IVF Scotland - thread 4

[2mumlife]

Hi everyone,

Started a new thread for the Scotish ladies

@LouScot
@Scirocco
@MrsTMcB
@florafoxtro
@Hopewishprayer
@ScottishRach
@Kamiros
@LT103
@itsmschanandlerbong
@connal

Please @ anyone I missed!

@RMS0209 ah ok! Yeah I knew egg collection and transfer were down there, I guess they just need to do initial testing down there too.

Both my cycles ended abruptly and we didn't get to transfer. First we had one egg that fertilised but didn't make it, second no eggs. So no transfer and no frosties. It's been a lot so I'm a bit wary to jump right back in and I know it's better for my mental health to take a break. But I will start researching next month or the month after properly I think. As it would be good to have a plan and a way forward. I have a counselling call tomorrow and will get her advice.

Potentially you can have up to three, but with Aberdeen clinic you have to get 3 eggs at collection for them to allow you to try again. They let me try again the first because we had an issue with the trigger and they weren't sure with timing what was best. They will recommend donor eggs NHS funded I am pretty sure. I guess they have a criteria and if what they can offer isn't working then they don't want to put you through it all again. You have to have three follicles of the right size to get to collection too. I have low AFC so that was a struggle last cycle and was touch and go whether we'd have to do IUI. In the end we got three but somehow no actual eggs retrieved. I wanted to ask the Dr how that had happened as at the time I was in shock and just wanted to leave. I'll probably get a letter for a few weeks time, I'm not sure really.

We were referred in the august last year, had our Dr call the December, nurse call January and then started norethisterone in February to start the cycle just at the end of Feb. It felt like a very long wait to get started but once you're "in it" you at least feel like you're doing something! X

So no embryos today sadly, they're going to look for another donor for us.

Oh very sorry to hear that @Kamiros x

I'm so sorry @Kamiros - I hope they're able to find you a new donor quickly. xx

Thanks @LouScot, @Scirocco They're saying late August/ early September which I suppose isn't too long. We need to go out next month anyway as they want another sample from DH just to rule that out as he'd had covid about 4 weeks before it, just in case it's had an effect. They want to be sure we get embryos this time before they start me on meds so we don't waste any or it could have been earlier - I think I'm ok with those timescales though.

@Kamiros I'm so so sorry 😢 sending you lots of love. I really wanted this to work for you. I hope they find a new donor quickly xxx

Thanks @HJen22 It's not ideal.... but we get up and go again xx

@LouScot I'm sorry to hear you tested positive for covid :( hope you're feeling ok

@Kamiros I'm sorry to hear there was nothing suitable for freezing. It must be really disappointing. The clinic does seem fast though, so hopefully they will find you another donor quickly. It sounds sensible approach to delay the meds until you know there are some embryos for you.

@HJen22 @RMS0209 We used the Access Fertility 2 cycle package (with no refund) for the IVF part of our treatment at GCRM (Access Fertility don't do IUI packages). It worked well doing it that way as took some of the pressure off - and they didn't even end up charging extra for our freeze-all cycle (despite I think there being something like an £800 surcharge for freeze-all cycles stated on our terms) - not sure how we got away with that to be honest!. It was good to only have to be meeting the drug costs (which are expensive by themselves) and it did work out a few £k cheaper for us than if we'd paid for each egg collection and FET cycle with GCRM directly. We paid just under 7k for the 2 cycle package in 2020 when I was 30, but that did not include a refund option or any add ons. You need to look at it for your particular circumstances though, as the price goes up the older you are I think. And if you add on a refund option you pay a LOT more.

@HJen22 @RMS0209 Actually just checked and I still have the brochure of the prices for Access Fertility for treatment at GCRM (mind these are from 2020 so prices are probably higher now) will give you some idea what you're looking at though cost wise if you go with an Access Fertility package at GCRM

@2mumlife thanks so much for the info, it's around £7k I was looking at for the two cycle option but I don't know if we can def have that given my low AMH. Do you mind me asking how much meds were on top of that? And yeah I noticed it goes up when you hit 35, I was 34 in March.

I can't help but be gutted that I thought I was being sensible starting to save for a nice maternity leave cash pot as soon as we started TTC and it's going to all get spent on the treatment. I know it's good I saved but it's sad it's not going to be used for what I intended x

@HJen22 I had the 2 cycle package and my amh was 0.4 when I signed up for it so it shouldn't be a problem.

@2mumlife @HJen22 I apologise for my 2 blurry comments 😬 just checked my email from access and prices are the same, I got that about 2 weeks ago emailed xx

@HJen22 From memory anyone can do the 2 cycle programme as they don't ask for medical history - I think they only start taking into account your medical history if you want to use one of the refund programme.

It'll vary depending on which drugs you're on and your dosage, but egg collection rounds were in the £1000 - £1,300 worth a drugs a go. A medicated FET was around £600 a go.

Thanks @2mumlife I've spent the afternoon feeling grotty googling success rates. I've under 5% chance and gcrm seem particularly poor for my age group. Trying very hard to find positive mindset..

Thanks ladies that's some great info. It's so much to take in and think about so it's good to know that low AMH isn't a show stopper for them.

@LouScot I got told at my clinic before we started we had a below double figure chance of success too, which wasn't very encouraging. But someone once said to me I should think of it like it's either going to work so 100% or not and 0%. I'm sorry you're feeling poorly, make sure to get plenty rest and I dosed up on lots of painkillers.

More root canal required for me 😭 I cried as soon as I sat in the dentists seat and used him like a therapist ha. Teeth grinding is probably the root cause and I do it a lot anyway, let alone when I'm stressed. Oh the joys xx

And apologies I don't mean to moan about money when it's of course something worth spending on, and lots of people will have spent more. It's just one of those things I'm a little sad about. For a bit of context, as my OH was a daughter I'd hoped to not have had to fully rely on him (seeing as he pays weekly child maintenance/hundreds of pounds travelling down and up from England etc) and been able to pay all my bills plus have some extra. These things happen and I should not complain x

@LouScot There is a clinic in Manchester I think that specialises in low amh I’ve heard others talk about before. Might be Create? Not really sure. It’s worth exploring though potentially if they have better success rates

@HJen22 Root canal sounds miserable. We had to fund all our treatment as a same sex couple, as you’re not eligible for anything until you’ve paid for 6 failed cycles yourselves. The financial side of having a child has been extortionate - I stopped counting it exactly as I didn’t want to put a cost on a child but all in all we’re about the £20k mark once you add up cost of donor sperm, IUI, IVF and all
the drugs. It’s hideous to think about really, and is a lot more than we had envisaged when we started this journey.

@2mumlife I really hope that they make a change to those rules for same sex couples. It's crazy isn't it. I find it insane they want 6 paid for IUIs before you can access and be eligible for IVF, the financial side of that as well as the emotional and physical is a lot to go through I am sure. It does seem like organisations are fighting for better rights for people and workplaces etc these days to make changes for the better x

Thanks @2mumlife I had a look but the issue is all the clinics do so few cycles for my age the figures get redacted. I'm guessing the 5% won't vary hugely across the board. I have slightly better chance if my frozen eggs thaw and fertilise, so I'll do this cycle at gcrm then see.

@LouScot Keeping everything crossed for you x

@HJen22 Its such a tough one, as hetero couples have such a long time to have to try before they can access treatment, but yeah the financial side of it is massive for same sex couple (even worse if you're men).

I tested positive for covid today - had been really tired last 2 days. First time I've had it and feeling a bit miserable as lying down brings on my heartburn, so spending the day semi-slumped

Ah @2mumlife sorry to hear that. It's my first time with it too and it sucks. I'm getting so fed up with the "covid is over" narrative, okay it's hopefully not going to cause many people long term harm but it feels rubbish!! Hope it doesn't last too long. Are you feeling okay about taking paracetamol? I've found it really helpful for the clammy sweaty mild fever.

Hope everyone else is covid free x

@LouScot Its rife in Scotland isn't it? Luckily DP is testing negative and feels totally normal so I'm being looked after lol. I would take paracetemol if I needed it but to be honest I'm just really, really tired. Don't have a fever, not sweating, don't have achey limbs or anything like that. I like to think its my vaccines doing their job. Its like my body is busy fighting it off and doesn't have the energy for anything more.

@2mumlife @LouScot How are you both feeling?