# new to this - any advice appreciated!



## rjohal (Jun 13, 2012)

Hello all  , 

I am a newbie and have been browsing the postings on this site for the last few days, and have found the information extremely helpful so far. Any support is much appreciated!

I have just turned 40, am currently single and have always wanted children. So I am considering my options and giving some serious thought to having a child on my own using donor sperm, which led me to find out more about my level of fertility. My initial investigations have been at the London Fertility Clinic and I learnt that my AMH is quite low (6) and Oestrogen was high, therefore they concluded IVF was my best option (with 'aggressive' drug treatment) and with donor sperm. I have also been diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis previously on the NHS and am treating this with painkillers for the moment, but I understand this might have an impact on fertility. They do have a bank of donor sperm at this clinic, but I'm not sure of the waiting list.

I registered with Donor Conception to get more information and they have been incredibly helpful. They suggested I reach out to you for feedback on clinics. I'm in the process of making a decision - like most of you, finances are tight, and so choosing a clinic with a high success rate for my age is crucial, as I can only budget for one cycle. Also one that are sympathetic to treating single women and have a sperm bank is important.

I am considering going back to the London Fertility Clinic as they have done my preliminary tests, however there experience treating women over 40 isn't high according to the HFEA website. The other possibilities are LWC, and maybe Lister clinic... CRGH..

Can anyone please give me feedback on their experience of these clinics..?  good or bad..?

Many thanks, and looking forward to supporting others and not feeling alone in this  

best wishes,

raj x


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## bingbong (Dec 9, 2008)

hi rjohal and welcome! I can't really advise you on those clinics as I didn't use any of them but I wondered if you'd thought about having treatment abroad? I had tx in the Czech Republic and I had three IUIs for just over (about £100) more than one cycle would have costed me at LWC, even including flights/hotel etc. Might be something to look into, loads of people on here (both singles and non singles) have had tx abroad and so can help you if you do decide to do that. There's boards on here too about specific countries so might be worth having a look.


Good luck


bingbong x


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## Fraggles (Jul 3, 2009)

Hi Raj
Welcome to our merry bunch.
Like Bongbong I had treatment overseas. I had iui's and ivf's and like her my treatment over there was significantly less than here with everything thrown in e.g flights, accommodation, drugs, treatment, food whilst I was away. We are all here to provide support when you need it so ask away. See that GG has told you about Suitcase of Dreams picnic so if you want to dip your toe in further and can make it you can meet others who are currently treading the tx path and those who have already been fortunate.
Good luck
xxxx


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## Kazabee (Apr 3, 2012)

Hi Raj, 

Like you I am new to this, I am also single wanting to have a baby so have decided to have assisted IUI with a sperm donor with the LWC.  I have found them to be very good for the initial part but I cannot comment on the treatment part as of yet as I am just waiting to start within the next week.  I had a very good initial consultation and like you my AMH is low, being >4 (which I think is lower than yours!!) but the consultant felt as I have no history of any other problems and my scan looked very good assisted should be the option to try.  
My donor was chosen off of the London Sperm Bank which is linked to the clinic, so this has also been easy to organise.  
In regards to cost, I will say it is not cheap but there is an option to buy 3 for the price of 2 on treatments and donor sperm, which seems a bit strange I know, but as I have said it is an option.

I wish you all the best with whatever decision you decide to take, good luck x

Kazabee


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## BECKY7 (Feb 2, 2011)

Hi bing bong  I see you went to Brno for your IUI and I have got their email to fill out form etc  and I was wonder if you don't mind tell me how long did you have to stay over and  how much does everything cost you  for 1 IUI included flight and hotel and IUI and donor  please also did you have drugs or was it natural iui  and congrats on your sweetie.
Thank you.
Becky7 xx


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## rjohal (Jun 13, 2012)

hello ladies  

thank you for your advice and kind words.

yes, I think it is worth investigating travelling abroad for treatment - the prospect of doing this alone feels daunting at times.. 

Thank you Kazabee for your perspective on LWC. It's helpful that they have links with a sperm bank - did you have to wait long to reserve sperm? My AMH is 6 apparently, but oestrogen level sky high which they believed was compensating for a high FSH. I think that is why the LFC suggested IVF..?  I suppose it is worth getting a second opinion and hopefully the test results I've already had can be used, so that I don't have to pay for repeated blood tests. 

Good luck with the treatment, and let us know how you get on.

best wishes,
raj x


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

Welcome to the thread, I would say that the Lister and CRGH are the only two clinics on your list with the top 5 results in the UK. The Lister have a good reputation for older (I'm also over 40) and poor responders both of these clinics will give you and individualised approach more than LWC probably will. Not having a sperm bank is not really too much of an issue as many of the single girls have imported their sperm from European Sperm Bank or the USA. Adds to the costs but you will choose your donor not the clinic and you will have more info/photos etc should you wish
L


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## rjohal (Jun 13, 2012)

Thank you L,

That's very helpful - the Lister does seem to have more experience of treating women over 40.

It's costly, but I think I'll book an initial consultation and get a feel for the place and then take it from there.

Having given it some thought, I'm quite keen to use sperm from a donor who is not anonymous. I'm hoping the non-UK sperm banks have access to such donor sperm?

Good luck 
raj x


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## greatgazza (May 27, 2010)

Glad you found your way over here Raj.

Thanks for your comment on the other thread, couldn't say it there as that post has since been locked.

I had tx abroad too, but i believe some clinics over here have open days/evenings etc if you wanted to get a feel for a few places without shelling out

the lister has a more active clinic board where you might find some info you're after:

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=492.0

not totally sure about sperm but i'm sure others will be along. pretty sure there are some non uk banks you can get id release sperm from.

GGx


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## indekiwi (Dec 23, 2008)

Hi there.  I had 9 rounds of tx at London Fertility Centre in all, and my son was conceived at that clinic.    Not sure if the lovely Christine is still one of the senior nurses there, but if so, she's an awesome lady.  Not the cheapest place for sure but I always found the staff there very friendly.  Their UK DE programme is now effectively closed and so I moved clinic but otherwise I was very happy with them.  At the time I was selecting donor sperm there they used LWC's sperm bank and there wasn't a wait, but this was some years ago and things may well have changed.  


A-Mx


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## bingbong (Dec 9, 2008)

Becky I had medicated IUIs using clomid and then a trigger shot. I had my day ten scan here in the UK and then would fly out day 11/12 depending on work and I stayed for two nights to give me a bit of leeway (I'd book flights on day one of my cycle so I didn't know exactly when the IUI would be). The clinic have put their prices up since I went but I paid 200 euros for the IUI and donor sperm, the hotel varies greatly depending on where you stay and time of year, I can't really remember but all in it would cost about £500 including food/scan/drugs etc. Hope that helps! Good luck.


bingbong x


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## BECKY7 (Feb 2, 2011)

Morning bing bong  thank you so much  as for scan in uk did you go to ur GP for it or private  and could I stay 1 nite before the IUI then go home on the day of IUI or not really  but then I guess it nice to stay for 2 nite to look around eh but all for £500 still pretty good and may I ask why didn't you not have it in uk as I am sure I see it for £700 per IUI but not sure how much donor would be in uk.
Also how we're the people work there and did you go there for the cons or not.
Becky7 xx


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## bingbong (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Becky,


The thing about IUI is that the timing is so important, so if you booked to stay one night and have IUI in the morning and fly out that afternoon then you might not get the timing right. So to give myself the optimum opportunity to get the timing right I stayed for two nights. I'm sure that there are others that have stayed for one so they might be able to help you. I mainly went there because of the cost. The clinic was clean and nice, the staff were all very friendly and spoke English, I did not go there for a cons before tx. I suspect that the £700 you mention does not include donor sperm as that seems to be crazily expensive in the UK, I think that LWC is now about £800 for that alone. Oh and the GP won't do a scan for you for private tx, especially if you're going abroad. There's plenty of places around the UK that will do scans for you, I paid £50 in London. 


bingbong x


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## Kazabee (Apr 3, 2012)

Hi Raj,

In reply to your question I did not have to wait long to book my sperm at all.  The clinic asks that you ensure you order it at least 2 weeks before your treatment.  The London Sperm Bank website also has lo ts of information on it you may want to read on how to do things.

Hope this helps

Kazabee


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