Recent experience with IVF in Cyprus or Denmark? *title edited at OP's request*

[GeorgiesFlow]

Hello ladies,

Finally worked out the courage to ask questions on this topic and hoping to plug into this community's wisdom and experience for views / advice.

I am single and kinda realised that both finding my other half and having babies might not really happen together or at least during the fairly limited amount of time I have while I can actually have babies.

So I decided to take this IVF road on my own. Big decision I know, that many might not agree with ( a couple of friends made it clear that way even before I've opened up the conversation )

Given I am single I am not entitled to go via NHS funded ones. Also, most of the countries that do have IVF wit decent clinics but reasonably priced do not accept single women. Therefore, based on my criteria and circumstances, I have narrowed down on 2 locations:

• Denmark - Stork Klinik
• Cyprus (here i have 3 options but I seem to be more inclined toward the first one) - Dunya / Kyrenia / Eurocare

From a pricing perspective, I am getting the feeling that overall it would be very similar.
Cyprus
IVF& meds 5000 EUR + flight and accomm. etc (2 trips) 1000 EUR = 5.5k mark

Denmark, on the other hand
IVF £4300 + flight and accomm. etc (2 trips) @ £500 + freezing £600 = closer to the 6k mark.

Denmark seems to be closer (therefore easier access). But more than happy to travel further if quality etc is better.

Does anyone has any experience with them?

Another big hole in my knowledge is around the probabilities etc. To explain: I have never been pregnant nor have I ever tried to get pregnant. Not sure whether this is likely to have any influence on whether the IVF treatment would work? Or if it is more recommended to book a package of 3 IVF treatments?

Lastly, i've been given a full list of tests that need to be made before i have my consultation. Would anyone have an idea on what sort of budget would i need for them, perhaps? I would be looking private clinic in the London area.

Thank you :)

[Persipan]

Do those prices include sperm? If not, what does that add to the cost? I would have thought you could bring IVF in for a not dissimilar price in the UK, where sperm is ID release rather than totally anonymous. This was a big factor for me in choosing where to have treatment, so I'm not much use in terms of clinics abroad, I'm afraid!

The thing with whether to go for a single cycle or a package is, it's always a gamble. If you go for the package and then it works first time, you've spent more than you needed to - but if you need multiple cycles then it's a saving. How old are you, as this would have an impact on likely chances of success? Generally, any individual cycle is more likely not to work than it is to work, but there are a lot of factors that impact this.

What tests do they want you to have? Costs will depend on what you're after!

[GeorgiesFlow]

Hi @Persipan. Thank you for replying.

I did find the pricing quite high myself, more so compared to other others experiences abroad (one friend gave me a bracket of about £2500 all in all bit without sperm that she and her husband had to pay a couple of years back). I've worked out the pricing to include the donor sperm. Although only the Cyprus option also includes ICSI. Making them stand out of the crowd i guess.

In terms of the tests, the Dunya in Cyprus requested the below:
TESTS NEEEDED FOR THE WOMAN
AMH
FSH
T3 & T4
Prolactin
HBSAG
ANTI HBS
HIV
HCV
VDRL
Rubella 1GG
Blood group

On Day 2/3 of Cycle
E2 ESTRADOIL & FSH – Including internal ultrasound to assess the uterus and investigate whether there are any cysts, myomas, fibroids or any underling problems

Stork in Denmark these are the exams they need:

Analysis of the hormones AMH (max. 1 year old), TSH and TPO (max. 6 months old)
Analysis of the viruses; Anti-HBc, HBsAg (taken on the same day at the same laboratory), Anti-HCV and HIV 1+2 (from an isocertified laboratory; ISO certification 15189 or 17025). (max. 2 years old). Confirmation from laboratory also needs to be send to us.
Swab for Chlamydia (max. 6 months old)
Ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries with AFC (antral follicle count), if you want a visitation by a doctor or you want an initial consultation over Skype. (Max. 12 months old).
If you have previously received fertility treatment, we would like a copy of your old medical files
Recommended tests:
SMEAR from your cervix (max. 3 years old)
Rubella immunity
Blood pressure
Vitamin D level

Regarding going for one try or a package, yes, you are right and it makes sense. Guess I was trying to convince myself that one would normally work, as would be rather difficult to say that i can afford at this point a 3 x package. I will be 35 at the time I would like to have the IVF.

Out of curiosity, what clinic did you go for in the UK? Was it in London? What was your experience with them?

I have thoughts in terms of the donor, and from my point of view it doesn't bother me the anonimity. If you don't mind me asking, what made you go towards the ID release ones? Asking in case I have missed considering some important factors that could affect the baby.

[Greetingstoyou0987]

I wonder... do both StorkKlinic in Denmark and Dunya in North Cyprus (have you heard also of GynoLife?) use similar sperm banks? I believe it's Cryos and European Sperm Bank.

And I am curious if the tests are best done at the clinic itself, rather than at home?

Wondering this myself..

[AliceAbsolum]

Why did you rule out IUI? Just wondering why you're going straight for ivf?

[mumsynet04]

Hello Ladies!!
Its my very first time on mumsnet... i am planning to goto Cyprus for IVF Treatment. This is going to be my 2nd trip as my 1st cycle was a failure with North Cyprus IVF Center (Elite) i had a very bad experience with them. I am hoping to chose eighter Bahencei (British Cyprus Hospital or Miracle IVF this time. I am still not sure... please need your review and advise on these if anyone has any experience.
Thanks..

[OnePusOne]

Hello ladies so happy to find this thread :)

@GeorgiesFlow thank you for the details! Much appreciated. I am single too but quite advanced in age I'm afraid - I'm 42. Decided to go for it. I'm now cycling with Dunya IVF in North Cyprus - they suggested I get an embryo transfer (i have problems on egg quality). Initial cost would go around 6000 euros. I plan to go visit them on January for a face to face.

@Greetingstoyou0987 that is a great point about sperm banks - I'll definitely ask them about it. Regarding tests I do them here at home more for convenience sake although I believe their tests there would be cheaper.

[GeorgiesFlow]

@AliceAbsolum good point, decision was more on the base of my age (although never thought of 35 as being old, but hey!) and the probability of success being higher with IVF from IUI. would you have thought the'd be something I've missed there?

[GeorgiesFlow]

@OnePusOne from my understanding they do indeed use the same sperm bank . Dunya did make the top of my list for preference also...

Good luck in January! hope everything goes well :)

[Malyshek]

Hello,

I don't know if my experience is any use to you but my situation was fairly similar to yours - single, no health issues, decided to have child on my own.

I wouldn't jump straight to IVF only on behalf of your age if you're 35. It'd be a different story if you were 40 but at 35 your fertility hasn't decreased so much that IUI is unlikely to work. It's also much cheaper and much less invasive !

I did unmedicated IUI - as in, completely unmedicated, I monitored cycle with opk's and flew to denmark when I had a positive one. I didn't realize this was unusual at the time and the clinic never suggested we proceed otherwise.

The way it worked :

1. I chose and ordered the sperm from Cryos sperm bank. I chose only detailed profiles and open ID donors (more expensive but worth it). The reason was that I found it difficult to choose based only on very basic info, and also it was nice to feel an emotional connection to the donor (donor I chose has similar interests and sense of humour as me and seemed like the kind of person I might have been friends with). I also wanted the child to be able to contact the donor when 18 as I think knowing their origins is a basic right, and I've seen documentaries about children (adopted or donor conceived) moving heaven and earth to find their biological parent. I'm sure many other children have no issues with that but I wanted my child to have this option if they so choose.
   

1. Get sperm shipped to clinic (anticipate shipping times with regards to your cycle)
   

1. Monitor cycle with opk's twice a day (morning and evening). If your cycle is regular you can anticipate but mine isn't so I just had to suck it up and jump in a plane at a moment's notice.
   

1. Get procedure done at clinic (mine also scanned me to make sure I was ovulating, as sperm can be quite expensive !)
   

Total cost : about 2000 to 2500€/attempt (almost half of that was sperm cost. It can be cheaper but mine was expensive due to open ID and higher motility at 20 million/ui.

The rest was clinic costs (650€), flights (200-600€ based on time of week/year), hotel (50€).

I had zero tests done, my clinic did suggest having a couple of tests but I wasn't interested (too much waiting time, no reason to think anything is wrong except lack of partner, and even if test results weren't great I'd still want to try).

I did have a check up at a local gynae (I'm not british or living in UK btw). I was also considering freezing my eggs but gynae said everything looked absolutely great in there and unless I had a specific reason to want to freeze my eggs he wouldn't recommand it at that time.

When I did this I wasn't aware of success rates for IUI (which is probably a good thing, it'd have been more stressful if I'd known !)

I ended up achieving a 50% pregnancy rate out of six attempts :

1. Failed, I wasn't in the right frame of mind anyway
   
2. Resulted in my son
   
3. Failed
   
4. Pregnancy, ended up miscarriage at 6wk
   
5. Failed (very stressful time at work during 2ww probably contributed to failure and LP ended up much shorter than usual at 9-10 days ?
   
6. Current pregnancy (19+5wk)
   

I was a bit younger than you (30 when I started, 31 when I had my son, 32 when I started trying again, 33 now). But at 35 you're far from ancient and for IUI there is very little waiting time (depending on clinic you could start as early as your next cycle).

Seeing the medication with IVF, I am forever grateful that I didn't need to go this route. I'm planning on having 2 children so assuming everything goes well with this one, that will be the end of ttc for me.

I hope this was helpful, to you and/or other people thinking about going this route. Having a child on your own is hard (you never get a break or an evening out or a late morning anymore !) but seeing what some people go through with their partners, it's not so bad either !

[Malyshek]

Forgot to add, clinic said they could pick the sperm for me but it was important for me to choose myself. That's going to be half of my child so I couldn't conceive (hah !) not choosing myself. Also the clinic's bank was much smaller. It may have been cheaper to choose this option so perhaps something to consider if money is an issue.

[INeedNewShoes]

I am also single and went to Stork Klinik for fertility treatment, but IUI rather than IVF. I had a mostly very positive experience with the clinic and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

I had four rounds of IUI (which I think is worth considering rather than jumping straight to IVF, but that is a personal choice - the clinic will make a recommendation based on your test results). I actually got pregnant on all four rounds but lost the first three to early miscarriage as I had an undiagnosed blood clotting issue.

Copenhagen is a very easy city to travel to as a single woman. It feels friendly and safe. The clinic is a 20 minute metro ride from the Airport. I enjoyed my trips out there and am looking forward to taking my DD (now 2.5) to Copenhagen for a holiday when she's a bit older.

Stork klinik is warm and welcoming and they have developed a way of doing examinations/IUI in the most pain free way possible (as someone who has trouble having smears I feared it was all going to be problematic and couldn't believe how comfortable it all was).

One round of IUI cost me in the region of £800 at the clinic plus between £50–£200 for travel depending on whether I stayed overnight in a hotel or not.

If you want more information, let me know. I've recommended the clinic to a couple of other women so I have an email with more details in it that I could send to you.

[INeedNewShoes]

And reminded by Malyshek, I asked the clinic to choose my donor. For me I preferred to do it that way as I have what I believe is OCD and trying to choose a donor was too stressful. It also was a bit cheaper this way and meant that all I had to think about was turning up at the clinic at the right time.

[INeedNewShoes]

And my GP ran most of the tests for me. You should definitely be able to get all the STI tests on the NHS at the very least.

The only tests I ended up paying for was AMH I think. I struck incredibly lucky and ended up getting my Hycosy test done free of charge but that was a fluke that I was incredibly grateful for!

[INeedNewShoes]

Sorry - this has ended up in multiple posts. Brain not working today

If you don't mind me asking, what made you go towards the ID release ones? - This is probably the most important issue that you need to seriously consider and make an informed decision on.

A fairly extensive survey of donor conceived children found that the children conceived with anonymous donors struggle more to come to terms with their situation. Donor conceived children whose parents were honest from the outset about them being donor conceived and who had used 'contactable' donors were more likely to be ok with it all.

If you choose an anonymous donor you remove the option for your child to ever find out about the other side of their genes. If you choose a contactable donor then when your child is 18 they have the option to get in touch with the donor and will more readily be able to find out if they have any donor siblings. So it depends whether you believe this should be your decision or your child's.


From the most recent Donor Conception Network survey:

respondents indicated strong support for donor conceived individuals to have the option to access information like how many donor siblings they have (87%), the medical history of their donor (99%), and the identity of their donor (91%).

Seventy four percent of respondents do not support anonymous donor conception. The use of non-anonymous/identifiable donor eggs or sperm to conceive a child has more support amongst respondents: 59% agree with this practice, while 22% disagree.

[Greeneyes5]

INeedNewShoes thanks so much for that info - I'm in the process of choosing a clinic for iui at the moment and Stork is definitely one I'm considering.

Would you be able to send me the email info you mentioned?

:-)

[GeorgiesFlow]

@Malyshek @INeedNewShoes thank you so much for the information. I did like the engagement from the Denmark Clinic best and happy to hear about all the good experiences.
I would like to get the email with detqiled info as well please!

[Malyshek]

@GeorgiesFlow I still have the information sent to me by my clinic when I first expressed an interest. I think their prices increased a little bit since then (that was a couple of years ago) but not outrageously so. I'm happy to forward this information if you like (you can give me your email address by private message maybe ? Or I can give you mine).

I don't know if you've already picked a clinic but I can only recommend the one I used. They responded really quickly and were very accommodating, even when I showed up on short notice. They were very open and not bossy at all, they gave me the information I needed to make my own decisions.

On a sidenote, if you do what I did and fly out when you have a positive opk, I strongly recommend the digital ones as opposed to the normal sticks. They are more expensive but it's money well spent. I drove myself half crazy squinting at opk's and trying to decide whether it looked positive or not. The digital ones are so much easier to read.

I also do recommend going to your gynae for a quick check-up. Just to make sure there's nothing glaringly obviously problematic inside before you spend your money. I didn't do any other tests such as FSH, AMH, etc etc, but it was nice to know everything looked functional.

Also, just as a fair warning - I have been incredibly lucky so far (fingers crossed this pregnancy ends well) but a 50% pregnancy rate is probably not representative of the general population.

IUI success rates are skewed because most people who use IUI have fertility issues to begin with, so they're less likely to achieve a pregnancy. So someone with no fertility issues probably has higher chances than the "average" success rate. But it's still probably within the realm of 20-30% at best, I think, per cycle. So be ready for this to not work the first time, or even the second.

But if you have any questions you're probably better off talking with whatever clinic you choose, as they're the experts and see a lot of different cases.

[Nextmumm]

Hi, I am planning to go up to North Cyprus Ivf Center for ivf. I am 34 with 3 girls and I am looking to have a boy too. Can you please from your experience advise me if this may be an ok clinic for my procedure. Can you possibly say a big more about your experience with them. It is so hard to determine where will be best for this . Thank you.

[PatricksRum]

@Nextmumm how does that work with choosing the sex?

[Nextmumm]

I think they use a medical procedure PGD. Still new to all these though..

[Maeve88Troy]

@GeorgiesFlow how are you now with your search? I went to Dunya IVF. They are not really too keen on 3 IVF packages I think. I believe they prefer to really work hard that you get it at first try?

[Skaur85]

Hiya

This is my first time on here. We are also in a similar we want a mix family and now looking to go through ivf and would love for any advice/feedback on the clinics, treatment, care before and after, where to get tests done in the UK. Literally all advice is appreciated.

[CoolMummy05]

@INeedNewShoes
Hiya, thanks for the information you provided. I'm really interested in the Denmark clinic you mentioned. I was wondering if you could give me the extra information you had on that clinic???

[netzara]

hi @nextmumm have you visited cyprus or has anyone got experience in cyprus regarding ivf pGD gender selection.
@GeorgiesFlow