# Pros and cons different clinics/countries



## drownedgirl (Nov 12, 2006)

My head is now spinning, despite hours trawling through the threads.

Can anyone summarise at all.. price, waiting times, success rates, other factors, ease getting to clinic, no of times to go..

We're both rh+ dark haired and blue eyed. 

Thanks!!


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## alanelaine (Sep 10, 2005)

I just typed a huge thread for you and lost it!

Start with looking at clinic reviews

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=148.0

look at Spanish link

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?board=120.0

Spain is CERAM, IVI, IM; Eastern Europe is Altra Vita (Moscow), Invimed (Warsaw), Isida (Kiev)Fertimed (Czech Republic); southern europe is Pedios (Cyprus), Chania (Greece) but there are others in South Africa, USA and elsewhere.

Costs (outrageous attempt to summarise coming up) CERAM, Altra Vita, Pedios, Chania are all about 5,000 Euros; Invimed, Isida, Fertimed are a bit cheaper; IVI and IM are about twice the cost of CERAM but have no real waiting list (CERAM is the only clinic with a big waiting list but RH+ is good news).

Success rates depend on what the clinics publish Live Births or Clinical Pregnancy. CERAM share eggs (you get half the eggs collected) so their rates are marginally lower than those who don't. Egg sharing rates are in the low 50%ages those that don't share are around 60%. But it is a ballpark.

UK rates with your own eggs will be around 25%.

Diagnostics are most thorough at Altra Vita (some like this some find the tests a pain).

Think also about flights and accommodation from where you live but don't decide not to go to your preferred clinic because it is 3.5 hours (Moscow, say) and Spain is only 2.5 hours.

OK, I'm nearly back to where I was.

If you are starting IVF go for the initial consultation to your selected clinic (2 days) transfer should mean 8-10 days overseas. You will need to get Ultrasonic scans done here before you go and possible when you get back but the girls will tell you who is near you and who is best.

Have a look at the Abroadies thread for CERAM girls, see the other clinic threads to get an idea of what their patients think.

A&E

(now off to bed!)


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## alanelaine (Sep 10, 2005)

I seem to be shadowing you 

Don't worry, I'm not stalking 

I was going to post this on your other thread as I thought you might be heading for a post like this.

A&E


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## drownedgirl (Nov 12, 2006)

Thank you so much for sharing all that.

I'm now seriously considering Moscow, given my recurrent mc history. Can I ask, what extra tests do they do, and does it mean you need to visit several times, or at specific cycle days?

Would it be too daunting for me to do first visit alone...we have a toddler we'd need to bring along otherwise!

Finally, this is a totally dumb question, I know... what do Russians look like? Both dp and I have waveyish mid brown hair, blue grey eyes, medium skin which tans. So does our son. While the de thing wouldn't be secret, i'd worry a little if child was too different to Ds.

Obviously, a spanish donor might produce dark skin, and it's a years wait for blue eyes. A pale skinned child would be ok for us, as families irish and scottish, for bith me and dp all our siblings are pale.


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

A & E 
You are really quite the expert now!  Well done!  good summary
b123


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## three_stars (Jan 19, 2006)

HI
You will be able to send some photos and ask them to help with matching. Of course you will never know how much effort goes into this anywhere but I think they will try. Likely more of a chance at good match ( IMO) with a donor that is not doing egg share.

I was a model scout for 15 years and LOTS of our models came from Russia. You will have no problem finding dark hair and blue eyes... I think you may find that the Russians could be generally taller then Spanish. You will find light eyes in Spain too but very generally Spanish people would have darker skin. The world is such a mixed place now though. I went to Greece and got a half English donor, Half Greek and I am scandinavian... so may want to think which clinic you feel the best with and who you feel confident that has offered you a good match donor. Start by contacting the clinics and get a dialogue going with them and asking your questions.
Good Luck
b123


drownedgirl said:


> Thank you so much for sharing all that.
> 
> I'm now seriously considering Moscow, given my recurrent mc history. Can I ask, what extra tests do they do, and does it mean you need to visit several times, or at specific cycle days?
> 
> ...


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## alanelaine (Sep 10, 2005)

A visit to any foreign country alone is quite a daunting prospect.

Having been to Moscow twice (and also Alan does a lot of business in Poland so he's comfortable with eastern Europe) we'd suggest that for the consultation you should minimise your stay (2 days) and travel to the clinics in Taxis to avoid the obvious trap of being lost and not speaking the language.  Mitch - now well pregnant - did her diagnostics alone last year so you could ask her.

Your consultation and most of the tests (we will dig out the list tonight) can be done in a single day.  You will also have to have a mammogram which can be done in London (£180) or at the European Mecial Centre in Moscow which is why we suggest two days in the city.

Russians are typically northern european (we looked a lot at people on the Metro, in shops, etc.) and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference from the British - hair colour is more frequently brown than blond but we could be talking about Scotland here!

One wee word of advice is that you should definitely take a couple of weeks to think about the right clinic for you. All of the ones listed are recommended on this site and if you are thinking about having a consultation in say April 2007 and hoping for TX in the summer virtually any of them will be able to fit you in.  We're very happy with Altra Vita but you should make your mind up from your own instincts rather than just because we have offered you the benefit of our experience - I hope that doesn't sound condescending but you are in no rush so you may want to hear others' experiences before committing to anywhere.


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## alanelaine (Sep 10, 2005)

b123 said:


> A & E
> You are really quite the expert now! Well done! good summary
> b123


Been here too long!

Now that we're waiting for surgery followed by more waiting we have taken in a lot of what is being said on this site.

Hope you're doing fine too Bonnie.

A&E


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## drownedgirl (Nov 12, 2006)

alanelaine said:


> One wee word of advice is that you should definitely take a couple of weeks to think about the right clinic for you. All of the ones listed are recommended on this site and if you are thinking about having a consultation in say April 2007 and hoping for TX in the summer virtually any of them will be able to fit you in. We're very happy with Altra Vita but you should make your mind up from your own instincts rather than just because we have offered you the benefit of our experience - I hope that doesn't sound condescending but you are in no rush so you may want to hear others' experiences before committing to anywhere.


No,I understand. I am the sort of person that likes to gather all the information and look at the pros and cons, then I decide something quite firmly and don't look back.

So i will certainly do a mail with my history and enquire of the clinics about their views... it does seem, though, that if cost isn't the paramount factor, but timescale, blue eyes and issues around recurrent miscarriage, are, then Moscow fits the bill.


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## Mikeygirl (Feb 28, 2006)

Hi A&E
I hope you don't mind me butting into this thread (I am due to start double donation in Spain in December) but I just wanted to ask a question as to why Altra Vita require you to have a mammogram before treatment? This is not something I have heard of during my research into Spanish clinics and I wonder what the relevance/importance of it might be?


alanelaine said:


> You will also have to have a mammogram which can be done in London (£180) or at the European Mecial Centre in Moscow which is why we suggest two days in the city.


Hope you don't mind me asking..
Mikeygirl x


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## alanelaine (Sep 10, 2005)

Mikeygirl,

Russia has a much more pro-active approach to breast cancer than in the UK and all Russian women are screened at the age of 35.

Consequently, to comply with Russian law any DE recipient must be screened.

It minimises the risk of a treatment being terminated after TX due to diagnosis of breast cancer.

It is not EU law (hah! the NHS would love to be funded to the extent that they could save more women's lives but don't get to screen until 15 years later!!!!!) so you won't be affected.

A&E


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