What's the best clinic in UK & Europe for 40+ to conceive?

[AnaBeleza76]

I have been through ART with Bristol Center for Reproductive Medicine. I had 8 folicules (5 looking very good), only 4 eggs, then only 1 became a healthy 3 day embryo, none became blastocysts. I understand that I am old (43y, FSH of 19.6 and AMH 1,7 pmol/L). But somehow, I am not very happy with this outcome.

I do not have time on my side. I do not have time. My question to you is what IVF clinic would you recommend, including clinics in Europe. Moreover, I'd like to ask what is your opinion of using donor eggs. Many thanks!!

Sorry your cycle was unsuccessful. Unfortunately at 43 your chance of success with ivf with your own eggs is about 3%. Your FSH is high and your AMH low so 4 eggs is not a bad outcome considering this. At 43 few of your eggs are likely to be chromosomally normal though.

Donor eggs are likely to massively increase your chance of success. This obviously comes with its own separate issues to consider for both you, your partner (if you have one) and perhaps most importantly the potential child.

Hi @anaBeleza76..as EarlGreyT mentioned 4eggs is not bad considering your blood test results... but i'm not an expert...I had my ivf last October (2weeks before my 45th bday), wanted to try as a last chance, i was on a short protocol with gonal f, but my AMH was apparently above average for lady my age, i was told, over 14pmol/l..I had 16 follicles, 11 eggs collected (more than we expected, we thought we would be lucky with 6-8), 10 fertilised, on day 5 all were still going, 2 ahead of others which were put back..rest were not suitable for freezing on D6, and i'm incredibly lucky to be 14w pregnant with one...still long way to go but we achieved more than i dreamed off/hoped for 4m ago.. We didn't do a pgd testing as i knew i can only try this once and prob none would come back as suitable..i had a harmony test instead at 10w..But it's like winning a lottery, chances are very low, i was given 1%, but our consultant said it's not impossible, i wanted to try so i have no regrets..we looked at few clinics and went with the ACU Guys in London which was recommended to us (friend's friend had a baby there at 44, so i felt more comfortable knowing that they do treat older women..but i first attended their open evening which i found useful ) . Wish you all the best.

OP, I would look very carefully at the stats for each clinic, being mindful to ensure you are comparing like for like when eg comparing clinic success rates here v clinics abroad. Have you looked at ARGC? It’s expensive, but they throw everything at it. I don’t know the ins and outs of the clinics abroad, sorry.

Also, are you doing everything possible to enhance your fertility naturally? Diet, supplements, cutting down/out alcohol, caffeine, keeping stress down, etc? Acupuncture and hypnotherapy are also helpful (there’s evidence the latter doubles conception rates, which is why I did it, as it’s way cheaper and less invasive than IVF. We got pregnant after 2 sessions, though of course I can’t say for sure it was that. It certainly kept me sane throughout the ART process tho).

As pps say, your chances with your own eggs aren’t that high per cycle, but not impossible, and you may be able to swing the balance in your favour. Have you considered donor eggs if unsuccessful?

@EarlGreyT

Thank you! I knew my chances were not good. I was told so by the doctor, who was extremely honest. Not quite sure why my FSH and AMH are so rubbish. There is no history of early menopause in my family, oi intertility. And I have all in my favour, a healthy BMI, a healty lifestyle...

At the moment I don't know if I should just go ahead with egg donation, or try a tandem cycle. This is expensive. But at least I would not be wasting too much time. Not sute if all these exogenous hormones are being beneficial. I feel so depressed!

@Tolleshunt

You are absolutely correct! It is supper difficult to compare the figures.

One thing, for example, I did not understand with ICF Spain, allegedly the best ART clinic in the world, their pregnancy rate with donor egg is a lot lower without something called ER-MAP (0-30% vs 75,51%); isn+t it strange! I asked them why, no answer so far.

The IVF-Barcelona Clinic so far has been the most responsive IVF clinic in Spain. They are not rated among the best, but surely have been quite quick at answering to me! Anyone knows about them?

Anyone knows Zita West?

Have you looked at ARGC?
They’re unlikely to treat you with that FSH level. They won’t treat you with FSH above (I think) 10. I’ve forgotten with the passage of time and it may be slightly different (8-12), but it is about 10.

Also their success rates are not actually any better than average per embryo transfer, the only reason their success rates were higher is because they usually transferred 2 or 3 embryos. The HFEA didn’t previously publish data of success per embryo transfer and I believe the ARGC fought against the HFEA showing this data as it shows their success rates are comparable to everywhere else.

Is there any site where we can reliable compare the success rates of the different clinics?

The HFEA website, but it only shows data for UK based clinics.

@EarlGreyT
Thank you. I've looked at the HFEA website. ARGC in London has a success rate of 12% at my age group with OE, while the clinic where I had a failed cycle only has a 3% success rate. This is so disappointed!

That’s partly because despite what the ARCG say they DO select who they will and won’t treat and they won’t treat people they deem less likely to be successful.
This is probably why their success rates are above the average for women of your age because they only treat those with a higher chance of success.

@ EarlGrey
If that’s the case, they should have told me. I gave them all my details, and they were happy to offer me an appointment! In fact, I paid £50 to book the appointment! I’ll keep you posted! I will see them on Monday.

They’ll probably offer you some monitoring cycles to see if you have an FSH of