The Science Baby Podcast · Leila Battison

Making a Baby with Science: An IVF Deep Dive

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

Leila shares the shocking moment their top-graded embryo transfer didn't work, despite high hopes.

This episode of The Science Baby Podcast provides a detailed overview of the IVF process, hosted by Leila and Kim, two mothers who combine personal experience with researched facts. Leila shares her own journey to conceive her son, Felix, through IVF. The hosts explain that IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation, where an egg and sperm unite outside the body in a glass dish, contrasting it with procedures like IUI and ICSI. They note that while many assume ICSI—where a single sperm is injected into an egg—is standard, traditional IVF often involves simply combining eggs and sperm in a dish. Eligibility for NHS-funded IVF in the UK requires meeting criteria like a BMI between 19 and 30 and a demonstrated period of infertility, with the age limit now 42. The hosts detail that same-sex couples historically faced a "paywall," needing to fund artificial insemination cycles before accessing NHS IVF. Initial testing heavily focuses on the woman, involving blood draws, internal ultrasounds, and smear tests, while male testing primarily involves semen analysis. A key part of IVF is ovarian stimulation through daily injections of follicle-stimulating hormone over 10-14 days, followed by a precisely timed "trigger injection" 36 hours before egg collection. The egg collection procedure is done under sedation, which induces amnesia for the event. Leila describes seeing her stimulated ovaries on ultrasound as resembling "loofahs" full of fluid-filled follicles. The clinic where her treatment occurred was located on an industrial estate next to a Volvo dealership. One surprising claim is that if money is no object, a person could theoretically call a private doctor and opt for IVF without a medical fertility diagnosis. The hosts also mention that using donor eggs can sidestep issues of egg quality related to age. They explain that the natural selection process where an egg "chooses" a sperm does not occur with ICSI. Leila had to get a private smear test on Harley Street to avoid delaying her IVF cycle, an experience she found particularly unpleasant. The tone is conversational, candid, and infused with humor, as the hosts openly discuss topics like hangovers and clinical indignities. This episode would appeal to anyone considering or curious about IVF, especially UK listeners navigating the NHS system, or those who appreciate a frank, science-based yet personal take. Listeners seeking a highly structured, purely clinical lecture might find the informal digressions less engaging.

As heard by us

A blunt, useful IVF walkthrough that makes the process feel less like mystery and more like procedure.

The episode moves IVF from early testing to a point where the process feels less mysterious and more procedural. It is frank about how much of the testing falls on the woman, with blood draws for hormone checks and ovarian reserve, along with internal ultrasounds to examine the…

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Why you'd press play

You want IVF explained in plain English, with the nuts and bolts and none of the fake calm.

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