A change is emerging in how fertility treatment begins in the United Kingdom. A leading fertility clinic has introduced a new patient pathway that allows both partners in a couple to complete key fertility tests at home before attending their first appointment.
Avenues Clinic has entered an exclusive collaboration with Sapyen to integrate home-based diagnostic testing into its standard fertility assessment process. The system includes at-home semen analysis for men and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) testing for women.
Through the clinic’s Reproductive Intelligence Review, couples are able to conduct initial fertility screening together from home. By the time they attend their first consultation, clinicians already have access to essential diagnostic information.
This model offers particular advantages for patients travelling from different parts of the UK to access treatment at Avenues. Many seek services such as Fair IVF or clinics without strict BMI restrictions, and completing tests remotely reduces the number of early-stage visits required.
The initiative also addresses a long-standing imbalance within fertility care. Although male factors account for around half of infertility cases, diagnostic testing has traditionally centred more heavily on women and has often been limited to clinical settings.
Men frequently undergo testing later in the treatment journey, and sometimes under strict time requirements for delivering samples to clinics. This can lead to delays, duplicated steps and clinical decisions being made without full diagnostic information.
Under the new system, couples carry out baseline fertility assessments together from home. This adjustment significantly shortens the time required to gather initial medical insights and allows the first clinic meeting to concentrate on planning treatment rather than collecting data.
“The fertility journey shouldn’t start with waiting rooms and logistics,” said Dr Cristina Hickman, CEO of Avenues Clinic. “It should start with understanding. Our Reproductive Intelligence Review allows couples to complete essential diagnostics from home so that when they arrive, the conversation focuses on decisions rather than discovery.”
The approach is supported by Sapyen’s patent-pending sperm stabilisation technology, which preserves semen samples for up to 72 hours after collection. This enables accurate laboratory testing without requiring immediate delivery to a clinic.
“Fertility outcomes suffer when the system delays information,” said Ash Ramachandran, CEO of Sapyen. “The question should never be why couples waited months to understand half the equation. Start with data. Reduce uncertainty early. Everything downstream improves.”
Specialists at Avenues say the change will reshape the way early consultations take place. Patients will arrive with baseline results already available, enabling more informed discussions and quicker treatment planning.
The model also shifts the perspective of fertility care by recognising infertility as a shared issue from the outset. Male fertility assessment becomes a routine part of early diagnostics rather than a secondary investigation.
For patients, this means fewer delays and a clearer pathway into treatment. For clinics, it allows valuable clinical time to be directed more towards care rather than administrative processes.
Ultimately, the redesign focuses on improving the earliest stage of the fertility journey — where timely information can make the greatest difference.
