# The goalposts keep moving :(



## Pinktink (Dec 17, 2008)

Hi guys - it's Lynn - apologies in advance for the self-pity about to follow:

We had an appt at the LWC today to see the counsellor and see the egg share co-ordinator. The counselling was a bit pointless really but we were 'approved'...  

The co-ordinator however who was really nice, and I'm sure she didn't mean to but just flippantly said not to bother starting the pill till we get the results back from the chromosomal stuff - this would then push us back another month - don't they understand that we are desperate to have a baby - another month feels like a lifetime...

The other thing which has come as a massive blow to us is that although we knew the LWC had risen it's prices recently we didn't realise how much this would affect us... the charge for ICSI which we have been told they almost always recommend has gond eup from £500 to £750!! and more upsetting for us is that their donor sperm per treatment has gone up from £550 to £850!!!! That over 50% increase - what kind of inflation rates are they working on... with these plus the HFEA fee and the charge to go to blasts if we need to this cycle could cost us £2200 not counting all the charges we've paid already for tests etc (and the parking ticket we got today  ) not quite the financially friendly option that egg-sharing seemed at outset. 

It's really hard not to wonder if we'll ever get there  

x


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## jo36 (Aug 12, 2008)

Lynn - sorry to hear about your annoying news today. I know its frustrating, and a month does feel like a lifetime when you are so anxious to get started. But I suppose they have to know the results of the chromosomal tests first, just protocol I suspect, nothing personal. I know just how much you were looking forward to getting going this month.  .

I had heard from a friend of mine who had gone to a LWC seminar at the weekend about their new prices. Its absolutely disgraceful that they think people can afford these ridiculous prices. The price of sperm nowadays is unbelievable, we surely would never have been able to afford more than one lot of tx if we were starting afresh now. Back in 2004 we paid £50 per vial of sibling sperm to be frozen - how on earth can they compare those two figures -from £50 to £850 in 5 yrs    I know we didn't use the LWC, our fertility clinic is NHS based but surely the prices of sperm shouldn't be that different. I'm aware they have to quarantine, wash and store the sperm but at the end of the day it is a natural substance.

Hope the month goes quickly for you and you can get started for real.   

Jo x


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## BaT (Oct 16, 2008)

How frustrating for you Lynn,

I found out about the LWC price changes AFTER I had had my day 3 scan yesterday, as I was talking to the nurse and was about to go and pay for this cycle.  They have put all there costs up including medication.  A round of stimulated IUI with donor sperm and gonal F has gone up from last month costing £1567 to this month £1972.  An increase of over £400.  I was not happy!!!  I am really thinking hard now about changing clinic, if this cycle doesn't work.

On the plus side they are now donor matching at the beginning of the cycle and not the day before insem.

Sending you big   Lynn

B x


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## Pinktink (Dec 17, 2008)

thanks guys for your replies 

We are having some in-depth discussions now about changing clinic/trying IUI as one of the main benefits of egg sharing was a cost one now this seems to be going away...

does anyone have any experience with importing sperm?

xx


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## lmb15 (Jun 12, 2009)

Lynn - not sure where you're based, but if you're anywhere near the midlands i'd recommend Nurture, in Nottingham. That's where i'm doing egg share. Unlike LWC you have to pay something towards drugs - £550. Sperm is £1,500 for a batch of 10 vials (plus £350 for 10 year storage), which will do about 4-5 goes at IVF, or more for IUI. A one off sperm vial is about £600 i think. They're cheaper than most other clinics because they're a "not for profit" organisation, but a research clinic and part of the Queen's Medical Centre. Including consultation fee (£140) the cycle will cost us  about £2,550. Because we then already have the sperm, subsequent egg share cycles will only be £690. 
What's more, Nurture is 3rd in the country, and the best outside of London. I promise i don't work for them!! They're just a fab clinic, and really lovely people, with amazing results. And cheaper than the others!!!

Good luck whichever clinic you decide on. 

Lisa x


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## Misspie (Feb 1, 2009)

Hi Lynn (& Amber), 

I'm so sorry to hear that the goal posts have been moved. I can fully understand you seriously considering changing clinics. FYG I believe (not fully been for consultation yet) but reading on line and reviews Oxford Fertility Clinic is also like Lisa says about Nurture a non profit clinic as it's all bout research. Hopefully I will be able to tell you more after my visit for bloods on Thursday....you mention Reading isn't far from you, how about Oxford, compared to London?

I can't believe that LWC have change the costs soo much, surely you would think if you are already starting or going through a cycle they would honour their current price structure on that cycle and then give you the option to conitnue with the increased costs. Maybe it might be worth expressing you upset at such a cruicial time, how you are feeling and that is un-just the way you just put on the increased costs at such a late stage, etc etc!! And that you are now considering taking your "business" elsewhere as there are more than one clinic out there! And at the end of the day for LWC it is a profit center/business! I think they are aware how desperate we all our to have a family, hence the increased costs they believe they can charge    

It's a shame that you aren't starting this month. Fingers crossed you get your results sooner than a month, so you can be more per-pared sooner. But it certainly gives you time to do some serious research in other clinics.

We may look at importing spem from www.europeanspermbank.com if oxford are low on avails. But won't know until we go to chat with them. But we have done alot of research with this company and they are HFEA regulated and all donors imported into the UK are anonymous until the child turns 18. There are only a certain percentage online which are contactable donors, as in europe they still have fully 100% anon donors avail!

You can get alot of information from them, though to import if I recall would be expensive, but might be worth it, and another month to save    

L
xxx



/links


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## nismat (Mar 7, 2005)

I am really shocked at just how much LWC are putting up their prices, they were already one of the most expensive clinics around, even before the price rise! I wonder just how they justify these prices, or is it a case of "if we build it, they will come" and they think that they'll get clients anyway, regardless of the price. 
In your position(s) I would really seriously investigate other clinics (and importing sperm if necessary), as even though it may add more time on to an already long wait to start TTC, at least you won't be at the mercy of quite such a money-grabbing enterprise! (I say this as a reasonably satisfied former client of LWC, but I think that they are taking the p*ss now with their charges, it's appalling). 
I did some research into comparative prices (for IUI) at different clinics a few weeks back, which I posted on Gingerbeer. Will have to see if I can find it!


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## nismat (Mar 7, 2005)

This is the research I did on 13 June (so doesn't include correct figures for LWC, and others may also have changed; still interesting comparison though):

"The costs for treatment at LWC have inspired me to do some fee research! LWC definitely seem to charge more than anyone else for treatment. Costs below are for stimulated/monitored IUI cycles, and generally don't include the HFEA fee of £52 which is compulsory (it is included in the costs for a few clinics). I've used the prices on the websites, so it may not be the most up-to-date costs in all cases.

LWC: IUI inc donor sperm £1395; of which £550 is cost of sperm, £845 for IUI

Bridge: IUI £717 (£675 for IUI, £42 sperm prep fee), plus cost of donor sperm

Bourn Hall Cambridge: IUI w donor sperm, £1100 (£600 without donor sperm). They have a "family reservation fee" of £1600 for donor sperm, which guarantees you use of that donor until you either achieve pregnancy or stop treatment, in which latter case the fee is refunded.

Nurture Nottingham; £600 for IUI, plus cost of donor sperm (£600+ if buying from them)

Guys: £700, plus cost of donor sperm, includes HFEA fee (£400 for natural cycle IUI, plus donor sperm cost)

Homerton: £400 plus cost of donor sperm, includes HFEA fee (it's not entirely clear if this is for stimulated cycle or natural, but is only IUI cost listed so probably for stim cycle). Mega cheap!!

Glasgow Centre for reproductive medicine: £702 (inc HFEA fee), plus cost of donor sperm

Manchester Fertility Services: £1125 including sperm cost (includes non-refundable £100 donor reservation fee); there is a separate listing for Ovulation Induction + IUI-D at £1485; I wasn't sure if this was for a stim cycle and therefore the initial cycle was for a natural cycle. In which case, this is the only clinic more expensive than LWC.


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## BaT (Oct 16, 2008)

LWC told me the other day that they had researched three clinics local to them and had put there prices up in line with the other clinics!! I really didn't buy this explantation at the time and defiantly don't now!!!! If I hadn't be so psyched for this cycle (and hadn't just had my Day 3 scan!) then I think I would have not done it with the price rise.  We also want to have sibling sperm but think it is going to be bl**dy expensive now!!!

When LWC sperm bank was shut last month, we looked into other options including a local clinic which we didn't even know existed until then.  DW and I talked about it last night and this will defiantly be our last cycle with LWC.  We were going to have a break after this cycle anyway (if we don't get a BFP), until we get our NHS funded cycles.  If the NHS cycles don't work then we won't be going back to LWC but instead sign up with our local clinic.    

DW always gets a bottle of water everytime she goes to LWC as 'we are paying for it!' so said she will def be getting her fill of bottles of water now.

B x


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## kelz2009 (Jan 18, 2009)

Pink- so sorry hun they are moving the goal post for you and ur dp, I really dont think they know how desperate we are to get started. Hope results all come back soon  . 

The lwc is unfair changing the prices like that  . They must think we got buckets full of money   

I go to lwc in wales, which is a lot cheaper, but I was asking dp how much in total we had spent on tx and she said approx £3600  .
We havent yet asked about sibling sperm and not sure if we are able to do this now as they got our sperm from different clinic  . I hope they can  

BaT - my dp always makes use of the water and coffee lol, as soon as we go in she heads straight for that area


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## Pinktink (Dec 17, 2008)

Hey everyone, it's Amber 

Just want to say thank-you so much for all your lovely and kind words of support, it really means a lot to us, coming from people that really understand this whole TTC madness!   

We're feeling much better about it all today. The price thing still really sucks but there's nothing we can do about it *siiiigh*. We've decided to just stick it out, it's only a little bit longer and we'll just hope the bloods hurry up!  

I also feel that we can't let our recipient down, the nurse told us yesterday how she rings up all the time and is really really excited, which makes me feel awful for moaning  

Thanks again everyone you are all fab and lovely  xxx


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## lesbo_mum (Dec 22, 2008)

Awww guys that sucks.. LWC are naughty how can they justify those prices   

Amber    i really do hope those bloods turn up soon and you can get started!


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## welshginge (Jul 12, 2009)

Hey everyone, not sure where you all are but if in the Midlands check out Leicester Fertility Clinic (part of Leicester Royal Infirmary). Lovely people & not too pricey (I think - no expert though). Totally understand where you are all coming from, the cost is so high & it really doesn't seem fair.


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## cutelittlepumpkin (Nov 1, 2007)

Kelz- Add a zero to that figure and you'll be closer to what we have spent to get the boys!! Of course they are worth every penny! And it was only about £800 for DIUI including   and HFEA when we started at LWC!  

Shows how long we been at this TTC malarkey! 

***** Mum- LWC know people are desperate, so can charge what they like, after all we are testament that if you are desperate you will pay, what ever the cost, as DW has just said we would have paid double if need be, and we are just normal working class people!

Defiantely not rich! Especially not now!  

CLP


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## kelz2009 (Jan 18, 2009)

clp- your boys are definetely worth every penny you have spent, I was a little naive to how much ttc can cost my dp was aware of all prices etc.... I just concentrated on tx and my dp paid for tx. I wouldnt have stopped if I had bfn I would carry on going until we had what we wanted. 
We are just working class too   My dp is a teacher and im a nursery supervisor- so only average money coming in to our home lol x


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## cutelittlepumpkin (Nov 1, 2007)

Yep I'm Nurse and DW is a Care Assistant, so know what you mean about income! Dylan is currently watching DW do wii fit and giggling away! And we brought toys, doh silly us! Defiantely worth every penny!   

ghghll'ppkkp, sorry that was Dylan agreeing!   LOL (Thomas is asleep)

So stage two TTC madness to begin in the new year, DW and my frosties!

CLP


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