# Newbie-Should I Get 2nd Opinion?



## Emsloon (Mar 30, 2005)

Hello all
I just joined today & it couldn't have come at a better time, me finding this site 
I had 2 bfn IVF cycles, then a third, which was a bfp, but m/c at 6/7 wks, then had a further 3 FET's, which were all bfn's.
I respond really well to the drugs with no bad side effects & DP has what they call 'super swimmers', which makes him grin from ear to ear of course!
The reason we have IVF is I only have one tube & that one is damaged, due to Ectopic in 01.
Clinic have always told us we are ideal candidates for IVF working, but as it still hasn't we asked at the follow up appointment if there were any tests which can be carried out to find out why it isn't working.
I have looked on other websites for other clinics & the majority of them seem to offer some sort of testing either before or after IVF & I am just a little worried, as is my DP if our clinic is really only just bothered about our money rather than our baby.
We use a clinic in the Southampton are, would be interested in hearing from anyone else using a clinic in this area?
I would also like to know if anyone thinks it would be worth our while having a consultation with another clinic, which for us would mean a trip to London, I was thinking of the Hammersmith Hospital, so any advice will be gratefully received 
Many thanks everyone
Emsloon


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## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi Emsloon,

I would definitely look for a second opinion. I don't know anything about the Hammersmith, but I do know that the ARGC do extensive testing. You might have immune issues and I know they are pretty hot on those. 

Good luck with whatever you choose to do,

Holly


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## Emsloon (Mar 30, 2005)

Hi Holly

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for your reply to my post about clinics. After a bit of research & lots of advise from some lovely people like your self I think I have decided to with the ARGC, even though it will mean a lot of travelling for us.
So thanks again, good luck with your journey
Ems
xx


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## Dydie (Feb 11, 2005)

Hi Em
we have already spoken about this between ourselves and I will keep you informed about Salisbury, but I would also be interested to hear your thoughts on ARGC, I have been put off at the thought of travelling to London day in day out but I guess it's a small price to pay for success
Keep in Touch and you are definitely right going elsewhere  
Dydie xx


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## crocodile (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi Holly and everyone,

Sorry to hear about your lack of success…I have only one failed tx under my belt and that was bad enough…

Before I went into our first tx I was a total ignoramous and believed that all clinics were pretty much the same, but through my own experiences and also through the generosity of people on this site I know so much more..

We have now decided to move the the ARGC for our next tx after our wedding/honeymoon later this month and had our initial consultation with them on Monday.  Before this I joined the ARGC thread on the ICSI board which all ARGC patients post on and everyone has been really helpful so I pretty much knew what to expect before we went along the other day..

What has impressed me about them is that it isn’t a case of one drug regime fits all approach, each tx is tailored toward the individual and there is constant monitoring.

Instead of being issued with a prescription for your tx and then having scans every other day (as was the case in my last clinic) you have blood tests each day  between 08:30 – 10:30 and then you are phoned each afternoon to say what medication you should take depending on what your hormone levels are, this can mean swapping meds from one drug to another or increasing and decreasing dosages which in turn means you can’t get all drugs up front so may work out expensive.  Sometimes you could be called back to the clinic the same day for a scan or another blood test, so you have to be able to get back if needs be.

Also when you are ready for EC then it is done and you are not allowed to ‘overcook’ just to fit in with their timetables (which I suspect may have happened to me last time). The ARGC will do EC on Saturday Sunday, they even did them on boxing day!! Whenever they are needed.

The cost of ICSI and IVF is the same as my last clinic but the overall cost is more expensive because of the constant blood tests and monitoring and as I mentioned before you can’t order your drugs in bulk as you don’t know what you need from one day to the next.

I will also have to have a hysterscopy (this is not always the case but most people do) where a camera is inserted into the womb to see if there is anything which may interfere in implantation like Polyps, fibroids, scar tissue etc. and helps them see the best place to put back the embryos.

There is a myth that ARGC only takes on perfect cases and will not treat you with a high FSH, but this isn’t the case.  They take on some of the most difficult cases and invest a lot of time and money in investigating implantation and immune problems and work in connection with a clinic in Chicago. 

We are starting a monitored cycle in mid May which means having blood tests to test FSH LH and E2 levels and then a scan prior to starting tx to show how my body reacts on a normal month, this will highlight any issues i.e progesterone levels or high E2 levels an ovulation problems etc, before we embark on an expensive drug induced cycle.  Providing this is ok then we will start the following month but only if when my day 2 bloods are taken my FSH is under 10, if it isn’t then I will have to sit that month out and be retested, cos they believe in waiting for the right hormone results before starting treatment.

All of this makes so much sense to me…of course there are a lot of clinics out there including my last one, who have a tried and tested method that seems to work for 1 in 4 patients and they seem to be happy with this result, but for those of us that make op the 3 in 4 where the tx hasn’t work or continues not to work, we want something a bit more hands on and more creative, in more than one sense of the word.

I hope this helps for those of you who are thinking of moving elsewhere to know a little of what to expect if you move to the ARGC, especially those who will have to do a lot of travelling.  I have not touched on all the tx the ARGC do on immunity testing etc. as we don’t (as far as I know ) have this sort of problem, so I can’t advise you on this .  But if you want to know more there are plenty of people on the ARGC thread that can advise you of this or other more specific treatments and they are a really very helpful bunch

Good luck

Croc


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## Emsloon (Mar 30, 2005)

Dydie-I sent you a private e-mail today & I know what you mean about the travelling, but hopefully it will be worth it eh?!  

Croc-Wow, what a fountain of info you are, you little star you   Thank you so, so much it has been a huge help & I think the travelling will be very difficult, especially if it is daily, but hopefully it will be worth it. I will certainly look at the ARGC girls link for some more info. Good luck to you with your treatment, fingers crossed for BFP

Thanks girls
Em
xxx


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