LONDON private IVF clinic help needed

[Binkymojo]

Hi All

Last year I did 3 rounds of IVF with Hammersmith Hospital - The Wolfson clinic ( 1 failed 2 x miscarriages :-( )
My partner and I are now ready to go again and are stuck choosing between Care Fertility / Create / Londons Womens Clinic & Boston place.
We will be paying privately of course, need a flexible clinic as I work in the City and we are really stuck choosing between the 4 as live birth rates seem fairly similar.
Has anyone got any experiences good or bad that they could share with me which could help us to make our choice please?
Have any other women out there had to choose between any of these?
I'm 36 next month, partner is 38 next month, unexplained infertility and TTC for 4 years in May x

I'm with Create although not the London clinic but have done scans and even an egg collection there as I often work in London and it worked around my work commitments

I believe Create just got awarded best results in London?

I really like Create and stuck with them through 5 cycles although I have to say my Birmingham one is a bit more laid back than Create St Paul's

Also sedation for egg collection is a bit different- found out afterwards they only give you half the dose I usually get at Birmingham so they can get you in and out quicker and the collection I had there I was semi awake and it was very uncomfortable

@Binkymojo
Hi, I know this is an old post but I have also had 3 rounds of ivf at Wolfson with the exact same outcome as you (1 unsuccessful and 2 mc)
I was just wondering which clinic you changed to as I’m considering Care or LWC and would like to hear other people’s experiences of these clinics before I make a final decision.
Thanks in advance for your help.

I’m currently with LWC. Can’t speak to success rates as I’ve just started. The staff are nice though sometimes I find them really opaque as if I should just know how everything works. I know they do it day in day out but they could provide more detail!

Hi @PositiveThinkerAlways
Really sorry to hear you’ve had the same experience as me. I highly recommend changing clinics to get a fresh perspective.
I changed to Care, I had a full round with them, my fresh transfer in the summer was unsuccessful so then I had full immunology tests and found I had elevated NK cells which are associated with recurrent implantation failure and miscarriage. For my 5th transfer (FET) I had extra things added into the protocol (Intralipid IV, clexane injections) and I’m currently 8.5 weeks pregnant 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Praying all continues to go to plan.
I looked at LWC, Care & Create and chose Care specifically due to a couple I know recommending Amanda Tozer (she practices there)
I’d recommend them for sure, the care has been great and the nurses team are so lovely,
Let me know if you need any other information & wishing you the best of luck x

Hi @PositiveThinkerAlways
Really sorry to hear you’ve had the same experience as me. I highly recommend changing clinics to get a fresh perspective.
I changed to Care, I had a full round with them, my fresh transfer in the summer was unsuccessful so then I had full immunology tests and found I had elevated NK cells which are associated with recurrent implantation failure and miscarriage. For my 5th transfer (FET) I had extra things added into the protocol (Intralipid IV, clexane injections) and I’m currently 8.5 weeks pregnant 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Praying all continues to go to plan.
I looked at LWC, Care & Create and chose Care specifically due to a couple I know recommending Amanda Tozer (she practices there)
I’d recommend them for sure, the care has been great and the nurses team are so lovely,
Let me know if you need any other information & wishing you the best of luck x

Hi @PositiveThinkerAlways
Really sorry to hear you’ve had the same experience as me. I highly recommend changing clinics to get a fresh perspective.
I changed to Care, I had a full round with them, my fresh transfer in the summer was unsuccessful so then I had full immunology tests and found I had elevated NK cells which are associated with recurrent implantation failure and miscarriage. For my 5th transfer (FET) I had extra things added into the protocol (Intralipid IV, clexane injections) and I’m currently 8.5 weeks pregnant 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Praying all continues to go to plan.
I looked at LWC, Care & Create and chose Care specifically due to a couple I know recommending Amanda Tozer (she practices there)
I’d recommend them for sure, the care has been great and the nurses team are so lovely,
Let me know if you need any other information & wishing you the best of luck x

@Binkymojo Thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly and your information has been incredibly helpful.
It’s such a minefield out there with so many clinics to choose from, you can never be sure what they are really like until you have paid a fortune and start with them. Then it’s just hoping they are professional and knowledgeable and know what they are doing. So it’s super helpful to hear of people’s direct experience as it gives a good insight as to how they treat their patients etc.
And huge congratulations to you, I sincerely hope you have a healthy pregnancy. It’s so nice to hear positive news. Wishing you lots of luck in your journey x

@Ofpalestsilver Thank you for your insight in to LWC, it is also very helpful. I’ve seen a couple of odd posts on here that have not given very good reviews of that clinic but it was from a while ago and I know things do change over time. It’s good to hear the staff are nice, I personally think that’s an important aspect in a clinic as it’s a stressful enough process so it helps to engage with staff that are approachable.
Good luck on your journey too and please do update on here as how you get on and whether your view of the clinic changes, many thanks x

@Ofpalestsilver Thank you for your insight in to LWC, it is also very helpful. I’ve seen a couple of odd posts on here that have not given very good reviews of that clinic but it was from a while ago and I know things do change over time. It’s good to hear the staff are nice, I personally think that’s an important aspect in a clinic as it’s a stressful enough process so it helps to engage with staff that are approachable.
Good luck on your journey too and please do update on here as how you get on and whether your view of the clinic changes, many thanks x

@Ofpalestsilver Thank you for your insight in to LWC, it is also very helpful. I’ve seen a couple of odd posts on here that have not given very good reviews of that clinic but it was from a while ago and I know things do change over time. It’s good to hear the staff are nice, I personally think that’s an important aspect in a clinic as it’s a stressful enough process so it helps to engage with staff that are approachable.
Good luck on your journey too and please do update on here as how you get on and whether your view of the clinic changes, many thanks x

@Ofpalestsilver Thank you for your insight in to LWC, it is also very helpful. I’ve seen a couple of odd posts on here that have not given very good reviews of that clinic but it was from a while ago and I know things do change over time. It’s good to hear the staff are nice, I personally think that’s an important aspect in a clinic as it’s a stressful enough process so it helps to engage with staff that are approachable.
Good luck on your journey too and please do update on here as how you get on and whether your view of the clinic changes, many thanks x

@Ofpalestsilver Thank you for your insight in to LWC, it is also very helpful. I’ve seen a couple of odd posts on here that have not given very good reviews of that clinic but it was from a while ago and I know things do change over time. It’s good to hear the staff are nice, I personally think that’s an important aspect in a clinic as it’s a stressful enough process so it helps to engage with staff that are approachable.
Good luck on your journey too and please do update on here as how you get on and whether your view of the clinic changes, many thanks x

@PositiveThinkerAlways
When you make your decision make sure you take journey time into consideration as well as you’re back and forth a fair amount. I think I had 3 scans whilst stimming with Care and then have been back and forth for blood tests and my intralipid. If I’d chosen one of the other 2 clinics I would of been annoyed as a longer drive with more difficulty parking so probably would of had to get the tube all the time.
The nurses are really amazing at Care, so are the embryologists, genuinely can’t fault the team.
Good luck x

@PositiveThinkerAlways I should add that my best friend went to LWC, did IVF and got pregnant first time. She was positive about the experience. Of course, the getting pregnant bit is mainly your body as well as what happens at the clinic but her experience was obviously good!

@Binkymojo Yes, these are practical things that are super helpful to know before deciding on a clinic. I would definitely want to drive so parking would be a priority and I’ve just looked it up on google maps and it seems like LWC is in the congestion zone which puts me off a bit, although not a game changer. Can you advise me where you parked when you went to Care as it was very easy at Wolfson but I suspect more difficult further in to central London!

@Ofpalestsilver That’s helpful to know that there are 2 of you that have had positive experiences at LWC, which are recent too. It definitely reassures me if I do decide to go there.

Thank you for your help ladies, if there is one positive thing I can take from this difficult journey is that there are many ladies going through this that have the kindest of hearts and take the time time out of their busy life’s to help others in the same position, it really does warm my heart x

@PositiveThinkerAlways you can park a couple of minutes walk away next to Regents Park and pay on the meter, I think it’s around £2.50/hour.
It’s out of the congestion charge too and just off the A40 so super easy x

@Binkymojo Perfect - thank you so much x

London Womans Clinic are the worst. You are just a number, rude nurses who don't like you to question too much. Very flexible clinic however if you have a busy schedule and I think this is why they have become popular but its whether you want a quality service or not and as IVF can be an emotional struggle anyway id say yes!

@ELALouise Thank you for your reply, I’ve certainly heard some mixed reviews about LWC but I guess it’s quite subjective and may depend on the member of staff that deals with you but I value staff interaction and think it’s important as the whole ivf journey is stressful enough!
Thanks again for taking the time to respond, it is very much appreciated and helps in my final decision x

Care are the nicest clinic I’ve been too. I dealt with two prior and I decided to stick with Care. Also I second the praises for Amanda tozer - she’s a great doctor and has really taken care with my treatment. I had good results from one cycle but currently doing the FET so fingers crossed!

@ChicaXS Thank you so much for your insight in to Care .....I’ve yet to see a bad review of them which is interesting. Thanks also for the 2nd vote of confidence for Amanda Tozer, especially as you have experience of other clinics & consultants to compare to. Good luck with your FET, I hope all goes positively for you x

@ELALouise are you Harley Street or London Bridge? My experience at LB has been very different. Bit opaque on email but in person everyone has really taken their time with me. The woman doing the scans is the best. She talks me through everything. They are super flexible though so that has been very helpful.

@ofpalestsilver Darlington is the one I've been going to and you won't find any bad reviews of them anywhere such as fb or trust pilot, their website etc only when you dig deeper on these type of forums are people truly honest. I just find it very suspicious or people are just too scared to say anything bad as they are at the mercy really of them taking them through the process. Its all just a bit odd. Centre of life in newcastle I cannot fault however as they are NHS nurses and not just nurses paid to log a sheet and administer needles. They are professional, kind and simpathetic and know their stuff. I really wish I could give a better review but its honestly been a shambles with the doctor even getting mixed up with my medications...the lady who does my accupuncture has heard similar things too so I vowed I would review them with my honest opinion.

@ELALouise Darlington sounds like a right state. Glad I’m not going there!

I do understand people who are wary of posting negative reviews about their clinic whilst they are going through a cycle there. If I’m honest I felt the same, had quite a few issues with my clinic and was always worried it would somehow count against me if I said anything online.
I’m grateful for those who are brave enough to be honest on these forums as it helps so many of us.
I’m equally respectful that 2 women could be at the same clinic and have very different experiences. It often depends on individual members of staff that are either great or awful and can either make or break your experience.
It is good to have a space such as this forum that allows us all to share our experiences and learn from one another x