IVF Treatment

[HAJIRA2944]

Hi everyone,

I am new to Mumsnet and if I've posted this in the wrong place, I apologise.

I am 21 years old and have tried for 3 years to get pregnant, without success. I also suffer from severe PCOS, so this may be a contributing factor in my not becoming pregnant.

I have am in the process of my first cycle of IVF and have just had an embryo transfer. I have been told that I will need to continue my hormones (Progynova 2mg and Utrogestan 200mg) for a total of 10 weeks. These hormones are delivered by a company called STORK. The NHS price for Progynova is £5 for 28 tablets and £21 for a course of 21 Utrogestan tablets. However, STORK charges approximately 2-3 times the actual cost.

What I don't understand is why cannot I ask my GP to prescribe these meds? Even if my GP is not allowed, surely getting even a private prescription would be a cheaper alternative to paying 2-3 times more than the actual cost.

If anybody can provide some advice, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi OP
I’m in Ireland so can’t help with that question specifically, but there’s an active Infertility board here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility, and somebody else will probably be able to help you. Just Incase you don’t get the right answers here.

Very best of luck with the cycle. I really hope you get your BFP.

Hi Nolm,

Thank you very much for your reply. As per your advice, I have posted in the section you provided. Much appreciated.

All the best xxx

Are you paying privately for the IVF? If so, that will be why the GP can’t prescribe it. If not and it is NHS funded it could be that the ‘package’ they are funding doesn’t include these drugs.

I believe (but could be wrong) that if you fall pregnant then the GP can prescribe the drugs and because pregnant women are exempt from prescription charges it would be free. But do check that out.

As another poster said, the infertility boards are a great source of information.

Good luck.

And why can’t your clinic just give you a private prescription that you can take to Asda like most UK clinics? Are you not in the UK?

You have 2 options for IVF meds: Stork and similar services which deliver and private prescription that your consultant writes and you can take with you to any pharmacy in the UK.

You can ask your clinic to give you a private prescription then shop around - Asda are often the cheapest. A private prescription from your GP wouldn’t make it any cheaper. Your GP can’t prescribe it as presumably you are having private treatment.

I had similar progesterone to take after getting a positive result - cyclogest and gestone. I asked my gp if she would prescribe the rest of the course (til 12 wks pregnant). I believe it can be a bit of a lottery as to whether your practise will agree, but luckily mine did. Best of luck with your treatment.

I did IVF privately and opted not to use my clinics pharmacy of choice which was incredibly expensive and instead went to Asda which does IVF drugs at cost price (make sure you tell them you are doing Ivf). Fertility4u.com we’re able to fill any unusual drugs that Asda couldn’t get

Hi guys,

Thank you to everyone that has replied.

Due to my young age and having been trying for 4 years, my first cycle was covered by the NHS. Every Clinical Commissioning Group for each area has different rules. The NICE guidelines are that somebody in my position should be offered 3 cycles under the NHS. However, the Oxford CCG mandate that only one cycle be offered on the NHS. I was told by the IVF clinic that up to the point of egg collection is considered one cycle. Therefore, the hormones that I needed to take to induce another cycle and subsequent stimulation of ovaries, I was responsible for.

At that stage, I was not aware that I could ask the clinic to give me the prescription. When I contacted STORK and paid quite a hefty sum, I decided to join Mumsnet and see what others experience was. It was then I found that some people took the prescription and got it filled at the pharmacy or asked their GP to write one. This is definitely dependent on the GP as technically the GP should not write a prescription for IVF meds; mine definitely is not allowed to. This may well be dependent on what each areas CCG allows.

Unfortunately, I have been bleeding quite heavily for the past two days. It seems that I may be miscarrying. I have been given an emergency appointment for a scan in the morning and I will no for definite what has happened.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice; much appreciated.

Sorry to hear about the bleeding

I am surprised egg collection is the cut off. What about growing and transferring the embryo, did you have to pay for those?

Unfortunately many areas offer fewer than the three recommended cycles and some none at all. It sucks, I know.

Fingers crossed for you.

Hi @HAJIRA2944

Congratulations on your first ivf. Hope all is going well. Do keep us updated.

I'm starting a medicated FET cycle. Soon and really pray it works.

Hi
@HAJIRA2944
Sorry read the thread again. All in good time inshallah. I've had 2 fresh fails IVFs already. And 2 FET again unsuccessful. This is now my 5th attempt.

Hope it will work for everyone.

Anyone here had a cyst in a ovary? If so what did you go to treat it?

And did it affect your ivf ?

I had IVF with my son. I only had 2 viable eggs and they fertiliser and implanted the best one! After I had my miracle baby I found out 6 months later I was pregnant naturally. We tried for 4 years before the IVF. Good Luck 😘

I got my clinic to write me the prescription and took it to Asda. It was far cheaper that way.