Kings v Guy's for Fertility Referral?

[bicyclesandbeyond]

Hello all, advice much appreciated...

I'm 35 y/o and have been TTC for a while now. I live in Lambeth and have an appointment with my GP next week to discuss fertility referral. I am eligible for NHS funding at Guy's ACU and Kings Fertility.

Does anyone on here have any recent experience of these two units? I have done a search and have found good and bad reviews of both, but some are from over 10 years ago now. Lots of people seem to mention difficulties in getting through to Guy's on the phone, but I appreciate this many not still be the case...

Many thanks for any help!

Hi there,

I can’t comment on Kings, but have to say my experience of Guys so far isn’t great on communication.

I am currently in the referral process, waiting to hear if we have been cleared by our local trust for funding. We assume that the application has now been made on our behalf but it’s been over a month since the last communication (2.5 months since referral) and I haven’t once been able to get through on the phone!

As you can imagine it’s quite frustrating to be kept in the dark. Hopefully once we clear through the funding and into their care it will be better.

All the best for your appointment.

Thanks for the reply @justkeeprunning5

Sorry to hear about your experience at Guy's. I've heard that once funding is secured then things move more quickly. Poor communication seems to be a bit of a running theme with NHS clinics, although I have no doubt that the medical teams are excellent.

Best of luck!

I was Lambeth. Guy's are leaders in research and I found them fast and efficient. There's a lot of no nonsense and get on with it, and easy access for London Bridge.

Never heard of the other unit.

My experience is a few years ago, but I wasn't impressed with king's. They had a one size fits none all approach that didn't work for me at all, to the extent that I ended up quitting halfway through the cycle and going to a private clinic with a more tailored approach. A friend went to Guys at a similar time and had a better experience. But this was 5-6 years ago for both.

Do not go to Kings! They were AWFUL to us, kept losing our paperwork and when the treatment didn't work they wouldn't give us a follow up appointment for months, then at the appointment tried to sell us u necessary tests that would make zero difference to the treatment protocol (they eventually admitted this).

We went to Guys on a few recommendations (my friend and my GP both went there) and they were brilliant. They're not great at answering the phone but are getting better, and they do egg collection under GA rather than so-called "twilight sedation" like Kings (which doesn't prevent you feeling pain and Guys stopped using over a decade ago for precisely that reason).

Anyway, we have a DS from Guys and are back again trying for a sibling. I'd definitely recommend them.

Oh and Kings do use a one size fits all approach and don't do blood tests mid-stim so if you don't respond well to the lowest dose of stims, tough shit.

Guys is at London Bridge so more easily accessible .

Thanks all, that’s really helpful.

Just in case someone stumbles across this post in the future / for you OP in the way of timelines. I finally got through to Guys today and they have got the acceptance from our local trust for funding now, so 3 months from referral which isn’t too bad in the grand scheme of things. Waiting for an appointment which should take place in early September.

Hope you manage to get your referral and all the best.

Just to add to this. I had my DS at Guys. It’s true that the admin side is quite bad but the docs and nurses are very good.
I now have to do DE and was offered it at Kings only so I worry about some of negative reviews there..

Hi @bicyclesandbeyond i know this is an old post but just wanted to ask how you got on? I have exactly the same question and trying to choose between Guy’s and King’s. I work at GSTT so Guy’s will be super convenient for me plus I know the nurses well. However we’re paying privately and King’s seem to be more affordable.

Hi @Pep1952
We ended up at Kings Fertility under the NHS but everything stalled in March 2020 with lockdown and the closure of clinics. I was happy with kings but the process was slow. We asked if it would be quicker if we went private but that didn't seem to make much difference. In the end we swapped to abc/Create who were much more efficient and enabled us to crack straight on with a round of IVF once they reopened. If you are paying privately I would consider a clinic that isn't doing NHS work. My feeling is (I might be wrong!) that private patients in NHS clinics don't get all the private benefits you might find in a clinic that is completely private - mostly speed, efficiency and service. If you know the staff at Guys though that might be really helpful. It's a tricky one! Wishing you lots of luck x

Thanks @bicyclesandbeyond that is really helpful. Yes i know the staff very well and they’ve been very kind and supportive and keeping me posted with what’s going on. Unfortunately my AMH level doesn’t qualify us for NHS funding. I will also look into Create - I’m glad to hear you had a great experience with them.