# IVF or IUI at MFS



## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi all on our bid for a baby we have had all our investigations met with the counsellor today and recieved our results which were fine sbd everything looks normal! Great news . The doctor said IVF is better option obviously much higher success rate than IUI but my partner is against it at first and thinks it will be too invasive and IUI is preferable . However at 12% chance of pregnancy with IUI Im more inclined towards IVF .... Also what do you make of these access fertility schemes ? The one we would use is over 11k plus extra £1k drugs per cycle but you get three attempts or your money back ..

Has anyone been in similar situation ?? What are your thoughts . We are both 34 gay couple xx


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

*Purple*, hi. We had treatment at mfs and went for the iui at first. For the same reason as you and also because if the iui didn't work we would then get funding for ivf from our ccg.
Even though it hasn't worked for us if I had to do it again I'd probably do it the same way round. Also in case you didn't know if you self fund any ivf cycles these will be taken away from your entitlement that the nhs fund, if any in your area.
Best of luck to you both. Xx


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

Purple 

I know we spoke on another thread but have you checked your CCG for funding? My area fund same sex couples but only if they can 'prove' infertility by having 6 tries at self funded iui/ai (in the same way a hetero couple would be expected to try naturally for x amount of months)

If there's no success you can be referred for ivf nhs, like jam says each self funded ivf cycle gets knocked off your nhs entitlement if you are entitled

So you def need to check out what your CCG will fund as it might make sense to pay for iui then access nhs ivf after? Its a tricky one isnt it

Call your CCG and ask them to send you the assisted conception criteria for your area before doing anything else 

L x


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi girls thanks for your replies !!  I haven't chrcked the CCG thing .. Do I need to go through my doctor for this and is there a long waiting list ? If you fund ivf for one partner does that also mean you are unable to get funding in the event the other partner would Like to get pregnant in future ( which we would like ) xxx


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

Once you have a child you lose your funding although you can use previous frozen ones (frozen transfers are classed as one cycle its just the fresh that counts) so if you're successful you can't access nhs afterwards as you don't qualify, if you have private and it fails those cycles are usually knocked off your nhs funding although if you are self funding then the opposite partner applied for funding who knows, good question, your details are registered with the HFEA when you cycle so they may say no but again its worth asking

Call your CCG tomorrow if you're not sure who you are under ring your GP surgery and ask them they will know, call and ask them for the assisted conception criteria for your area, mine emailed it in 5 minutes, there will be a section on same sex and donor treatment in it you should def get clued up before you pay for anything 

L xx


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi L
Thanks so much for such useful info, really appreciated.
Good luck in your own journey xx


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

*Purple*, we was told once we have a child together that's us done regarding funding, they're not really fussed who's had it just the fact that you've had one. 
They said if one of us had a child from a previous relationship then they would consider it, but if it was together then they wouldn't.
If you google the name of your ccg and 'ivf entitlement' something should come up. X


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

No probs, and thankyou  

Good luck! X


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

So I rang my Ccg it's 6 IUIS before we can go for IVF .... Does anyone know how long waiting lists are  I'm still confused to go for IUI or IVF  Is IUI just wasting time


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

It depends where you would be sent. Did they say?
Iui works for loads of people, I think some are just unlucky. X


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

http://www.traffordccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Eligibility-criteria-for-subfertility-treatment-1.pdf

I'm not sure I found this link above so as far as I can see am entitled to one IVF following 6 private IUIs ??


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

Seems that way yes. It really is pooh, we live about 10 minutes away and it's totally different. 
To do 6 iui's at mfs will be around £7,200, when we did the icsi I think that was around £6,000, maybe a bit more, on the nhs any frozen ones are included in a cycle too, they're not privately that was around £1,400. 
Xx


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

Ah really it's so tough !! Still undecided then on using all that money for one ivf or doing 6 IUIs !!!  Jam and cream what's your story ? How long you been trying ? Xx


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

If that's all your money and you don't know if you'll be able to afford anything else I'd go with the iui's. At least that way you've got at least 7 goes all together at getting pregnant instead of just the one. 

We're waiting to do our 2nd icsi cycle, hopefully we'll be starting next month.
We did 3 iui's early last year then I had a laparoscopy to see if anything was wrong then we did another 3 iui's with clomid then our first icsi in may. That all went well but was a bfn, then we was doing a frozen transfer in august I think but it didn't defrost successfully. 
We've got nhs funding now, we did have 3 but we've only got 2 now because we self funded one they've took one of us. 
Good luck deciding. Xx


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

Hi jam sounds like arduous journey so far then , excuse my ignorance but what's icsi?also how long did you wait for nhs funding ? And could you go ahead with private treatment whilst on the list ? Fingers crossed for you for this cycle ! Xx


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

I agree with Jam you should do the iuis, so much can not go to plan with an ivf cycle, your lining, your response to meds etc, fertilisation rates to 

I would do the iui, it could take you 18 months at least to go through those at which point you may be in a better financial position to afford a private ivf, hopefully you won't need all that but if I were you I would go

6 x iuis
1 x nhs funded ivf
1 x private ivf 

In that order if you were doing them all 

Jam I would love it if we cycled together! I'm doing immunes first though so I think I will be a bit behind you, soon as Xmas is out the way I'm asking to be matched x


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

*Purple*, icsi is where they inject the sperm into the egg, a lot of places tend to prefer to do this with frozen sperm. The quality and mobility is generally affected when it's been frozen. 
We didn't wait so long for the funding as such, it was just the wait to get a consultation. One you've done the 6 iui's and you fit the rest of the criteria i.e. the bmi, length of relationship and other bits the funding is there. If your on the list for nhs ivf you couldn't do private ivf too as this would affect your entitlement, when we went to St Mary's they knew we'd already done a cycle. I can only presume this information comes from HFEA, I should of asked really.
If you do a cycle they won't give you any with your CCG only funding the one.
I'd definitely go with what I said last night. Only you know how much you can afford though, if it's a never ending pot of money then I'd probably go straight into ivf. 
Unfortunately you can never guarantee anything. We thought we'd have a child by now but we're nowhere near and have spent more then £21k in 15 months. Frightful.
All the luck in the world to you. Xx

*Lilly*, that would be great. I'm hoping to get going next month but it might be February. I've had to get confirmation from mfs that we had counselling then Dr Patel said the donor coordinator will get in touch and as soon as we've got a donor then we can get going. He did say they say up to 3 months waiting for a donor but that it's nothing like that they say that just in case. We're not overly fussy with the donor characteristics neither so that should help. 
I can't wait to get going again. I must admit though I more nervous about this cycle, think that's because I know what's coming if it doesn't work. 
Fingers and everything else crossed for us all. Xx


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## Purple12 (Sep 10, 2014)

hi jam and lilly, 

thanks  for your replies, wish I did have a never ending pot of money but alas we dont!! So I think you might be right to try IUI first and see what position we are in after that.. 

21k jam I cant imagine how frustrated you are! all credit to you for keeping going it must be so hard!! and for you lilly 7 years !!

What do you reckon to the access fertility thing around 12-13k but 70% back if not pregnant after three cycles


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## Lilly83 (Jan 19, 2012)

I have only been seeking treatment for the past 3 year so not as long as some ladies but been off contraception and tracking OV for 7 years yes! Not even a sniff off a BFP, then damn endo saw to me needing donor eggs 

I don't know about that offer, I see more clinics are offering it and like I said check if you are eligible as I don't know if they treat ladies who use donor, they don't treat you after ivf already on that offer so check failed iui wouldn't rule you out too

Imagine writing off 13k if it worked first time? Is the 13k for non donor ivf? So you would have to poss factor in icsi and donor cost (that's if they would let you use the offer with DS) I have a feeling they might not I could be wrong though xx


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## Jam&amp;Cream (Jan 27, 2013)

That came in at mfs just as we were leaving and going to St Mary's, I asked and they said they we could of done it with donor sperm. Mfs do a mot sort of thing on you and send a report to Access Fertility who then make the final decision as to whether you can use it or not. They did say after failed cycles it would probably be a no then. X


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