# Exclusive egg donation at CARE Nottingham



## Poppybean81

Hi, we are looking at options for our 2nd cycle of DE IVF and I am interested to know if any one has used the exclusive egg donation option at CARE Nottingham (or any other clinic offering this) and what your experience was of using it? 

At £10000 a pop we want to make sure we get it right!

Thanks PB


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## KTHB

Hi Poppybean 
I have just got my BFP having used an exclusive donor at Sheffield.  Our amazing donor gave us 12 eggs, 11 of which fertilised.  We had 2 transferred and have 8 frozen which is an amazing result and has given me loads of positivity throughout the cycle.  With such good results I feel a bit greedy as another couple could possibly also have benefitted, but obviously you never know how many you are going to get.  We just decided to give ourselves the best chance and it also reduced the stress of co-ordinating another recipients cycle.  It has been a very positive experience for me but it is also very expensive, although the cost at Sheffield and I assume Nottingham as well have reduced from last year. The way I looked at it was that it is cheaper than having 2 shared cycles.
Happy to answer any questions you've got but good luck, I'm sure you'll make the right decision for you. 
xx


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## Poppybean81

Thank you for your reply xx

Many congratulations KTHB that is wonderful news! Thats a fantastic number of eggs and frozen embryos,  having those frozen embryos must have really taken the pressure off on your 2ww. When is your scan?

Have you been through many cycles to get to this stage? 

We had a shared go on the nhs and we got given four eggs from which only 1 was good enough to be transferred, we would like to give ourselves more of a chance to get some frozen embryos.  There are no guarentees and we are so lucky that there are these amazing donors out there.

I wasn't aware that the prices have been reduced,  do you mind me asking how much you paid in total? Were you able to request a "proven" donor? Did you have to pay the £450 fee to join the donor waiting list?

Sorry for all of the questions!  Wishing you lots of luck in your pregnancy xx


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## KTHB

Thank you PB

Don't worry about asking questions, it is a big decision to make.  This is our 7th cycle, but first one with DE and my 3rd pregnancy.  So a bit anxious as have been through some heartbreaking times but currently all good.  And yes you're right, knowing we had 8 frozen did really take the pressure off.  We have a scan booked in 3 weeks so praying that we get that far.

The cost of an exclusive cycle at Care last year was at least £9000, I can't remember the exact amount but it is now £7,900 and you have the cost of the drugs, possible extended culture, freezing and embryoscope if you want to use it on top so it does quickly add up and is likely to end up about £10K.  I think you always have to pay the £450 fee

We did request a proven donor and Care were quite happy with that.  If you have any doubts about the donor you are offered then please discuss it with the co-ordinator as it is a massive decision. The donors are amazing women and I have a huge amount of admiration, awe and respect for all of them but equally this will be your child and you have to be completely comfortable.  It takes a lot of emotion, energy and money out of you and you need to be sure.  

I wish you all the luck in the world xx


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## dizzy_blonde_2

So glad I read this. Just waiting for our first consultation at CARE Nottingham for DE IVF and didn't realise we could request a proven donor, so bit happier now!

Like Poppybean said, it's so much money, and trying to decide if you've got the right clinic is a nightmare.

I've heard good things about CARE, and as this will be our first and last try, I think we've made the right decision.

Good luck with your pregnancy KTHB, and good luck with our next cycle Poppybean, keep me posted how it goes.

Sending you both   xxx


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## dizzy_blonde_2

So, we've got our first consult at clinic on Tuesday afternoon!

As this is almost our last chance, we've definitely decided to go down the exclusive donor route, and anything else they think will maximise our chances!

It's a lot of money, but hopefully, this way we can get enough for transfer and freezing! 

It still works out cheaper than 2 shared cycles in the end, and if we need it we've got the option of FET later in the year.

Excited and positive Dizzy!!!


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## KTHB

Good luck Dizzy Blonde, hope you get matched quickly and get started

xx


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## dizzy_blonde_2

Just had our first consult at Care Nottingham!!!

Just know now that we made the right decision 

Mr Lowe is lovely! Explained at a level we could understand and talked to us like human beings....some consultants I've seen just talk down to you!

I honestly believe this clinic can give an oldie like me, the highest possible chance using exclusive donation and their new embryo culture extended culture technique.  Yes I know it's a lot of money, but what price a healthy baby when at the moment we can't have one!!!

I know I'm gushing a bit, but I'm excited at the prospect of starting in a couple of months, and know we've made the right decision.

Hope this helps anyone who's not sure right now!

Good luck all

Xxx


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## Poppybean81

Hi KTHB - have been thinking about you and wondering how you are getting on in your pregnancy?

Dizzy Blonde - That's great news that you've decided to go exclusive with NOTTS! Wishing you lots of luck when your time comes!! I too have chosen to go with the exclusive option at NOTTS and have requested a proven donor although they said they cannot guarantee this. Mr Lowe is very nice and when we went for our review he was very sympathetic although couldn't tell us a reason why it hadn't worked....

xx


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## KTHB

Hi PoppyBean, thanks for thinking of me and glad you have made a decision that you are happy with.

DizzyBlonde - I love how excited you are.

Sadly I have miscarried and it has been a difficult 3 weeks, feels like forever ago that I was so excited about my BFP    Was absolutely devastated but am starting to feel a little better and went back to work today although I cried every time anybody spoke to me  

Having been through this before, I feel much more positive about the future this time round and I know that is because of my frosties.  It's too soon to make any decisions yet but knowing they are there when we are ready gives me some reasurance so exclusive donor was the right choice for us.

I wish you both all the luck with your cycles, maybe we'll all end up cycling together.

xxx


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## Poppybean81

Oh KTBH I am so sorry to hear what happened with your pregnancy, it must have been heart breaking for you.

Glad you are feeling better now and can start to think about the future. You have got a good number of frosties and I wish you all the luck in the world with your ongoing journey.

Lots of love
xx


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## KTHB

Thanks Poppy Bean, been a really difficult time but it does get easier.

Hope you get matched quickly and are successful in achieving your dreams 
xx


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## dizzy_blonde_2

Oh KTHB, I'm so sorry to hear your sad news   

I'm so glad you are feeling better and I think you're right, having the frosties makes t a little easier to deal with.

Take your time, get totally well and I wish you every bit of luck I possibly can for your next cycle    ^reiki

Xxx


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## KTHB

Thanks Dizzy Blonde, wishing you loads of luck too

xx


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## KevC

Hi.

My partner and I are considering using a DE.  Could someone please explain to me if I am reading this topic right? The OP basically freezes 10 eggs. Are they to be used in case the first cycle doesn't work and they are frozen to be reserved for future cycles?  

At 10K what is the benefit of doing this and opposed to repeat cycles using say 3 donor eggs? I'm obviously missing something so could someone please explain? Thanks


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## Lil Elvis

Hi Kev,

The difference between a shared and an exclusive DE cycle is in the name. With a shared cycle this is either someone undergoing IVF who agrees to donate half of her eggs to a recipient in return for a a large reduction in the cost of her own treatment, or two recipients sharing the eggs from an altruistic donor (some clinics will split the eggs between 3 recipients). An exclusive cycle would be with an altruistic donor and the recipient would receive all of the eggs from the cycle. The benefits would be as follows:

- more embryos would give a better chance of extending the culture to the blastocyst stage, which generally has higher success rates than transfer of embryos at an earlier developmental stage.
- a higher likelihood of having good quality embryos to freeze. Not all embryos are of a good enough quality to freeze, so the more embryos in total the greater the chance of having some suitable for freezing. Sadly DE is not a guarantee of first time success - my own fresh cycle failed, but our daughter was born as a result of using our frozen embryos.
- a subsequent frozen cycle is only about £1500, so the combined price would be cheaper than 2 fresh donor cycles

Hope this helps.

Caroline


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## Rumi88

Could anyone tell me which clinics in the UK offer exclusive egg donation cycles? (all the eggs of a woman's cycle?)


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