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Laparoscopy: Examination of the pelvic or other abdominal organs with a fibreoptic telescope inserted surgically below the navel. During laparoscopy, suction applied to the needle can be used in the recovery of eggs from follicles in the ovary.

Lavage: The removal of a fertilised egg or cleavage stage embryo from the womb before implantation by washing out the uterine cavity.

Licence: A legal document stipulating terms and conditions for which a centre may carry out a licensable fertility treatment at a specified premise.

Live birth rate: The number of live births achieved from every 100 treatment cycles commenced.

Live birth event: The delivery of one or more babies which survives for at least 27 completed days after birth.

Lost To Follow-Up: Where patients cannot be contacted by clinics to find out the final outcome of the treatment they received (for example a live birth or miscarriage, etc). then these are reported as LTFU. Typically it is where a patient has moved home within the pregnancy without informing the clinic or overseas patients which can be difficult to trace.

Luteinising Hormone (LH): Hormone released by the pituitary gland in response to Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) production. Essential for development of eggs and sperm.