Hi Stork
So yes doing the 5k egg donor cycle, hopefully giving me opportunity to have several goes if necessary, the first fresh, the others (if possible) FETS with the add on cost for storage and the transfer (off top of head don't know those costs, but can find out)...I felt this would be more cost effective overall than EA as its only embryo in my basket so to speak.
So yes I did have the aquascan in London rather than 2 trips to Athens and had a phone consult with Athens last Monday - they don't charge for their initial consultations - in person or on phone. Went to Concept Fertility in Putney/Wandsworth town area. Bit of a ballache to get there but I found them lovely, very helpful and the scan was very detailed. I believe the Herts and Essex clinic also do aquascans but found no reviews from anyone on Serum facebook page. My main thing was if its just on a list of things they can do and it was listed at the bottom of it, they probably didn't do them very often and was anxious about that. The cost differential is £275 for the aquascan at Concept, to 200 euros at Serum but then you have to pay for flight. My total bill for the bloods as well was £430.
You could have aquascan in Sept here and go ahead with treatment in Oct - potentially!!
Serum suggest that everyone does the detailed infection testing before starting, which is basically getting a sample of menstrual blood and sending it through the post. 2 separate tests (Locus Medicus test and Gene diagnosis 11 in 1) on the sample at a cost of 100 and 200 euros - I ve been recommended both.
It has up to a 65 pc chance of success with DE, that's how have looked at it too. Cant go through what I went through again, there is a minute chance of a pregnancy being affected with a trisomy and I ve heard from so many that Penny (Med Director) is so proficient at matching donors that many of the babies resemble their parent. I am reading up on epigenetics, and also as Kwik has mentioned, its not about just the egg, its the way its interpreted as an embryo in your womb. If the donor had carried the baby it would be a totally different child, to the one you nurture. Its fascinating stuff.
I am likely going over to Athens the 3rd week of September for the transfer. Serum close for their summer break today. You have to do an ordinary lining scan at day 10 which you can arrange here but I think because have not even been to Serum in person I feel like I want to go for the week on this occasion. Subsequent trips if needed I probably would do the overnighter and return. Feels good to have a plan. It was my birthday yesterday and felt quite depressed and missing Mabel but on the same day I received my treatment protocol so it feels like am reaching a turning point now
I had looked into IVI but because I wanted a full DE cycle, I wanted the cheaper option and there seems to be a 4k difference - which is a lot for me