IVF hormones

[HAJIRA2944]

Hi,

I am on my first cycle of IVF. Following the embryo transfer last week, I have been told that I will need to be on the hormones for a further 6 weeks following a positive pregnancy test. The hormones themselves; Progynova and Utrogestan cost £5 and £21 respectively if bought privately but for some reason STORK charges 2-3 times this.

Did anybody else obtain the hormones privately to save on the cost? Why cannot a GP prescribe these hormones given that they're also given as HRT? Even if a GP is not allowed to prescribe, a private prescription would still make more sense.
I have been quoted £300 by STORK for drugs that should cost £80.

Hello

I was able to get Progynova and Cyclogest on prescription from my GP - not sure about your second one but I know they can deffo do Progynova!

My clinic said he GP would most likely refuse but I gave it a go anyway (figuring they just wanted my money!) and was lucky :)

We got a prescription from the fertility clinic and then took it the local pharmacy and it wasn't too expensive. We kept getting top ups as the weeks went on! Good luck with it all!

I'm confused about why you'd have to get them from Stork - surely your clinic can just give you a private prescription to fill wherever you like?

I will say, though, I had an awful time getting hold of Progynova due to HRT shortages, so was glad to be able to get them from Stork. So, if you're planning on getting them elsewhere, do check they're actually available.

Hey Eggcellent,

Thanks for your reply. It bodes well that you were able to get the meds from your GP. The leftovers from my previous prescription run out on Thursday, which is when I am booked in to see my GP. Hopefully, he will prescribe them for me. If he isn't due to Commissioning Group rules (varied for very Borough) then I will ask for a private prescription. It just makes no sense to overpay.

Hey Persipan,

Thanks for your reply. The IVF clinic in Oxford where I am being treated have never given us a prescription. They have always just told us that they will send it to STORK who will be in contact. It is only after having paid so much money for two prescriptions that I investigated how much the drugs are. The previous prescription was for the two weeks between my embryo transfer and pregnancy test; I got charged £162 from STORK but the cost if bought privately is £50. I was not even aware that I could ask the IVF clinic to give me the prescription. The clinic make out that you can only get the meds from STORK. It seems that the clinic may well receive a percentage or some other monetary benefit.

With any luck, my GP will prescribe or just write me a private prescription.

@HAJIRA2944, I get a prescription from my clinic and then take it to Asda because they're the cheapest in my experience. I agree that you should ring to check availability first though. Also, it can sometimes take a couple of days to get the drugs in.

Thank you everyone for your replies. The clinic has already sent the prescription to STORK. With any luck, my GP will write me a prescription and I can collect from my nearest pharmacy.

Mumsnet is awesome; so many helpful people with advice from experience. No doubt Mumsnet will get me through everything.

Hi OP
Just a heads up that your GP may not be able / willing to do this if you are a private patient. If they can’t, I’d just phone the clinic and confirm you are not obtaining the drugs through Stork and ask for a private prescription to be posted directly to you. You can then take this to Asda or another pharmacy of your choice. When I last obtained my ivf meds Asda confirmed they make no profit on ivf drugs. some of the online companies affiliated with the clinics are convenient if drugs need to be kept refrigerated but charge more and include a high delivery cost so not viable for low cost meds that can just be collected from a pharmacy. I have experienced wait times and shortages for meds recently so like another poster suggested it’s a good idea to phone the pharmacy to confirm the meds can be ordered in within The timescale needed for your treatment. Good luck.

Hi guys,

Thanks to everyone that has replied.

Cyclogest is the same as Utrogestan, just different brand names.

NICE guidelines are that women below a certain age, be offered 3 cycles of IVF under the NHS. However, it is entirely dependent on every Clinical Commissioning Group, what they decide to fund. The Oxford CCG only offers one cycle of IVF on the NHS. As I am in my early 20s, together with my severe PCOS and that I had been trying naturally for 4 years, I qualified for one round of IVF. Whether or not a GP prescribes IVF medication is entirely down to their goodwill because technically they should not; at least this is the case in my area.

I asked for a breakdown of the costs from STORK and both Progynova and Utrogestan are priced 15% above NHS price plus a service charge.

Unfortunately, I have been bleeding quite heavily for two days and it seems that I am having a miscarriage. I have an emergency ultrasound scan in the morning to confirm. Although I am extremely upset, I do understand that I would have been extremely lucky to have my first cycle succeed.

Thank you to everyone for the helpful advice.

Best wishes to all.

I am sorry to hear that OP
Thinking of you x

Sorry to hear that @HAJIRA2944, bleeding doesn't always mean mc though. I had a big bleed when pregnant with my now 3yo dd but it turned out to be a bruise in my uterus. Fingers crossed it's something similar for you