# IUI, Guys or LWC in London?



## Brazil (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi there

Has anybody any experience of Guys or LWC in London? My partner and I are deciding which clinic to use and went to a seminar at LWC recently, they seemed very nice, professional and helpful however they do charge alot more than a self funded IUI at Guys. When we spoke to Guys they said that they didn't have any donors/sperm however we could import sperm ourselves and they would carry out the IUI. We are looking at a sperm bank called Xytex in the states which seem very good and using them to buy the sperm and then use Guys to do the IUI works out at about £1,000 cheaper for 3 cycles than LWC. It would be great to hear about any personal experiences from Guys or LWC in London as we just want to find the right place, even if it does cost more.


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## rosypie (Feb 1, 2007)

i think if you can save money you should. it could be a lot of hassle to import sperm though whereas LWC do have it available and do all the admin stuff regarding the sperm for you. 

good luck.


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## emnjo (Jan 17, 2008)

We started doing iui at Lwc, however we were not impressed with them at all. We then imported sperm from Denmark, and got a referral to the Homerton, who have been brilliant and much better, and cheaper than Lwc. We are very pleased that we did this, because now we are doing ivf at the homerton which works out at 3k as opposed to 6k at Lwc. We also got a great deal of info from the Danish sperm bank, and it was very quick and easy to sort out. Let me know if I can help x


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## lesbo_mum (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi Emnjo

can i just ask what you didnt like about LWC? We are thinking of using them and i just wanted to hear your view and experience if thats ok.

Also where is the Homerton? and roughly how much was your sperm and what was the bank called?

Thanks

Em & Lou


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## Brazil (Dec 22, 2008)

Hi Emnjo

Thanks for your response, it would be great to know what you weren't happy about with the LWC? It does seem easier with them as they do have sperm and they also have Brazilians donating which is really important to us as my partner is Brazilian. However they do seem expensive, we went there on Saturday and they seemed really friendly and professional, is it different when you actually become a patient? We are also looking at Guys as this is alot cheaper, using Xytex sperm bank in the states. Apparently you can import from the states as long as your chosen donor is on the ID disclosure list and has agreed to be known when the child is 18.


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## rosypie (Feb 1, 2007)

LWC are expensive and i think a lot of patients (me included) get the distinct feeling like you're on a conveyor belt and just there to line their pockets. i haven't been treated there since 2004 so it might have changed a lot since then. i know there are a couple of reviews on the clinic review area, here's the link

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=139.0

when we were there the nurses were lovely, the doctors less so. we had very minimal contact with them though so maybe can't give a complete picture - we only did 2 natural iuis with them. they were very understaffed back then. my major issue was that they never told me i'd tested +ve for strepp B. they told me i had an 'infection' but they never drew attention to it. maybe i should have asked, but i didn't. i just took the medication they gave me to clear 'it' up and got on with it. i went on to have a pregnancy then a labour that was seriously compromised by the strepp B - ended up after 30 hours with forceps, then ventouse then a section under general anaesthetic. then in my 37th week of my second pregnancy my scar began to rupture and i ended up with another section.

incidentally, i only found out about the strepp B when we were ttc the second time and had changed clinics and lwc sent me copies of all my notes to pass on. for my second pregnancy i was able to answer the strepp b question on the midwife booking in form correctly and they treated me as strepp B positive and stuck huge yellow stickers over my notes so that, when labour hit, they'd be able to pump me full of antibiotics from the onset. something which should have, but didn't, happen in my first labour as all involved were unaware of my status.

i'm probably being very unfair in attributing it all to lwc. my 1st labour could have gone completely pear-shaped regardless. i can never resist having a rant though when the question is asked. i'd just say, if you're going to use lwc, just be proactive, ask questions, be a pain in the ****, untrusting patient and make them tell you everything (which is what i should have done).

and good luck xx


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## emnjo (Jan 17, 2008)

Hiya

I did 2 IUI's at LWC, and on both time I was given the trigger shot (to make me ovulate) on cd's 11 and 12. This far too early for me, as my follicle was only 16-17mm, and my womb lining was about 6mm. My cycle is quite long, I usually ovulate naturally on about cd17. I did explain this to the nurses, but they seem to think was fine. 

When I had my consultation at the Homerton, they explained that I had been triggered way too early, and that my womb lining was too thin - because it was too early in my cycle. My IUI's at the Homerton have been a lots better. I would get the trigger shot on about cd 16 when my follicle would be about 22mm and my womb lining 13mm. The Homerton were suprised at how badly I had been treated at LWC. 

However, the nurses were all lovely, and I do know of some people who have positive experiences at LWC. I do feel that they are very over priced, and you certainly don't pay for better treatment at all. 

We imported our sperm from the european sperm in Denmark. It cost us about £2, 500 for 8 vials of sperm. This included a pregnancy fee - so if we need more it will be a great deal cheaper. We also got a lot of information about our donor, baby pics, an audio interview, a essay etc. I have a huge pack of info for our children one day. I am very pleased that we have gone down this route now, as I am about to embark upon IVF. We didn't think I would need IVF, but it is best to prepare for this in case you do. IVF at the Homerton is much cheaper than at LWC.


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## leoaimee (Jun 3, 2008)

just wanted to add my tuppence worth for a + experience of LWC.

we were treated this year and i would rate them really well.  8/10 !  and i would recomend them.  i would say that the only place the let me down was sometimes being a bit too busy to properly respond to emails and phone calls in time.  which was frustrating.  but i would say that i had excellent treatment from both consultants that i saw, all the nurses, the andrology department, the receptionists.  for me coming to a really nice looking place really helped me.  i felt like it was a pleasant experience to be there.  

but i can only compare to lond bridge clinic which i didnt like at all and we didnt use after one consultation there.

however after hearing from emnjo how much cheaper there treatment was i would consider not using LWC for a sibling (even if it meant using diff sperm) as i know far more about the treatment process etc.

when we first embarked on the treatement i really felt like i wanted it to be as easy as poss, and the one stop shop for sperm treatment etc really was imp to me, so i could just fly over and have treatment and fly back.

we did look at clinics in spain after we knew more about treatment etc but as they only use non traceable sperm we didnt want to use them, and we will carry on using british clinics.

aimeex

ps - rosypie that is awful what happened to you with the strep B !!    
and emnjo very frustrating and what a waste of money when they triggered you early.


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## Texas Rose (Aug 15, 2008)

I'm currently considering either LWC or Guys. For those of you who used Homerton - did you have to get a referral from the GP as a self-paying patient? How long did the referral take? I imagine that Guys is about the same since they're both NHS run. Anyone have experience of Guys?


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## SANFRAN06 (Apr 27, 2008)

We would like to add that LWC were fantastic and we would not fault them.
Being a nurse myself, im sure I was not the best patient but they were professional, knowledgeable and understanding at all times.
Maybe expensive but saves so much hastle and We think worth the costs!!


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## Mesenet (Oct 23, 2008)

Personally speaking, I wouldn't go with LWC.  It's hard to say that, because the staff there are so friendly and human, but when you are paying the fees that you are paying, your main concern is for knowledge and results, not touchy-feely.

I found them to be hugely understaffed (they could do with at least 5 more nurses there); some of the nurses are very inexperienced (I saw girls being trained for a couple of days and then let loose unsupervised on unsuspecting clients) and as a result of their inexperience make very shoddy mistakes (wrong time of trigger shot, count number of follicles wrongly, send you to egg collection too early); the treatment seems to be the same for everyone, regardless of age, FSH or any other medical problems: it's the one size fits all approach.
They don't seem to learn anything from previous cycles, and will just apply the same principle again and again until you give up or run out of cash, or change clinics.
You will also find that you have to self-manage your cycle a lot of the time, and keep remind them of stuff that was supposed to happen or they said they would do.  Which is fine if you are fairly knowledgeable about treatment; if you are not, it could be a case of the blind leading the blind.
Also for the fees that you pay, you would have thought that you would be getting cutting-edge treatment and techniques (such as the Japanese protocol, fertility drugs tailored to your own individual response to drugs as measured before treatment, vitrification of eggs etc.).  Nope. 
So given that they are not spending your money on new research and more staff, one can only conclude that your money is going mostly towards paying the rent in fancy Harley Street.

I would only recommend LWC if you are 25 years old, with a good ovarian reserve,  respond well to drugs and touchy-feely is very important to you.
Then you might stand a better chance of getting pregnant there!

Sorry if this review sounds harsh, everybody in LWC is absoutely lovely...but that's not what I want from a fertility clinic.  Sorry...


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## emnjo (Jan 17, 2008)

Mesenet said:


> Personally speaking, I wouldn't go with LWC. It's hard to say that, because the staff there are so friendly and human, but when you are paying the fees that you are paying, your main concern is for knowledge and results, not touchy-feely.
> 
> I found them to be hugely understaffed (they could do with at least 5 more nurses there); some of the nurses are very inexperienced (I saw girls being trained for a couple of days and then let loose unsupervised on unsuspecting clients) and as a result of their inexperience make very shoddy mistakes (wrong time of trigger shot, count number of follicles wrongly, send you to egg collection too early); the treatment seems to be the same for everyone, regardless of age, FSH or any other medical problems: it's the one size fits all approach.
> They don't seem to learn anything from previous cycles, and will just apply the same principle again and again until you give up or run out of cash, or change clinics.
> ...


This this this!!! I felt EXACTLY the same. I was 28 when we started there, with good ovarian reserve etc - but I was triggered on cd11 and cd12 - when my follie was way too small. I should put in a compliant at some point, but will deal with it when I am pregnant as I feel as though we have enough going on at the moment.

But I certainly wouldn't ever return there.. Never!


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## sallylouise (Jan 30, 2009)

Hello everyone,

I feel worried by your posts about LWC. Has anyone had a positive result but hasn't been pleased with the clinic despite this? Where would you suggest in the London area that is worth looking at? Why is this so stressful!!


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## rosypie (Feb 1, 2007)

hey sallylouise - we had a positive result with LWC. we weren't happy because of the strepp B thing i mentioned in my other post above. i see from your signature that you are looking to do ivf. i think people who have had ivf have less complaints... the complaints seem to be more iui related i.e. coming from a timing perspective and complaints about inflexible protocols when it comes to triggering you on a specific day. there was a post a while back about this, I'll see if i can find it. they weren't happy about the IUIs but stuck with lwc for ivf and had success (and a much better time)


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## rosypie (Feb 1, 2007)

couldn't find it but the person who wrote the post i couldn't find has posted on here about it.

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=57470.0

i think it's quite an interesting thread and much more specific to IVF at LWC.


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## Mesenet (Oct 23, 2008)

Hi Sallylouise,

I had both IUIs and IVF at LWC, and rated neither of them.  The same understaffing, shabby mistakes and one-treatment-for-all applies to both procedures.
Having said that, I am not sure how old you are, how good is your reserve or if you have any other "special" circumsntances.  If you do, I'd advise you to go elsewhere.  If you don't, and money is not an issue to you, give LWC a try (warning: they are very expensive).

But why not give them a go and judge for yourselves?  They might be the right outfit for you!

Best,
xx


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## sallylouise (Jan 30, 2009)

Ladies- Thanks for your comments and help. We've already had a couple of appointments at LWC last year. I can understand what you are saying about low staffing levels. I think we'll give it a try and see how we go.  

Rosypie- your little boys are gorgeous and lovely names! 

Take care for now. xx


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## rosypie (Feb 1, 2007)

thanks, i think so too but I'm biased  

i wish you good luck with your ivf. see how you go, just make sure you're informed. and let's face it, if you're on here asking questions, you're a lot more informed than a lot of people going through the same thing. i know that LWC does have a big plus in that it has its own sperm bank. i don't know what supplies are like now but there was a period not long after the law change that there was no sperm anywhere other than LWC. i know that CARE Nottingham had a 2 year wait for sperm when we went there to ttc number 2 and at the same time LWC didn't have a wait at all. Just another thing to consider...


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## evelet (Sep 27, 2005)

Are LWC really more expensive than other London clinics for IVF? I would expect them to cost more than the Homerton or Kings or one of the other NHS clinics but compared to other London private clinics? 

For any of you who don't realise I am rosypie's partner and therefore agree with everything she says    (about LWC and everything else of course...). All I want to add really is that people I have met who've used NHS clinics have had similar complaints about having to manage their cycle themselves, cancelled apptments, doctors unavailable and long waits to see counsellors etc etc. Problems with their IUI timing has been mentioned by various people but their stats seem on a par with the rest of the clinics so they can't do it that wrongly! 

Of course its important that we are as open as possible about our issues and problems with the various clinics but I can only post about mine and rosypie's experience of LWC and Care - we can't say how it was or would be for anyone else.


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## sallylouise (Jan 30, 2009)

Thanks again ladies for your help. I'll keep you posted of the outcome. 

I think this is such a fab website.


Take care for now. xxx


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## nismat (Mar 7, 2005)

Hello there, it was me pontificating in the thread that Rosypie linked to (thanks for that btw Ros, it reminded me of all the things that I did for the successful IVF last time that I had completely forgotten!  )

The first thing that I would say about my/our experiences of LWC is that we are talking about 3-4 years ago now (started treatment in April 2005), and a lot has changed there since, certainly in terms of the facilities if nothing else. Because it's nearly 3 years since our last treatment cycle there, I don't think that it is entirely fair to judge them, or indeed any clinic, on such past experience. But I would say that my over-riding feeling about them is that they very much stick to the "one size fits all" plan, when of course it doesn't. And when you do have some knowledge/alternative ideas, it was extremely frustrating that they didn't seem to take much of it into account. For instance, even though they knew I wasn't a great responder to the FSH drugs from my stimulated IUI cycles, they still used a relatively low dosage for my IVF cycle. But it did work, so I can't complain all that much. 
As Evelet says, I don't think that it's particularly unusual to have all the short-staffing/long waits for appointments etc., wherever you go. But the (more local) clinic that we will be using for our next IVF cycle did instantly feel more personal, and less like we were just another couple on the patient conveyor belt. It could well be that they tend towards "one size fits all" treatment as well re: drugs stimulation, but as their regular plan is to go in all guns blazing with the drugs, it's a plan that suits me! I did feel like they really did listen more to us though, when we went for our first consultations.


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