Spainish Clinics - which to pick?

[Eiremogra]

Hi all, I have narrowed down our search for DE treatment to Clínica Tambre, IVF Life Alicante and IVF Life Madrid. The costs and ease of travel to Spain played a large part in our decision. Has anyone any experience of any of these clinics? It’s been very overwhelming to contact and read the mountains of responses from so many clinics and now it’s down to 3 choices we’re feeling at a standstill. Help!!

Hi. I'm a mum to teenagers conceived in Spain. What I would say is if you can't go to a country with ID release donors (e.g. Portugal, Scandinavia) then one of the most important things is to find a clinic which at least gives some information on the donor.

It may be that between your choice of clinics, one of them gives more non ID information than the other? I know for my children the lack of information has been really hard to deal with and they only have the age and blood group of their donors. So any more would have been so much better for them.

Best,
C

Thanks so much @Carajillo . I have a full list of questions for the clinics and that will certainly be one of the top questions I’ll ask. There’s so much to consider and I need to make sure we’re doing what’s right for any future child. Xx

Hi
I am currently with IVF Life Alicante for DE treatment.
We have found them to be very efficient and have had regular communication with them. We traveled out for an initial consultation, spent considerable time at the clinic (which is a very nice setting, spa like) and went home with a treatment plan, medication and a date to return for embryo transfer.
I do not have any experience of other Spanish clinics to compare but can compare to our clinic at home and to be honest I felt Alicante was overall a much better customer experience. Of course I hope our treatment is successful and I have certainly felt I have more faith in the Spanish clinic than at home.
I think initially it can feel overwhelming to travel abroad for treatment but the reality is quite straightforward and they are so used to working with International patients they can quickly alleviate any worries you may have.
Hope this helps, happy to answer any queries you may have.

Hi @Maisie111 Thanks so much for getting in touch. Tbh our experience with clinics here has been shocking, absolutely awful experience with zero compassion. Guess we were just another ‘statistic’. Onwards and upwards. Did you do an initial Skype consultation with Alicante? I’m hoping to arrange a call with them soon to get a better picture. I have lots of questions! Did you update any tests here before going over..I’ve had a recent AMH level done and had considered getting an AFC scan done too. I guess more so to determine if we truly should just go DE route ( ridiculous really as I know DE is the realistic option for us). Did you have to sync with the donor? This gives me the fear a little. Sorry for all the questions! Also… how long has the process been from consultation to date of transfer? x

@Eiremogra
Happy to help no problem, based on our experience to date.
We had a disastrous two attempts at home at DE, rare circumstances that you just couldn’t make up so we decided we could wait no longer and looked elsewhere. I knew of two people who had success with Alicante which was good enough for me.
We went in person to the clinic, they might do Skype but I couldn’t be bothered wasting time and repeating myself so just went there.
We had the usual bloods done at our appointment, HIV etc and I had my thyroid levels checked (I do take thyroid med) but I also think this is routine there and has to be within 3 mths.
I had 3 miscarriages and a failed IVF so we knew DE was for us and so a little different to you.
They did a scan when I was there and it was just coincidence it was cycle day 2 for me so I literally started taking the pill that evening to prep.
You do sync with the donor, they didn’t tell us much about that it was very focused on us. You do a mock cycle of treatment to ensure the medication is correct for you. I’ve had one scan at home and emailed them the result. Then you start the real cycle. I was given a prescription in Spain, literally went round the corner to the pharmacy and got the medication much cheaper than here and took it home.
We had our consultation on 21st September and all being well I fly back for embryo transfer which is scheduled on 30th November 🙏🏻🙏🏻 🤞

Wow how exciting and so good that the process is pretty quick!! I worry about having to sync with the donor and the stress this might cause..can’t get my head around the timings tbh. Is it as simple as setting a date for embryo transfer? I have images of making a last minute dash to the airport to catch a flight to Spain! x

Do not stress about syncing with the donor, in my experience, they take care of this…you need not worry. They give you a full treatment timeline but it focuses on you, not the donor
At the end of our consultation, they provided a treatment plan and I am following the steps on the plan until embryo transfer

Thanks so much @Maisie111 , I will no doubt have lots more questions so might pm you if that’s ok? How are you feeling about it all..you sound so ‘together’! x

Yes absolutely pm me

I have nothing helpful to add OP, sorry, but just want to say @Maisie111 good luck 🤞!

@resipsa Thank you so much

@Maisie111 You've probably guessed but I've been where you are (in the broader sense) and she's now 7 😄.

@resipsa amazing!! I’m trying to keep a lid on it all and hope for a precious rainbow

@Maisie111 Odds definitely in your favour. Really wishing you the best. One of those life journeys that can only be understood by those who have travelled them. 🤞🤞🤞

@resipsa And somewhere I never imagined I’d be, thank you so much for your kind wishes, it really means a lot xxx

Some clinics might just freeze the embryos and then transfer at your convenience, so syncing with the donour is not needed at all

Hi ladies, I'm also at IVF Life Alicante and so far have found them absolutely amazing. I am a single lady so I'm doing Donor Embryo (I am not sure from your OP whether it's egg or embryo). They were so patient with all of my silly questions via email and they answered them all so well that I chose them instead of several cheaper clinics.
I have been for my consultation and it was great, I got to watch my mock transfer on the monitor, and all going well I will have the real transfer in January. Very excited and nervous at the same time! I have a lovely contact lady who is just so kind, and the doctor is brilliant, I can't recommend them enough so far.

Ah I have re-read and see it's embryo. You don't need to time it with the donor, their embryos are already frozen, and the doctor did confirm with me that they are from couples whose treatment has been finished. For me, they do a "down" cycle on the pill (3 weeks), then a full 4-week mock cycle on the support medication complete with uterine thickness ultrasound (to check response to the medication) and then on the third cycle they do the transfer. Altogether about 10+ weeks, depending on where you were in your cycle when you get your plan started.

I also chose them because they were able to do ALL my prerequisite tests in person on the day of the first consultation. I really did not want to be running about in the UK trying to organise extra scans and blood tests before visiting them. So I am very happy to have gotten it all sorted during my first visit.

Hi @Greenlee , thanks so much for sharing your experience. We are hoping for donor egg treatment, I’m 42 and have an AMH 1.3. Failed IVF treatment and don’t want to risk another failed cycle so we’re going to go for Donor egg treatment. I’m so pleased you’re having a positive experience with IVF Alicante..this is a huge factor for us given the terrible experience we had here in the UK. So from what @ASGIRC said it might be an option for us to have our donor egg fertilised and then the (hopefully) little embryo frozen. I then wouldn’t have to sync with the donor. I might be overthinking this though. I’ve emailed them this morning to start the process, hoping to get a call back soon. How exciting for you…and a fantastic way to start 2023!! Can I ask how many times/ for how long have you had to attend the clinic? @Maisie111 what about you?
Thanks again for all this information, I really do appreciate it xxx

@Eiremogra just one visit. I had a smear test and blood tests done while I was there. So my second visit will be for the transfer. The only thing I need to arrange here is the two thickness ultrasounds (one in the mock cycle and another in the real cycle).

I have a nearly 8 year old son via donor egg from IVI Alicante who were wonderful. Still send us Christmas e cards now! We have been open with our son about his conception and so far so good. We know the donors age, blood group, height, hair colour and eye colour but at the moment it doesn't come up much xx