HCA UK’s outpatients facility at 40 Bank Steet offers scans, tests and consultations to support patients’ treatment
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“When I was studying medicine, I spent a lot of time as a student sitting around watching other people doing things,” said James Nicopoullos.
“But then I did my obstetrics and gynaecology rotation and got to deliver babies.
“That was when I began to feel like I was going to be a proper doctor.
“Up until that point, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do within medicine, so I started training in that field.
“Many of the consultants I worked for had an interest in fertility and so mine started to grow.”
Today, following extensive training and the publication of a research thesis in the field, James is the medical director at HCA UK’s Lister Fertility Clinic.
He’s also the “person responsible” for ensuring it complies with the high level of regulation in the sector as overseen by the Human Fertilisation And Embryology Authority.
Based at The Lister Hospital in Chelsea, we’re talking because HCA has recently opened a satellite fertility clinic at its 40 Bank Street Canary Wharf Outpatients facility.
Offering initial investigations, monitoring and treatment preparation, it extends the reach of the hospital’s operation, which includes procedures such as egg collection and embryo transfer.
supporting multiple visits
James said: “Fertility journeys aren’t always easy ones and there are lots of things to consider.
“However, once a decision is made to proceed with treatment, that often results in multiple visits to our clinics.
“We know that juggling life and work against the emotional and physical impact of a fertility cycle is not easy.
“That’s why we’ve created these satellite units – we know that being able to go somewhere closer to work or home can be really important to people.
“One of the things to consider is that, to get the desired outcome, people may have to go through multiple cycles of treatment, so making the process easier is really important.”
Canary Wharf joins The Shard Outpatients, The Beaconsfield Clinic and The Portland Hospital on the list of satellite locations operated by the clinic.
In addition to providing treatment to help people conceive, the newly minted clinic also runs HCA UK’s Fit For Fertility health screening – a range of tests and a consultation designed to give them a picture of their reproductive health so they can make decisions for their future based on the best evidence available.
“This is a bit like an MOT,” said James. “In essence, it’s to look to see if there’s anything there which is prohibiting pregnancy now or that might do so in the future.
“For women, we take an ultrasound scan and a blood test to check for any physical abnormalities and to get an idea of the number of eggs she has.
“For men, we collect a sperm sample and look at the number and quality produced.
“Often fertility doctors are gynaecologists and focus on the female for obvious reasons, but it’s actually very common in the couples that come to see us that there’s a male factor when it comes to problems conceiving.
“If that might by an underlying cause we look at how we can improve the situation and what treatments are available.
“The majority of patients we see are people who have been trying for a certain period of time without success. Age is a really important factor.
“For many different reasons, people are seeking to have babies later in their lives at a point where fertility isn’t as good.
“Generally, the younger you are, the longer you can try before seeking help.
“Fertility remains relatively consistent in women up to the age of 35, for example, and then egg quality and quantity begin to decrease.
“From 37, that really accelerates and the chance of getting pregnant mirrors that. Also important to consider is that the same is true of IVF.
“If you’re sitting here at 30 and having a fertility assessment, and, even if you don’t get pregnant for two years, your chances of IVF working at 32 are still going to be very good.
“If you’re sitting here at 40 and everything looks OK, there will inevitably be a massive drop off in IVF success in the next two years.
“This is why testing is important – having early conversations gives people an idea about how quickly they might need to move on to IVF if they want to have a child and aren’t able to conceive naturally.”
making informed decisions
Age can also play a big part in IVF success rates, which drop the older the donor.
“We are seeing more people nationwide who are thinking more about age, so are considering freezing,” said James.
“If you freeze a 30-year-old egg and then put it into a 20, 30 or 40-year-old, the outcome will be the same – the success rate is based on the age of the egg.
“There’s no guarantee IVF will work, but you are increasing your chances the earlier you freeze an egg. At age 30, it’s around 50% but it drops to 5% for women aged 45.”
For those just starting to try for a baby, James said lifestyle could be a factor in fertility, although people shouldn’t worry too much so long as they weren’t taking things to extremes.
“People shouldn’t be beating themselves up, worrying about an espresso they have in the morning or the two or three glasses of wine they have over the course of a week,” he said.
“Moderation is key, as is eating well, looking after yourself and limiting stress.
“I would say that smoking is definitely a negative factor – that’s also true for men when it comes to sperm production.
“Also for men, I wouldn’t want to see them spend five hours a day in a sauna, but having one once a or twice a week is not going to make a difference – it’s very unlikely that this is going to be the deal-breaker.”
case study: Fit For Fertility Screening
Knowledge is always power.
To that end, the Lister Fertility Clinic’s Fit For Fertility health screening service aims to provide men and women with key information about their reproductive health to help them make decisions for the future.
To find out what Wharfers can expect from the service, we sent Isaac, 44, and Fiona, 39, to try out the heterosexual couple package, which costs £690.
For both partners, the service includes a 30-minute consultation where relevant medical history, lifestyle advice and body mass index are discussed.
In addition, Fiona underwent an Anti-Mullerian Hormone blood test to assess her egg supply, an antral follicle count scan to identify the number of egg-producing follicles in her ovaries and a transvaginal ultrasound scan to check for conditions like endometriosis or fibroids that might affect her womb.
Isaac provided a sample of semen for analysis to assess sperm count, movement and shape.
>> “I’d never really given much thought to the quality and quantity of my sperm before,” said Isaac.
“So it was really interesting to receive my results and hear what our consultant, Timothy Bracewell-Milnes, had to say about them.
“I supplied my sample at the Chelsea hospital, which was quick and efficient, although I understand soon the Canary Wharf clinic will be offering a service for patients to produce one at home, then drop it off.
“My count came back at 17million, 2million above average, although I was slightly below average on the quality.
“I had no idea only about 5% of sperm are capable of fertilising an egg.
“Timothy suggested taking a supplement to address this and was very thorough throughout the consultation.”
>> “Attending the clinic at Canary Wharf, the tests began with a series of questions about my cycle,” said Fiona. “I then had my vaginal ultrasound.
“Every effort was made to make me feel comfortable and relaxed.
“The radiographer kept me constantly updated with what she was seeing and the progress of the scan.
“They then took blood for the hormone test to check the number of my eggs.
“I found the experience to be friendly and the everybody was professional and reassuring.
“At the consultation, Timothy explained the impact that age has on fertility.
“He said I had an above average number of follicles in my ovaries for my age and that this was good news in terms of fertility, indicating a larger pool of remaining eggs.
“We also talked about other procedures on offer such as egg harvesting and freezing, the relative success rates and when they might be appropriate.
“Everything was handled very sensitively and it was really convenient to be able to access these facilities so close to where I work in my office in Canary Wharf.”
key details: Lister Fertility Clinic at Canary Wharf
The Lister Fertility Clinic at Canary Wharf Outpatients is located at the HCA Healthcare UK facility at 40 Bank Street.
It offers services including IVF, egg freezing, fertility testing and fertility treatments.
You can find full details, including prices, on the clinic’s website.
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