We felt that people wanted to help us to have a baby”.

Natural pregnancies often don’t happen right away, you have to keep trying for a while. But if you have tried for long enough without success, or if you know there is a medical issue, you should see a fertility specialist regardless of your age.

“On the practical level, the clinic is super local to us. We live really nearby. They are also really flexible; once we had a blood test done at 7.00am, and I was still able to have my treatment and go to work. It was such a contrast with the NHS where it was going to take forever for some blood tests.

When we went to Concept we were quite sure that we were going to go for IVF. We read a lot about IUI and decided that for us it wasn’t worth even trying. We thought that could be a waste of money. I remember that when Mr Ojha recommended it, we were really concerned but he was very convincing. He had already gained our trust so we trusted him and we decided to go for a 3 cycle package because we felt that if we were going to pay for each cycle separately without a good response that would be a waste of money, but if I paid for 3 cycles and it worked first time our baby is not a waste of money”.

Our Doctors always make a plan based on our patient’s circumstances. For example, cases of PCOS or where there is low sperm motility do not always require IVF as the only treatment option.

“I liked the fact that Mr Ojha looked at our specific circumstances and he didn’t just go for “let’s go for IVF until you get pregnant!”. I have PCOS and Ashley low sperm motility. He tailored a treatment based on our circumstances and we trusted him.

We had a meeting with one of the nurses, where she explained to us how to take the medications and that was really helpful. Everyone was so knowledgeable. It was nice be talked through the whole process step by step. Regarding the injections we were terrified and to have someone who would explain everything to you was really good. We really appreciated that.

Maria, the lab manager, she was there on the day of the procedure and she was amazing. She made us feel completely at ease. I was petrified and she was truly amazing”.

It’s really important that both partners are kept involved throughout the process. Every person is important in the fertility journey.

“Me and Ashley were both strongly involved in every appointment and in every step of the way and we felt the importance that was given to it. With the NHS we felt that he was being left aside. We really felt really supported there. There was always someone available to talk to. We always felt that if we had a question we would always find someone that would come back to us with an answer. Concept offered us their counselling service that we didn’t go for but we knew that it was there.

When we found out that I was pregnant I was shocked. I was convinced that it hadn’t worked. I am a massive pessimist, I was expecting to fail.

I refused to do a pregnancy test at home, I wanted to do a blood test instead because I really wanted to avoid a false positive. During our first pregnancy scan at the clinic we really cried a lot. It was so emotional. The 6 weeks scan was amazing and I think that without that, the first 12 weeks would have been so difficult. We felt so reassured.

We always been very open about what we were doing with our friends and family, we started a blog and put all our news there because rather than having people asking questions, we decided to share everything.

Some of the people that we know were quite shocked about it because of our age, so we were also trying to break that kind of taboo around fertility treatments”.

No waiting list. Patients can start a treatment straight away if all the requirements are met.

“Our experience with Concept has been so quick. The reliability of it was one the most important points. We really felt safe and in good hands due to the fact that everyone is so knowledgeable.

We never felt the pressure whilst doing anything and we really felt that genuinely people wanted us to have a family. I had a lot of questions at the time and everyone was really kind.

We are really grateful to Concept for our baby and can’t wait to come back for another round to give our daughter a little brother or sister”.

It’s fantastic to know that we have been able to truly help someone and make a difference in their life. That was the case for Hana, a single woman in her late 30s, who came to us after we were recommended to her by one of her friends. As a result, Hana now has a beautiful baby boy! Read on for Hana’s full story.

“I decided that I wanted a baby in January 2012. I know exactly when it was.  I’d been working at a new job for about 6 months and had decided I wasn’t enjoying it so I had a real moment. It was the first Friday at work after Christmas and I decided to write down what it was that I felt I wanted and needed in order to feel whole. Amazingly that led to a load of decisions around: where I was living, my approach to money, what I wanted to do with work, family etc.

I bought a house with garden and a dog; spending less money so that in the future I could have the opportunity to potentially give up corporate work and maybe do something on my own. That made me realise that I would probably want a family one day.

I started to do some research in order to do things on my own (as a single woman); I was 32 at the time. I went to an open event at one of the big fertility clinics and ended up freezing some of my eggs. I decided that I wasn’t quite ready to go ahead on my own, but my AMH was low so they advised the freezing. I said to myself: “let’s see what happens now, if I get to 40 and I still don’t have a family I will definitely think about revisiting the decision.”

I was in a relationship for a while which ended and I realized that I was 38 and half and it wasn’t long until that “40’s moment”. I needed to decide. Both my mum and a good friend of mine said to me “what are you waiting for?” and I realised that I didn’t know.”

Aware that her biological clock was running out, Hana attended one of our Open Days and she started her IUI treatment. She was drawn to us because she felt we were friendly and trustworthy, both key requirements for Hana.

“I came to Concept Fertility after a friend of mine recommended you. I really wanted a smaller clinic that had a friendlier feel, where I could feel that my money was well spent and that I wasn’t paying for fancy offices! As soon as I arrived at the Open Day I knew that this was the place where I wanted to do it. Everyone there was really honest and I didn’t feel that I was ever going to get any spin from anybody or people telling me things that weren’t completely true or anything like that.

I went for my holiday in March and I came back in April to start my treatment. In my first cycle of IUI I was really excited and sort of exhilarated to start. I had some great appointments with Dr Kaur who was so reassuring and clear about everything so I was really positive.

I felt so positive that I thought the treatment was going to work the first time and when it didn’t I actually wasn’t disappointed, I was actually really pleased with how the cycle had gone. I ended up producing two eggs and that was really positive. I knew what the chances were, I wasn’t surprised that it didn’t work the first time and what I really liked was the fact that I could go straight into a second cycle so there was no hanging around.

Everything that Dr Kaur said was really positive. My favourite thing that she said was when she was inseminating me:  “Hana, we have now done everything that we could do. All of the circumstances are as good as they can be: you’ve got some fantastic sperm here, your lining is looking brilliant, all the conditions are right.  Now it is down to Mother Nature.” I will always remember that. It was so reassuring.

Interestingly though, in the second cycle I wasn’t feeling positive at all. I was feeling quite negative.

That was really hard and lasted until pretty much the first three months of my pregnancy and then I managed to change the way I was thinking and fully embraced being pregnant. Due to the nature of the work that I do I was able to do some reading, look after myself, to do nesting and preparation and I got really excited about it.

There was a big contrast between the two cycles for me and it was so interesting that the one where I was so positive didn’t work and the one where I wasn’t feeling so positive did work. I think that you can only do a certain amount and then the rest is down to Mother Nature.

If I had to describe my fertility journey in bullet points I would say that it was:

• Fantastically supportive
• Trusted
• Friendly

This is really important to me.

When I have certain experiences I like getting to know the people, particularly when you are going to be doing something that intense; this is one of the reasons why I decided to choose a smaller clinic. At a bigger clinic you might never see the same person twice.

At Concept Fertility, I like the fact I could come and say “Hi” to everybody and people would know me and I would start to know them too. That made me feel really good and made me feel like I was spending my money in a good place.”

One of Hana’s favourite things about Concept Fertility as a clinic is that everyone here was able to get to know her and welcome her into our practice, whilst also giving her knowledgeable information and comforting advice. Being able to trust us was a hugely important element for Hana and we didn’t disappoint.

“I quite like to understand things myself and I always do quite a lot of research and stuff. I like to feel that I’ve been given really good information and that makes me trust people. I found that trust at Concept Fertility and I think that part of that was the fact that it’s smaller and I was able to get to know people a lot more.

Some of my friends are thinking about fertility treatment and I can only tell them the truth of my own journey which has been incredibly positive in every aspect. Now that I know it really suits me, I would choose to do it like this over than with a partner. It’s an extreme situation but I say it so people realise that it doesn’t have to feel like you are expecting a plan B.

I think that that is helpful because people considering going ahead on their own can get quite stuck in the mind set of “why is it me that hasn’t been able to find anybody” and “why have I been put in this position where I have to go through this treatment and deal with the fact that I am doing it on my own?” If you can financially afford it, the second part of the story doesn’t have to be a second best. It can be amazing. So don’t put too much emphasis on that fact that you’re doing it on your own.

For those people who are looking for a clinic, I would recommend they work out what’s most important to them. What was more important to me was trust and finding somewhere friendly where I felt that my money was really well spent.

When I started I wanted to try IUI and everyone at Concept has been really supportive. I think that a bigger clinic probably would have pushed me towards IVF treatment because of my age and that was a risk.

You are spending a lot of money and you should do what’s most valuable for you.

Dr Harleen Kaur: a real focus for our patient.

Everyone has been super nice but my main focus was on Dr Harleen Kaur. She was my person here. She was the person whose opinion I really valued, who I developed a really strong relationship with, who I found incredibly supportive. I liked that she explained everything. I found that she was really genuine and authentic. She was definitely the biggest influence on me and I recommend her to everybody. She is amazing.”

We wish Hana and her son all the best for their future together and we are proud to have been part of such a wonderful journey!

I just wanted to let you know that baby number 2 has arrived!  We have a little boy! Cameron came in weighing 7lb 5oz.   I spent this whole pregnancy convinced we were having another little girl and so it came as a huge shock.

Thank you, thank you thank you. My family is complete, as is my heart and everyone at concept played a huge part in that.
The second round of IVF was so different during Covid times as we really missed seeing everyone (Melissa!) like we did with our first round but that didn’t make a difference, you were all still just as caring and kind

Maddie has taken to being a big sister amazingly so far so let’s hope that continues when she realises he’s here to stay.

Here are some pictures of my beautiful family.

Heather is a current patient who is now 23 weeks pregnant after having fertility treatment with our amazing team at Concept. She has worked so very hard to prepare her body for her pregnancy and lost a staggering 30kgs by working with a programme designed specifically for her by our in house Nutritionist Ann.

“I have been overweight for most of my adult life and along the way worked with numerous dietitians and nutritionists without success despite being committed to weight loss, or so I thought. In all honesty I had given up any hope, and accepted myself for who I am in terms of my size and weight. I was so disheartened when Dr Ojha referred me to Ann, as I simply didn’t believe my weight was something that I could change since I had tried so many times before. Nonetheless, I agreed to the referral to Ann, and I am so glad that I did. Ann did a comprehensive assessment which included thinking about foods/flavours/textures that I do and don’t like, as well as aspects of my health outside of fertility treatment and put together a plan which included recommendations for food but also a supplement regime. Ann was so down to earth, and actively encouraged me to say if and when things weren’t working for me, or if I wasn’t prepared to try something. Ann was so approachable that as I started to lose weight I began to trust in her more and more and became more willing to push myself further to try more new things. Over the course of 9 months I lost more than 30kg and went on to be successful with my IVF treatment. More surprisingly, I never once felt I was on a ‘diet’ and missing out, because Ann constructed the plan in such a way that I never went without or felt hungry. I cannot thank Ann and the team at Concept enough for all their support, and despite my early reticence, would wholeheartedly recommend Ann for nutritional therapy prior to, and during IVF treatment”.