How did you pick a private clinic?

[MrsDarcy4092]

any tips or advice would be wonderful. We have attended two open days now. The first was at create in wimbledon. I was really keen on this clinic as i really want to avoid the drugs as much as possible which is what create specialise in. However, we had a bad experience with them for DH semen analysis but thought the open day was worth a shot as i am so keen on natural ivf. The open day was interesting. Our overall impression though was not one of confidence. It felt like a sales pitch. We felt very pushed into booking an initial consultation. There were lab staff outside in their lab coats smoking and the clinic environment does not seem very cared for - quite tired and the room we had the open day in had equipment just shoved into the corners of the room. The chairs we were sat on were so uncomfortable and tatty. I was really disappointed as i so wanted to love it there. We are still open to it but only because they offer natural ivf. THe professor led the open day and while she came across very knowledgable she avoided certain questions and contradicted herself quite a lot - she said how natural ivf is the best and they are pride themselves on delivering it but then said they hardly do any natural anymore and prefer to use low dose of the drugs - why if natural is so good ??? hmmm. She was asked about the question of twins and avoided the question but said they try to avoid twins yet their notice board didn't have a single photo of a singleton baby.

Anyway, our second open day i wasn't holding out hope for.It was at the new life clinic in epsom surrey. Much more local to us so i didn't think it would be as good as create as not a london clinic. They also don't offer natural ivf. Well, the clinic was beautiful, really well cared for and a lovely environment to be cared in. Its a really small team so we got to meet everyone at the open day and i have to say they were all so friendly. We were not rushed and also were not pushed to sign up for anything. We had a tour of the clinic and the presentations were excellent - not a sales pitch at all unlike create, very informative and interesting. I asked the embryologist and the nurse manager about natural ivf. They said they can offer soft ivf which is using lower dosages of drugs but only if my tests show i am suitable for that. They clearly don't do soft ivf very often.

So now we are totally confused. If new life offered natural ivf or seemed more keen on soft ivf then it would be a no brainer decision for us.Even though new life is more expensive we both felt more comfortable and more confident there than with create. The reason i am so worried about the drugs is i am not convinced that proper research has been done into the long term side effects of them. If there are warnings for taking contraceptive pill about links of cancer then i don't see why thats different in fertility drugs? except that no one is researching it to say for definite. I don't know if i am just being really over anxious about this, it just does not sit right with me to pump my body full of high dose hormones and not expect long term side effects? does anyone else feel this way? anyone researched it? the cancer research website says there is no link - but is that just because there has not been the research? I have a tumor, its pretty likely non cancerous as i had it since i was a baby and its never grown even through puberty but i am still worried that maybe these high dose drugs would cause it to grow and as its a rare tumor its hard to no for definite. Most baby's that had the same tumor died as theirs all grew. But i was lucky then and i don't want to push my luck now. I really don't know what to do. Any ideas?

i guess we need to go on more open days really but then its a decision of treatment versus clinic.

Hello MrsDarcy4092 sorry to hear about your bad experience. I choose my clinic only after very careful researches and we went abroad. But I was more than happy with my choice after. spend your time on thinking about priorities and don't go if you still have concerns.

Hi - I am currently undergoing treatment at Create St Paul's (1st cycle of mild ICSI, had eggs collected Tues morning). My experience has been pretty positive, though admittedly my only point of comparison is NHS (King's London). I went with Create as a friend of mind had a positive experience with them in their Wimbledon clinic. Funnily enough, she also commented on how "tatty" their Wimbledon clinic is but said that the staff were really great with her and her DH as they were in a state and had a horrible experience at another clinic.

For me, I was also v keen to avoid conventional IVF due to the massive cost and the quantities of drugs, plus on a practical level St Paul's is v easy for me to get to, which is really important when you are having to go backwards and forwards for scans and blood tests etc. They are also v good at simple stuff like returning your calls when they said they would, answering emails promptly, etc. Plus the receptionists and nursing team have been v lovely and friendly towards me.

I guess it's a combination of factors. Good luck with your decision and feel free to pm be if you want any further info.

I was with the Lister in London and really liked them. To be honest I rushed into it once I realised we needed help (secondary infertility so no nhs support). But I was really pleased with my choice.

I've no knowledge of natural or low dose ivf - we just went with their advice for the protocol. My consultant took loads of time talking through things with us, and my husband came away really informed and on board. And I think that was really important to enable him to support me.

I would say to absolutely trust your instincts - if a clinic doesn't feel right, don't go with then. It's an expensive and very emotional process, and you'll want to have absolute trust in your consultant and clinic, to feel comfortable during treatment and to have no regrets, especially if any of your cycles aren't successful.

Good luck with your decision and treatment.

I had natural IUI so quite different from you but I didn't have a great experience with Create (I went to Wimbledon and Harley Street branches). The medical staff seemed nice enough but there was so little information given out. I had tests done and was told the results but no one would tell me the next step and I was misled about information to do with their sperm bank. When I told them I was a bit worried about lack of info I was told someone would call me to talk to me about next steps, but I heard nothing. I complained again and got no reply. It really knocked me back and I felt they just wanted to take my money for tests and not bother with the rest of it. They seemed really incompetent and it should have been a really straightforward situation.

I then went to the Women's Clinic and conceived on the second go.

I'd go with your instincts. You need to feel comfortable and be able to trust whichever clinic you use.

Hi MrsDarcy

I am of a similar mindset to you re wanting to go the natural route - I am also interested in create, although as yet have not got any further than a couple of phone calls (both have which the lady on the other end had been helpful and professional). I started a thread on here a little while ago asking for reviews on create - it got a mixed response, here is the link if you want to take a look: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/infertility/2537425-Create-fertility-natural-IVF-any-experiences-or-success-stories

My DH had a low count and as yet, no problems have been found with me. I am having a laparoscopy in a few weeks and then hoping to go down the Ivf route in March. I'm still heavily leaning towards create as I really am keen on the natural approach - I just don't like the idea of pumping myself full of drugs when I don't actually have any issues!

i picked mine cause of my friends recommendations and read posts on forums