# Where to get transabdominal egg retrieval



## Lilycome (Dec 17, 2014)

Hi, can anyone help please?  I need a list of places which offer transabdominal egg collection.  The reason for this is because I have a high left ovary, which could not be reached in my previous IVF attempts.  The clinic has advised I try to find a clinic licensed to give a general anaesthetic which can take them out transabdominally (rather than transvaginally).  Otherwise I only do IVF with half my eggs, and I don't have that many to begin with!

If you know of anywhere that can do this, please let me know.

Thanks in advance. x


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## Lilycome (Dec 17, 2014)

I forgot to say, I am looking for places in both the UK and abroad that do transabdominal egg retrieval as if I don't get lucky here I will go abroad to do a tandem cycle.  I really need to find a few places.

I can't believe I'm the only one with a high ovary that can't be reached normally - what do others do in this situation?  IVF on just one side, as I have been doing?  Such a waste!

Thanks again for any help. xx


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Hi Lilycome,

I don't know anything about tandem cycles unfortunately.....but I do have a high up right ovary and have had issues with this in the past.  For my previous NHS cycles at my local clinic, the egg retrieval was done with no anaesthetic and they struggled to get eggs from my high up ovary without causing me pain however, with IVI in Valencia, where I had my most recent egg retrieval, it was done under anaesthetic, so I was asleep and they managed to retrieve 9 eggs in total from both my left and right ovaries.  

As I say, not sure if IVI offer tandem cycles, but I may be enquiring soon as it's something I may have to consider myself in the near future. 

Good luck with your forthcoming cycle. xx


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## Lilycome (Dec 17, 2014)

Hi Nic, thanks for the reply.  I can't believe there could be so few clinics offering transabdominal egg retrieval as my clinic told me high ovaries are quite common.  I think it does hinge on the ability to give a general anaesthetic, which for some unfathomable reason seems rare.  Couldn't they just offer this at an extra cost?  They did try pressing down on the ovary hard during the IVF but it still was unreachable.  And I'm slim, and you can see the ovary so easily when you put the ultrasound probe on my tummy.  It's so frustrating!

It's really useful to know about IVI.  I expect they probably do offer tandem, but in Spain you can't see photos of egg donors, which is a deal-breaker for me.  It's brilliant you managed to get 9 eggs - I would have about the same number if you could reach both my ovaries, but with only reaching the right one, on two previous IVFs they only got 4     I have more follicles on the left side than the right too.  Arrgh!

The two UK places I have found that offer this (in case it's useful to anyone) are the Chelsea and Westminster and CRGH.  Both have quite steep prices however, and of course I can't do a tandem cycle in the UK.

I'm just in contact with a couple of Russian clinics (AVA and Next Gen) to see if they can do it as you can see photos of donors and their prices are a bit less.

Really good luck to you too with everything Nic. xx


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## Nicnik (Feb 17, 2016)

Thanks Lily.  

Yes, I feel your frustration!  Like you, I usually seem to have more follicles on my high up ovary than I do on the other...typical!    The NHS doctors used to press on mine too for egg retrieval and even for the usual monitoring scans they had to do this.  Often they don't see my right ovary at all, which always concerns me, because if there was a cyst or something, they wouldn't see it.  I am also naturally very slim, so tend to feel it when the push on it, but I used to tell them just to press as hard as they could....anything to see my ovary!!  I've even tried jumping up and down before scans to make it come down, but that doesn't seem to work, I think it's 'fixed'.    With IVI, I didn't know anything about the egg retrieval since I was under anaesthetic and we were really pleased to get 9 eggs.  7 of those fertilised, but unfortunately only one embryo made it to Day 5 for the PGS testing we decided to do. The result was normal thankfully and we had the FET a few weeks ago, which resulted in a negative pregnancy test.  Devastated.  So, back to the drawing board! 

Because of my age, I have thought about tandem cycling, but really don't know too much about it (or the costs involved)...?  I had read on another thread here about some clinics in Russia allowing you to see photos of the donor.  Obviously I would be delighted as long as I have a healthy baby, but I do often think about wanting my baby to have similar features to me, so seeing photos does sound appealing.  

We'll probably stick with IVI for our next cycle (although not 100% confirmed yet), so please do keep me posted on how you get on and which clinics you are considering etc., it would be really good to know, since I am considering tandem too AND have the high up ovary!

Best of luck and keep in touch.  xx


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## Clairabella (Mar 19, 2012)

Not sure where you are in UK but I cycled at same time as someone who needed transabominal retrieval due to fibroids, and his was done at Glasgow Royal Infirmary ACS unit. They do nhs and private patients. 

Good luck x


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## Lilycome (Dec 17, 2014)

Hi Nic and Clairabella, thanks for the info.  Sorry for my late reply, I've been in a bit of a black hole of depression and don't tend to come on here very much.  Anyway, I'm keeping going... hard as it is.

Nik - I am so sorry your perfect embryo didn't take.  It just confirms a suspicion for me though which is that an embryo CAN be good - and euploid, and all that, and even with a perfect lining and progesterone etc., STILL for some reason they don't implant.  I don't know why.  It's a mystery - as all the websites claim it's due to aneuploid eggs etc. but I don't buy this as the only reason.  There are other implantation factors they haven't figured out yet.  I have even taken neupogen for the KIR etc., and still have no baby.

I was pregnant naturally at 43 after only 1 month of trying but lost it at 12+2 due to stress.  I'm convinced that somehow a miscarriage *can* mess up your body but after countless immune tests and treatments I still can't get preggers.

My own gut feeling about my own body is that there is something going on with implantation.  After all the rounds I've been through, I can't believe there hasn't been one good egg.  I have had 2 Grade A embryos put back each time with 2 IVFs.  And I've done 3 iui's.  For the last one I had 6 (yes 6) follicles in the 18-21mm range - they let me do it as I'm 45 now.  Perfect triple line uterus.  BFN.  I'm doing one more IUI in the UK before trying a tandem cycle abroad.

Anyway, I have found that AVA in Russia do laparascopic (transabdominal) egg retrieval.  I am going to get this done with a tandem cycle.  I chose Russia because you can actually see pics of the donors.  So far this is the only frickin clinic in the world I have found that does laparascopic, tandem, and photos of donors.  But they are expensive!  I'm worried I'll go through all that and STILL not get pregnant though.

Anyway - Claira - I'll check out Glasgow too just in case I can afford another IVF in this country.

Love and babydust to you all. xxxx


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