Kara Raubenheimer is a Reproductive Biologist registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), with 17 years of experience. She holds a National Diploma in Clinical Technology (cum laude) from Tshwane University of Technology, a BTech in Clinical Technology from the Central University of Technology, Free State, and an MSc in Medical Physiology from Stellenbosch University. In 2010 she won the Chancellor’s Medal for science. Reproductive science runs through her work: she studied thousands of IUI and IVF/ICSI treatment cycles at Genesis Reproductive Centre and Wilgers Infertility Clinic, private fertility laboratories in South Africa, and has designed research on whether a man’s age and the integrity of sperm DNA relate to fertility and treatment outcomes. As an Embryologist, she created Fertility with Kara to explain fertility in language that makes sense. You can read more on the Meet Kara page.

No. Fertility with Kara is an educational platform. Everything here is general information to help you understand fertility and have better conversations with your healthcare professionals. It does not replace individual assessment, diagnosis or treatment.

Kara can’t give individual advice or interpret personal results through this website. What she can do is explain what tests measure, what they can and can’t tell us, and which questions you may want to ask your own healthcare team.

Content is checked against current guidelines and the research behind them, including the World Health Organization’s 2025 infertility guideline, the UK’s NICE fertility guideline and South African national guidelines. It explains what is known, what is uncertain, and where individual assessment is needed. Each topic lists its sources. We never promise outcomes or sell miracle cures.

Start Here walks you through the basics in a sensible order. The free Fertility Starter Guide is also a great first step, with ten foundations in a short, readable format.

Yes. Enter your name and email address and you’ll get immediate access, plus occasional educational emails. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The Fertility Guide with Kara is becoming a collection of four books: The Basics, Tests & Treatment, The Evidence, and a standalone Male Fertility guide. Books One, Two and Four are complete review drafts, and Book Three is a first draft. Every book still needs Kara’s review and appropriate clinical approval, and no publication date has been set. Join the waiting list on the ebook page to hear when each one launches.

General guidance suggests an evaluation after 12 months of trying if you are under 35, after 6 months if you are 35 or older, and sooner if you are 40 or older, have had repeated miscarriages, or have a known history that may affect fertility. Those are frameworks, not rules. If something concerns you, it is reasonable to ask sooner.

Yes. Folic acid before conception and in early pregnancy greatly lowers the risk of neural-tube defects such as spina bifida. In South Africa, national guidelines recommend 5 mg a day, starting at least a month before you try and continuing through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Some women are advised to take it for the whole pregnancy, for example if they take epilepsy medication, have had a pregnancy affected by a neural-tube defect, or have a family history of one. If you take epilepsy medication, South African guidance is to start three months before conception. It protects your baby; it doesn’t boost fertility. Your healthcare professional can confirm what is right for you.

No. For every couple, sperm health is part of the picture. Male factors play a part in a large share of fertility difficulties, so guidelines recommend assessing both partners from the start, ideally at the same time. A man should be tested even if he has fathered a child before.

Yes. Care starts at your local clinic, community health centre or GP, who can refer you to a gynaecologist at a regional hospital, and then on to specialised units for treatments such as IUI or IVF. Only a small number of public hospitals offer IVF, places are limited and waiting times can be long, and patients usually still pay for their own fertility medication. The National Health Insurance (NHI) Act was signed into law in May 2024, but it is not yet in effect for fertility care: as of October 2026 its implementation is on hold while the Constitutional Court considers challenges to it.

By law, infertility is a prescribed minimum benefit (PMB): medical aids must cover infertility tests and some basic treatment, but not IVF itself. PMBs are usually paid in full only when you use your scheme’s designated providers and follow its protocols, so check before booking. Only a few top-tier plans pay part of the cost of IVF (as of October 2026; benefits change each year, so check your own plan). Before you start, ask for a full written quote that includes medication, embryo freezing and storage, and check exactly what your plan will pay.

Please do. Use the contact page to suggest a term, test, treatment or question you’d like explained. Your question may become one of Kara’s future videos. Please don’t send private medical records.

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