# Argc



## kennypenny (Aug 15, 2008)

Hi everyone,

Hope everyone is having a great Halloween?!!!

Me and my partner having been looking for a surrogate and have found one!!!    And found one quicker than we thought!    Which is great news but we have not decided on a clinic yet!! We have been looking at the the HFEA site and found the ARGC (in London).

Has anyone used the ARGC full surrogacy programme? If so what was your experiance like? (Surrogates and IPS both opinions would be helpful)

What is the differece between a full surrogacy programme and a partial surrogacy programme?

Be safe everyone and thankyou for your time in advance.


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## beattie2 (Dec 30, 2005)

Hello kenny penny

Congrats on starting your surro journey. I don't have any personal experience of the ARGC but would think that they be a good choice of clinic- they seem to be pretty meticilous with monitoring etc

I think that full and partial surrogacy are just alternative terms for straight and host surrogacy . 

Don't know if any surros or intended parents on this board have had any personal exp of ARGC- may be someone else will have some more info for you

Best wishes

Bx


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## CarolynB (May 17, 2008)

Hello Kenny Penny

This is my 1st ever post on this site   although I have been reading here for some three years.

Just your post was pretty specific and my experience pretty recent so thought that I should comment.

So pleased that you have found a surro to help you on your journey.

We moved to ARGC for attempt 4 with my eggs, they have helped up whist we were having three rounds of donor tmt in Spain with my immune issues and now helped us with the final leg of our journey through surrogacy with my sister.

On the downside - they are very expensive, the monitoring is intense so you need to give over your life to them, you sometimes wait ages to be seen, it can seem chaotic, they can talk about your case in the reception room but

on the positive side - the stats are the best in the UK, the staff are all amazing, the monitoring is outstanding, they are prepared to consider tmts that other clinics will not consider, the cycle is personalised for you, 7 days a week so will do ET when best for you, drs do all the scans (not like other clinics I have been to), top consultants do ET, they get results

They have been amazing and failed to give up on our case even when me and my dh had every issue in the book.  I have nothing but wonderful things to say about them and I felt the same before we went their for our final journey when we had spent an awful lot of moeny to no avail.

They were sensitive to our surrogacy case.  Involved me and my sister appropriately.  She had to go there a lot.  This was a frozen cycle.  But she hads 10 visits before ET.  Another 9 visits between test day and 6 week scan in 2 weeks.  However, I am totally sure that allowed them to spot when her progesterone fell and take steps to ensure that she did not m/c.

I hope that this helps.  I love ARGC.  Hammersmith refused to put the eggs back to my sister and suggested back to me again, despite 7 failed tmts and 17 embryos which did not implant (probably) because of my immune issue.

I have no doubt that without ARGC, we would not have had a BFP ever.  They are the business.

Good Luck.
Carolyn


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## Amandajb (Sep 6, 2007)

Carolyn

I am really pleased that you have come forward to say these things.  

I too have used the ARGC (I was the surrogate), and although, as you say, they are 'hands on' and really do 'take over your life', they are the business.

They allowed me to use a local clinic for my 48 hourly beta blood tests so that saved a lot of time and money, although the results needed to be faxed over to them by 4pm latest so they could adjust hormone dosage the same day.

And yes, they are very expensive.  But, personally, I think far better to get it right first time than put you through numerous failed cycles, which together could potentially cost loads more.

Carolyn is right. They are high maintenance, expensive and occasionally chaotic - but they know their stuff.


Amanda


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## kennypenny (Aug 15, 2008)

Hi,

Thankyou to those for who replied to our post.   We have decided to give the ARGC a miss, why? Well quite simply when we spoke to them the mangement team said to us that they only help with surrogacy for clients that they have had for a long time and surrogacy is the last option for them. We have explained to them we have found a surrogate and surrogacy was the last and only option for us but they were not interested.  

So.. we have chosen the ACU @ UCH in London. They were very helpful, returned my call on the same day even though I had rang them early evening, website and literature they have sent out has alot of information and our appointment is on the 25/11/08. And there success rate is 60.1% for 2007.

Thanks again everyone, will update with regards to our appointment.


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## Grumpygirl (Oct 24, 2004)

Hi Kennypenny,
Best of luck for your treatment- I hope it all goes swimmingly. I just wanted to say there have been quite a few bfps through the LFC recently through Surrogacy UK and they might be worth a call too.

Giggly
xx


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## ♥JJ1♥ (Feb 11, 2006)

Good luck at UCH, in fact UCH just piped ARGC to the post with success rates for under 35's and IVF, they are inconsistent wtih who they treat I had 2 failed cycles at ARGC, they told me to go for surrogacy, I decided to go down a DE route first as Hammersmith Hosp consultant said it may work.  I asked ARGC would they look after me here and my immune issues and lining problems, they said no first off, but then I saw Mr T and a few months later and he siad yes.  

I went with them and the scanning equipment is old and awful to be honest- I had a wasted trip to Barcelona last month as there was a  cyst or something measuring 9mm the day before, so I turned up in Spain to have my DEIVF ET cycle cancelled.  My lining they said at ARGC was 3.9 mm and in fact was 5.5mm.  But I had to go to Spain as they didn't have the facility to email scans over for the Dr in Spain to see the lining herself and they don't keep any scans, so you cannot compare, I just had to fax over a sheet with the measurements and blood results. Also they are busy and even though I was there at 0700 in the morning as they said, I was always put to the back of the queue and all their IVF cyclers went first, but I was also paying for my scans, bloods and immunes!often not getting scanned till after 1000!
I now need surgery (going to Mr Trew privately at Hammersmith) and then hopefully back to get my 16 frozen eggs fertilised and ET!

L x


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## kennypenny (Aug 15, 2008)

Hi All,

Hope everyone is wrapping up warm it sooo cooold!!!  

Anyways just wanted everyone to know about our experiance today @ ACU London. It was our intial consultation and we really enjoyed our experiance.

At first when we walked into the waiting area it was full of Ladies and it had NHS type hospital feel?!! But the staff were very welcoming. The consultation with Paul went and he was very understanding and explained things clearly.( A very learned man as you would expect) While we were there I also had a ORT and CVM screening. Again the experiance was good!!    

All in all we went in feeling apprehensive, nervous and a admittedly a little scared but we left feeling positive and good.

So guys if you are looking for a clinic for IVF and/or surrogacy we would recommend ACU.


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