Implantation clinic

The London Women’s Clinic’s new implantation clinic aims to improve success rates for patients who have had failed fertility treatment despite using good quality embryos by assessing the endometrium (womb lining). This new clinic has been set up by Professor Nick Macklon who has researched and published on the topic for 20 years and is recognised as a leading international authority on endometrial receptivity.

Repeated implantation failure is a hugely frustrating experience and can be defined as the lack of pregnancy following the transfer of 3 or 4 good quality blastocysts (day 5 embryos) during fertility treatment.

Until now treatments have been tried ‘blindly’ without a diagnosis of what may be wrong with the endometrium. The clinic aims to improve success rates by using a range of tests to assess uterine receptivity and subsequently creating a personalised treatment plan for each patient based on the results.

Who will it benefit?

The new clinic will benefit patients who have had failed treatment cycles with good quality embryos following:

IVF or ICSI
IVF or ICSI with Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGT-A)
Egg donation

How does it work?

The first step is to arrange a consultation with one of our dedicated specialists. This can either be via a referral from your current consultant or a self-referral to the clinic via our enquiries team in which your eligibility for the clinic can be discussed. At this appointment, the approach and process will be explained to you. You will be given some medication in preparation for the tests which will be planned for your next cycle. These tests will take place during a specific time during your cycle and will include:

Hormonal blood tests
Pelvic ultrasound scans
An endometrial biopsy

Endometrial biopsy

An endometrial biopsy is similar to a smear test. A speculum is inserted in to the vagina and a small thin plastic tube is passed through the cervix to retrieve a sample of the tissue lining your womb (endometrium).

Fragments of the biopsy will be sent to different laboratories to identify a possible cause for implantation failure and to determine which treatment would be most appropriate. This may include changing the timing of your embryo transfer, additional medication. In some cases, the results will show that the receptivity is already optimal and no change in your treatment is indicated.

Follow up consultation

Your results will be ready in four to five weeks and reviewed with you during a follow up consultation where a specific treatment plan will be set depending on the findings.

For a limited number of patients these tests may not find any abnormalities and in exceptional cases the tests may need to be repeated.

Results

The Implantation Clinic is a new concept introduced by Professor Macklon at the University of Copenhagen in 2017 and now at the London Women's Clinic. The tests used have been shown in published studies to provide information that can guide further treatment and improve clinical outcomes. Patients attending the clinic in Copenhagen are achieving pregnancy rates of around 40% after attending the clinic.

Meet the implantation clinic team

Our world-renowned experts have extensive experience in implantation failure, recurrent miscarriage and reproductive immunology to give you the best chance of having a healthy baby.

Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director

Professor Macklon is a world-renowned expert in reproductive medicine. He has held professorships at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, the University of Southampton and now at the University of Copenhagen, where he established the first Implantation clinic in Denmark. He has published more than 180 research papers and 3 books. His research has been awarded a number of prizes, including the Egon Diczfalusy Prize from the Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the European Society of Human Reproduction and embryology.

Mona Rahmati, MD. PhD, Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist

Dr Mona Rahmati graduated and completed her training in Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine in Rene Descartes - Paris V University. She joined the LWC London in 2015 and now splits her time between the LWC Harley Street and LWC London Bridge. Before joining our team, she was a consultant in Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital and Bluets Hospital in Paris. Her special areas of interest are reproductive immunology, recurrent implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage. Her publications include the maternal-foetal dialogue, innate immunity, endometrial receptivity and innovative biomarkers. She is a member of the European Society of Reproductive Immunology.