Bourn Hall - Cambridge

[2021babyhope]

I just wondered if anyone has any experience with this clinic or is currently undergoing treatment there?

They are very good with emails but I'm struggling with the lack of actual human contact at the moment.

Hi. I had my NHS first IVF cycle here in 2016 and was very happy with the treatment and became pregnant with my DS. Unfortunately we couldnt afford to pay for treatment here, so went to Czech Republic for our DD. Good luck x

Hiya I am currently going through treatment here all communication is done via email but you can email them to call you if needed which is a bit tiring but we have chosen the clinic for their reputation and success rates have you started treatment? X

Thank you both :) @Lotusflower1990000 you know I hadn't even thought of that! Thankyou - I'll deff ask for that next cycle.

Yes just had one fresh round fail unfortunately but very lucky to have 5 blasts frozen so we have our follow up appointment late September - hoping they'll let me to an unmedicated cycle for it but trying to wait and see.

I had my egg collection here for my first (failed) round. The Cambridge clinic is absolutely gorgeous, the staff are lovely and the clinical care is excellent - but where BH falls down is in their communication IMO. Everything is done via email but they are nigh on impossible to get hold of on the phone, which can be a problem if there has been a scheduling cock-up (of which there were many, unfortunately).

The good news is that they are going to implement a patient portal soon where they will upload all your information, which should circumvent some of the issues where staff have to keep on top of emails all the time.

Just thought I'd add to this albeit can see I'm a few weeks after original post.
I've been with Bourn since the beginning of the year; have found them great and will continue to use them. Have had a failed fresh ICSI cycle in May/June and recently a failed fet. It was only on the fet that they did a blood test (on transfer day) to check my progesterone levels. My results were lower and they added Lubion ... 48 hours after transfer. Progesterone was never checked on my first cycle. This is the one and only criticism I have for Bourn - why was my progesterone level, a key hormone needed for pregnancy, not checked on my first cycle and earlier on my second. I was disappointed after spending thousands of pounds this wasn't included, especially given they test for all sorts of other things at the beginning of treatment. Had I of known I would have asked for this test and will be making sure it's addressed for my third, and hopefully successful, cycle!!
Just wanted to highlight it on here - so anyone else with Bourn can make sure they have their progesterone levels checked too as it is something so simple yet not tested routinely - only after a failed round. Maybe early checking would prevent some failures? Who knows! X

@C1aire85 thank you so much for this I had a failed fresh last month with them and due to book in a frozen so I will definitely be asking for this when are you booked if for your next cycle are you completing a fresh cycle xx

@2021babyhope @TheSnufflet how are you both getting on are you still with Cambridge? I am due to start a frozen hopefully November/December after a failed fresh last month xx

Hi @Lotusflower1990000 you're on the October/November FET thread aren't you? I'm still in downregulation for my round #2 fresh cycle, will be starting stims in a week's time, fingers crossed.

I'm not sure if I will be at BH Cambridge the next time - I was supposed to attend the Norwich satellite clinic for my EC and ET the last time, but because of various cock-ups I had to go to Cambridge instead. I was only scanned 11 days after I had started stims (which is wayyyyy too late in the day IMO), with a provisional trigger date of the 12th day, but at that scan my follicles hadn't progressed nearly enough and it seemed that I had been put on too low a dose of Gonal F (150iU) so they upped me to 225iU and I ended up stimming for 17 days in total. Unfortunately Norwich only carries out egg collections for one week out of the month, so if you don't respond exactly to their timing, then you need to travel to the main clinic in Cambridge to have it done. Was a 5 hour round trip for us so not the best!

This time I am starting out on a higher dosage and am being scanned earlier so I'm hoping it will be smoother sailing hereafter...

@TheSnufflet I am I think I have signed up to about 4 groups it keeps me off google lol

Oh gosh That sounds like such a long time to be on stims I can’t imagine how hormoney you felt so glad you are on a fresh new cycle and they have the dosage and scan times adjusted for you good luck and i will be following your journey on the Oct/nov fet Baby dust xxx