IVF Question

[Frenchie86]

Hi, is anybody out there TTC in Surrey and has started the IVF process? I have a couple of questions please? And any advice welcome if you're not in Surrey too... Here is my story:

We have been trying for almost 3 years, I am 34. We have done all the tests and everything normal, so 'unexplained infertility'. We live in Surrey and so we can only get NHS funded IVF after 3 years of trying. So we decided to go down the NHS self funded route, and then of course COVID happened. Clinic has now opened up again, and we've started the process, doing the blood tests and ultrascan. However the nurse told us that because we have are doing the self funded IVF, we might not be able to do the IVF funded round if this one doesn't work, until we've used up all viable embryos.

Now to talk about money, which I hate to do because it makes it sound like it's more important than a child, but it's a very real issue when TTC. So we had factored in £4k, but all these costs are being added up, which we had never been told about until we signed the papers. ICSI, medication etc, added over a grand, which we can cope with. But if this doesn't work, we've been told we might have to use up the embryos before we can do the NHS funded treatments, which would be another £2-3k at least every time, which if we have several embryos, will all add up and be a struggle.

Has anyone had any experience in this? To cut a long story short, would you go ahead with the self funded round anyway and hope for the best, or would you wait a month or two for the NHS funded one? Bearing in mind I don't know how much of a backlog there is with that due to COVID-19. If anyone is based in Surrey and knows I would love their input.

I know this is a very long post, but I'm finding it all very overwhelming tbh, we kind of took what nurses had told us before as face value and now finding out all these extra costs and info is hard to take in. They also found some 'chocolate cysts' on my ovaries at the latest ultrascan, which shouldn't be a problem for IVF they said, but again weren't massively forthcoming with information.

Thank you

I'm going to be honest here sorry and say £4k is a MASSIVE underestimation of costs? That sounds like the cost of the treatment alone without drugs/scans/embryoscope/ ICSI/ freezing/storage etc. There is one clinic that can work with your budget - ABC - but its a no frills nurse led clinic which has strict acceptance criteria

99% of cycles in the U.K. cost at least £6-7k and much more when you add in cost of drugs, freezing storage and subsequent transfer

My 2 rounds of short protocol IVF with ICSI cost £7.5k cost each and then transfers if the first one failed we're £1500 minimum each.

So far we've spent £35k On 5 rounds with 4 transfers

The NHS clause is standard - they deduct any self funded rounds from your entitlement so if you only get 1 on the NHS then yes you wouldn't get any if you went private first

It depends on timescales and how long you want to wait really? Sounds like the cost of self funding is a stretch for you already in which case I'd probably wait for the NHS one since your nearly there already (you are coming to the end of their 3 year trying period) and then save as much as you can to have a private round as a back up

Cost wise we remortgaged for the first 2 cycles and then took out a £13.5k loan for the last 3 cycle package I've been doing - that includes everything - over 5 years the loan works out at £275 a month which when you compare that to how much you'd need to find for full time Childcare if you have a child (£850-£1200 a month maybe more in Surrey) or the cost of losing a wage to be a stay at home parent it becomes much more affordable x

Hi @ivfdreaming thank you so much for the reply! Yes sorry that' wasn't very clear, £4k is for the procedure without the freezing etc, so with medication it would be £5k and then on top of that freezing. That is fine for us, the thing we are worried about is the added cost of having to do the transfer for any remaining viable embryos again before we are entitled to have the NHS funded one (apparently this clause varies, we are waiting to find out). Where we live we are entitled to 2 rounds, so would that mean that after a self funded one, we would only get 1 round, or would both be cancelled?

My only issue with waiting is what if there is a second wave and they stop all treatments again, will we be kicking ourselves that we didn't it pay for this now.

I know I am relatively young still at 34, but already thinking of having a second one and that window getting smaller and smaller.

Thank you for sharing the costs, it gives me a lot of clarity. We can afford to pay for a single round now, I am just worried if it negates the next one, then we might not be able to afford several rounds if this one doesn't work, if that makes sense? x

Ah ok. You'd need to check what your specific NHS trust considers a "cycle" - some are really good and consider a full cycle egg collection and the transfer of ALL the embryos associated with that collection (unless you have success on the first transfer - they don't then cover you to go back for siblings with the frozen embryos). But some are much stricter and consider a full cycle just going through with the egg collection even if you don't get anything to transfer and certainly not for multiple transfers with any spare embryos

If you get 2 rounds on the NHS then the likelihood is that you'd only lose 1 if you went for a private round first

Also you need to be realistic about how many "spare" embryos you might get. Most people I know only had 1 spare, others none. A very very few number had up to 5 spare frozen. So you might be worrying unduly at this point as you might have to go in for a full egg collection anyway especially if the "spares" are lower quality which odds are they would be as most clinics prefer to transfer the best quality first?

I'd budget £1,500 for each additional transfer IF you do non medicated or natural frozen transfers. Some clinics can charge up to £3k though for each transfer - I'd look into this before signing up to a specific clinic x

Ah ok that makes a lot of sense, honestly can't thank you enough, as there is so much information out there and we haven't had much support from the clinic, though I appreciate they must be busy. We have our specialised GP calling us on Friday who has said she will be able to advise us better on those policies. I think we were tempted to jump the gun because of finally being able to do it post lockdown, but like you said if we are close to the 3 year mark it might be worth waiting another month or two. It made less sense to wait when we started all of this back in January.

How did you find the IVF if you don't mind me asking? Feeling nervous about it. Hope yours went ok? x

@Frenchie86

It is a bit of a minefield!

Not going to lie IVF is a rollercoaster that's for certain. I'd consider myself a strong person (I've had 5 miscarriages and lost both tubes to ectopic
Pregnancies) but IVF takes over your entire life. Everything feels like it's on hold waiting to see if it works or planning for the next cycle. It's emotionally physically and financially draining and there are what feels like constant highs and lows and I've never known so much pressure as the 5 days after egg collection waiting to see what you have to transfer.

I chose to do short protocol IVF which means the whole process is over in 2 weeks rather than 8+ and less drugs. I also then changed to natural modified IVF which is even less medication. That way I felt less like IVF was ruling my life

You have to keep constantly in mind the reasons you are doing it and what you hope to have at the end of it. That will help you through!

@ivfdreaming I am so sorry to hear that, it sounds like you are tremendously courageous. I am preparing myself for it, but it's hard to know until you do it. I feel like I've spent so long already being disappointed with every period that shows up, the tears, the guilt that I've done something wrong etc and I know this is going to be that x 10. But we have to try like you said and hope for the best.

Thank you x

Hello, ladies! I devoured all your interesting comments, but I'd like to read more news from you

I'm 39 yo and was TTC for two years. I decided to skip the NHS and travel abroad for IVF treatment. I've contacted with my clinic in Cyprus, but the pandemic has me waiting for things to get back to normal. This waiting is killing me :(

hi @Frenchie86 I can't add much to the other comments apart from to say if I were you I would definitely wait and do the NHS funded one. I think we're coming out of the Covid worst days and can't see IVF through NHS being stopped in the next few months. You've always got the privately funded route which can get moving immediately if needed so if you're in the position of qualifying for NHS funding now then you go for it and things like your age or having had a child already might change your ability to access it in future so don't look a gift horse in the mouth is my opinion. If it was another year or so you have to wait then it'd be different! Good luck!