Expert care meets advanced technology in IVF
Sims IVF Clinic in City Gate, Cork, where advanced fertility treatments include egg donation and genetic testing for couples and individuals who want to build a family.
Advanced fertility treatments at Sims IVF Cork in City Gate include egg donation and genetic testing for couples and individuals who want to build a family. The Sims IVF brand has been in operation since 1997, initially opening in Dublin, and now with clinics nationwide. It is at the forefront of assisted reproductive technology, offering advanced fertility treatments for people facing fertility challenges. They also provide assisted human reproduction (AHR) services to the LGBTQ+ community and solo women.
At Sims IVF, advanced fertility treatment means combining pioneering science with truly personalised care. For patients who need more specialised support, options such as egg donation and genetic testing can open new possibilities on the path to parenthood. From carefully matched donor programmes to preimplantation genetic testing that provides valuable insights before implantation, these treatments are delivered by experienced fertility specialists using the latest laboratory technologies.Â
The goal is simple: to maximise success, reduce uncertainty, and give every patient the confidence that they are receiving world-class fertility care tailored to their unique journey. Sims IVF Cork is proud to offer advanced fertility care to patients of Munster and beyond.
Nurse manager at Sims IVF Cork, Amanda Aher, says the clinic is very proud that it offers “the most affordable egg donation package that you can get in Ireland.”Â
Using donor eggs, also known as egg donation, is one of the most successful fertility treatments available when a woman has difficulty conceiving with her own eggs. In this process, another woman donates her eggs to help someone else have a baby. The donated eggs are fertilised with either partner or donor sperm in a laboratory to create embryos.Â
A woman may need donor eggs to conceive if her own eggs are not suitable. This can happen due to age, early menopause, certain medical treatments like chemotherapy, genetic conditions, or surgeries that affect the ovaries. There is also a cohort of older women with age-related infertility who would be looking for egg donation.
Sims IVF provides two egg donation packages for patients requiring donor eggs to conceive. “The first package is for six oocytes, costing €7,900, with an expectation of having one blastocyst for transfer. Our eight oocyte package costs €9,900 and we would expect to have two blastocysts for transfer,” says Aher.
Sims IVF is linked with Next Fertility in Faro, Portugal. There is no travelling involved for prospective parents. Everything is done onsite at the Sims Clinics. There is a success rate of approximately 60 per cent.
Aher acknowledges that the decision to go down the egg donation route is a very big one. To help support those on their journey, patients must undergo counselling looking at the implications of the outcome of the treatment prior to commencing their treatment.
Aher, who has been working at Sims IVF for 10 years, currently manages a team of 10 nurses. She specialised in midwifery. “I’ve always had an interest in women’s health. Fertility is a good branch of that. It’s a privilege to be able to support women and couples on their fertility journey. It’s a really lovely job.” Fertility treatment is now spoken about openly, whereas before, it was often seen as a taboo subject. More celebrities are talking about it, and there’s more knowledge out there.
“There’s definitely an increase in egg freezing. Mainly, single patients come in to us for stimulation of their ovaries in order to gather eggs. We freeze those eggs for use at a later date. It could be a single woman who is focusing on her career or studying and has no immediate plans for children but may want the option in the future. She can come back in a couple of years and use the eggs either with her partner’s sperm or donor sperm. There is no time limit for freezing the eggs. They can be frozen indefinitely.”Â
Sims IVF has recently launched Egg Freezing Ireland. Egg Freezing Ireland has been created to empower individuals to make proactive, informed decisions about their reproductive health without the pressure of a biological clock.
Fertility preservation through egg freezing offers women the opportunity to help safeguard their future options, giving them peace of mind, flexibility, and confidence as life unfolds.
It is recommended that eggs be frozen under the age of 35. “There’s a decline in egg quality after 35. It drops further after 38. The younger the patient is, the better the quality of the eggs. Also, after 35, there is a decline in the number of eggs produced.”Â
Sarah Pace is the laboratory manager at Sims IVF clinic in Cork. A clinical scientist with a doctorate in molecular cell biology, she is one of five working in the Cork clinic laboratory. From the UK originally, where she worked for the NHS, Pace moved to Ireland 12 years ago.
She says the patients she meets are well-informed about fertility treatment. “We do patient open mornings and information evenings, explaining the technology in the laboratory and the different treatments.” Pace brought the preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) programme into the Sims Clonskeagh clinic when she started working there.
PGT is a laboratory test used during in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to check embryos for certain genetic or chromosomal conditions before they are placed in the uterus. A few cells are carefully taken from each embryo and analysed to identify abnormalities that could affect implantation, lead to miscarriage, or cause inherited disorders. PGT helps doctors select embryos with the best chance of developing into a healthy pregnancy, giving patients more information and confidence during the fertility process.
“It’s one of those areas that is still growing and developing. Certainly, for a lot of patients, it’s a very positive tool that we can offer. PGT looks at the number of chromosomes in the embryo. It allows us to determine whether an embryo is considered genetically normal, or has an incorrect number of chromosomes which may mean the embryo is not viable, or have a condition such as Edwards syndrome. In addition, our sister clinic in Dublin has the ability to perform additional PGT testing, which can look in more detail at diseases and conditions that can be passed from parents to children.”
For Pace, her job is made more interesting by the fact that patients often have done their research before they come into the clinic. Sims IVF provides a range of resources to help educate patients and help them to understand more about fertility.
What of the future for fertility clinics? “There are a lot of scientific papers talking about AI. They are asking if AI can help improve embryo selection and how we can improve the way we stimulate patients using AI.” But AI is not going to replace embryologists. Its role is to support decision-making. Backed by science, Sims IVF Clinic is helping people to fulfil a momentous decision of their lives – creating new life. Sims IVF has been creating parents since 1997. If you’re starting your journey to parenthood or taking the next step, talk to the team trusted by families across Ireland.
Speak to the fertility specialists today. Learn more at sims.ie.
