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Part of the Fertility with Kara Package

See how a life begins, from the very first cell

In the IVF lab I watched embryos grow, hour by hour. In this course I show you what I saw: how egg and sperm meet, how the first cells divide, how every organ forms week by week until birth, and what the words on an IVF report mean.

  • 25modules
  • 102lessons
  • 6.7hours of reading
  • 170pictures and diagrams

Not sure yet? Read Module 1 free

The Fertility with Kara Package

US$249 once-off

Charged as R4,100 in South African Rand through PayFast.

  • This course: all 25 modules, quizzes and your certificate
  • All four Fertility Guide with Kara ebooks
  • The whole website library: every topic, guide and video
  • A 30-minute consultation with Kara by video call

See everything in the package

Get the package

Pay securely through PayFast: card, Instant EFT and more. Your sign-in link arrives by email straight after.

What you will learn

The course in four parts

Each module opens with its learning aims and ends with a short quiz. Plain words come first; the full science waits in a “Keep learning” panel for when you want it.

  1. Part 1 · 11 modules · 48 lessons

    How a life begins

    From egg and sperm to a newborn: how a new life begins and grows.

    • 01Welcome to the course
    • 02The big picture: from two cells to a newborn
    • 03Making eggs and sperm
    • 04Fertilisation
    • 05The first week: from zygote to blastocyst
    • 06Implantation
    • 07Weeks 2 and 3: the embryonic disc
    • 08Weeks 4 to 8: the embryonic period
    • 09Weeks 9 to birth: the fetal period
    • 10The placenta, membranes and cord
    • 11When chromosomes and genes change
  2. Part 2 · 9 modules · 36 lessons

    How the body forms

    How each body system forms, from the first heartbeat to the brain.

    • 12How organs form
    • 13Muscles, bones and limbs
    • 14The heart and circulation
    • 15Blood, lymph and the immune system
    • 16The lungs
    • 17The face, gut and digestive organs
    • 18The kidneys and bladder
    • 19The reproductive organs
    • 20The brain and nervous system
  3. Part 3 · 1 module · 3 lessons

    The atlas

    Week by week, at a glance: size, shape and milestones.

    • 21The atlas, week by week
  4. Part 4 · 4 modules · 15 lessons

    Kara’s lab

    Inside the IVF laboratory, your embryo results, and what you can do.

    • 22Inside the IVF lab
    • 23Reading your embryo results
    • 24Looking after egg and sperm quality
    • 25What you now know

See every module and lesson

Who it is for

Written for you, whatever brings you here

  • Couples trying to conceive

    Understand the fertile window, how egg and sperm meet, and what the first days of a pregnancy need.

  • People going through IVF

    Read your embryo updates with confidence: fertilisation checks, day 3 and day 5, grades and freezing.

  • Parents-to-be

    Follow your baby’s development week by week, from the first heartbeat to the day of birth.

  • Anyone curious

    A clear, kind explanation of how a new life begins, with the full science one tap away.

Kara Raubenheimer, founder of Fertility with Kara
Your teacher

Hello, I’m Kara

By Kara RaubenheimerEmbryologist · HPCSA-registered Reproductive Biologist · MSc Medical Physiology (Stellenbosch)

I am a Reproductive Biologist registered with the HPCSA, with 17 years in the fertility field and a master’s degree in medical physiology from Stellenbosch University. As an embryologist, I started Fertility with Kara after seeing how overwhelming fertility information can be.

  • Registered with the HPCSAReproductive Biologist
  • 17 yearsin the fertility field
  • MSc Medical PhysiologyStellenbosch University
  • Chancellor’s Medalfor science, 2010
Kara explains

Most people never see what happens in the first days of life. This course is here so the words your clinic uses finally make sense, and so you can have better conversations with your healthcare team.

Try it first

Module 1 is free to read

No sign-up and no card. Read how the course works, try a lesson and a quick check, and see the pictures for yourself.

  1. How this course works4 min
  2. Meet your teacher3 min
  3. A note on words and weeks4 min
Start Module 1 free See every module
What is included

Everything, for one payment

The whole course for as long as it runs, including every update and every new lesson.

  • 25modules in four partsFrom egg and sperm to birth, then the IVF lab.
  • 102short lessonsAbout 6.7 hours of reading, a few minutes at a time.
  • 170pictures and diagramsEvery picture made for this course and labelled clearly.
  • 1week-by-week atlasSize, shape and milestones for every week, at a glance.
  • 23module quizzesSix questions each, with an explanation for every answer.
  • 1certificatePass the final assessment and print it with your name.
Questions

Before you buy

What else comes with the course?

The course is part of the Fertility with Kara Package: one payment of US$249 also opens all four Fertility Guide with Kara ebooks, the whole library on fertilitywithkara.com, and a 30-minute consultation with me by video call. After you pay I email you within two working days to find a time for it.

How do I get into the course after I pay?

As soon as PayFast confirms your payment, I email you a sign-in link. Tap it and the whole course opens, with the rest of the package. It can take a minute or two to arrive. When the link opens you can choose a password. After that, sign in on any device with your email and password, or ask the sign-in page for a fresh link.

How long do I have access?

For as long as the course runs, with every update and every new lesson I add, and no monthly fees. If I ever close the course, I will email you at least six months beforehand, so you have time to finish it.

Which devices can I use?

Any phone, tablet or computer with an up-to-date browser. Your progress and quiz scores are saved in the browser you study in, so on a new device your ticks start fresh, but every lesson is still open to you.

Can I try it before I buy?

Yes. All of Module 1 is free to read, with no sign-up, and the modules page shows every module and lesson in the course.

Can I get a refund?

The course, the ebooks and the library open the moment you pay, and at checkout I ask you to confirm that you want them to start straight away, so the 7-day cooling-off right doesn’t apply to them and they aren’t refunded if you simply change your mind. That is why Module 1 is free: please read it first and make sure the course is right for you. Your consultation hasn’t started when you pay, so if you cancel within seven days and before we have spoken, I refund its share of the price. If you are charged twice or pay by mistake, I refund the extra payment in full, and if something isn’t working or isn’t what I described, email me and I’ll put it right, or refund a fair part of the price if I can’t. The terms of sale have the details.

How do I pay?

Through PayFast, a South African payment gateway, by card, Instant EFT or the other methods it offers. Your card details go straight to PayFast; I never see or store them. The price is US$249. PayFast charges it in South African Rand, as R4,100, and if you are outside South Africa your bank converts it.

Is the certificate a qualification?

It records that you passed the course’s final assessment with 80% or more. It isn’t an accredited qualification.

Will it tell me what is happening in my own treatment?

It explains how development and the IVF laboratory work, so the words your clinic uses make sense. It is education and is not medical advice about you. Please talk to your own doctor or clinic about your results and your decisions.

Buying the package is covered by the terms of sale, and the privacy page explains what an enrolment keeps.

Start with the very first cell

One payment of US$249 opens all 25 modules, the atlas, the quizzes and your certificate, for as long as the course runs, with the four ebooks, the website library and a consultation with me.

ImportantEducation, not medical advice

This content is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Individual fertility circumstances differ, and decisions about investigations or treatment should be discussed with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

The Fertility with Kara Package

US$249 once-off

Charged as R4,100 in South African Rand through PayFast.

  • This course: all 25 modules, quizzes and your certificate
  • All four Fertility Guide with Kara ebooks
  • The whole website library: every topic, guide and video
  • A 30-minute consultation with Kara by video call

See everything in the package

Get the package

Pay securely through PayFast: card, Instant EFT and more. Your sign-in link arrives by email straight after.

A note from Kara

Thank you for choosing to learn with me

I know you had many places to look for answers, and you chose this course. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you trust me with something this close to your heart.

Every lesson here is something I wish every couple could hear before they sit down with their clinic: how a life begins, what happens in the lab, and what the words on your report mean. Take it slowly. Short lessons, one at a time, are the way the science sinks in.

If a lesson raises a question about your own body or your own embryos, write it down and take it to your healthcare professional. That is exactly what this course is for.

Warmly, Kara

Start learning