IVF abroad at 42

[madharri123]

Hello! I’m 42 with an AMH of 12.4 (up from 6.4 thanks to DHEA and other It Starts with the Egg advice) and had signed up for IVF at the London Women's Clinic in Canterbury. They seem very nice but their communication has been pretty lacklustre (forgetting to reply to emails etc and they never seem to have a receptionist in so the phone is rarely answered). I just thought if I’m going to spend over £12k (I’ll need PGA) then I want a bit more organisation and that feeling of not just being a number - so have been looking at clinics abroad. Can anyone advise?

The two that seem to stand out are Reprofit in Brno (cost effective and seemingly popular amongst the mumsnet community) and Institut Marques in Barcelona (pretty impressive stats). Has anyone any experience of these or advice?

I had my son at 40 after 5 mmc and, thanks to this board, sought help at Coventry with Prof Brosens and Quenby, who diagnosed and treated me for hyperfertility (or a non-choosy uterus!). This time around - it seems I can’t get pregnant at all. Hoping you can work your magic again!)

Also - should have mentioned - my husband’s sperm are, to quote our consultant, “1st class donor quality” so it’s very much my old eggs at the root of this!

Hi @madharri123
I got my perfect, beautiful daughter via Reprofit! No complaints, they just get the job done! When I went in 2019, I produced 10 eggs but only 3 mature and suitable for ICSI. I thought it was all over based on poor numbers, but all 3 made it to day 5 blasts with my DD transferred and two frozen.
Unfortunately I went back for a FET in June with one failing to survive thaw and the other didn't stick. My partner and I decided to try one more fresh cycle but my FSH is out of suitable range currently at 15.2 :( ... I have started supplements such as DHEA and COQ10 to try and help my old (41 years old) eggs so was glad to see your improvement numbers. I would love to hear all the changes that you made ... I think it starts with the egg suggests stopping alcohol, caffeine etc - I haven't stopped but massively reduced. I also take omega 3, wheatgrass, melatin, proceive fertility etc. My partner has teratozoospermia so have added a load of supplements for him too.
Back to Reprofit actually, flying to Brno is a bit annoying as only two flights a week and both at weekend. I had to fly into Prague and drive down so I have actually had a consultation with a Prague clinic close to the Airport, Gennet. I read good things about them.

@firefly37 thanks so much for the info! Reducing travel stress does sound extremely sensible, I have just gone and got myself booked up for a chat with them too! The changes I’ve made:

• Stopped my love affair with Tupperware - bought a few glass versions from JL.
• Drastically cut down on alcohol (became one of those that just has one glass on special occasions).
• Spent my salary on supplements:

-DHEA 75mg od (says 25mg TDS but I tend to take it in a oner, because I forget.
N-acetylcysteine - 600mg od
Super R-lipoic acid - 240mg od
Methyl folate - 800mg- I take 2 Vitamin Code Raw prenatal.

Vit C 500mg od
Vit D 4000iu od (due to get this level checked via blood test)
Vit E - 400iu od
Ubiquinol 600md od
Zinc 50mg od
Selenium 200mcg od

I put my husband on:
Ubiquinol 300md od
The following he takes the same dose as me:
Selenium
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Super r-lipoic acid
I’m going to add Nordic Naturals while we wait for our IVF appointment to come.

My husband has been on these for months with me, he’s 43 and drinks far more than I would like him to and our consultant said his count, morphology and motility were beautiful.

Diet wise - we’re about to get serious! We try at the moment - but are about to suck all the joy out in the run up to actually starting IVF.

Hope this helped x

Hi OP!

Congrats on having the super sperm! Hahaha

Thanks for all the information you gave on your post, it's really helpful.

As for the clinics you mentioned, I don't have an experience with them, my research was focused on Spain, Greece and Cyprus.

My advice would be to contact them both, and if possible to get a free video call to discuss your options. This way, you can get information and the "feel" of the clinic, their response times (which for me is very important), and check their costs what they include in their prices, and any other information that is important to you.

Hi @madharri123 can I ask whether you made contact with Institut Marques, and if so how you've found them? I am 42 and looking at a cycle overseas (my treatment here hasn't been successful) and Institut Marques are on my list. As I'm single I can't try Reprofit, as the Czech Republic unfortunately doesn't allow single women to do IVF.

Anything you found out would be really helpful, thank you!

Hi @lucymills1234

I did indeed

I spoke to Dr Victoria Walker on WhatsApp video and she was so helpful and personable. I went for the tests that I had been told were necessary and unfortunately my TSH level was less than 0.01, indicating Graves. I emailed her my results and she was again, extremely helpful - sending me a couple of articles on the effects of high thyroid on egg quality. She advised that I would be unable to have a transfer with my results as they are but suggested I at least have an egg collection now before I get any older! The news of my thyroid issues has made my husband take the view of “it’s too late - let’s be happy with what we’ve got and not spend any more money on this” so I’ve got some thinking to do. But for what it’s worth - I thought they were marvellous! Good luck! X

Hi @madharri123 thanks so much for replying, it's really good to hear someone else's experience.

Was your appointment with the Dr free or a paid consultation? I've booked a free appointment for next week, but wondering whether I'll get an indication of how they'd treat me, or if the intro will be more a general guide to their approach and I'll need to pay for more specific advice.

It's good to hear of a consultant giving information and recommendations, I've found my UK clinic frustrating - I don't get much in the way of guidance unless I ask very specific questions. I'm 42, single, and trying for my only child - this next go will have to be my last try so there is so much riding on it.

Good luck with your decision making, never an easy task but I'm glad you have the 'data' at least to understand your chances.

@lucymills1234 It was free! She didn’t go too specific (but I wasn’t asking for that to be fair) and I definitely got the impression she wasn’t holding anything back. Yes - my clinic - London Women’s Clinic in Canterbury were utterly shit - dreadful communication and just no sense of them caring about the outcome at all. Good luck with it all x

Hi, I am 43 and have had once cycle ivf locally. Had 6 blastocysts followed by 1 miscarriage (two embryos) 1 chemical pregnancy and 1 didn't implant. I have one embryo in storage but it is grade C. So thinking of going abroad for another cycle.
I have two questions:

1. Can anyone suggest a good clinic abroad ? Don't know where to start but keen to get it done soon.
2. Cant decide if I should try to transfer grade C embryo or save my money for a fresh cycle abroad. Can someone guide from their experience please.

Thanks

Hi everyone, I'm about to begin my abroad IVF journey at 43, I've read alot of stories and wondered if any of you posting here have now got a healthy baby?

I live in Spain, had IVF here at 39 and had success on the first try. Soon to go in and try for the first implantation for trying for number two. (It was around €12000 all in for number one including egg extraction, and should be €2200 for number two if successful on the first try.)

Thank you @RascafríaMom I've had a couple of telephone meetings with Clinics in Spain, can I ask who you used?

I used IVI in Madrid. They are not the cheapest but not the most expensive either. Mostly chose them as local to us, and they specifically cater to lesbian couples offering the Ropa Method.