# Do i stay or go abroad Cheap IVF in UK



## hopeleeds (Nov 8, 2014)

we have been trying for a baby for 4 years now in that time we have had two chemical pregnancies i am now beginning to loose all hope and now have no option to go down the IVF route. I am 41 and have no children nether does my partner

I am under seacroft hospital in Leeds and had every test going and nothings been found wrong with myself or my partner Seacroft wont fund any IVF at all and said we have to pay 5k which is so expensive even thou on the NICE website and NHS website it states that women between 40 - 42 should be allowed one cycle free but Leeds have their own rules and just want your money and in between appointments we have had up to 6 months wait for our next appointment

I have been looking at going to the Kaali Institute in Budapest its so much cheaper £1500 and they have great reviews ideally i would like to stay in the UK does anyone know of any places that do IVF at a good price its so expensive this baby lark thank you for any help or advice all and good luck with all your dreams xxx


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## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm sorry you are having a difficult time  

It's your local CCG that decides how to interpret the NICE guidelines, not the Clinic, and sadly very few CCGs seem to adhere to the recommendations.

A good place to look for local clinics is ****. You can then have a look at their individual websites for prices. There are some clinics/organisations that do IVF packages or payment plans, if you have a google you will be able to find them: e.g. Pay up front for several cycles at a reduced rate.

If you are thinking of going abroad I would recommend you look at the regional threads. Many people travel abroad for cheaper treatment - mostly to Europe due to the reduced flying time. You do need to factor travel costs in - if you have to fly at short notice the costs can be quite high. If you have a look at that section you will see the popular places, and again a lot of them have their prices are on their websites.

Good luck xxx


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## bombsh3ll (Apr 19, 2012)

Hi hopeleeds,

Sorry you have found yourself here  .

If you are beyond the age limit for egg sharing and cannot get any free IVF attempts on the NHS, then unfortunately there is not much option for cheap IVF in the UK.

I have done two cycles abroad and personally would recommend this for a number of reasons as well as price - clinics abroad tend to favour the more modern approach of Cetrotide to downregulate which shortens the duration of treatment by weeks as well as reducing the risk of OHSS, whereas many UK clinics are still using Buserelin. Also the number of embryos you are allowed to have put back is greater eg. 3 in most of Europe, 4 in Greece and Turkey, whereas it is limited to 1 or 2 in the UK.

Remember when going abroad to factor in the cost of flights, accommodation, additional scans you may need to get in the UK etc not just the headline price. It can still work out cheaper.

One thing I wouldn't recommend from personal experience is self-funding at an NHS clinic. You end up paying almost the same as private prices for NHS treatment, that is very much a one-size fits all, factory-line style approach with no individualization of care or accountability as you see a different person every time.

If you are paying for IVF in the UK, you may as well get the benefit of care in a completely private clinic.

Good luck with your next steps,

B xxx


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## Moldog (Jan 20, 2013)

Hi I've done something called joint care which is private treatment, I see a consultant at Thornbury hospital Sheffield he does all my scans and decides on my drugs then I go to Jessops acu Sheffield for the actual ivf.
My treatment has been about £3400 per cycle including drugs but obviously the drugs required could make it more expensive. 
Good luck with whatever you decide to do xx


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## bk2013 (Aug 15, 2013)

hi *hopeleeds*

sorry to hear of your difficulties.

i thought i would just send a quick message to say that we looked at IVF in the UK (Hull) but decided due to the cost we would look abroad.
i had family living in Bulgaria and they pointed me in the direction of Dr Sariev in Varna (east coast of bulgaria).
i spoke with him over skype for several months and in february this year came over for 3 weeks for treatment.
price was in bulgarian lev which made the cost of everything so much cheaper.
it cost us approx £2000 for 1 cycle of IVF. flights cost me about £500 but i stayed with family so only had to pay for food.

however hotels in varna are not excessively expensive.

i am currently in bulgaria again just starting to wait a 2nd cycle of IVF.

the IVF clinic in the maternity hospital is extremely clean and some staff do speak english. the price we paid covered the cost of IVF and medication and scans and blood tests.

if you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

bec


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## hopeleeds (Nov 8, 2014)

thank you everyone for your replies just weighing all our options up now but i think we are defo going to go abroad due to the price how silly is it that you cant have IVF where you live due to costs its terrible.  I have had a few emails from the doctor in Budapest and weighed up prices of flights etc and its still less than half the price of here 

Bec i will look at the clinic you have mentioned too good luck with your second round X


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## Cloudy (Jan 26, 2012)

We have an Eastern Europe section - it isn't a very busy board, but there are a few posts over the years about Kaali which might be interesting to read:

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=512.0

Good luck xxx


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## DannyG (Oct 31, 2014)

@hopeleeds, 
My partner and I decided to go to Greece ourself as we weren't able to do in the UK because of her age, 50,
We went to embio and they were really good, The first treatment cost $5000 which is about £3000, but unfortunately this was unsuccessful and we had a 2nd attempt which they did a discount for us. Thankfully this was successful and we're now expecting triplets,
Flights and hotel were reasonable to Greece and we had a weeks holiday in the sun so the costs weren't too bad in the end.
Of course if you're successful on the first attempt it would work out cheaper,

Best of luck


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