Abc IVF

[computersaysso]

Has anyone recently had IVF with abc IVF? They have approved me for a frozen cycle only at the moment.
Do you know if they are only doing frozen cycles in light of the pandemic.
We have mainly chosen them due to low cost. I appreciate that the low cost means cut backs in certain areas, but I'm often waiting for 1-1.5 hours on the phone to speak to a central phone line for all branches.
It's tricky as I know that IVF is really down to the individuals body response, but I still feel that decisions made by doctors about medication doses etc are important.
Keen to hear about others experiences.

@MochaTea oh, that is disappointing for everyone. Well I guess I'll be doing a fair amount t of driving alone then as of he can't go in he probably won't request the time off as hes unlikely to get it. Fortunately I have plenty of holiday left to use as with it being far I will probably take half days off for scans etc.

Fingers crossed after this lockdown they start letting partners attend appointments and scans, for support and so they can feel involved!

@indigocloud ugh! I wish they would have the same rules for all places, maybe Harley street is bigger and can accommodate the partner.

I had to stay for an extra hour and drink 1.5L of water as I couldn't pee and they wouldn't let me go haha

@MochaTea Ugh yes that is frustrating that it isn't consistent. The Create clinic at St Paul's was a fair bit bigger than the ABC I go to for regular check ups, so perhaps as you say that's got to do with it.

By the way, for anyone having bad issues with bloating or constipation, I've found some really useful high fibre recipes that have done wonders for me. I'd posted it in another thread but for my fellow abc-ers, here they are.

The best recipe I've had is for a smoothie which calls for: 2x celery sticks, half cucumber, ginger, 1xapple, half fennel bulb, lemon juice, spinach. I tried this yesterday and this morning, it's like I'm a completely normal person again, before any of this IVF started and all the bloating began!

If you don't have these ingredients at hand any high fibre blend will do (I did a broccoli & onion with soup stock blend right after collection, and that kept the bloating at tolerable levels. 3 ingredients, so very simple).

Hope it helps! x

@Poppies2020 I am glad you are feeling better today. We all need to vent and have our emotions contained.

@MochaTea sending you lots of luck for Friday.

@indigocloud good luck for your transfer tomorrow. That's great to hear that your partner was allowed to stay. Makes me hopeful ☺

I had my second scan today and she thinks egg collection will be Sunday maybe Monday for me so I have taken some last minute leave from work. I am starting to feel slightly uncomfortable and bloated now so thank you for the recipe! X

@HV88 ahh how exciting! The weekend's not that far off at all :D TBH, the collection process turned out far easier than I'd thought. The embryologist, anesthesiologist, and nurse were all really friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them. When the anesthesiologist was about to stick a needle into my right hand for sedation, I asked if he could do it on my left (non-dominant) hand instead, he was only too happy to do so. I didn't feel a single thing when I was sedated, and didn't even touch the painkillers they gave once I was discharged. Not saying that's necessarily the same thing for everyone, but I definitely felt I was in excellent hands and I'm sure you will be too. Fingers crossed for you. x

@MochaTea Hope all goes well this Friday! I know what you mean though - I'm also keeping my expectations in check and will only get a bit more excited when I reach the 12 week scan/when the baby's out. Otherwise, it could be a tough roller coaster. Good luck x

@indigocloud interesting, maybe there are different rules at different clinics? I'm going to call them before I go to double check. We just need to know what he may need to take off so he can speak to his manager and HR.

@Beaglemum91 perhaps! I hope you managed to speak to them about it.

A quick update - transfer seems to have gone smoothly today :) as others have said it wasn't the most comfortable experience but it was really quick and I felt like I was in good hands. All the embryos made it to today (yay!) so we froze the ones we didn't end up using. X

@indigocloud glad someone gets how I feel and so happy everything went ok.
How many in the end were you able to freeze? not sure if you've mentioned before how many fertilized.
It's such a relief to have a bit of a backup, but hopefully, the first one will stick for us. I was scared of the transfer but I was super ok with it, didn't feel a thing, just the exposure is a bit much.

@MochaTea thanks! We froze 4. I do wish they had taken a bit of time to explain things (eg. What the grading meant). I'd asked the doctor doing the transfer but she said that's for the embryologist to explain. Do they eventually email you or something? Also, did they give you meds like additional Utrogestan or antibiotics?

@MochaTea Oh sorry I should have probably given a bit more context. They'd collected 7 eggs, of which 5 fertilised and all made it to d+5 with good grades. As I was saying in another thread, I probably have my fertility acupuncturist to thank for these results as they're more than I could have hoped for at this stage. Now just have to be patient during the TWW.

Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you for tomorrow xx

@indigocloud I know what you mean, it's all very rushed on the day but yes, tomorrow you will receive a report with all your embryo grading.
That is so cool you managed to freeze 4, a great number.

I did acupuncture too the first time I got pregnant and now again, if this one sticks I'll probably keep on going to keep my anxiety in check. It's so relaxing.

They did not give me any additional meds, I asked for one more box of utrogestan as I was not sure I'd make it to the blood test with what i had at home but I had to pay for it I am just wondering if I'll have to pay for the next 12 weeks if this pregnancy continues as they were 32 for the 7 days box. xx

Hi, new to mumsnet but not new to IVF. Hope you don't mind me gatecrashing your thread! I've now done 6 rounds of IVF and still waiting for my miracle. I've moved clinics twice and love the clinic I'm at. I'm now at the point of deciding whether to try again or try a donor. Like everyone costs are mounting and I must of spent 40K+ on this journey. I've come across ABC IVF which would save me a little on a round - but I've read through your posts and I'm very concerned about the low dosages everyone is on. I'm usually on Bemfola 450 or Gonassi (highest dosage again) so Bemfola 150 wouldn't touch the sides! Is the clinic all about mild stimulation or from what you've heard they would be willing to go high if needed. Any advice would be really appreciated :)

Hi @thejourneycontinues sorry to hear that. Were they able to point a reason for why it’s not happening?
Not sure if you know Tor Sandford she had lots of miscarriages and went to a clinic that did this full examination on her to find out why she was Having so many miscarriages, maybe somewhere like that would be able to help you understand why it’s not working with you ?

I believe they will not agree to take you at such high dose to start with as they do like to take straightforward cases and use the mild approach as I believe it keeps their costs down and the rate success up but only calling them you might actually know the answer. 🙁

@indigocloud thank you for all the information on egg collection. I'm glad today went well for you and my fingers are crossed for you. Such great news about being able to freeze 4, must be such a relief for you.

@MochaTea good luck for tomorrow 💓

@thejourneycontinues welcome to the thread. I am sorry to hear that you have been having a hard fertility journey. As @MochaTea said it would be best to call ABC and ask, but I do think they might only do the mild IVF protocol.

Hi there @thejourneycontinues! I'm sorry to hear it's been such an arduous road for you. I echo MochaTea's views - it seems like ABC's central philosophy is mild approach -> higher quality eggs & healthier mothers, and since you've been put on Bemfola 450 (which is more than triple the dosage I was on at ABC), I'm wondering if you might know if there was any specific reason for it. Certainly something to discuss with ABC directly.

@MochaTea Oh wow, that's not cheap for a box at all! I should hope the meds for the remaining period is included. Would be very surprised if they aren't. But yes, acupuncture has been amazingly relaxing (I always end up dozing off) and it seems to be doing great things for the eggs/embryo so far, so I definitely plan to continue. x

And thanks @HV88 :D (sorry only saw your message after I posted). Yes, that was a big relief today. I genuinely thought I might lose one (the fast-growing one at d+3) so another small hurdle cleared out of many to come :p

Hi @MochaTea and @HV88! Thanks for your replies :)

Basically they can't figure out why its not working for me. The closest I've come was a chemical last round. My first clinic would always take too early and most wouldn't be mature plus on top we had fertilisation problems. My current clinic manages to get my maturity right and sometimes fertilisation is good and others are bad. My eggs aren't great basically but again no reason why - I'm young(ish), healthy and have a good reserve. Just one of those things I guess.

I'm listening to their zoom now so I may ask some questions or phone them as you suggest :)

My current clinic have offered my next round at a reduced rate so would be paying only about £1500 more so might be safer to stay where I am.

I had to go and get more Utrogestan on Wednesday as I had no more to see me through until my pregnancy scan on the 30th Nov. They gave me 3 boxes and charged me £100! You deffo need to pay for them after you run out of the initial delivery. I thought £100 was so expensive after the amount we have already paid! x

@indigocloud I've tried the lower dose for better quality and it was my worse round yet. There's a lot of talk about whether you actually get better quality with less eggs and everyone has different opinions on it. My current clinic know my fertilisation is low so they try and get as many as they can in the hope we have a good number to work with. Seems to work for me :)

@Poppies2020 have you tried Asda? I've saved hundreds by using them rather than getting meds from my clinic. x

@MochaTea Good luck for today, I will be thinking of you and have everything crossed x
@thejourneycontinues Hi! Asda? I didn’t even think about them, don’t tell me they do the pessaries cheaper!? 😬 x
@indigocloud So glad the collection went ok, fab that you had some to freeze too! How are you feeling today? X

@Poppies2020 Thanks! Yes, I'm thrilled that all the embryos made it :D Feeling really good now that I'm no longer bloated. Drinking that smoothie religiously now haha. How are you getting on? x

@Poppies2020 Asda sell to you at cost so make no profit on their drugs and they usually get a better deal than the clinics as their pharmacy is obviously bigger than most clinics. I was on Cyclogest pessaries and they were £12.90 per box of 15. Its worth phoning your local branch and asking how much they charge. I was saving £30-£40 per daily injection through Asda and when you're taking for about 12 days its makes a huge difference to your overall bill. Congratulations by the way! x

@thejourneycontinues Thank you! Oh wow, thanks for letting us know! If I end up doing this again (touch wood) then I will definitely look into Asda and if they stock my type of meds too X
@indigocloud Exciting times, do you know when your transfer will be yet? I’m well thanks, feeling really positive, but also nervous. Like other people have said, I don’t think I will relax until I make it to the 3 month scan. I have quite a lot of evening nausea and am off lots of foods, but I find those symptoms weirdly comforting, as it means everything is going well, fingers crossed! x

@Poppies2020 Haha I know what you mean! Symptoms at least mean that there could well be something happening so fingers crossed for clearing the next hurdle! My transfer was yesterday actually :) There was a grade 5AA egg so they used that and froze the rest. Plan now is to keep busy until the TWW is over x