Coronavirus and fertility clinics.

[mabel92]

Has anyone’s fertility clinic told them they will close due to Coronavirus? I’m due to start treatment and now confused as what to do or whether I’ll be able to start. Thanks.

I’m also waiting for a nurse to call me back ...: I said on phone that means it’s being cancelled and she replied ‘ I will get a nurse to call you back ‘
I’m guessing that that’s a cancel then 😢

@matilda128

Yes just had a nurse call from Create (and this will also apply to ABC) - as of yesterday they were still booking in first treatment scans which because Create only do short protocol or natural IVF so no down reg tends to be around day 4 of stims (or day 1 of stims on the natural route). But as of today no more appointments being booked

So basically no one being able to start stimming.

Those who already stimming they'll try to get to egg collection but will be a freeze all. If lockdown is implemented which is pretty likely they'll most likely aspirate the follicles so no risk of OHSS and will start again from scratch when things get back to normal

Obviously feeling really deflated as this is our 5th cycle and 3rd egg collection of a 3 cycle package with embryos frozen from the first two rounds. I've been stimming almost constantly since January 1st and was so looking forward to this all being over. We won't do anymore egg collections after this and it's been a long and difficult 3 years with 5 miscarriages 2 near fatal ruptured ectopics and so far 4 rounds of IVF with 3 transfers. I want my life back. But I completely understand the reasoning behind it.

Hopefully by time next period comes in a month we ll be able to start 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
Keep in touch ladies - let's start a IVF corona survivors group for when treatment resumes x

@itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted

It is good that you can be understanding of the situation and hopeful about the future. I hope you have some embryos frozen from previous cycles and if so that must be a great reassurance for you.

Xxx

Feeling quite deflated also - I totally understand and agree with the need for closure however my AMH and AFC is so low that I wonder if I'll get the chance again Big hugs ladies xxx

I'm sorry @itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted you clearly mention you have frozen embryos in your message. I can imagine that this is such a great comfort. Take care xxx

I'm afraid I'm not so understanding and very angry. For women like me it is game over. I've already paid for the treatment which is really daft because I think there will be a lot of clinics that will go bankrupt and that would mean we would loose our money. I guess in my eyes IVF is an essential medical treatment and I'm really sad it's not treated as such. If it would then it would be allowed to go ahead even in case of a lockdown. All the scientific evidence highlights that there is no additional risk in pregnancy and the rest of the country is happily making babies. I see that NHS staff and resources need to redeployed- but NHS clinics do not risk bankruptcy as private clinics will. The argument that we are a drain of resources if we do get pregnant is just exceptionally cruel (IVF pregnancies are still a tiny portion of high risk pregnancies)
The only thing that makes sense is that they need to protect staff from getting ill. I would happily cut of my right arm for a chance to have a baby- never mind getting CV- but you can't ask the staff to take those risks.
I'm sorry for the rant. I'm not saying that there aren't terrible things happening around the world which are more important than my IVF cycle- I'm just terribly upset with the whole s*show!

@Matilda128 I understand, having been on this horrendous road with obstacle after obstacle for so many years it is utterly devastating. I am worried about the money paid upfront too and will be speaking to them about this as soon as I can get through

@Matilda128
I wouldn't worry about clinics going bankrupt - I really don't think this will last longer than a few weeks (my company is global and has offices in China - they reopened after 4 weeks with Wuhan reopening after 10 weeks)

I also think there will be a massive uptake in NHS patients transferring into private clinics as I doh t MHS clinics will restart for at least 12-18 months if at all. Create said their London clinic was flooded with calls from people looking to transfer
To them x

@itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted Thank you for your reply- that's good to hear although I do think China's radical approach in terms of lock down wouldn't happen in the UK. I feel awful for all those women at NHS clinics- this whole virus thing has made the system even more unfair. There should be an update from Care soonish. Xxx

@Matilda128 - are you in the process already, it not are they not honouring your cycle ?

Mine say they are defo not transferring and not sure whether they are going to be open long enough to get to egg collection 😢 but will take each day as it comes
X

I’m now being told that my cycle is cancelled even though I have started the medication for downregulation. It turns out you have to be on stims at Loster for them to honour your cycle. They didn’t make that clear at all on the website and if it wasn’t for me calling them this morning I wouldn’t have known to stop my medications. I find it completely unacceptable for the clinic not to contact me directly to say to stop the meds and relying on me getting an update on my treatement from the website?!!
Do they think that the injections are fun? My reproductive system is already down and to be taking all those drugs in vein and not being told to stop them is appalling on their behalf.

@katiebooboo I’m so sorry . It’s so hard .

@Katiebooboo You are right- it is completely unacceptable. I don't understand why they are being so vague in terms of what 'starting you treatment' actually entails.
@Xx40yearsyoungxx so you have still a chance to get to egg collection? If you get a chance to freeze some embryos that would be so good.
Care has just updated their website (I spent an hour constantly refreshing their page) but I really don't understand that starting treatment vagueness. I guess considering everyone else's experience- I start stimming 5 days too late so I'm out. We're waiting for a nurse to call us rather than calling their voicemail and otherwise we'll be told tomorrow when we arrive at the clinic for the scan.
Me and my partner are just sitting here in disbelief. I got really angry when he told me I have to be positive- I really don't see the point and for the time being I'm just going to allow myself to feel absolutely miserable. Xxx

www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-press-releases/2020-news-and-press-releases/an-open-letter-to-fertility-patients-sally-cheshire-cbe-chair-hfea/

Finally some direct comma to us. Still no reasons why they have advised the clinics to shut down over the next 3 weeks

Hi all
I was supposed to start stims today but when I called in to the clinic have been told that it's all been cancelled. I'm at Care so that's not what they said on Friday and not what it says on their website

I know @Katiebooboo How HFEA has behaved is completely unacceptable. How can you have a regulatory body that claims to focus on scientific evidence make a decision that seems to boil down to "you infertile people are a strain on society"? Especially for those women for whom treatment was abandoned mid stimming- it is so exceptionally cruel.

@Matilda128 - they didn’t sound optimistic they would get to egg collection

I’m so sorry everyone x

Hi @takingthistooseriously I'm so sorry your treatment has been cancelled. Are you based at London or Sheffield? For some reason the website says there's an exception for those clinics. Xxx

I'm so sorry @Xx40yearsyoungxx I can't believe this nightmare. Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't have been better if things had been cancelled earlier. This constant not knowing has made me so anxious and I can tell it is seriously compromising my health. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and I really really hope for the best xxx

Hmm seems very open ended

My clinic said today they are doing some fresh transfers on a case by case basis, like if the embryos aren't good enough quality to freeze etc (this is after they told me they were only doing freeze all last week)

So really don't know what is happening.

I'm booked in for egg collection on weds. Even if they do let us to a fresh transfer I think DH is having doubts about doing that right now

Hi ladies, joining this thread as I'm keen to learn how your journeys progress.
I was hoping to start stims at the end of April, for a freeze all cycle. Whilst I know I have a few weeks to go yet before I worry about whether my clinic is open, I too am finding the situation completely frustrating. I am surprised at how open ended the guidance seems.
Fingers crossed it's all over soon and we can return to our IVF plans. I'm 37 and certainly not getting any younger whilst this crisis is going on!

Whilst I understand what they are saying about not putting extra strain on the NHS, that is very open ended indeed and surely IVF pregnancies are a tiny percentage of annual pregnancies?

I’m really sorry to read all these comments. It’s so incredibly sad and frustrating the clinics each seem to be doing their own thing when it comes to what they will and won’t progress with and it’s not fair at all on everyone in this already emotionally draining situation.
I am starting to come to terms with the fact my FET (which was due tomorrow) is not going ahead. We found out on Wednesday last week (less than 24 hours after I’d been told all was still ok for transfer).
I’m very fortunate I have embryos frozen but very worried how long were gonna have to wait for the next cycle of treatment and whether i will respond well well to drugs in preparation. Plus I’m not getting any younger!
I’m praying for everyone who is going through treatment now they can get to the stage where they can freeze some embryos at least.
I’m so sorry to everyone that’s been affected by this. It’s devastating.

I don’t think anyone can understand what this journey is like unless they’ve walked it themselves but at least on this forum we’re all in this together.
We’re all entitled to be upset, frustrated and ANGRY! Yet again our choices have been taken away as none of us choose to be in this position and yet still we get vague website updates and nothing concrete to explain WHY we are unable to continue treatment. Our mental health is at risk here it’s not all just about the end result of fertility treatment it’s the emotional and physical impact. I feel totally drained by it all so I can empathise with all the different emotions shown on this thread 100%
Love to everyone x

Exactly @Wysstywoo and more importantly if that is their argument then why not allow freeze all cycles. That would mean no Ivf pregnancies for time being (cutting off a small amount of people getting treatment from the NHS) but it would make a huge difference for women in terms of having something to cling onto in this horrible situation. You can tell that fertility clinics such as Care really didn't want to close so they have been forced to change their position. I am wondering if this is due to other fertility clinics- which closed their doors much earlier- loosing customers and HEFA trying to protect their interests.