With the next free open evening happening on 24 May, staff at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) are readying themselves to share the latest insights in fertility education and give individual advice to attendees at confidential one-to-one mini consultations.

At the last session, held on May 10 at the clinic at Aztec West, presenters addressed a range of questions from audience members on varied topics such as using donor sperm, having IVF with donor eggs and options relating to NHS treatments.

“With one in seven couples struggling to conceive the importance of fertility education is key to a successful outcome,” said Dr Valentine Akande, who heads the team at BCRM.

“Helping people understand why they might be having issues can be the key to resolving them. We aim to support people who would like to know more or who are struggling to conceive.

“Whether people are hoping to benefit from NHS funded treatment or pay privately, the first step is to speak with one of our specialists to find out what help is available.”

BCRM offers two different introductory options, depending on people’s needs. All sessions are face-to-face and focus either on the needs of heterosexual couples, or specifically address sperm donation for female same sex couples and would-be solo mums.

All BCRM’s open evenings provide a fertility education presentation to enable attendees to make informed progress toward building their family with specialist guidance, including an explanation of the options open to women or couples experiencing difficulties in trying for a baby.

Open evenings held at the clinic also allow guests to have a private mini consultation with a fertility consultant, a tour of the centre, and the chance to meet members of the laboratory team and view the state-of-the-art facility where their specialist IVF, ICSI and IUI treatments take place.

Information is also available about other services offered by BCRM, such as the use of donor sperm or donor egg treatment or freezing eggs. Counselling and treatment support services are available, and visitors will come away with a realistic overview of how the team can help and – where relevant - how much fertility services cost.

Feedback from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, with a recent participant posting on social media: “I left the open evening feeling so happy and grateful about the experience. The work and effort the staff put into the open evening was amazing.

“It was very well organised and the staff at BCRM were incredible and so lovely. This makes us feel very trusting for my treatment options in the near future and we would definitely come to BCRM for our future treatment.”

Staff at the clinic are involved in innovative research and BCRM has one of the best success rates with IVF and other fertility treatments in the UK with a success rate of 55.1% vs 34.2% national average.

The next open evenings for heterosexual couples will be held on 24 May and 7 June, with a specialist session focusing on having a baby using donor sperm will be on 5 July. All sessions run from 6pm to 8pm, with ample free parking available.

To register for the open evening, contact BCRM on 0117 259 1159 or e-mail contact@bcrm.clinic to reserve a place.