Fertility at Vera

At Vera Women’s Wellness, we treat women and couples with fertility challenges, and have a very broad-based approach to fertility.

We see the big picture and aim to educate girls and women about how to tune into and get to know their bodies, optimise their underlying health to promote healthy ovulation and optimal fertility, as well as take a wholistic approach to fertility struggles. This includes a thorough exploration of potential factors contributing to problems starting a family and addressing each woman or couple’s unique concerns.

We address lifestyle and environmental factors and aim to support healthy eggs and sperm for natural fertility wherever possible. Our fertility specialists, Dr Peta Wright and Dr Thea Bowler, can also offer assisted reproductive technology such as IUI and IVF in conjunction, if necessary.

Book an initial appointment

Learn more about the process

Your team

Useful contacts

Accommodation options

Tools

The Process.

Book an Initial Fertility Assessment consultation.

Dr Peta Wright or Dr Thea Bowler can see you in the rooms at Vera Women’s Wellness, or via telehealth, for a fertility assessment to determine the best treatment options for you. Please call our team or fertility nurse on 07 2000 1099 for an appointment within 4 weeks.

This may include ovulation monitoring, IUI (intrauterine insemination), or IVF (in vitro fertilisation).

They will advise you if any investigations are required and a plan for your care going forward.

What are the investigations that could be required?

A few of the tests that will be arranged (if not already done) may include screenings for infectious diseases, Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) test for female partners to check egg reserve, and a semen analysis for male partners to assess sperm quality.

What are the fees?

Please enquire here with the Vera team to receive information about appointment fees.

Please see here the approximate cost for treatment with Monash IVF.

Do I need a referral?

A referral from your GP or another specialist is required to claim any Medicare rebates for appointments or treatment. A GP referral is valid for 12 months and a specialist referral is valid for 3 months, from the date it is first used.

We encourage indefinite referrals for ongoing fertility treatment. Please ask your GP about obtaining an indefinite referral.

Contact us

2. Arrange screening tests, registration & a nurse interview with Jenny bartlett.

Please call our patient advocates on 07 2000 1099 to arrange your next appointment, receive fee information and book in a nurse interview for education about your treatment.

Monash IVF COVID-19 Protocol

If you are planned for an IVF or FET cycle, please refer to the Monash IVF website for more information on their COVID-19 protocol.

3. Call our team on Day 1 of your period — 07 2000 1099.

For patients planned by our specialists to undergo a fertility treatment cycle, please call Vera on Day 1 of your period on 07 2000 1099 (please include area code when dialling).

Call 07 2000 1099

When is Day 1?

If you receive full flow of a period before 12:00pm, that day is considered ‘Day 1’. If your period occurs after 12:00pm, the following day is considered to be Day 1.

If your period starts on the weekend or on a public holiday, please phone the Vera team from 9:00am on the following Monday or next business day.

What happens next?

We will book in your first scan or telehealth consultation with your Vera specialist to plan your cycle and confirm your treatment protocol and medications.

Any request forms required will also be arranged to order medications or for blood tests to monitor your hormone levels throughout your cycle.

4. Grow Your Eggs.

Now is the time to work on stimulating your ovaries to grow your follicles into eggs! By this time you will have received your medications and after a blood test on Day 2 you will receive confirmation from your doctor to commence daily injections from Day 3.

On the fifth day of injections, you will have a blood test to check your progress. Upon confirmation from your specialist, an antagonist injection will be required in the evening and then every evening until further instruction from your doctor. The antagonist prevents ovulation until the timing is right.

5. Monitor Your Progress.

Your specialist will see you on Day 7 of injections for an ultrasound scan and you will also have another blood test. You will then be seen for a scan every second day until the day of egg collection or IUI, which is usually around Day 10 - 14 of injections.

6. Final Procedure.

If a procedure is included as part of your treatment, please read below for further information.

For IVF treatments, egg collection or pick-up will usually occur on Day 12-16 of your cycle. This will be done under general anaesthetic at Cura Brisbane Day Surgery. You will be provided with admission details and instructions from the Monash team once your booking is confirmed.

Online Admission Forms

If you are having an embryo transfer, this will usually be done 5 days after your egg pick-up. This is normally done in hospital without any anaesthetic and may feel similar to a cervical screening procedure (pap smear), however in some cases a general anaesthetic may be required.

For IUI, this will usually occur around day 9 - 14 of your cycle with trigger injection 36 hours earlier. This will be done in the rooms at Vera. You will be required to collect the semen sample on the morning of your procedure and bring this with you, proceeding immediately to your appointment in our rooms. You will be provided with times and instructions from the Vera team once your booking is confirmed.

6. PRegnancy Test.

After your procedure, you will be provided a with pathology request form to have a blood test to test for pregnancy 10 days after your procedure after IVF, and 14 days after IUI to determine the outcome of your cycle.

7. Surviving the Two-Week Wait.

While you are waiting to have your pregnancy test, you may find the following tools useful for surviving the “two-week wait”.

Mindful IVF — App

Two Week Wait (TWW) - Free Relaxation Meditation — YouTube

20 Minute Gentle Yoga: Sam Lindsay-German

Short Yoga Sequence: Sam Lindsay-German

Receptivity Meditation: Sam Lindsay-German

Your Fertility Specialists & Team

Dr Peta Wright and Dr Thea Bowler work with Monash IVF to deliver the most up to date fertility treatments, with an emphasis on individual and patient-centred care and supporting people’s own bodies, when possible, to get it right themselves.

We know that good nutrition, healthy movement, low stress, and a clean and natural environment are paramount when it comes to supporting optimal fertility and the location and breadth of experience amongst our practitioners addressing these factors at Vera will go a long way to helping people along their journey.

We understand that for women and couples undergoing IVF treatment, coming to Vera for regular scan appointments for a week or so while in cycle could feel like barrier due to the distance, if you are based further away. We have some exciting options in the works for you if this is the case, to fully support, nurture you and make it easier to continue your fertility journey with us at Vera.

Dr Wright and Dr Bowler often talk about making the space now for the baby you are hoping for, and while fertility treatment and IVF can be intensely stressful as you try to squash appointments into your already full life, it doesn’t have to be this way.

Our specialists take on only a limited number of patients so they can concentrate on and fully support each woman or couple individually. Vera aims to help you create space to nurture yourself and the new life you are trying to create.

See The Process above for more details on mapping out your fertility options and all the options to support you, support life.

Dr Peta Wright

MBBS MRMed FRANZCOG

Dr Thea Bowler

BSc MBBS FRANZCOG

As a team, Monash IVF is dedicated to being the leading minds in fertility care and are part of Australia’s largest group of fertility experts, scientists and nurses.

We provide the very best fertility treatment and services with access to the latest assisted reproductive technology and the highest standard of care. At Monash IVF, we are committed to providing anyone aspiring to have a child the best opportunity to create their family.

We achieve this through offering a variety of fertility services from simple, minimally invasive treatments such as ovulation induction and intrauterine insemination, to more advanced treatments such as in-vitro fertilisation, intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and a dedicated donor programme for anyone needing donor eggs, sperm or embryos to have a baby.

Monash IVF are one of the most respected fertility clinics in Australia with continued success in live birth rates and have been providing leading reproductive care for 50 years. Their team includes experienced fertility scientists, nursing teams, genetic counsellors, ultrasound technicians, donor / surrogacy experts — all of whom are as passionate about supporting and caring for patients throughout their entire fertility journey as much as our Vera specialists.

Find out more about Monash IVF.

Useful Contacts.

Vera Support Staff

Our Patient Advocates are here to assist you with the administration and accounts for Dr Wright and Dr Bowler’s services.
Phone: 07 2000 1099
Fax: 07 2000 1299
Email: hello@verawomenswellness.com.au
Monday - Friday
9:00am - 4:00pm
Jenny — Vera Nurse

Jenny Bartlett is Vera’s registered nurse, and has been working in the women’s health field specialising in fertility, gynaecology and pelvic pain management for many years.
Phone: 07 2000 1099
Email: jenny@verawomenswellness.com.au
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
9:00am - 11:00am

Accommodation Options.

For our fertility patients who want to take some time off to unwind and focus on their treatment away from life’s distractions, suggested accommodation options close to Vera Women’s Wellness are listed below.

Hills Cottage, Airbnb

Closeburn, QLD 4520

Bookings

A 5-minute drive to Vera, this lovely and cosy 2 bedroom cottage is located on a 7 acre property surrounded by beautiful rolling hills in the stunning Closeburn countryside.

Get to know the Hills Cottage owners on Instagram here — @our_tree.change

Beck Burling from Hills Cottage is also a massage therapist who can offer fertility massages at Vera and in your accommodation.

Samford Lakes

1387 Mount Samson Road
Mount Samson QLD 4520

Bookings

Samford Lakes is a quiet, peaceful resort located only 5 minutes from Vera and 30 minutes from Brisbane CBD. It is set on 35 acres between the quaint villages of Samford And Dayboro.

A variety of self-contained accommodation is on offer to suit all kinds of stays, romantic log fire cottages for two, a four bedroom family cottage, a self-contained studio or a large luxurious barn loft for larger groups.

Modern 2-Bedroom Cottage, Airbnb

Samford Valley, QLD 4520

Bookings

A delightful, cosy & modern self contained 2 bedroom cottage on a beautiful green 1.5 acre block — 10 minutes from Vera.

This newly-built cottage is a modern, fully furnished 2 bedroom house with own bathroom and a cosy outdoor area with its own little garden in a lush subtropical garden setting.