# Clinic hunting - where to start?!



## cm75 (Feb 9, 2013)

Hi,

I'm very new to all this. I have no idea what half the acronyms mean in the threads I've looked at so far!

I'm 37, single and looking for some help in a) deciding whether to freeze my eggs or b) go for donor sperm and (if successful) freeze a/some embryos. Or maybe a combination of both..?

Have researched a few clinics (I'm in London) and finding it's like comparing oranges with apples as they list services/drugs/prices so differently. I can't afford to go to each for a consultation at £150 - £250 a pop.

Would really appreciate any help from anyone who's been through the same process.

Thanks


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## suitcase of dreams (Oct 7, 2007)

hello cm75 and welcome   
hopefully natclare will be along soon as she has recent experience of freezing eggs vs embryos. As I understand it, the chances of success later are much higher with frozen embryos than with frozen eggs (egg freezing is a much newer and less tried/tested technique) so that may sway you in one direction
as for clinics, to be completely honest, they are much of a muchness in many ways. yes, they all publish slightly different success rates, but statistics are only ever averages anyway and no guarantee of your own individual chances of success
costs also much of a muchness in London I think (although I have not looked into this recently I have to admit - but I recall when I did my research some years back if you added up the 'extras' at some clinics, it meant their total costs were similar to other places which looked more expensive but actually just put all the costs into one
unfortunately there isn't much of a short cut with the clinic research, just kind of just have to go through them all, make a short list of the ones which sound most likely to suit you and then maybe give them a call intially before committing to a consultation
couple of things to bear in mind - you will need to visit them quite regularly so one which is close to work or home is a good idea. if you decide to go with donor sperm, check if they have sperm bank of their own (eg LWC) or whether you need to import (eg Lister, CRM) - it's not necessarily a problem to import but can work out more expensive and does put the onus on you to deal with overseas sperm bank
LWC run Inseminars which are short intro sessions and if you attend you usually get half price consultation. Personally I am not a fan of LWC, but the inseminars are free so worth going along even if you don't go ahead with the consultation
Lister has a good reputation, as does CRM. so they are good ones to start with perhaps?
am sure others who have had tx (treatment) more recently in the UK will be along to offer help and advice soon
meantime best of luck   
Suitcase
x


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## indekiwi (Dec 23, 2008)

Hi CM75!

Thought you might find the following thread useful - it's a list of acronyms commonly used on FF: http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=190482.msg2945198#msg2945198

I had tx (treatment) at London Fertility Centre (Devonshire Place / Street) and CRM London (Marylebone). I had a good experience at both, though neither are known specifically for treating single women. LFC used to do occasional information evenings so worth asking. However, though I never went elsewhere, I suspect both are quite pricy compared to certain other clinics.

NatClare is the person in the know re freezing eggs vs embryos and is currently posting on the IVF thread. There is also a thread on an earlier page of the single women's board started by a lady (earthmama?) who froze her eggs a while back - suggest you might find it informative.

Good luck!

A-Mx


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## Diesy (Jul 19, 2010)

Hi CM75,

I went on a visit to my local clinic and had a chat with a nurse, there was no charge.  I ended up getting my AMH tested (to see how my egg reserve was) and had a scan where they looked at my ovaries and that did cost but it was a spur of the moment thing.  I'd have a good read of the boards and keep posting questions till you find somewhere you are happy with.  I would freeze embryos rather than eggs if I was going to freeze because I haven't liked the look of the stats on eggs alone.

Good luck  
Diesy


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## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

my thoughts (may not help but hope they do) 

1) paying £250 for a consultation with a clinic you end up not using might seem like a lot, but compared to the cost of IVF cycles it's a drop in the ocean, and could be money well spent if the advice is good. i'm £15k down (and a year of my life gone) after 2 privately funded IVF cycles, and right now, whether i'd spent an extra £250 here or there really doesn't seem so much. don't rule out getting advice from more than one clinic just to save a couple of hundred now, because in the long run it might be cheaper than ending up at the wrong place.

2) don't underestimate things like convenience to get to a clinic or rapport with the staff.. you might have to go many times! some people are much better at travelling than others. i was grateful when i had to go for scans that i wasn't going far.

3) it's flown by since i was 37.. i remember being that old and panicking, and still panicking at 38, 39, 40, 41.. 42...
right now i'd give anything to have another 5 years with my children. (if i get to have any) 

IVF might not work first time, or second time.. please don't put off having a child if you are able to have one now, because it could get too late before you realise, and even once you say ok 'now i'm ready', it could take months or years.. it's not like you can freeze an embryo and then just get it out like a ready meal. Having frosties ( frozen embryos) in the bank doesn't give you any guarantees, although it's reassuring compared to not having any, if you keep waiting for the right time to defrost them it might never seem to come, or they might just not survive defrosting. 

4) freezing - storage costs will be around £500-£600 so allow for that in your budget. 

5) good luck with whatever you decide! definitely worth getting your ovaries scanned and AMH tested.


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## cm75 (Feb 9, 2013)

Thank you so much for all this info - it's really really useful and I'm so grateful  

I'm hoping to make a decision about what to do in the next couple of months but having heard what you think and looking at the stats I think that the egg freezing option is possibly too risky so perhaps I'll go down the sperm-donation (embryo freezing route). 

Does anyone know what the (if there is such a thing) average cost of IVF (minus the insemination bit) generally costs in total? I've heard that it's about £5000 to £9000 which is a pretty vast difference!

I've been to see my GP and he's given me a list of blood tests I can have on the NHS which will hopefully help a little bit with costs.


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## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

the problem with average costs is it really might not represent what you actually pay. i think we've paid about 7k a cycle but i'm not sure. Mine is probably more expensive than average because i require high doses of the drugs (450 dose gonal F vs some people are only on say 225 dose) and the drug costs are a big percentage of the overall cost. you should be able to get an estimate from a clinic you are approaching, i would expect you to look for 3 parts of a quote, firstly there should be a base cost for treatment which ought to be a set amount, secondly there should be a drug cost - they will quote you for this part but you should be able to take a prescription from them and source the drugs elsewhere if you find them cheaper from another supplier. Thirdly check the costs of eg, extra scans, top up drugs etc... they should be able to give you an idea of price for these but you won't know at all what you will need til you get going. As an example i needed extra buserelin the second cycle i did, i think it was an extra £40.. something like that. 
Also allow for costs for things like travelling/time off work/buying bigger jeans because your belly's all swollen up/some people use hotel rooms if they aren't local to their treatment and have to be in the right place at the right time.. stuff like that all adds up.


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## ambergem (Feb 14, 2010)

Hi CM75

Goldbunny is absolutely right, I found lots of unexpected costs popping up during most of my cycles! I needed extra drugs for my lining issues which weren't factored in originally. I had to have all my embies frozen after both IVF cycles which added and extra £500 each time. Then there were all the train fares because I was travelling to London for tx which soon mounted up.

Good luck


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