The Agora Clinic in Hove, or The Esperance in Eastbourne?

Quote @Madgwick"What I haven't liked is that the information that the nurses give you can be a bit patchy at times. I found that I had to check things a lot and write things down but that might just be me"

This is exactly my current feeling at the Agora and I'm not impressed, patchy information, nurse that forgot to check follicles during Female MOT, had to chase for login email details, sms with wrong date of appointments, they don't send you results before consultation with doctor, feeling a bit lost at the moment and I'm a paying customer (over 40yo), so need to be extra careful where to invest my money.

Is the Sussex Downs Fertility Centre any better?

Ps agreed thank goodness it's Friday x

Hi Millievt! It seems so quick all of a sudden doesn't it! Just had all of my dates booked in, injections start in just over a month. Feeling so anxious too, all I keep thinking about is it failing.
Great news that it all seems normal for you so far. Sorry to hear about the crappy nurse, lucky to have a friend on hand. Hoping your first injection goes well this evening xxxx

Hi Daisrais! Hope all is good with everyone and that things are going well. I've been put on the long protocol and have had three weeks of taking the pill and had the first scan yesterday to check everything looks normal so far. Tonight my friend is coming round to help give me my first injection of Buserilin as she's been through it all before and I was overwhelmed yesterday when the nurse (not the lovely one I had before, but one who was insanely patronising unfortunatley!) showed me how to inject the meds. I've been struggling with the anxiety of it all, not sleeping well as I'm so anxious about the outcome and I wish I could stop worrying as I'm sure it's not helpful. Thank god it's Friday! Would love to hear how everyone else is getting on. Xxx

Ladies how are you getting on? xxx

Yes it's nice to let it out! We'll try and keep updated. You'll be a month ahead of me so would love to know how it's going. Should be referred just after 18th May xx

Good luck to you too Daisrais! I'm happy to keep posting here on progress, it might just be therapeutic to write about it all! Xxx

Such good news Madgewick, congratulations and all the best wishes xxx

Good luck with everything Millievt, we may unknowingly cross paths at some point! X

Thanks so much for all that information Madgewick, it's so helpful, and huge congratulations on your BFP! Wishing you a very happy and healthy pregnancy xxx

Hi millievt,

We found the Agora to be reasonably flexible with the start date. I can't find the letter but I think my consultant referred me about two weeks after a clear HSG so that would have been around the end of April 16. My first appointment for baseline scan and nurse/doc consultations was on 21.06.16. Our treatment could have started quite soon but we delayed it due to an extended holiday. My first injection was on 07.09.16 and embryo transfer was on 08.10.16. Unfortunately we were unlucky with our first fresh cycle and the following frozen as the embryo didn't survive thawing. We started our second fresh cycle on 24.01.17 (contraceptive pill) and first injection on 08.02.17. Last injection was 26.02.17 and egg collection was on 01.03.17. We only had one embryo transferred and nothing to store. Thankfully we got a positive pregnancy test on 15.03.17 and I'm now nine weeks pregnant! I found it was easier to tell my line manager what was going on due to the number hospital leave appointments i was booking. They have been very understanding far. I haven't had to research it too far but I believe your employer has to allow you time to attend appointments for fertility treatment.

Hi Daisrais, we're doing ok. We got our BFP! Still early days but we're hopeful.

I know what you mean about not telling anyone - as little said the better I think!

I suppose part of me felt relieved that he referred us so quickly because I worried that he'd tell us to keep trying, as all our tests and investigations have been clear and they can't find anything that's wrong. But I must admit, like everyone I'm sure I just wish we didn't need to go through this. I'm worried about our age though (me 37 and OH 39) so maybe that's why he referred us straight away. I still feel like I need to adjust to the idea, though - it's not going to be an easy process, that's for sure! Xx

Were you surprised at how quick IVF was mention? Maybe I was being a bit naive thinking there'd be another option first.

I totally understand I'm 100% the same with work. Don't want to tell anyone, let alone work. Feel like I can't actually face thinking about it sometimes! Xx

Hi Daisrais,

Yes we accepted the IVF straight away as he said that was the only option other than continue to try so just thought we'd go for it, but I totally understand wanting to wait for a bit and be sure about it - that sounds sensible! I'm worried about the time off I'll need but hope that work will be understanding - although I don't really want to tell them anything about this treatment! Xx

Hi,

Taking time off work really worries me too! Did you accept the referral straight away millievt? He said we could go back in 2 months (1 month now) which I said ok to but now worrying we've just slowed ourselves down.

How is everything with you Madgwick?
xxx

Hi there, hope it's OK to join this discussion. We've just been referred by Doctor Kelada and have chosen the Agora clinic too. I wondered if you could give a brief timeline from your referral to treatment, Madgewick? I'm worried that I won't be able to take the time off work that I'll need to. Are they flexible with when to start treatment? I feel totally unprepared for all this, have literally just been referred (20th April) and haven't read enough on IVF and what it will entail. Plan to start reading now! Thank for any help or advice you can offer xx

There do seem to be lots of appointments available. We thought after referral that we were booked in quite quickly. There are some early appointments (they open at 8:30) but I have ended up booking quite a lot of medical appointment leave from work but so far they have been very understanding. It didn't help for us that the clinic was a forty minute drive away but I think for most of the visits we were in and out within an hour. Monday mornings always seemed really busy. The worst week for disruption is towards the end of the injections in the run up to egg collection. You'll have about four or five scans and blood tests and there is a week or so where you might go Fri/Mon/Wed/Fri and then possibly back again on the Monday while hormone and follicle development is monitored and egg collection day decided. The egg collection is done really well with an anesthetist but you can't drive for twenty four hours after. I felt ok the next day the first time around but they only collected five. The second time there were fourteen and I was quite achy for a few days after and needed to work from home for two days. Embryo transfer isn't any worse than a smear test and your Husband can go in and sit with you during the transfer. I booked a few days holiday after transfer to rest and generally recover from the manic-ness of it all xx

Thank you xx

Sorry one more question are there lots of appointments? Does it affect work etc with the amount of time you are in and out of clinic? Know that's a minor factor in it but just keep thinking of all of these things! X

Awww thank you, I wish you lots of luck xx.

I felt the same. We kept hoping the Clomid would work. We were really rubbish at reading up in advance about IVF. I'm not sure I even realised I'd have to do injections for the stimming drugs. Once you get the first one out of the way it isn't too bad. The needles are really small and they write you out a sheet with all the doses. I found it helped to cross each one off when I had done them.

See how you feel once you get further into the treatment but I found it really helped that close family and friends knew what we were going through. I won't sugar coat it, it can be tough at times and the support is good but equally there were moments where I felt really proud of what we were coping with too (especially after the first injection).

Keep strong xx

Madgwick thank you so so much for replying I really appreciate it! The info is great, I had no idea what to expect so have been trying to read up as much as possible. Had all of the tests and the results came back as unexplained fertility, I've been seeing DR kelada at the hospital and when he mentioned IVF I just cried. Couldn't imagine it actually coming to this. Don't feel like I want to tell anyone so just keeping it between husband and I for now.
Thank you again and congratulations!! Sending lots of positive baby wishes your way. X

Hi Daisrais,

Ok, this is a bit of a long reply but I thought some of my experience my be useful. I'm at the Agora at the moment. We were referred via West Sussex. Been through two fresh cycles of ICSI with them plus one failed frozen transfer in between as the embryo didn't survive thawing. We got our bfp from the second fresh round and I'm just over 5 wks pg!

I can't fault them on the actual surgical bits of egg collection and embryo transfer and for my second fresh cycle they did try altering doses to get better results. During the stimming injections they seem quite good at monitoring closely with scans and blood tests. I have PCOS so they were a bit worried about overreacting to the meds.

What I haven't liked is that the information that the nurses give you can be a bit patchy at times. I found that I had to check things a lot and write things down but that might just be me....lol. I found the information they gave me at the beginning was quite often missing bits which would have made life easier. Like the fact that the Gonal-F and Menopur can be left out of the fridge once you start injecting them! (This was explained on the second round and would have saved lots of faffing getting them out early to warm up before injecting).

Our first transferred failed and I bled a few days before the test date. I was on the progesterone pessaries (all I can say is buy lots of panty liners). On the second transfer I queried whether my progesterone levels had been high enough due to the early bleed but they wouldn't do any tests to check. They did offer progesterone injections for this cycle and they eventually offered me Lubion which you can inject easily yourself rather than the Gestone injections which go into muscle. I think the pessaries are ok for many people but I got the impression that they try them first and if there is a problem, they'll then look at injections.
Although I'm still worried about Progesterone levels (now 5wks pg) and will try to get more information from them.

We had 14 eggs collected on our last round, 10 fertilised and we waited until they were 5 day blastocysts. On transfer day we were a bit shocked to find out that we only had one average grade embryo (which we had transferred) and one slightly lesser grade that they decided wouldn't survive being frozen. Of the other 8 we never really got a straight answer other than one had a possible genetic abnormality so they discarded it. They seemed to suggest that the other 7 hadn't developed well enough to be viable but it was all so quick I still don't feel they took enough time to explain everything. Although you could argue that I should have made them write it all down as my head wasn't really focussed enough to take it all in. So if there is something you don't feel happy about make sure you push the point with them until you are happy they've answered you.

It can sometimes be difficult to speak to a Nurse. It often goes through to answerphone but they do ring you back mostly by the end of that day.

I'm sorry this is such a mix of good and not so great. I think clinically they are very good and I felt the egg collection process was faultless both times. Just ask lots and lots of questions and don't assume or let them assume anything. Sending you lots of luck and best wishes for your treatment xxx

Know this is a really old thread but am about to be referred and have to choose between Agora or Eastbourne. Have chosen Agora, hoping that was the right decision! X

Hello MrsSB

Assuming you are based in East Sussex then our timeline went a bit like this :

Referred by GP to the Royal Sussex for further investigations (AMH reading, HSG, scan) in about October 2011. Had an initial consultation at the Royal Sussex in November 2011 and all investigations were completed by January 2012. Referred by the Royal Sussex to the Agora in February 2012 and had first consultation with them around 6 weeks later. Started treatment (IVF) in May 2012.

All the best of luck to you xx

Hi All

I wonder if anyone can give me an idea of timescales from referral through to treatment starting at the agora clinic? We were referred to our local fertility service incorrectly by our GP on 24th September and are still waiting for our appointment at the end of the month, although I have been told that when we get his appointment with the local service we wil be referred straight to Agora. We are not sure yet but think it is most likely we will be referred for ICSI treatment. If anyone has information of the process that the could share too that would be great.

I would be really grateful for any help. Many thanks and I hope all of your treatments went well there earlier this year. xx

Thanks for taking the time to post Jollster ! It's good to hear something more positive about them.

Carebear has very kindly given details of an accupuncture lady - but if it's not too much trouble perhaps I could have details of yours too. Thank you in advance.

xx

hello - only just seen this.

FWIW I have had recurrent MC testing at the Agora, they were a bit slack on the admin side (invoicing errors and some incorrect details registered). And I did have to repeat a blood teat that got messed up (not sure if them or the lab).

BUT I know several women who have had successful pregnancies after IVF and ICSI treatments there.

I hope you both get the results you are after. I know of a great female acupuncturist (Brighton based) who specialises in fertility. Can PM details if anyone wants them.