Acute Assessment Unit
Our Assisted Conception Unit offers evidence-based, personalised treatment to help people who have difficulty getting pregnant.
About us
The Assisted Conception Unit (ACU) at Kingston Hospital is run by a team of people dedicated to providing you with patient-centred care, delivered by staff with a wealth of experience in the field.
We treat both NHS and self-funding patients. Our philosophy of care is to always place the couple at the heart of our service. We were established at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Roehampton, South London in 1994 and relocated to Kingston Hospital in June 2012. Many babies have been born after successful treatment here.
Reasons to come to our unit
- An established centre, having provided excellent quality assisted conception treatment for 30 years.
- Evidence based personalised treatment plans delivered by a dedicated multidisciplinary team.
- Excellent success rates.
- Extremely cost effective for our self-funded patients with all treatments individually costed so that you will always know the TOTAL price at the outset.
Overview of treatments
The following is a list of treatment options available here. Please note that we are able offer IVF and ICSI treatments using “transport arrangements” with our partner clinic at King’s Fertility.
This arrangement allows us to offer the majority of your treatment locally, whilst ensuring that your gametes and embryos are treated in one of the most advanced embryology laboratories in the UK.
- In vitro fertilisation (IVF)
- Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- Blastocyst Transfer
- Frozen Embryo Replacement
- Ovulation Induction
- Intra Uterine Inseminaton
- Semen analysis
- Donor insemination
- Egg freezing
- Fertility preservation
‘Transport treatment’
We offer IVF and ICSI on a transport basis with our partner clinic. Essentially, treatment performed on a transport basis means that the IVF treatment up to and including the egg collection takes place at Kingston Hospital within our own dedicated treatment rooms.
The eggs are then transported to King’s Fertility Clinic in London, usually by a partner or friend, using a specially designed portable incubator. Fertilisation, subsequent embryology and embryo transfer takes place at King’s Fertility, after which, your care returns to us at Kingston Hospital.
Each year we perform between 400 and 500 cycles of treatment. Success rates for this type of treatment are just as good as when the eggs are collected on the same site as the lab, due to the stringent checks we make of our processes.
Success rates
We are very proud of the success rates we achieve.
Live birth results in 2022
|
Fresh cycles (all ages) |
Numbers |
% |
|---|---|---|
|
|
312 |
|
|
No of embryo transfers |
227 |
|
|
No of embryos transferred |
233 |
|
|
Clinical pregnancies per embryo transferred |
103 |
45% |
|
Multiple pregnancies as a % of all pregnancies |
3 |
3% |
|
Live birth rate per embryo transferred |
71 |
30% |
Success rates for IVF and ICSI treatment can be very difficult to interpret as no two centres will treat exactly the same cohort of patients. Some centres will specialise in treating medically complex patients which would tend to reduce their success rates. Other centres may treat more straightforward cases which would tend to improve their success rates. Therefore, although the published success rates of a centre are important it is necessary to interpret any results carefully.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is the national source for information related to assisted conception treatments. Please see their advice on choosing a clinic here: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic
Please note, Kingston Hospital ACU does not appear on the HFEA website as we are a transport unit operating under the licence of Kings Fertility Clinic
Clinical pregnancy rates 2023
Clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transferred for fresh cycles in 2023
These are broken down by different maternal age groups as maternal age is the biggest indicator for successful treatment. A positive pregnancy test is confirmed by HCG testing. A clinical pregnancy is confirmed when a fetal heartbeat is seen on ultrasound scan. Our clinical pregnancy rates per embryo transferred are higher than the national average of 29% (all ages).
|
Maternal age |
<35 |
35-37 |
38-39 |
40-42 |
>43 |
Total |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Egg collections |
122 |
88 |
71 |
50 |
5 |
336 |
|||
|
Egg collections where ET intended |
73 |
66 |
58 |
46 |
5 |
248 |
|||
|
Embryo Transfers |
65 |
56 |
51 |
39 |
5 |
216 |
|||
|
Pos HCG |
42 |
23 |
19 |
11 |
2 |
97 |
|||
|
Pos HCG/Egg collection |
64% |
41% |
37% |
28% |
40% |
45% |
|||
|
Clinical Preg |
36 |
17 |
12 |
10 |
0 |
75 |
|||
|
Embryos Transferred |
65 |
56 |
51 |
41 |
5 |
218 |
|||
|
Fetal hearts seen |
36 |
17 |
13 |
12 |
0 |
78 |
|||
|
Clin Preg/Embyro transferred rate |
55% |
30% |
24% |
24% |
0% |
34% |
|||
How to refer
Self-funding referrals to the Assisted Conception Unit
You may wish to fund your own treatment if you are not eligible for NHS funding. You can contact us directly at khft.
We recognise that the cost of assisted conception may be prohibitive to some patients, and we have worked hard to keep our costs as competitive as possible without sacrificing the patient experience or compromising your chances of having a baby.
Correct as of 1/10/2024
Please note that payment will need to be made in full before treatment can begin. You will be sent an invoice before the start of medication.
Consultation fees
- Initial consultation £175
- Follow up consultation £125
Treatment package prices
Our treatment packages include: HFEA fee, nurse appointments, scans, viral screening as required, one counselling session, egg collection and embryology including blastocyst culture if appropriate, embryo transfer and one pregnancy scan or follow up consultation.
Please be aware that the cost of additional blood tests, semen analysis and freezing of surplus embryos are not included in the initial package price.
- IVF 1-cycle package (excluding medication) £3,875
- ICSI 1-cycle package (excluding medication) £4,750
- Medications – this is an average cost and subject to change £690 - £1,350
- Frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycle (excluding medication) £1,350
- Natural / Medicated intra-uterine insemination (IUI) (excluding medication) £812 - £1,050
- ICSI fee £875
Other treatments
Ovulation induction/Follicle tracking £800
Investigations
- Transvaginal ultrasound scans £199
- Semen analysis £130
- Additional viral screening blood tests (for a couple) £330
- Additional AMH blood test £65
Freezing costs (Cryopreservation)
- Embryo freezing including one year of storage £650
- Sperm freeze and one year of storage £430
If embryos need to be frozen for medical reasons rather than if there are surplus good quality embryos remaining after an embryo transfer, there will be no charge for freezing embryos.
If planned IVF treatment is converted to ICSI on the day of egg collection there will be an additional charge of £875 for the ICSI procedure
Prices are reviewed annually
A cancellation fee will be applicable if a cycle is stopped prior to egg collection or thawing eggs/embryos to cover costs already incurred. A refund of your package fee will be paid to you, less the applicable cancellation fee below:
- Cancellation of IVF/ ICSI cycle before egg collection £1,370
- Cancellation of FET cycle prior to thawing £ 675
NHS referrals to the Assisted Conception Unit
The Integrated Care Board (ICB) where your GP surgery is based is responsible for your NHS healthcare costs. Each ICB sets their own priorities from limited funds. The ICB set their own criteria for NHS funded IVF treatment to which Kingston ACU must adhere.
If you live within Surrey Heartlands or South West London ICBs, you may be eligible for NHS funded treatment at our Unit, provided you meet their eligibility criteria.
We would normally expect you to be referred to us by a consultant gynaecologist or fertility clinic who have recommended assisted conception treatment.
You will need to complete some forms to enable us to make an assessment of your eligibility for NHS funded treatment. Occasionally we may ask for further information from the referring doctor.
Once we have received your completed forms, our Overseas Department first check your entitlement to NHS funded treatment and then we will submit an application to your responsible Integrated Care Board (ICB) who will confirm if you are eligible to commence treatment. The outcome of this will be confirmed to you in writing.
There is currently no waiting for NHS funded treatment. Treatment should start within 18 weeks of being approved. We define the commencement of treatment as the start of your medication.
If you have any questions about obtaining NHS funding, contact the admin team at khft.
Do you need Kingston Fertility Clinic or the Assisted Conception Unit?
If you require investigations into why you are not conceiving then you need to be seen in the Fertility Clinic.
If you and your partner (if applicable) have been fully investigated and require assisted conception then you will be referred on to the Assisted Conception Unit. Both of these clinics are staffed by the same people, on the same site, to provide you with continuity of care.
If you are having trouble conceiving, then your first appointment will almost always be with your GP. If you and your GP feel a referral to the Fertility Clinic is appropriate, then your GP will arrange an appointment for you.
All patients, irrespective of whether they fulfil the criteria for NHS funded assisted conception, are able to be seen in the Fertility Clinic. All aspects of the Fertility Clinic are NHS funded for anyone who needs the service, no matter what your individual circumstances are.
For enquiries about self-funding your assisted conception treatment, email us at khft.