ABC Infertility

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Looking at potential IVF options and to stay with our current fertility clinic, we’re looking in the region of about £6k for IVF including medication. I have come across ABC in London a few times and I’ve also seen women on ttc/infertility fb groups talking about having their IVF done there.

I understand it’s known as “shoebox” IVF which is why it only costs £2500 including meds, scans etc. Which is amazing to be honest when you don’t have thousands and thousands to spare like we don’t. I was just wondering if anyone on here was considering going, is currently or has been through IVF with them and if they’re worth it? I feel like it may be a “too good to be true” situation but if it’s not, it would really be a step in the right direction for us money-wise

All sounds great @Blessing786. Fingers crossed it will be end of this week for your collection then 😊

@Jessloug thankyou ! Your meds are coming in two Days as well you must Ben excited !

@Blessing786 so nice to hear it's going so well, and thanks for the picture at Wimbledon. I'm at Wimbledon too. How have you found them so far?

@Jessloug wow we are going to be really close! What stims are you on?

@user1475505106 hi there !
Nice to know you joined Wimbledon too. I had my initial consultation at Harley street and just like you had all my intitial tests done prior hence I started my treatment as soon as lockdown eased and Wimbledon opened . Abc so far is okay I’ve had three scans so far and I was seen by a different person each time so that’s not always convenient as I feel like the person never knows what’s happening so communication was poor at the beginning but now since my third scan today it’s going more smoothly!
The doctor just called to tell me my Estradiol is a little high so I have to go in tomorrow again for a blood test (no scan) to determine when to trigger me. So now I feel like they keep me in the loop as to what’s happening ...hope all goes well for you as well

Hi everyone, just thought I'd chime in as I've just joined and found so much useful information on these forums so I want to help others by contributing my experience so far with ABC IVF.

I'm with the Harley St branch and just before lockdown had my initial consultation in person. During lockdown while the clinics were unable to provide treatment, we had our treatment consultation and basically got everything in place to start as soon as my period.

Seems like i'm a few days behind @Blessing786 so i've got my fingers crossed for you!

I'm on day 5 of my cycle and 4 days on injections so far
I'm on 125 dose of bemfola so quite a modest dose
Went in for my first scan today and nurse saw 4 follicles that appear to be a good size for where I am in the cycle.

I was a bit miffed to only hear I've only got 4 (during my initial scan, my ovaries showed at least 12 follicles on one ovary so I was expecting more).
I'm staying hopeful other follicles will grow or the 4 follicles we see now will result in 4 good quality eggs - after all, it only takes 1 good embryo :)

Tomorrow I start cetrotide injections, a bit more steps involved for this one but i'm sure it won't be too hard after the first day. Bemfola injections are super easy for anyone concerned!

@Blessing786 Ah good to know about the CM - I had no idea that could be affected. Have you had your update today?

Yes, excited! Definitely ready to get going now. Doesn't actually feel real that's happening after all this time!

@user1475505106 - Yes we'll be very close! I have Bemfola and Cetrocide coming tomorrow. Just about to read up on storage etc - just got the dispatch email.

@wileys5 - Hey! Glad to hear it's going well.Have you got an idea on collection date yet?

Hi ladies here’s my update
So after my update the doctor called to lower my Bemfola from 150 to 125.
Long story short I had my final scan before egg collection today and the nurse said my follicles look great i had about 17 she predicted I would have around 10 eggs maybe more so she was very happy with my progress.

HOWEVER, my bloods estrogen level was around 7000 so now I am at a risk of OHSS and will have to do a FREEZE ALL cycle ... I was gutted to hear this. This now means instead of ovitrelle they will trigger me with buserelin for my egg collection which is this Friday !

I was shocked to hear we would not be able to do a fresh transfer ..I think @TryingForMyRainbow had the same issue on this forum and like her I now also have to pay 750£ extra. Hubby was not pleased to hear this. Meds and scans for transfer are not included . I mean I was on Bemfola 150...I feel like I should have been 125 considering my age (28)....

So now on Friday we are going for egg collection and hopefully have some good quality embryos which can be transferred after I had my first natural bleed.
Has anyone had similar experiences ? I don’t know how to feel about a frozen transfer ...

Hey @Blessing786 sorry to hear its not all going straightforward for you 😔 will you have to pay for scans and meds on top of the extra £750 then?
I'm really worried about this as I've already been warned I could go the same way because of my pcos.
I obviously haven't had any first hand experience but on the group I'm in, lots of ladies say they find they have successes with FET and some even say they believe it to be more so 🙏 I hope this is the case for you, 17 follicles is fab, hope they all have lovely mature eggs waiting in them for you🤞

@wileys5 don't feel too disheartened, they might all be fab eggs. Weirdly I've been hearing a lot about people having say 3 follicles on scans and getting 4 or 5 eggs so you never know. Hope the cetrotide injections go well for you!

I'm getting a little frustrated now. I had my treatment plan and consent consultation and they didn't even know what my dosage is going to be, they told me they would chase it up on Monday but I'm still waiting so meds aren't even ordered and I'm due to start on/around 3rd July, AF permitting!
How long did it take for everyones meds to turn up from ordering? Xx

Sorry it's gone that way @Blessing786 although the egg count is really good. I'm going on 150 too, I'm 31. To be honest I didn't realise they did offer a lower dose to begin with. I'm pretty sure I once read that a lot of specialists recommend frozen over fresh, obviously the extra wait isn't what you were hoping for though. At least you know come Friday your eggs are good to go whenever you are and the hardest part is done! Really hope Friday goes ok for you.

@Kelbell86 I was sent an email with the available booking dates on there. I know I got the email on the 21st May and had them delivered today but there were earlier dates available to book. I just can't remember how soon it was. Couldn't say for sure but I would guess that you'll still be ok for the 3rd July...

@Blessing786 I am so sorry you have to go through a freeze all cycle, but that's wonderful to hear you can collect so many eggs. Your age is in your side too and I am sure they will be amazing quality.

@KellBell86 I didn't have any issues. I was told what my dose was going to be. I am 35 and I was also put on 150. I think the fact they have a strict criteria allows them to begin with a standardised dose, and then adjust as need be. As soon as my treatment consultation was complete, a few days later I was emailed by the drugs company and selected a date. Mine are due to be delivered tommorow and I'm due to start in around 10 days.

@Jessloug. Good luck with the meds! Let us know how the injection goes!

@Blessing786 I was also made aware of the costs, incase of an all freeze cycle during my initial consultation so I was aware of what could potentially happen. Did they discuss it with you earlier?

I had my second scan yesterday, my 4 follicles seem to be growing well. I've got my next scan on Friday which will give a better view on egg collection which may be next week Monday or at the latest Wednesday (which seems like age away!). Cetrotide injections were fine, just a bit more fiddly as you need to mix the solution together first.
I haven't had any side effects at all from the stimulation. Perhaps a bit of tired than usual but not sure if that's directly attributable to the stimulation or the food coma I was in last night ;)

@Kelbell86 My meds were ordered on the Friday before the last May bank holiday and they arrived on the Thursday following - so less than a week taking into consideration there was a bank holiday. You do have a bit of time but do call and chase them to make sure they're sorting it out.

@Blessing786 fingers crossed for your egg collection. Whilst a frozen transfer may not be what you expected (and the added cost) but that route could give you body a better chance for the embryo to stick. You've got lots of follicles so really good chances of quality embryos coming from it.

Hello thanks everyone for keeping fingers crossed for me!
@Kelbell86 yes it’s 750£ extra on top of everything. Scans are included but not medicines.

So I had my egg collection today and with Gods grace I had 11 eggs collected. Back home now recovering. During it I was on knocked out and as soon as the anesthesia wore off I felt the pain and soreness quite quite a bit (you also bleed was kinda surprised when I saw my gown with big splashes sorry tmi)
Everyone was super lovely and explained everything in detail.
BUT as soon I left the clinic horrible nausea kicked in and I thought I was gonna vomit right outside ... Ive had this sickly feeling for a few hours until thank god I vomited and felt at ease (sorry tmi) ...they didn’t mention nausea and vomiting at all but I guess I was having a side effect from the anasthesia ..

Hope everyone is doing well hopefully have a good update to share tomorrow on how many have fertilised. We did get ICSI.

@Blessing786 have you had any updates, hope it's good news for you 🤞

@wileys5 thanks, they ordered my meds on Wednesday so I'm just waiting on them arriving now. AF is due on the 3rd so hoping it will show and I can get started!

How is everyone else getting on? Good I hope xx

@Kelbell86 hi out of 11 eggs , all eggs were mature and 9 fertilised they told us yesterday. Next update is tomorrow !
How you getting on and everyone else ?

@Blessing786 that's amazing! Such good numbers. So you need to wait for another natural cycle then they'll put one back? Is that before your next natural ovulation window?

I don't really know what to do today. I believe I may have begun my period this morning...
Wasn't expecting it until next weekend, but last month had 4 days of spotting before full flow. So if day 1 was taken as first day of spotting, it's probably right to be around today 🤷🏼‍♀️ so this could mean I need to start tomorrow instead of next weekend.
I've called 2 numbers and both say closed, only other number is an emergency number. Would you wait until tomorrow and call the regular number? Today would be day 1 if this is aunt Flo . I also had cystitis end of last week so thought could be that but all symptoms of that are gone now. all v confusing... X

Hi @Jessloug okay so if you started “full flow” today which I doubt you haven’t since you mentioned it “may” start today..then today you DONT count as day 1. If tomorrow you do have full flow before 12 noon then THAT is your DAY 1 and subsequently Tuesday is your DAY2... i also started my period early and was so confused ...
I doubt they will pick up today so try tomorrow and i wouldn’t start the injection until you have confirmed it with them ...Bcus I was then I realised I was gonna do it a day earlier than what they would have wanted. So ring them tomorrow I am sure tomorrow they will answer ...worst case try the create number instead I know they are open till 2pm on a Sunday.
Good luck x

@Blessing786 that's amazing news! Congrats, hope they carry on strong to blasto for you 😊 Especially good that all of your eggs were mature! Did you take any supplements etc?

@Jessloug I was told the same as @Blessing786 and that's always how they worked it when I was on letrozole. Day 1 is the first full flow and if prior to 12pm, if full flow starts post 12pm its day 0 xx

@Blessing786 @KelBell86 ok makes sense thanks both. Had nothing since this morning.
Going to give them a call tomorrow just to get confirmation x

Hi everyone, I’m new to the thread! I have found it very comforting reading through these messages and reassured to hear such positive reviews on abc.

I’m in a same sex relationship and we have been ttc for a year now with a private donor using artificial insemination at home. We’ve decided to give abc a try using our current donor, I am scheduled to have my initial consultation over the phone next week. I keep going over all the questions I want to ask, it’s so nerve wracking!!😬

Hi @Keighley95 I was the same on our first consultation but the person we spoke to was so lovely and she put us at ease straight away 😊
Which clinic are you with? xx

@Kelbell86 we are at the Bristol clinic. Really hoping we get accepted for treatment. I know my BMI is right on the edge of acceptance, I think it’s 29.9 which is worrying me lol. It’s been really hard making this decision so it really is reassuring to be able to read chats like this one and connect with other people in my situation. Xx

Welcome @Keighley95 🙂

How is everybody getting on?

Just did my first bemfola injection so all go now! First scan on Friday and Oxford clinic is now open so no need to go into London 👍🏻

@Jessloug awesome news ! Finally you have the ball rolling too that’s great ! Hope the first injection went well !

@Kelbell86 thank you ! I didn’t take too many supplements just the standard pre conception pills , 1000u of vitamin d and sometimes 1g vitamin c (only 3 days before egg retrieval) my husband took some pre conception pills as well and 50mg zinc to improve his motility. We did have ICSI due to that issue as well.

Embryo update: two days ago they told us all 9 embryos are still growing (was kinda shocked) and one embryo they froze at day 3 as they said apparently that was ready to freeze and is grade 1(I don’t know what that means).
Next call is tomorrow and that is the final call before we know for sure how many we have in the freezer hoping it’s a good number!
Fingers crossed for everyone else xx

@Blessing786 sounds they they are doing amazing 🙂 that's great news! Keep us updated!
That's good to hear about the supplements, I pretty much take the same, I just don't take vitamin c.

@Keighley95 try not to worry about your bmi until you speak with them, it does say under 30 and you are under 🙂 I was 27.6 although I've now dropped down to 27 as I've been working out lots and drinking lots of water in preparation 😬

@Jessloug how did you find your first injection? I'm super nervous for mine but on the other hand super excited, I can't decide which I feel haha xx