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TFP Fertility: The pioneering path to modern fertility
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Our 35-year journey
Science, research and innovation are key to how we work. For 35 years, we’ve participated in groundbreaking research and development in fertility treatment, refining our practice and improving techniques, to bring our patients world-class fertility care.
Since our inception in 1979, we’ve had our fair share of world firsts. Through pioneering research and expert-led trials and experiments, we’ve led the way in fertility care, improving the patient experience and revolutionising what is now possible with IVF.
Discover our journey below.
1979 - Ultrasound scan revolutionises follicular growth monitoring
The TFP Fertility journey began when Professor Fleming’s team demonstrated how ultrasound scan can be used to identify and measure follicular growth.
This was pivotal for the fertility sector, enabling doctors to assess follicular development during an IVF cycle. Treatment became far less invasive for the patient, particularly during egg collection, allowing doctors to direct the needle into the follicle to retrieve the egg rather than performing a laparoscopy under general anaesthetic, minimising the risk to the patient.
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What does this mean today?
Through the evolution of technology, ultrasound has become more sophisticated and precise, providing better images and resolution. Because of this, ultrasound can now be used to:
Predict how a person may respond to treatment by counting the follicles in their ovaries
Identify underlying issues that may prevent an embryo from implanting
Perform embryo transfers with greater precision, ensuring the embryo is transferred safely and quickly
1982 - GnRH advance leads to stimulated IVF cycles
Professor Fleming’s team demonstrated GnRH agonists can be used to blockade the surge of luteinizing hormone in stimulated IVF cycles.
This meant that we didn’t have to rely on a person’s natural cycle to carry out IVF. We could control the development of the follicles, monitor their growth and optimise the time that we collected the eggs. This also enabled us to retrieve more than one egg at a time, extending a person’s chance of success.
What does this mean today?
Prof Fleming’s research into how to best optimise stimulation protocols became the gold standard internationally for how IVF is performed. This led to developments in the pharmaceutical industry to find drugs that would make IVF easier and safer.
Through this, IVF became a reproduceable procedure, allowing us to predict how a person is likely to respond to treatment to offer them the best chance of success.
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2007 - Prof. Fleming's research identifies that the Anti-Mullerian hormone can predict ovarian reserve
As part of his research at the University of Glasgow, Prof. Fleming demonstrated that the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), produced by the cells in ovarian follicles, could be used to assess ovarian reserve.
This breakthrough enabled doctors to gain a clearer understanding of a patient’s fertility by determining the number of eggs remaining and identifying any potential fertility issues.
What does this mean today?
This knowledge allows for personalised fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), significantly improving treatment success rates by tailoring protocols to an individual's ovarian response. Prof. Fleming's research has had a profound impact on reproductive health care, facilitating better management of fertility preservation and treatment planning.
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2008 - TFP Group celebrates the first baby born using Pergoveris
Advancements in fertility medicines meant that Pergoveris could be prescribed as a first step in a patient’s fertility journey, offering a less invasive pathway to parenthood compared to IVF.
Pergoveris is used to stimulate follicle growth for ovulation in patients who do not release enough follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) naturally, and therefore, do not ovulate.
What does this mean today?
Everyone’s journey to parenthood is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to fertility treatment. Advancements in technology, treatment and medication mean we can support more patients by tailoring their treatment to their specific needs and increase their chances of success.
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2013 - Time-lapse technology improves embryo grading
TFP Group witnessed the world’s first conception using early embryo viability assessment (EEVA) time-lapse technology.
Time-lapse imaging continuously monitors the embryos, reducing the risk of contamination by avoiding frequent removal from the incubator. Additionally, EEVA uses an algorithm to predict embryo development, enhancing the selection process.
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What does this mean today?
The EmbryoScope™ is now pivotal in IVF treatment, enabling embryologists to better monitor an embryos development and select the best-quality embryos for transfer thus improving a patient's chance of success.
2020 - TFP Fertility is born
The Fertility Partnership joins forces with clinics in the Netherlands and Poland to create a pan-European fertility super network.
Today, we have eight treatment clinics in the UK, as well as two in the Netherlands and one in Poland.
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