About Us

Balance Fertility brings together the world-leading fertility expertise of Grace Dugdale and Adam Balen. Our unique, integrated approach aims to increase your chances of successful conception by combining a personalised, holistic approach with medical intervention where needed, all underpinned by evidence-based expert knowledge.

Our trusted online courses help you to develop vital insights into your own body and symptoms, and to understand the underlying factors that contribute to good general and reproductive health.

Our consultations include a thorough investigation into your medical history and symptoms, including comprehensive testing of factors that are known to affect male and female fertility.

A New Way of Investigating Infertility

If you are trying to conceive, finding the right information to help you on your fertility journey can be a daunting task.

Balance Fertility is here to help people looking for an alternative to IVF, or those who recognise a holistic approach to preconception can increase their chances of conceiving naturally or succeeding with fertility treatment.

We believe it is desirable not simply to treat symptoms, but to address the underlying causes of fertility issues. Combining a holistic but fully evidence-based approach with the best of conventional medicine, we can provide the best chance of conception for you.

This new way of investigating infertility enables us to offer you expert insight into your fertility health and then tailor treatment or information to support you.

We conduct tests to investigate nutrition, metabolic health and general health, using an approach that aims to optimise the many different biological systems that can affect your reproductive health, either directly or indirectly. We also look at hormone balance, digestive health, including the “good” bacteria in your body, and genetic factors that may affect your fertility.

The result is a fully integrated medical, dietary and lifestyle diagnostic and consultation service. This brings significant benefits to the reproductive health and wellbeing of both men and women.

The ultimate preventive medicine to protect the lifelong health of your child starts before conception through the effects of diet and lifestyle on the health of sperm and egg cells, and it starts with you…

Why Choose Balance Fertility?

About the Founders

Grace Dugdale

Reproductive Biologist and Nutrition Scientist

Grace is a reproductive biologist and nutrition scientist with a background in molecular biology and genetics and extensive experience in reproductive health.

She has spent many years researching biological function in sex and fertility and has a number of research special interests in relation to fertility: in particular metabolic health, the microbiome, mitochondrial function, epigenetics, foetal programming and the optimisation of embryonic development through modifiable factors in the father and mother.

Via a path of interdisciplinary research, Grace has been able to develop both extensive knowledge and a unique approach to addressing fertility issues in men and women.

This research has led to the development of an evidence-based fertility and preconception care programme for both men and women trying to conceive that considers the numerous modifiable factors that impact both male and female fertility, and also the health of the baby born.

The focus is on diagnostic, personalised medicine to assess the many underlying health factors that can contribute to difficulties conceiving. Grace takes a systems biology and preventative medicine approach in relation to maternal-fetal health via therapeutic targets related to cellular ageing and underlying biological dysfunction.

Grace is an accomplished public speaker who has made numerous TV and radio appearances. She works to promote good quality education in sex, relationships and fertility, as well as gender equality and healthy attitudes towards sex and reproduction in young people.

Grace runs a fertility and preconception care clinic at the Nuffield Leeds Hospital. She also runs a free care course at Leeds Fertility that she devised for men and women trying to conceive.

Adam Balen

World-renowned Fertility Specialist

Adam is one of the world’s leading fertility experts. He is a full-time NHS consultant and is the Lead Clinician at Leeds Fertility, one of the largest assisted conception units in the UK. His special interests include all aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), assisted conception, paediatric and adolescent gynaecology and disorders of sexual development.

Adam was Chair of the British Fertility Society until January 2018, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Infertility Guidelines Committee and Chair of the WHO Expert Working Group on the management of PCOS. He also sits on the Council of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London.

He is past Chair of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s (ESHRE’s) Special Interest Group on Reproductive Endocrinology and is a member of the ESHRE Fertility Awareness Committee.

Adam is the author of 13 books and more than 220 peer-reviewed papers. His books include Infertility in Practice (4th edition 2014), Current Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2010) and Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (2018).

As Chair of the British Fertility Society, Adam created two new national task forces: Fertility Preservation UK to ensure nationwide provision for those who require fertility preservation, and The Fertility Education Initiative to improve the provision of education to young people about all aspects of reproductive health, including factors that may influence their future fertility.

He is also Chair of the NHS England IVF Pricing Development Expert Advisory Group.

Testimonials

“Dear Professor Balen, We cannot begin to thank you for everything you have done for us along our journey to achieve our family of 3. I cannot begin to image the crazy hours you work but how many people can go to bed at night knowing they have changed peoples lives every single day? You are amazing at what you do and are so kind and compassionate throughout. We will be forever grateful for giving us our perfect family.”

Balance Fertility