IVF at CRGH

[Beingamom]

Hello,
Anyone starting their IVF treatment at CRGH?

Hey @Beingamom I’m waiting for my referral to go through, I will be doing PGD with IVF

Hi - yes. We are doing embryo banking with them. Ive done one collection and have 3 embryos in the freezer (pre blastocyst stage). My second cycle was aborted due to poor response and just about to start my next round. Depending on the results at collection, we'll either go again or send them all for PGS and hopefully have a chance at FET. Ive found them to be very helpful and all procedures have been done with care by lovely staff. I wish you the best x

@MGH40 how long was your wait from referral to starting your treatment?

I think it took 3 weeks to get an appointment after my first call. Then after my initial consultation with Mr Serhal to treatment was another month, so around 2 months in all. Have they said there is a long wait?

@MGH40 no there has been no mention of a wait time, but I am doing PGD so I am not sure if that will have an affect or not. My referral went through not too long ago so I am waiting on the initial telephone call atm.

Ah ok. If I was you, I'd give them a ring and nudge them on, or at least get some idea of where you are on the list...x

@MGH40 I called yesterday, apparently my details are not on there system as yet so I’m not too sure what is going on 😔.
How long was your wait from referral to your first call or letter from them?

Do you mean your GP referred you? I didn't actually get a referral - I just rang for an appointment. Can I ask how old you are? I'm 40. The initial consultation was booked around 3 weeks later, and then I started my treatment the following month. So I rang in April, had a consultation, went ahead with treatment and had an egg collection in June.

@MGH40 I had to get a geneticist to refer me as I need PGD due to a genetic condition I have, I’m 26.

Hi ladies, sorry to incrust myself to this conversation 🙈.

I am with CRGH but have received private treatment so far which I have funded myself. I suspect the next stage in my treatment plan will likely be IVF as we have been unable to get pregnant.

In the case that I will need IVF, is there a possibility to have this funded via the NHS, but with treatment continuing at CRGH? I've had a look on the CRGH and they have listed a number of contracted CCGs - my CCG is not on the list, does this mean I am not eligible for NHS funded treatment with CRGH?

Hi @Chocolate18 if I am not mistaken if your CCG is not listed then you will not be able to have NHS treatment with them.
I’m in a CRGH IVF-PGS/PGD group on FaceBook and someone posted just after 12 am this morning stating they have to wait till March to start another cycle as NHS funding at CRGH has run out.

Hi, sorry to jump in, but please can anyone recommend one of the CRGH consultants? We will be self-funding. Thanks!

Im interested in treatment with this clinic. Ive heard mixed reviews but most are positive.

Hi @Scottishgirl85 - Mr Mavrelos because he has his own nursing team, who manage the admin and are brilliant.

@Scottishgirl85 I second @dreamersdown recommendation -he is excellent and caring. I have had NHS and private treatment with him and have been very pleased.

@dreamersdown @mouse1234567 thanks so much both! There are do many yo choose from! Have you been overall pleased with the clinic, had success?
I'm debating between CRGH and Evewell.
Thanks!

Hi everyone, i was seen at UCLH because I was fully funded by the NHS but all procedures were performed at the CRGH. Although some nurses and receptionists could be nicer over there, especially to NHS funded patients, egg collection and transfer went extremely smoothly, amazing teams. Furthermore, we needed PGS, and I am pretty sure this clinic has the best embryologists who take great care of our embryo! I am currently pregnant with twins, from one euploid embryo.
The most important was our consultant, Dimitri Mavrelos, who is really amazing! Caring, patient, rationale, giving us hope in the worst times but never false hope. He changed our life, literally.

I just called the clinic and was told that you can only see Dr Mavrelos if you have been referred by another medical consultant.

@MGH40 I finally heard from CRGH I’m booked in for my First consultation with Sara Nov. 3rd

Can I tag along? Seriously considering crgh for ivf and on verge of making the call so interesting to read your experiences (self funding)

Hi everyone,

I'm also at CRGH. I had a PGD cycle (NHS-funded) with them this year because we're trying to avoid having a child with a genetic condition I'm a carrier for. Unfortunately that cycle ended in chemical pregnancy.

We were also recently told that we'd have to wait until March next year before we could start a second cycle of IVF because they've committed all the NHS funding for this year. We're considering whether we can afford to fund ourselves privately (I'm 35 and would be 36 by the time we can start IVF again) or if we try for 6 months without IVF, given we have a 75% chance of not having a child affected with my gene.

I'm very disappointed we can't start another cycle until March , but the care I've received at CRGH has been very good.

@Bellswells I was also referred by an NHS genetic counsellor. It didn't take long for them to refer me and we got the usual fertility checks completed at CRGH about a month after we were referred. However, it wasn't until March this year that we were able to start our IVF cycle - because the NHS funding for 2021/22 had run out. When you're referral has been accepted by CRGH then you'll be able to book an appointment with CRGH's genetic counsellor and also an appointment with the consultant gynaecologist who leads on the PGD programme. You may have to wait a couple of months for those appointments. Once you've had both of those appointments the genetic counsellor will arrange to do a genetic workup for you (they need to do this in order to test your embryos for the gene you wish to avoid) and this can take up to 8 weeks. Given all the NHS funding for PGD patients has been allocated at CRGH for this current financial year you'll most likely be told you can start IVF in March 2022.

If you have any questions then please feel free to ask.

@Mudra85 hey turns out my referral took longer to go through because Guy’s Hospital didn’t refer me when I asked them to (how annoying).
I am all booked in for my first appointment with Sara early November and I have come off the pill so that AF can come back and once I have had 2 bleeds I will be able to call up and have my testing done. I’m currently trying to get AF to come back quicker by eating spicy food and protected intercourse, who knows if it will work but it’s worth a try 😀.
I believe they said to me when I call to book the tests that’s the point where I book the appointment with Dr Ben-Nagi.

Yes your correct they also told me I wouldn’t start till March/April which is fine for us as there are a few things we can tick off our bucket list during that time.

Oh thats good that it is up to 8 weeks for the work up I thought it may have been a little bit longer!

Do you know what I can expect to happen/ be discussed in my appointment with Sara (it’s a video call)?

@Bellswells that's really annoying about your referral, but it's good that things are moving along and you have your first appointment in with Sara. I wasn't on the pill when I was referred so I was able to have my tests done pretty quickly. But hopefully your first AF hurries up soon and then you'll have an idea of when you can book your appointment in with Dr Ben Nagi. You have plenty of time to get everything you need to get done by March/April.

Our first appointment with Sara was also a video call. Sara will discuss quite a few things with you in that appointment. You'll discuss your genetic condition, whether you're happy to proceed with IVF, the next steps if you agree to go ahead, and what you'll need to do for them to do the genetic work up. She'll explain the process to you, including the genetic side of things and IVF. She'll probably explain what to expect and any potential risks of going ahead - don't be put off by the risks, you'll be well looked after by CRGH and they have to make you aware of these. You'll then receive a letter in the post summarising everything you've discussed in your appointment with her.

Hi all. just got my first initial consultation booked for november and then follow ups but so far have not been impressed with the fact I cant get through by phone and have already had an appointment cancelled and rescheduled. what's everyone's experiences so far? I picked crgh over create as I heard better things about the admin side of things but im starting to wonder..maybe they are all the same? Also which consultants did you pick and for what reason. I spent a while googling but really it was a stab In the dark and wonder if I've picked the best choice..