# Anyone had GIFT ??



## lucymorgan (Nov 2, 2007)

Hi, i'm new to this and have just had my first set of results from UCH ACU.  I would really appreciate to hear from anyone who has had GIFT.

I have a 3 year old son and got pregnant but miscarriaged twice last year and now find that I am sub fertile.  As I am 41 (42 in July) I wasn't expecting the best results but do feel very gutted that its worse that i thought and that even IVF isn't seen as a good option.  I have been told I can have ivf but my chances are higher with GIFT and that the success rate is 20% at UCH.  I am going down the GIF route but its hard as there are no stats on this and it doesn't seem a popular treatment.  Part of me (the cynical part) wonders if their recommendation is so their stats stay high. I do really like the  doctor I saw and was given the option.

Also does anyone know the best place to get fertility drugs in London ?

Lucy


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## petdowe (Mar 17, 2006)

Hi Lucy ,
Welcome hun to FF i really dont know the answer to your question as i aint ever heard of GIFT to be honest with you but
I would like to wish you  my fingers crossed for you hun keep me posted take care nicky xxx
Ps Sorry i was'nt much  chick...


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## INCONCEIVABLE (May 1, 2007)

Lucy, 

I also was at the same clinic and was not allowed to do ivf due to slightly elevated fsh 10.9 and was advised to do gift.  Gift does not count towards the stats and the uch always recommends gift to people who are not text book cases...  Go to the Lister or the ARGC.  If you have got slightly raised fsh go to the lister as you haven't got the time to test fsh on a monthly basis and the ARGC won't treat you unless your fsh is below 11 or 10.  

  The Lister treats a lot of older ladies and don't bar them from treatment regardless of the fsh.  You are right to be cynical and gift is an outdated procedure no longer used in the STates for example.  Why would you have an operation under ge when you can have an ivf?  Your odds are not higher with the gift procedure and it is emotionally far more taxing to have an operation.  

I wish I had asked for a 2nd opinion myself.  They advised me to do 3 ius and then gift and I thought that other clinics would refuse me treatment, too so I stuck with them until I got the donor egg speech 6 months down the line. 

I panicked after the initial consultation, but DR Serhal told me that he can get me pregnant, so that calmed me down and I stayed with them.  I can't even begin to describe how much I regretted my decision as every month is important when you are subfertile... 

I also wish they had done my amh test at the beginning i/o after 4 treatment cycles.  This will give you much better idea of your ovarian potential than Ovarian stress reserve test that they do at the beginning and charge £200 for.  It costs £ 75 and can be done on any day of your cycle.  Also they will let you have gift only if you have more than 5 follies. I had 4 in Jan and they didn't allow me to proceed so I had IUI instead.  At the ARGC I had 3 follies and was allowed to proceed..  Unfortunately, I was not successful but at least i didn't have an operation to go through.  

I would definitely go to a different clinic...  Also what if it doesn't work? Are you going to have one operation after another. Dr Serhal told me that I can have up to 4 operations.  I can't believe how stupid I was to even contemplate it.


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

A collaegaue of mine had IVF and then GIFT at UCH (BFN's) but has since conceived with a different partner and fertility treatment in her mid 40's.  It seems like it is something UCH opts for.
L x


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## bookworm2 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hello, this is the first time I have posted here. I was very interested to hear your thoughts re: GIFT and UCH. I am currently on my tww following our third cycle of IUI. 

1st 2 cycles were 50mg Chlomid
3rd 100 mg chlomid together with 20mg injections daily of Clexane and 20mgs of Pregnisolone following the IUI (I've also had 3 early miscarriages following natural conception - one a mmc at 12 weeks - over the past two years. They think I may have immune issues, although the usual tests came back negative.)

Dr Ranieri was talking to us about trying GIFT next if this IUI cycle is unsuccessful. In June, immediately following my last miscarriage, I had an FSH level of 10.1 (it had been 6.4 six months earlier, so I was pretty gutted that it had gone up so swiftly). Is this why he is suggesting GIFT? He sounded very negative about the possibility of IVF because of the 'delicate' state of my eggs. I don't know what to think now. Obviously, I hope we've been lucky this time (we had 3 big follicles and a good sample from DH) but I am anxious.  (I'm 40 by the way; DH 36)

I'm sorry not to have helped, Lucy, but it seems we are quite close in terms of decisions about further treatment. Have you had any further thoughts following everyone else's comments?
S


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## lucymorgan (Nov 2, 2007)

Hi bookworm2.  After they suggested GIFT and I got home and had time to think about it and reasearch who did it I was very concerned.  Everyone seems to have IVF at least on these boards or IUI or clomid.  It felt strange that there weren't more people talking about it.  I was concerned  that as I was possibly a low probability case they were offering me something that wasn't measured.  I was really wound up and anxious for a week.  I spoke again to the doctor at the UCH and she said it wasn't done in more places as it was very specailised and required a lot of skill.  They've been doing it for 15 years and carry out circa one GIFT procedure every 2 weeks.  I do need to get there success rates.  I also found a thread of a woman who had triplets (very rare) following GIFT and that made me feel better.  I have decided to go with it and if I need more fertility treatments after I can change my mind and even change clinics.  They also haven't said I cant have IVF they just think I have more chances this way.  I guess also I know i've conceived before so am not too concerned about the egg and sperm fertilising.  If it is to be my body can do that bit as it has done before.  It makes more sense that its more natural and if your sub optimum (I should set up a group) it hopefully gives you a better chance.  My FSH levels are fine its my AMH that is low.  Not sure what the difference between the 2 is.

Hope that helps Lucy xx


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## bookworm2 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi Lucy,

Thanks so much for this. It does help. I haven't had the ovarian stress test yet so although I have a relatively recent FSH level (through the NHS post miscarriage), I don't yet know what my AMH level is. I think Dr Ranieri was suggesting GIFT in anticipation of a poor result, given my age and my miscarriage history. Having said that, like you, we have conceived naturally three times now, although we haven't had a child yet, and all of the tests for the common causes of miscarriage came back negative, so he seems to think that there's no obvious reason why we shouldn't be able to conceive this way (GIFT). He seemed to think we'd have a better chance than with IVF, but it's hard not to let cynical thoughts creep in re: clincs stats. 

Hearing of your experiences, and the answers they gave has helped to clarify our thoughts. We'll see what the results of the stress test are and if they still think GIFT is a good idea, we'll probably try it once and then may think about changing clinics if they aren't keen on IVF.

I feel a bit like I'm jumping the gun because I don't yet know that it hasn't worked this time, but I'm getting that familiar cramping feeling, so I'll be surprised if it has. Feeling very emotional, but the steroids probably aren't helping that!

Thanks again for replying and good luck with your treatments.
S x


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## lucymorgan (Nov 2, 2007)

Bookworm2

thought i'd let you know my good news - I have a BFN  !!!!!  So GIFT is absolutely great in my eyes.

Lucymorgan xx


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