Advertise on podcast: The IVF Journey with Dr Michael Chapman

In this episode, Prof Chapman answers a listener’s question about azoospermia, the condition where no sperm are found in the semen, and whether men with this diagnosis can still father a biological child. He explains the difference between obstructive causes, such as vasectomy, infection or being born without the vas deferens, and non-obstructive causes, where the sperm production line in the testicle isn’t working. He shares how sperm can often be retrieved directly from the testicle for use in IVF, why outcomes have improved for men with Klinefelter syndrome, and why seeing a urologist with a special interest in infertility matters. The encouraging news is that around half of men with azoospermia can go on to have a baby using their own sperm. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman walks you through the first round of fertility investigations and the three key questions they aim to answer: is the sperm count healthy, is ovulation happening, and can the sperm and egg actually meet? He explains how the timing of your progesterone blood test depends on your cycle length, what to expect from a HyCoSy ultrasound to check your fallopian tubes, and why this simple test can even boost pregnancy rates in the months that follow. He also covers the hormone, immunity and genetic screening tests for both partners, and what happens when you return to review the results. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman takes you back to basics and walks you through what to expect at your first appointment with a fertility specialist. He explains why most couples who struggle to conceive won’t need IVF, and why your age, past pregnancies, periods and general health all help paint the picture. He also shares surprising insights on why supplements may not be worth the money, how many couples time intercourse incorrectly, and why some gym supplements can quietly suppress sperm counts. Warm, practical and reassuring, this is essential listening for anyone preparing for their first fertility consultation. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman answers a listener question about embryo donation, a lesser-known path to parenthood for women who can’t produce their own eggs and have no partner or a partner with sperm problems. He explains why so few couples with leftover frozen embryos choose to donate them, comparing the decision to adoption, and walks through the rigorous counselling process for both known and anonymous donation. From whether donors will be part of the child’s life to how and when a child is told where they came from, Prof Chapman shares the questions families most need to consider, along with the joy of seeing wonderful babies born to very grateful patients. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman explains what happens when a semen test shows no sperm at all. He describes how blood tests and an ultrasound show whether the cause is a blockage, such as a vasectomy, or a problem with sperm production in the testicle. He also explains how modern microsurgery can often find small pockets of sperm, even in a testicle thought to be inactive. Prof Chapman then turns to single women using donor sperm, who now account for around 12 to 14% of IVF cycles in Australia. He covers the counselling process, why telling the child is now the norm, and why a small, dedicated donor support team makes all the difference.

In this episode, Prof Chapman tackles two IVF questions that often catch patients off guard. He explains why a uterine septum may affect implantation, why small septums are best left alone, and why removing larger ones remains a contested “may help” option reserved for repeated failed transfers. He then turns to ectopic pregnancy, explaining why single embryo transfer has pushed the risk below 1%, lower than in the general community, and how a previous ectopic or damaged fallopian tubes can shape the approach to future transfers. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman answers listener questions on what couples can do to improve their chances of a healthy pregnancy, and why the basics of not smoking, moderate drinking and a healthy weight matter far more than trendy diets or supplements. He explains Asherman’s syndrome, how scarring of the uterine cavity can prevent implantation, how often it occurs after a D&C, and why a hysteroscopy is worth considering after two unsuccessful embryo transfers. He also discusses the rare problem of failed fertilisation after ICSI, and how both egg and sperm should be investigated before trying oocyte activation in another cycle. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman explains what it means when embryos repeatedly fragment across multiple IVF cycles, and how to work out whether the cause lies with the lab, the sperm or the egg. He shares how the timing of fragmentation can point towards sperm DNA issues, why egg quality is the more common culprit even in younger women, and how a specialised polarised light technique lets his team look inside the egg to see the meiotic spindle. Drawing on a decade of his own research, Prof Chapman explains why this insight can finally give patients a clear answer before their next attempt. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman explains how embryologists grade a day five blastocyst and what those numbers and letters actually mean for your chances of pregnancy. He walks through the development scale from one to five, the A to D grades for the inner cell mass that becomes the baby and the outer layer that forms the placenta, and why the gap between an AA and a BB is only a few percentage points. Prof Chapman also shares when pregnancy rates start to fall away, why a C grade is still worth transferring, and how the grading system pioneered by Melbourne scientist David Gardner became the global standard. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.

In this episode, Prof Chapman answers a listener’s question about trying for a baby with endometriosis. He explains that while the condition is being diagnosed more often, most women with endometriosis still go on to conceive, though the stage of the disease matters. He walks through the assessments worth considering, from a detailed specialist ultrasound and laparoscopy to checking that the fallopian tubes are open, and explains why seeing a gynaecologist who understands fertility is so important. He also shares practical advice on when to simply start trying and when to seek further investigation, especially for women over 35. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF

In this episode, Prof Chapman takes you inside the IVF laboratory to follow the journey from egg to embryo. He explains why stimulation aims for multiple eggs, how scientists recognise a mature egg, and why egg quality can decline with age. He also covers the two ways eggs are fertilised, conventional IVF and ICSI, what to expect from that next-morning phone call, and how time-lapse incubators have improved success rates. Finally, he explains why most Australian clinics now grow embryos to the day five blastocyst stage before transfer. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF

In this episode, Prof Chapman answers a listener question from Mary, who asks whether stopping Ozempic six weeks before an IVF cycle could affect the outcome. He explains that while drug companies remain cautious for now, no abnormalities have been detected in the many pregnancies occurring in women using these medications. In fact, because obesity can impair fertility, the weight loss these drugs bring may make pregnancy more likely. Prof Chapman shares the current advice to pause before trying to conceive, points to a leading US reproductive endocrinologist who sees no downside beforehand, and explains why he expects the guidance to change. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF

In this episode, Prof Chapman unpacks the science behind immune add-ons in IVF, explaining why an embryo behaves almost like a transplant and how a woman’s body has to tolerate a pregnancy that is half foreign. Responding to a listener’s question about steroids, NK cells and CRP, he separates the one immunological condition backed by real evidence, antiphospholipid syndrome, from the many popular tests that offer little scientific justification. With characteristic warmth and candour, he explains why he remains sceptical of steroids for most patients, what the soon to be released Australian IVF data shows about persistence, and why pregnancy rates keep climbing cycle after cycle even without any add-ons. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF

In this episode, Prof Chapman unpacks the science behind IVF stimulation protocols and why they sit at the heart of a fertility specialist’s skill. He explains how the short antagonist cycle became the standard for around 95% of Australian cycles, why it has largely replaced the older long protocol, and how it lowers the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation. He also breaks down how your doctor decides the right dose of FSH, weighing age, ovarian reserve and weight, and makes a clear, evidence-based case for why more eggs usually mean more embryos and more chances of success. Along the way he tackles the popular claim that minimal stimulation produces higher quality eggs, and explains why he believes the logic simply doesn’t hold up. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF

In this episode, Prof Chapman unpacks one of the more contested questions in male fertility, whether to surgically repair a varicocele or move directly to IVF. He explains why these varicose veins around the testicle may quietly warm it beyond its optimal temperature and dampen sperm production, and why the evidence for fixing them is far more borderline than many assume. Drawing on decades of research, including a striking study tracking one man’s sperm counts across 120 weeks, he shows just how much counts naturally rise and fall with illness, stress and time. His honest verdict, small varicoceles rarely need surgery, and repair is only worth considering for large ones where the count is suboptimal but not zero. A clear, myth-busting look at when intervention helps and when it simply doesn’t. Explore the ‘Prof. Michael Chapman – The IVF Journey’ Facebook Page, your reliable destination for cutting-edge insights and guidance within the realm of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Don’t miss out on the IVF Journey podcast; stay informed with the latest episode updates. Tune in for expert discussions and valuable information on navigating the intricate path of IVF.