Reproductive medicine (fertility)

What we do

  • Assessment and treatment of conception delay
  • More information and support
  • Referral to allied disciplines, eg Andrology
  • Interpreter – please make us aware if you need one
  • An agreed expedited referral process to an IVF unit for onward-assisted conception treatment

Dependent on your circumstances, you will either be referred to:

Both have a team of dedicated experts that provide cares for both NHS and self-funded patients.

Meet the team

The fertility team comprises of two experienced consultants and a specialist fertility midwife. They are supported by specialist registrars in clinic.

General fertility clinics are held at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

For patients needing advanced treatment such as IVF, care is continued at an IVF unit.

  • Dr Virginia Beckett –  MBBS, BSc (Hons), FRCOG
  • Dr Shivanjali Kukreja – MBBS MD (Ind) MRCOG (UK)
  • Rosie Smeaton – Specialist Fertility Midwife

Referral/appointments

Patients are usually referred to the fertility clinic by their GP or practice nurse. Some of our patients are referred by doctors they have seen in other departments or hospitals.

If you wish to see a member of the team, your GP will be able to arrange a referral. If you are seeking treatment as a couple, it is helpful for both of you to be referred together. This allows us to arrange appropriate investigations and can expedite your journey through our service.

Referral criteria for review in clinic

We run an inclusive service, seeing couples and individuals for conditions including:

  • Conception delay
  • Fertility advice and planning
  • Pre-pregnancy planning
  • Recurrent miscarriage
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome and other ovulation disorders
  • Premature ovarian insufficiency
  • Male subfertility
  • Uterine factors affecting fertility
  • Endometriosis

Most patients are eligible for a consultation and preliminary investigations through the NHS – your GP should be able to advise you.

What will happen at the first appointment?

Please check-in at reception when you arrive. You will see a doctor or the specialist fertility midwife who will go through your history and any investigations that you may have had already.

Further tests may be arranged, including:

  • Blood tests for hormone levels (usually arranged to coincide with the beginning of your cycle)
  • Blood test for Rubella
  • Self-taken swabs to exclude infection
  • A pelvic ultrasound scan on another day in Radiology
  • A test to check that your fallopian tubes are open
  • A semen analysis for the male partner through the Andrology service at Leeds

We also check height and weight to calculate body mass index. This is a ratio of your height and weight and the result gives an indication of whether you are under or overweight. It is optimal to maintain this in the normal range (19 – 25) – both for general health and fertility benefits.

Preconception care

It is important to optimise your health prior to embarking on fertility treatment and this process can start now with advice from your GP or practice nurse. Do access the links on this page for more information.

You should consider the following:

  • stop smoking – smoking cessation support can be accessed through your GP
  • reduce alcohol intake
  • ensure a healthy weight
  • ensure your three-yearly cervical smear is up-to-date
  • start folic acid 400 micrograms daily (or 5mg daily for some higher risk groups)
  • start vitamin D 400 units (or 10 micrograms) once daily
  • optimise the care of pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, high blood pressure or depression

Useful links

Planning a pregnancy

Information and support