We are pleased to let you know that our treatment services have now safely returned to the Department of Reproductive Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital. We have been carrying out embryo transfers and IUI’s in our theatre at St Mary’s since March. As this pathway is now fully established, we will no longer be sending our patients to the Hewitt for embryo transfers or IUIs.
Egg collections are now taking place at St Mary’s hospital, and we are no longer planning to refer new patients to Hewitt Centre.
These procedures are now provided at the Department of Reproductive Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital
Patients who have completed an ID check ahead of a frozen cycle can request treatment on the first full flow period day and wait to hear from a nurse about acceptance.
We will arrange for these to be moved back to St Mary’s ready for your transfer.
We are unable to perform embryo transfers under sedation at St Mary’s for the time being. If this is part of your medical plan this will be discussed with you during your clinic appointments.
To ensure treatment cycles are carried out as safely as possible, we have a limit on the number of IVF/ICSI cycles that can start each month. This means that we cannot guarantee that all patients requesting IVF treatment will be able to proceed with a request. Each patient is assessed individually based on their own circumstances and our nursing team will advise whether treatment can go ahead.
We understand that this has been a period of change, and we would like to thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
If you have any questions, please contact the centre.
The Department of Reproductive Medicine Leadership team
The Department of Reproductive Medicine provides the whole range of medical and surgical treatment options for couples and individuals with fertility problems in the Northwest of England. Depending on the needs and clinical features of patients, we can provide fertility testing, ovulation induction, laparoscopic and open surgery and assisted conception.
Each year the Department provides around 700 cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, 700 cycles of frozen embryo replacement (FER), 100 cycles of insemination with partner or donor sperm (IUI) and 100 fertility preservation procedures for females and 350 preservation procedures for males .
The range of clinical services also include cryopreservation of sperm, eggs, embryos and treatment of couples with donated eggs and embryos.
Our Andrology laboratory provides diagnostic clinical pathology services, one of the largest long term sperm banks for cancer patients in the UK, and also houses the UK’s national external quality assurance schemes for Reproductive Science (UK NEQAS RS).
The work of the Department is regulated and licensed by UK statutory bodies including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The Department operates to the EU Cells and Tissues Directive 2007, including provision of clean-air facilities for IVF and a full Quality Management system.
Further information on IVF treatment can be found here:
For further information please read the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) consent forms (including but not limited to (dependent on type of treatment) HFEA CD form, HFEA WT form and HFEA MT form) in the links below and review the HFEA information link in which you can find information on type of treatment, donation and access.
Please review the new storage laws as per below links:
Confirmation of your/your partner’s consent will be undertaken on our fertility consent platform.
Assisted conception, also called fertility treatment, is a term used to describe the methods available to help couples become pregnant when they have difficulty conceiving.
Approximately 1 in 6 couples find it hard to become pregnant in the UK.
There can be a number of reasons, or combinations of reasons, why a couple might need assistance to become pregnant:
We offer a range of fertility treatments including:
We recognise that these treatments can be very demanding and stressful for couples. A counselling service is available to provide the necessary emotional support during, before and after your treatment. We aim to empower you by explaining clearly the steps of your treatment process.
Each couple is given an individualised plan of care to maximise their chances of pregnancy in a safe and effective way.
Each treatment cycle can vary from 4-8 weeks and it may not necessarily synchronise with the female menstrual cycle.
Different couples could have different drug regimes and the number of embryos replaced through a treatment cycle may also vary between patients.
We accept referrals for couples, single people and individuals with concerns about fertility. Referral should be made by your doctor or hospital consultant.
When you are referred, we ask you to complete a proforma which allows us to determine whether or not you are eligible for NHS tests and treatment. This depends on several factors, including your length of stay in the UK, relationship status, age, previous treatment and previous children, if any.
Unfortunately this means that, even if you are referred to our clinic, you may not be eligible for tests or treatment.
When you are referred, we ask you to complete a proforma which allows us to determine whether or note you are eligible for NHS tests and treatment.
We cannot tell you this until your consultation appointment, when your assessment is complete. Eligibility criteria for NHS-funded assisted conception treatment are determined by your consultation appointment, when your assessment is complete. Eligibility criteria for NHS-funded assisted conception treatment are determined by your Integrated Care Board (ICB) and differ from one area to another. In order to determine whether you are eligible for NHS-funded treatment, we need to assess factors such as your age, weight, lifestyle, existing children and the number of previous fertility treatments you have received. NHS funded treatment can only be offered if you meet all the criteria laid down by your ICB. If you wish to know the exact details of the criteria in your area please contact your GP or ICB. Please note that we do not have the authority to provide NHS-funded treatment to couples who do not meet the criteria laid down by the ICB.
From 1 April 2026, Changes to NHS‑funded IVF Treatment across Greater Manchester will be standardised.
The NHS Greater Manchester (NHS GM) Board has agreed to standardise the number of NHS‑funded IVF cycles offered across all ten areas of Greater Manchester. These changes were approved on 21 January 2026 and take effect from 1 April 2026.
If your referral was dated to an IVF clinic before 1 April 2026:
You will continue under the current commissioning policy (version 3.1, 17 Nov 2021).
Please note: For women aged 39 and under, if a woman turns 40 before completing all funded cycles, no additional cycles will be funded once the current cycle finishes.
If your referral was dated to an IVF clinic on or after 1 April 2026:
You will be treated under the new commissioning policy (version 3.2, effective 1 April 2026), regardless of any earlier GP or hospital appointments.
From April 2026, storage charges will apply to some NHS patients who have gametes or embryos stored for more than two years or have had a live birth.
National planning guidance has now offered clarity on the intended timescales for which gametes and embryos are funded for storage. This guidance reflects a bundled package of care with one payment for a treatment cycle which includes drugs, scans and all components of the service including freezing of gametes and embryos for 2 years or where patients have had a baby and/or are no longer eligible for assisted conception treatment.
Following a review of this guidance, with careful consideration of the costs and capacity requirements associated with long‑term storage (up to 55 years, as permitted by current legislation), the department will introduce an annual storage charge of £235 for NHS patients who:
Patients who have undergone fertility preservation due to oncology treatment will not be charged.
A member of the team will be in touch from April onwards in a rolling communication programme if this applies to you.
If you are not eligible for NHS-funded assisted conception treatment, we may be able to offer you some investigations and expert advice on your options. We also offer a fee-paying service for patients who are not eligible for NHS funding.
Please see the below Price List and example Costed Treatment Plan.
For more information on the Fee-Pay service, please send your enquiry to IVF.Feepaying@mft.nhs.uk
We have a large team of doctors (consultants and clinical fellows), embryologists, andrologists, nurses, counsellors and administrative staff working together to deliver the highest quality of care. You will come into contact with different members of the team during different parts of your treatment.
The department of Reproductive Medicine and the Andrology Unit are located in the old Saint Mary’s Hospital building. There is a dedicated entrance on Oxford Road, opposite Whitworth Park. Disabled access is available via Hathersage Road or York Place Entrance. Access cannot be gained via the new Saint Mary’s Hospital building.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which is the licensing body in the UK for assisted conception treatment, publishes details of success rates for each provider in the UK.
You can read more about success rates on the HFEA website.
You need to be referred by your GP or Consultant Gynaecologist.
We also offer a fee-paying service for those who are ineligible for NHS funding, such as if you already have a child, or if you have reached the quota of funded cycles offered by your ICB.
(0161) 276 6000
Please note the nurse phone line is open only between:
Mon – Fri: 08.30am – 3.30pm
Sat – Sun: 09.00am – 3.00pm
Option 1 – Recurrent miscarriage, Endometriosis, Reproductive Endocrine or Menopause Service
Option 2 – To start a fertility treatment cycle and to request treatment
Option 3 – In a fertility treatment cycle and wish to speak to an Embryologist
Option 4 – To speak to the Fee Paying Coordinator
Option 5 – In a fertility treatment cycle and need to speak to nurses about your ongoing treatment
Option 6 – General Enquiries in relation to Infertility, Andrology, Fertility Preservation & Assisted Conception (IVF)
The Saint Mary’s Hospital IVF unit is active in research aiming to improve the success rate and safety of fertility treatment and you may be approached to participate in research studies during your treatment here. We are constantly striving to improve IVF results by introducing new techniques and increasing scientific knowledge of fertilisation and embryo development. The success rate of IVF is continually improving as a result of on-going research.
We have Research Nurses and a variety of scientific staff. Professor Roger Sturmey is responsible for the research studies in this department. Our research studies are HFEA approved & licensed and we hold the longest HFEA license, as well as being one of the top academic and research active units within the UK.
A number of studies require couples to donate their sperm, egg or embryos which are unsuitable for their treatment, and would otherwise be discarded to research, whilst other studies are looking to improve clinical treatment. The research is completely voluntary and clinical care is not affected by your decision to participate in research or not. This means that you can decide whether or not to take part in the research, and your treatment will not be affected by your decision.
Our first ever HFEA dashboard is now available on our website. Our dashboard gives users the opportunity to explore HFEA data and find statistics on their own areas of interest and is part of our commitment to improving transparency and accessibility in the data we collect from clinics.
The HFEA dashboard is produced from data collected from licensed fertility clinics in the UK and covers the period from 1991-Latest validated Data, where data is available.
Please check if a country you are travelling to is high risk for Zika or Ebola Virus. Any travel to an endemic country would require delay of fertility treatments by three months.
The Department of Reproductive Medicine conforms to the Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Confidentiality Code of Conduct and Information Disclosure Policy IG-CP05.
Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) collects, holds and processes personal data about many individuals including information about its employees, patients, suppliers, clients and stakeholders.
The Trust is committed to handling all information efficiently, securely, effectively and in accordance with relevant legislation in order to deliver the best possible healthcare and services.
The Trust ensures that all staff are aware of their responsibility for patient confidentiality through annual mandatory training. There are several overarching policies on confidentiality and data protection. The Trust has an informatics department which oversees the handling of patients’ records, supports the Information Technology (IT) systems and ensures the security and confidentiality of information.
The Trust information charter can be found on the staff intranet site, and the Department of Reproductive Medicine notes that: