I just don’t see how we can afford IVF.

[Yazzi3]

Hello there.

Feeling rather tearful and naive this evening. Just back from our first IVF consultation and due to my age and scan results, the best treatment plan would cost about 19 thousand pounds.

After a series of miscarriages, I had pinned all my hopes on the possibility of starting IVF. I’m feeling very silly as I knew it was expensive but had no idea it would be this much. We just don’t have the savings or the option of going abroad where I’ve read treatment can be cheaper.

The only way we could come close to funding the treatment (after overtime and emptying our savings) would be to ask to borrow from family but what a cheeky thing to consider doing. And even then, I’m well aware that there is no guarantee of success.

We are very very lucky to already have one child but I just can’t help longing for a sibling. More so since my latest miscarriage.

I guess I’m just wondering what to do. Take a chance and try to find the money or just accept that it’s not meant to be.

Thank you xx

3 egg collections and 1 embryo transfer? That’s unusual. Unless they are intending to freeze them for the purpose of testing? But that seems an odd suggestion for a first cycle, particularly without any prior tests relating to your miscarriages.

Hope it all goes well with the consultant next month, I’d probably hold off making decisions before that appointment but some research into clinics and treatment may be useful in the meantime.

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Are you being pushed towards PGS because of the number of miscarriages, or because testing post-mc has identified something?
If it's the former, I would be wary of it.
It's very expensive (probably £3k of the bill) and unless the underlying cause of your MC is identified, it won't necessarily solve the issue - eg if it's an immunology or thrombolia related condition

There are also several clinics who offer a 3-round-1-transfer package for about half what you've been quoted (without the PGS and drugs)

Sorry and time lapse incubator too, to be honest the general feeling with PGS is yes it's worth considering if you are over 36 or have a history of MC but it's viewed as a selection tool, so if you have lots of embryos great (and I don't mean to sound negative but it's not common to get lots of blasts at 42) so a lot of patients who only get 1-2 blasts often skip it and have a transfer without PGS testing, if that happens we refund the PGS fee so check your clinic would do that if you don't get enough blasts to biopsy, you would usually be prepped for a fresh transfer in the event of that happening.

That said some patients would pay the £2,600 for PGS on one embryo to check its euploid (genetically normal) before transfer it, but most would go ahead without it. If you biopsy and they are all any aneuploid which happens as the average euploid rate in 42 can be around 20% that you would forfeit the PGS fee. I'm a big believer in PGS but don't be caught up into paying for it without considering everything, a cycle with PGS usually then includes the cost of a frozen transfer at around 2k unless you are on a multi cycle scheme so you could end of paying 5k just to biopsy 1 embryos

Also... If your partner is under 41 and had a good semen analysis you may be able to access IVF free if he sperm shares, although I know not everyone would consider this. Sorry for all the posts like I said I work in a clinic and had 5 cycles myself here and abroad so anything you need shout

PGS was suggested due to the miscarriages as it’s been assumed it’s the quality of my eggs that’s causing the miscarriages but I certainly won’t be making any decisions until I see the consultant next month. The package suggested basically involves 3 egg collections which are frozen and then 1 transfer.

You might also want to dig out a bit more re all the IVF Clinic, what is included in the price etc...
£19k seems to be on the very high end of the spectrum price wise.

Lauren, you’ve been really helpful. Thank you so much.

YY about doing all the immunology first!!!

No point doing all the stems, collection etc... if the issue is coming from an immunology issue.

Yes, certainly will dig some more. I’m really glad to hear that there are cheaper options out there.

I booked to visit the IVF clinic as I needed to be proactive. Ideally, I would have gone to the miscarriage clinic first but I had no idea how long the referral would take (or if I’d even be accepted). I’d read that sometimes referrals can take months so I wanted to find out about the price of IVF while waiting.

No problem, I don't mean to disagree with what PP said but a lot of immunology is unproven so be careful with getting encouraged to pay for too much, it's not very common these days as a lot isn't evidence based. I had a knee jerk reaction to a MMC before I knew so much and paid £1,100 for immunes testing to check my NK cells but never did anything with the results, they suggested intralipids but a bag of soya and oil wasn't going to help me get and stay pregnant.

I do think a few empirical meds such as steroids, clexane and injectable progesterone can be of benefit and a good consultant should be happy to prescribe them without any tests providing you have no health issues preventing them but again it's largely anecdotal. If you haven't already look on Fertility Friends forum you should be able to find your clinics board on there and see what patients are saying about them

Do try to get the referral for the recurrent miscarriage clinic done first as it may include tests the clinic will charge you for such as lupus anticoagulant, Thyroid function, and progesterone etc and VIT D, clinics won't insist on those but there's no harm

It’s really interesting what you said about PGS as we were told it would increase our odds by a huge amount.

Certainly increases our costs.

Have you had any tests done?
Thrombolia screen, thyroid tests, chromosome testing for you and your partner?

I'm that a Clinic would recommend going straight for PGS without doing all of the cheaper blood tests first

Yazzi PGS won't increase your odds of pregnancy as such as its about finding the euploid embryos, so if you were going to have all your embryos transferred without PGS it just means you will get the ones most likely to result in a live birth transferred first so it can save you money and heartache long term if you produce a lot of embryos, it means a miscarriage is less likely too as genetic abnormalities are one of the biggest causes so you know your embryo is likely free from them. You could be looking at a 30%-35% pregnancy rate per embryo transfer compared to 65% with a PGS tested one

My GP did run some standard blood tests recently. All came back ok except for my thyroid being low side of normal and I’ve also got to start taking vitamin D tablets.

It’s such a learning curve. Never even heard of PGS until today.

Did the Clinic review your blood tests?
The normal range for thyroid is different when TTC

Have they done a Thrombolia screen? If you have a blood clotting disorder, it could be linked to miscarriages

The fertility clinic haven’t reviewed any blood tests yet. Not had a thrombolia screen. Just had an initial consultation and scan today.

I'm really shocked that the clinic isn't even suggesting some basic blood tests before pricing up £20k of fertility treatment that might be entirely unnecessary

It doesn't smack of it being a particularly ethical Clinic imo...

I researched online following three BFPs in a row turning into losses and took a list of blood tests to my GP that I wanted running which she thankfully did. They came back showing weak positives for a few clotting issues. A week after these results came back I had another BFP, immediately phoned the early pregnancy unit and said I needed to see a consultant as soon as possible with a view to starting heparin which I did by about 15dpo. In the meantime I started aspirin.

I had to be quite forceful to get what I needed but it was worth the effort for what turned out to be a successful pregnancy.

Don't be fobbed off! And I'd put ideas of IVF on the back burner until you have had the full barrage of tests.

If you do end up having IVF I'd seriously look into treatment abroad. I know it's a logistical palaver but having been on a MN thread of women trying to conceive using fertility treatment I feel that the UK clinics seem very money driven and not always for the best service.

Thank you for your response. That’s really interesting about the aspirin as I was put on it for my successful pregnancy. When I fell pregnant in Feb, I asked about it again and was told not too take it. 😢
I’ve spent half the night reading up about clinics abroad. I can’t believe the price difference. I’ll keep researching while I wait for my appointment about the miscarriages.

I had aspirin for my 2 IVF cycles that worked, one was a MC and one my son born in January, there is some evidence it can have a negative effect if taken around implantation and also if done alongside a cycle of IVF you don't want to take it before any procedures with a risk of bleeding as it thins the blood, I also took clexane/fragmin which is a stronger blood thinner and stayed on them until 14 weeks with the steroids and prontogest/gestone, it was expensive as was £15 a day for the meds for 14 weeks

Yazzi3 that is a ridiculous amount to be quoted. Did they give you a full breakdown of costs?

I have just come back from Greece for my treatment and it was far cheaper than any UK clinic. Tgw days required out there are negotiable too.

When we werr told we do not qualify for NHS funding we were devastated. The private clinic we went to told us given my husbands azoospermic condition, there would be vert little chance of him having a biological child. They recommended IUI with donor sperm to reduce the cost for us which amounted for 3.5k. ICSI with donor woukd have been 8k and ICSI with TESE 11.5k. Needless to say we knew we couldn't afford that.

We had all our tests done via our GP. Paid for the monitoring scans in Harley Street and purchased all our medication from Stork fertility. Flew out to Greece where they performed TESE and found really good sperm and good eggs from me. Everything cost us 5k which included a 2 week 5 star holiday and a shipped back up donor sperm from the the European sperm bank.

I would look around as that is far too much to quote.