Reprofit BRNO IVF process

[Florencehill]

Hello!
I'm going to Reprofit in Brno for IVF. I had one round of failed IVF in UK on NHS and wondering at what point in treatment do we go to the clinic. I'm also wondering whether they will offer me a anything personalised in light of my age 42 in March, and two misscarriages behind me. Has anyone heard of an 'immune prorocol'?

I meant protocol!

Hi Florencehill

I have been exploring ivf with Reprofit in Brno too.

I initially discussed the option of donor eggs as I am 41, 42 in December. However, the doctor sensed I wasn't quite through with trying my own eggs so has suggested one round of minimal stimulation IVF.

So - age 41 (2 previous rounds of egg collection at another clinic, after pgs testing no viable eggs)
Start medication on day one of cycle - on day 7 of cycle go to clinic in UK for an ultrasound to ensure my ovaries are responding to the medication. We would then go to the clinic in Brno for day 10 scan (however this can also be done in the UK, but advisable to be done in Czech).
Egg retrieval would be scheduled for day 13.
We are then free to head back to UK, because we would need to PGS any embryos that survive to day 5. They have also recommended coming back for transfer in the next cycle in order to give the body some time to recover from the stimulation. The full cost for this minimal stimulation cycle inclusive of FET is €3,000

If for any reason we do not have any viable embryo's after PGS testing then the cycle that I was due to do transfer with own embryo's would be used with a donor egg.

I'd love to hear if you have started yet, or if you are on hold for the end of the restrictions.

Hi again,

I meant to say I have been recommended the following:

mild stimulation using DHEA (progesterone) and Estradiol (2x2mg from day 20 till menstruation) pretreatment.
Letrozole + Menopur stimulation.
PGT-A, freeze all and FET

I don't have dosage yet - but I think this may be an immune protocol?
The DHEA was one I suggested because I have used it in previous cycles (although not easy to access in UK)

@hopefullydreaming. Thank you so much for your reply. I am in a similar situation to you. I am 42 now and I pulled out of IVF with owm eggs in Brno just before they closed their boarders. I didn't even order the meds as I knew it was too risky to start taking them then not be able to fly there.
I have had time to think since then and started to gravitate towards donor eggs because I'm not sure I can face any more disappointment. I had an online consultation with a Dr at Brno last week and decided to go for donor. Since then though I have been toying with trying one last round of IVF, really torn. I don't know if I would always regret not giving it one last try. I've never had the advantage of PGS. How did you order the progesterone? Have you been advised to take Asprin too? Have you been told you must have a pre anesthesia assessment at BRNO too because of your age? I was, which I think is unnecessary. Have you been offered or considered Implication Counselling for donor egg. I would like this as I have a few reservations and ponderings.

@Florencehill and @HopefullyDreaming

Thank you for posting this, it’s helpful to read, although I am just at the very beginning of my ivf journey so didn’t quite understand all the terminology in your posts. I’m exactly the same age as you both 41, 42 in December. I’m eager to not go through rounds of doing this a) because I can’t afford it b) because we’ve been trying for ages c) because of b) I don’t know if mentally I could give it more than one shot after all the hospital testing and suffering a miscarriage in 2018. We are completely new to all this and waiting to see if our ivf funding will be confirmed on the UK NHS.

Can I ask if there is any update with your situations that you would share with me? We are thinking of accessing Reprofit via the UK agency Yourivfjourney. Any further positive or helpful stories would help, are either of you successfully pregnant yet?

Thanking you in advance!

Hi @Persephone12
Welcome to the worlds worst rollercoaster with the hope for the best result :-)
PGS is pre-genetic screening. This is recommended for us ladies of ‘advanced age’ to eliminate the chance of transferring an embryo with some genetic abnormalities (downs, etc.). In my opinion it also helps eliminate the heart ache of a failed transfer that ends in a non-implementation (due to chromosomal abnormalities) and the arrival of my period 2 weeks after transfer.
FET means Frozen Embryo Transfer. This is done at least one cycle after an egg retrieval cycle.
In order to PGS the embryos you have to test them and then freeze them as it’s takes 7-10 days for the results to come back.

I am still waiting to start any treatment (I got pregnant and unfortunately miscarried during lock down). I am waiting for my next cycle to have some tests done to see what my options are again (maybe egg donor).

Would love to hear how you progress. I’d you have any other questions I’m happy to answer any I can

@HopefullyDreaming
Thank you so much for your prompt reply and for explaining the terminology!! This is definitely going to be a big learning curve as well as a rollercoaster! 😬

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage in this already difficult period, and I can imagine just how disheartening it must have felt. I hope you’re ok.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for positive results for all of us moving forward as let’s face it, things have got to start getting better this year!!

Me and my husband have an appointment with the YourIVFJourney on Friday so I guess we will see after that!

I will definitely keep you posted and thank you so much for the offer of helping with any further questions. We’re only just starting so I know they’ll definitely be more!

Keep us posted on how you decide to proceed next.

All the best 😌 Px

Hi I am considering going to Reporofit. I am also 41. Do any of you have any updates/experiences with the clinic you can share? X

Hi @Sian7919

Thanks for reaching out. We’ve actually just started our journey with Reprofit. We’re using an agency to go through Reprofit, so we’ve had no contact with them directly yet. So sorry I can’t comment on their standards or service just yet but when we’re further along in the process I will update this post.
If you’re in the UK I’ve been been using the agency Your IVF Journey and they have been very supportive. I would recommend them.

Wishing you the best of luck.
Speak again soon

@Persephone12 thanks for the reply. I've requested a call back, so will hopefully know more soon. Not sure it's ideal going abroad due to Covid, but we've got to make the best plan and be mindful of funds. Good luck and please keep me updated xx

@Sian7919 will do and thanks 😊 Yes with the current climate it’s hard to predict what anyone can do next, but we’ve decided to continue and have discussed contingency options with the agency, should it come down to that, so I wouldn’t hold back on your enquires. There may be options around it.
I wish more women had encouraged me to look into private IVF sooner. Sadly time isn’t on our side, and GPs/the NHS know this but no one really tells you that!
Good luck and likewise keep me posted on your journey.
All the best!

Hello all.
I have completed a cycle with my own eggs with Reprofit in August. I have to stress firstly that having used the agency mentioned, have come to the conclusion that I would have been much better dealing with the clinic directly. I really think its money you dont need to spend. Building a relationship with the clinic is important. Find out the name of your consultant and email them questions. Do plenty of your own research and find out exactly what is included in your treatment and what add ons are possible well in advance. Also, you can pay for the treatment with debit card or Czech Króna. You dont need a credit card, or Euros for the medical (which they insist on before any other appointments for their insurance).
I had a successful round with my own eggs and from 16 eggs, ended up with 10 great embryos. We decided to transfer one (recommend the safest option aged 42) and had the other 9 PGS tested. After a month 3 came back normal which I was overjoyed with (was told only 10% would be normal aged 42. I have 33%!) Im having a private consultation with a leading fertility expert on Friday from a UK clinic to discuss if theres anything I can do to optimise my chances before going forward with transfer in Brno, yet to be arranged. I feel like I need somone to study my personal notes and give me tailored advice. Reprofit will get the job done but I want a point of reference here. Flying home, embryo on board in Covid times can feel daunting. My embryo didnt implant and bleeding started exactly on cue for period (exceopt it was like a period in reverse, dark brown spotting, then gradually heavier and redder)
PGS testing takes a month but worth it as I feel I have jumped a massive hurdle and my eggs arent as bad as predicted for my age. So glad I held off the donor option that I felt persuaded to opt for in light of poor stats with eggs .
I dont know if PM is possible on here, but for more detail please get in touch. Id like to help you get the most of the opportunity with the benefit of my experience. Any travel tips or recommendations for Brno stay you need, just ask. Wishing you all luck.( I also use a different online support network that came to my rescue quickly in Brno when I first arrived, overwhelmed and uncertain. I feel that my Health Unlocked...)
Good luck x

Hi @Florencehill I’ve been meaning to message you back for a while, but first I want to thank you for that really helpful and detailed honest feedback.

I think I’m in a slightly different position whereby I won’t be doing PGS testing as the clinic said my eggs are ok (also my medical process is generally going to be a lot different) but I appreciate all your advice on how you dealt with this process and using the agency.

The agency people are lovely, but I must admit at times we’ve already had to chase them up for responses 🙁 As they are the middle man to the clinic, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to do any of that! That caused a little frustration on my part 2 weeks ago, but I called them and spoke to Ben to relate my concerns and I hope going forward they’ll be no more of that.

Once we start treatment (soon) I’ll get on to asking direct questions with the clinic. Nothing has started as yet, but I believe you in that I shouldn’t rely solely on the agency, I need to have a full understanding myself so I will ask the questions when we get to that point.

I still feel reassured we have the agency in the background to support with anything but only time will tell if I agree and think it’s better to go to Reprofit directly?

I am new to mumsnet so I’m not sure if there is a way of directly messaging you?

Can I ask FlorenceHill where are you in your journey now?

Wishing you all the very best

X

Hi ladies

I just wanted to update you all with my experience of Reprofit in Brno now we’ve gone through it all.

Well first of all I am definitely an advocate and would recommend! I found the clinic to be clean, efficient and professional. Once you are ready for treatment your coordinator sends you the details and after egg retrieval you can check the progress of your growing embryos via an online portal. We were very lucky. 11 eggs were retrieved and 9 made it through to development stage (8 now frozen, 1 implanted).

Although all staff speak English, they are very busy in the clinics, so with masks on; conversations were limited but I felt like I was in good hands, and just before any treatment (bar the blood and urine tests) you do get to sit down and discuss where you’re at and ask questions with the doctor.

At 41, I used my own eggs and didn’t do PGS testing (which I wonder whether I should have now having researched it more) but then neither the clinic or the agency I used recommend it for me on the first go (and it does cost extra to do it as part of the ivf package and makes the process longer, so it would have been in their interests to suggest it if they thought it was useful) my advice for anyone older would be to ask the question on whether it’s a necessity for your own personal package?

As for the agency I used Your IVF Journey I would recommend them too, as we got a number of discounts on medication, and scans, plus the new embryo observation method in the Reprofit clinic (they actually said to me as you’re a client of Becky’s you won’t pay the €200 euros for this). Also the agency’s support the first time there venturing to Brno in the middle of just before the Czech lockdown period was worth it.

Going forward with national and international lockdowns I don’t know how easy it would be to go for treatment right now, but for future it’s a yes from me.

We’ve just completed our 2 week wait and got a BIG FAT POSITIVE
(long may things stay well and on track! 🤞🏻)

We’re over the moon and cannot be more grateful to everyone who helped us at Reprofit and the agency.

Dear @Persephone12, @Florencehill & @Sian7919 I hope you dont mind me contacting you ladies. Im was just searching you ladies and have seen that you have all done treatment with reprofit. I am of a similar age and have had two failed rounds of IVF in the UK. I am now looking to go abroad and Have heart great things about Reprofit. I just wanted to ask, would you ladies still recommend them? I look forward to hearing from you and wish you all the best of luck

Dear @Idlikeahappyending

Thank you for getting in touch! I’m glad you posted as us women are all in this together and need to support each other through these IVF rollercoasters!

I’m sorry to hear about your failed treatments in the UK. I can imagine how disappointed you must feel. The short answer to your question is yes- I do still recommend Reprofit (they are brilliant!).

To go back a little, in regard to my last post, sadly circumstances changed for us. Unfortunately after my BFP (I posted last year) we went on to have an embryonic (silent) miscarriage after 7 weeks. I was devastated as you can imagine.

We went back and revisited everything we did. What I would say now with a 100% certainty, is that I would NOT recommend going through the agency ‘Your IVF Journey’ to access Reprofit (I know I recommended them before but they are partially the reason why things failed).

The agency Your IVF Journey gave me the wrong information in regard to PGS testing (to cut a very long story short) and informed me about something else, telling me PGS testing was not a necessity for me. (Perhaps if I had been in control of what we had told Reprofit about ourselves in the first place that might not have happened?) Now being a bit more knowledgeable, I know they gave us the wrong information and this cost us a lot.

After my miscarriage I also found out from further investigations that I also have a blood clot condition so this could have contributed to our miscarriage.

Anyway moving forward, we have since had all our other embryos at Reprofit tested accessing them directly as patients ourselves, this has been really easy. We have a wonderful coordinator and she helps with all the questions that we have, consulting directly with our allocated fertility specialist doctor over there.

We are now in a position where we have just come back from Brno (last week) having had a second transfer (this time a PGS tested FET) and I’m currently in my 2 week wait 😬

Again I wholeheartedly recommend this clinic. It’s cheaper than the UK and they know what they are doing. The only downside I would say is that you yourself have to really research everything before you go (especially if you want any added extras to your fertility care). They won’t tell you about it as they don’t want to be seen to be pushy, but you can ask your coordinator (once you are signed up to them) about extras and options (for example PGS testing is an additional option they don’t recommend automatically) and they can provide that information. Also travelling over in this pandemic can be tricky (you have to do a ton of PCR tests now which is annoying but necessary) but honestly the costs are still less in total than what you would pay in England.

Please feel free to post or message me on this again if you want to know anymore, and I wish you lots of luck!

Percy 🙂

@Persephone12 Thanks so much for the reply!! I am wishing you the best for the two week wait!!

Im really happy to hear you have had such a good experience there. I have a consultation with them and am very keen to get started. I had had a lot of investigations as I have also had quite alot of miscarriages too (6 )... but i am keen to make some embryos.. definately get them tested and then ill decide wether to have a transfer ... or do surrogacy... which the clinic do . I really will be thinking of you!!!! BEST of luck and i really appreciate your quick reply xx

@Idlikeahappyending thank you so much! That’s really kind of you 🙂 It’s a nerve wracking time for me so I’m just trying to give myself plenty of R&R and keep myself occupied at the moment 🙂

I’m so sorry to hear of your many miscarriages. I’ve had 2 now and it’s such a painful thing to go through, let alone when one is so set on becoming a mother and it really sounds like you’ve properly been through the rounds! 😔 I really hope that Reprofit offers you some renewed hope 🤞🏻

Good news on your consultation 🙂 I will keep my fingers crossed for you that all goes well.
I don’t know if you have considered the option at all, but the clinic itself is also a specialist in Donor Egg IVF (maybe an option for the future?)

Also apparently there’s a really useful Facebook group page (if you’re on Facebook) that may help with advice too.

I read a really good book that might be useful to you it’s called It Starts With the Egg by Rebecca Fett (maybe you’ve heard of it already?) if you haven’t I think it might be handy to have a read before egg retrieval?

Wishing you all the luck in the world. Keep us posted on how you find Reprofit! Good luck!

🙂

@Persephone12 Oh yes I have heard of it starts with the egg... Im on it all!! Living like a total state.

Donor egg is definately something I will consider in the future.. but I would like to try maybe 1-2 more rounds first. I had my two rounds on the NHS and whilst so so greatful... i dont think I was put on the right protocol. Ive spoken to some great clinics here in the UK ..but i just dont have the money for what they are suggesting.

Can I ask... how long did you stay there for your treatment? And did you do a short or long protocol.... sorry for all the questions

xx

@Persephone12 meant to say living like a total saint! : ) NOT state

[quote Idlikeahappyending]@Persephone12 meant to say living like a total saint! : ) NOT state [/quote]

...I know non stop munching on Brazil nuts!!

@Idlikeahappyending yes I completely understand wanting to try your own eggs first (especially if you’ve got a good AMH level) If required I might do the same and ensure all eggs are PGS tested before going for the next transfer.

I understand what you mean with the NHS. Sadly in my case I was not offered good care, and didn’t feel confident they knew what they were doing so went straight to private. I think I’d recommend that to women of our age every time. Those that are a bit younger and haven’t been diagnosed with anything severe are probably ok with IVF on the NHS, as they have that extra bit of time but at our age we don’t have the luxury.

For my first egg retrieval and transfer we stayed there for 11 nights in total. That’s because we did the retrieval and about a week later the transfer. And I did the long protocol. (So started before we went out).

This time we only went for an FET. We could have been in and out within days (you can travel on the same day back home after a transfer if you wish) had it not been due to the pandemic and the really small amount of flights scheduled to the Czech so we stayed there a week ☹️ (longer than we wanted to).
It was really boring as they’re in full lock down at the moment, but at least we managed to get there do what we needed to do and get home safely.

Hope that helps?

@Persephone12 Honestly you have been so so helpful! Thanks so much for all of your advice I really appreciate it!!

Ill stop bothering you and let you enjoy your evening!!

And best of luck xx

@Idlikeahappyending you’re not bothering me at all! Even though I’m in a different place to you right now, I’ve also been in your position (and one day might be again?) I think it’s nice to have other women to talk to (and help each other) when we’re all in the same boat 🙂

Have a lovely evening too and if you have anymore questions do not hesitate to ask 😉

Percy x

Hello ladies. I'm researching this clinic and wondering if there's any successful stories? Also do they provide like all inclusive with hotel and airport transfers and treatments packages? I never been abroad so feeling a a bit anxious but their successful rates being higher than UK I think it's worth a trip