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Family Planning and Fertility

Published on: 20 Jun 2023

Family Planning and Fertility

Most couples who are trying to get pregnant will likely conceive within a year of trying. If you haven’t become pregnant after 12 months of regular, unprotected sex, then it is worth seeing your GP.

If you are female and over 36 or have any other concerns about your overall health and fertility, it will be worth seeing your Doctor sooner.

The GP will ask about previous pregnancies and any complications at your appointment, plus whether either partner has had children before. It is always best for both partners to be at the appointment as fertility issues can affect men and women.

The Doctor will also ask how long you have been trying to conceive and how regularly you have sex. You may find this sort of discussion a bit uncomfortable or embarrassing, but it is always best to be open and honest. 

Other factors like your medical history, medication you take and lifestyle (your weight, whether you drink or smoke, your stress levels) can also affect fertility, so your GP will explore these with you too.

Remember, the GP is there to help you, and anything you say is confidential.

Physical examinations of both partners may help to identify any potential causes of infertility. Following this, your GP may refer you to specialist fertility treatment.

The type of treatment the NHS can offer you will depend on the nature of the problem. Options will include prescribing medication, surgical procedures or assisted conception, such as in vitro fertilisation, more commonly known as IVF.

You can read more about fertility treatment options on the NHS website.

Sexual Health

The Stanley Primary Care Centre provides free and confidential sexual health services.

To find out more about the services they offer, you can visit or contact them by phone 0191 372 8700.

From the 2nd February 2026 we are moving to a Total Triage model.

Total triage is how we manage appointments at our practice.
You will fill out a e-consult rather than calling the surgery and tell us about your problem.

Ideally, patients will submit their own request however we appreciate that this may not be possible for some patients. If you are unable to use or access the online form then please contact the surgery by telephone and we will complete the request for you, which will be added to the triage list to be reviewed by the GP.

A clinician will review your information and decide the best way to help you, which may be advice, a phone call, or an appointment.

We will have three types of appointments:

• Same day – for emergencies (A member of staff will contact you to book the appointment)
• Within 5 days – for patients that need to see or speak to a healthcare professional soon, but not urgently.
• Within 10 days – for routine appointments.

The main purpose of total triage is to make sure you receive high-quality care by getting the right advice or appointment for your needs as quickly as possible.

Please ensure you have completed the e-consult in full with as much information as possible.

To fill out a e-consult please click here

for more help on filling out a e-consult on the NHS app please visit the e-consult NHS app guide.

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