Any experiences of IVF at Newlife in Thessaloniki, Greece for over 40?

[thanksinadvance]

Hi all,

Looking for an IVF clinic at 42 with own eggs and husband's sperm.

Newlife in Thessaloniki, Greece, comes out with seemingly great reviews across the board (lots of them and very high scores, unlike the majority of other clinics) and the now-closed thread here says some good things www.mumsnet.com/talk/infertility/3708857-planning-cycle-with-newlife-greece-any-useful-advice

Has anyone used Newlife for IVF as an older woman?

Any insights/advice much appreciated. Thanks

I would like to know that too.

I am also looking for recs in Greece. Newlife seems to be my top choice so far

@thanksinadvance did you get anywhere with this? I'm looking now also and would be interested in others experiences.

@Lulu106

Thought I would add a few things as I decided to go with Newlife.

I'm based in Australia and just turned 38. I settled on Newlife as I found their customer service brilliant, not pushy, and genuinely helpful. I did always try to keep in the back of my mind that IVF is a business and money maker, but of the 5 clinics I spoke with, this one felt right. Less baby factory and more personable.

When I first reached out to them, they advised me of all the tests I would require, and once I sent those through they arranged a meeting. Met with the fertility specialist (Dr. Christos) and an embryologist (Chrysa). They ran through everything, more than I could take in, but they felt sincere, and kind and put me at ease right away. I was allocated an International Patient Coordinator (Dora) soon after, and the communication has been great. Even though I am based in Aus, I would get a reply within the day. They even roster staff on a Saturday. I've since sent a gazillion emails with questions and concerns, and they still seem happy to reply!

I ordered sperm from the European Sperm Bank, and the woman I spoke to when I told her I was going through NewLife did comment on how great they were. I guess they could say that about them all, but again, seemed genuine.

I head over in 2 weeks, and can always update you more on the actual clinic facilities and the feel of it if you'd like.

Good luck. There is a lot of info out there on the hundreds of clinics!

Thanks so much @GeorgiaPaige , Newlife is in my shortlist and it is great to hear positive things about them. I would be grateful if you could update us later on the in person experience.

Hi, good luck, I’m also 42 and considering new life. We were quoted £15k for stimulated multi cycle by create fertility here and that’s just not possible. We are looking at risking IUI but don’t have much hope. Or instead doing the ivf in Greece, flights are cheap and so are package holidays there from U.K.

money is our most concerning issue and this seems a bit too good to be true. I’m concerned about multi cycle egg harvesting as I’d have to travel multiple times.

@GeorgiaPaige did you have the initial free consultation? I’d be interested to know what details they required in advance if you feel comfortable sharing :)

Hi @Cally1980

No worries, happy to share what I can.

I was told by the clinic I had to have the below prior to having the free consultation. I had already had some bloods done when looking into another clinic so I provided all that too. They were very thorough during the consultation.

1. Antral Follicle Count transvaginal ultrasound scan. This needs to be performed between days 1-4 of the menstrual bleed. We need a detailed report stating the exact number and sizes of all follicles in both ovaries well as information on the uterus and endometrium. Clear images should be included as well.
2. Anti-Mullerian Hormone blood test: can be performed on any day of the menstrual cycle.

They also required the below after the meeting:

1. HIV (valid for 6 months from the expected date of treatment)
2. HBsAg (valid for 6 months from the expected date of treatment)
3. Hepatitis C (valid for 6 months from the expected date of treatment)
4. Syphilis (valid for 6 months from the expected date of treatment)
5. Thyroid hormone tests (TSH, free T3, free T4): 1-2 months before

treatment – valid for 3 months

1. Full blood count
2. Haemoglobin electrophoresis
3. Sickle cell trait

All were normal blood tests ordered through the GP, although she did question the sickle cell tests as super uncommon in caucasians, so I think she may have left this out for me. My TSH was normal, so the lab did not test for the T3 or T4 but when I advised NewLife they said this was fine.

The cost also was a huge concern for me. I've decided to turn my trips into holidays and visit friends in Europe, hoping it'll be a bit more stress-free! It is not costing much more than doing it here in Australia, and all on my own timeline :)

After the consultation and talking with my coordinator, I paid a deposit of 500Euro. The next installment, I pay on the day of egg retrieval, which will be 2000Euro.

Of course, all our experiences and requirements are going to be very different. They advised me that as I have a good egg reserve, they will not be able to do fresh transfers, which means I have to go back for the implant. An added cost, yes, but it would have put me at risk medically

From a customer service perspective, I found them to be very honest, realistic and helpful. So far, I have been very happy with their services.

I head over in 2 weeks, so I am happy to update again if you'd like. I'll be there for 3 weeks eating my way through the Greek bakeries, haha.

GP

Thank you @GeorgiaPaige ! That is exceptionally helpful. I wish you the best of luck.
I had a transvaginal privately at day 24 and again today (on nhs) at day 7 so that’s no good.
weirdly on day 24 they counted only 5 follicles, though today the technician said she counted ‘enough’ and said there were more this time of the month. Wish I’d know that I’ve been in tears for weeks.
Did they say how many follicles you had? The technician today wouldn’t give me an actual number which was frustrating so it looks like we are going to have to get another scan.
I believe I’ve had most of those bloods done except the sickle cell.

thank again!

Glad to help :)

My sonographer did not tell me how many follicles he could see during the scan. However, the official report had all those final details, and I asked for a copy once it was finalised, and they were happy to do that for me. I then sent it on to NewLife.

I don't know if they usually talk about numbers during the scan; maybe if the FS had performed it they would discuss it, but I was arranging all my scans and tests myself with the help of my GPs.

@GeorgiaPaige thank you for sharing so much. It is really helpful. Do you find their English speaking coordinators are quick at getting back to you? Sorry, I know you've already asked lots of questions.

oh, so quick...and that is bearing in mind there is an 8ish hour time difference between Australia and Europe! I would send an email in the morning and hear back in the afternoon. I cannot complain about the communication at all! They are closed on Sundays, but that is no different to here.

All the staff who I've dealt with speak perfect English. Not an issue there at all.

The coordinators all have some sort of science background too, so all are very qualified.

:)

@GeorgiaPaige thank you 🙏🏼

Hi all, I got my AMH test back, it measures 25 (pmol) and in just about to turn 42. I imagine this is okay as I don’t think I have pcos (no symptoms)

I have to admit, I really don't know what is considered a good number. Mine came in at 42 pmol and they said that was good enough, so I just rolled with it. I work with a biochemist and they seemed to think it was fine, so that was the end of my research around that, haha.

How is your research going re clinics?

@GeorgiaPaige thank.
everything I read about Greece suggests they are the place to go. I’m quite exhausted by research and think we will just go with it. I’m a little confused about the timeline of how things happen, as I’ll have to plan for time off work.

I’m awaiting the day 1 antral follicle count test which I’ll be paying for here (U.K.).

could I ask yet more questions?

Are you on a stimulated cycle? And if so how does that work with prescriptions?

what day of your cycle are you asked to first attend the clinic and how long is your stay planned for?

Is there any follow up meds required (like progesterone etc)?

are you doing natural or ICSI and also have they given a price for freezing embryos? I’m envisaging due to my age we may need to have a number of FETs. Hence why I’m hoping for stimulated to get more eggs (I’ve been told me reserve wasn’t high)

with thanks
Clarita

Morning Clarita,

The deep dive into clinics get intense, doesn't it?! Once I made a decision, it was a huge weight off.

The timeline also confused me for a bit. They put together the plan for me, and mine went/is going a bit like this:

1) One month before the treatment you take the contraceptive pill for 21 days (therefore let us know when you can travel and we can arrange this) I emailed them the day my period began and they advised to start the pill on day 2 of the full flow

2) Perform a baseline Antral follicle count scan, in Australia, between days 1-3 of your menstrual cycle (I decided to be in Greece for the entire time). This can also be done in Greece if it proves difficult to travel last minute (approved by Dr. Chris!). If everything is clear you will be instructed to start your stimulation with injectable medications for about 10-14 days.

3) You will need monitoring with ultrasound scans after the start of treatment on day 5, day 7, and day 9 of your stimulation or until your follicles reach the correct size. You will need to be in Greece no later than day 9 of your stimulation so we can perform your final scan(s). Of course, you can have the day 5 and day 7 scan in Greece too, if you wish to travel over and stay for a longer period of time.

4) We will perform your egg collection under mild sedation. No hospitalization is needed and you leave the clinic after 1-2 hours.

5) On the same day, the donor sperm of your choice will be utilized and fertilization will be performed through the use of ICSI.

6) We then will culture all embryos for 5 days (blastocysts) Reaching the blastocyst stage is pivotal as:

• Only at that stage do, we have the final morphological assessment of the embryos.
• During day 3 of embryo development, the paternal gene kicks in and we can see how the sperm affects the embryos.
• We allow ‘nature’ filters to stop the development of certain chromosomally abnormal embryos and hence transfer embryos that have high chances of implantation.

7. During your stimulation treatment we will need to assess the endometrial lining for your frozen embryo transfer scheduling. You will not be able to perform a fresh embryo transfer, due to your high ovarian reserve, in order to exclude the risk of hyperstimulation and achieve higher success rates as the high levels of estrogen (due to the increased number of follicles developing) affects the lining and it does not remain receptive.

The length of stay in Greece:
1st phase of treatment (stimulation- egg collection): the length of stay will be for about 14 days – you will have only one scan in Australia and then fly to Greece
2nd phase of treatment (frozen embryo transfer): you will need to have a couple of scans in Australia and be in Greece for 2-3 days (this for me will be in 2023).

For me, we are lucky to have sick leave in Aus, so I have been able to take the whole 3 weeks off as it's considered a medical procedure. NewLife does work closely with prescribing Drs in the UK, so medicine should not be a problem. I am having issues getting my meds prescribed in Australia under the subsidised rate, however, they are available in Greece it will just cost me (which in the grand scheme of things, worth it!). They arrange all this for me, when I arrive they will arrange the pharmacy visit.

I do believe having the scans etc in the UK is going to be much easier as they have an office based there I think? Or at least, a team that works closely with a UK team.

Australia is a little behind in their IVF laws and approach, so it's not as common for people to be arranging themselves, it is changing though.

All in all, once you have your meeting with them, it all falls into place quite quickly!

The info I've received from them has been very thorough, and anything I am unsure of, I just sent an email and they get back to me pretty quickly. You're lucky you're in the same time zone!

The price of freezing, I am unsure. Will have to go back further into some emails. Will update when I can!

Hope this helps, happy to help where I can :)

GP

@Cally1980 further to this timeline info from @GeorgiaPaige , I can also say that we received a PDF brochure from them with a detailed infographic that made the timeline for NewLife very clear - from memory, you can do as much as possible in your country then go there for crucial parts, but best to confirm (we didn't go with NewLife in the end given work commitments but would consider it in future if logistics permit).

Thanks @thanksinadvance 😂

I’ve just had a very alarming phone call from the place that did my AMH test saying I had a very high AMH for my age and that I should get tested for pcos. The thing is my testosterone levels came back normal from a blood test and I have zero pcos symptoms except the high AMH. What’s going on?!
I may try a round on IUI with new life first just to rule it out. Not that I can afford it but maybe I’m just desperate to start something sooner.

@thanksinadvance any chance you’re able to attaché the pdf if I send you a message on here? I’d love to see it.

I'm sorry but I can't see it in my email and am not sure exactly where it was but no doubt if you ask they will send it over - it was part of a brochure somewhere. good luck

@Cally1980 good luck!!

,@GeorgiaPaige thanks so much for sharing the information. I guess you are in Greece now. Hope you don't mind sharing your experience with New life when you get back home. There is no pressure, only if you want to; you have already been very helpful. Good luck 🤞

@Serendipity24 absolutely! It has been really great. Cannot fault the service or care. I've been to the clinic 4 times now for scans and everyone is super helpful. The first visit was a scan and they also arranged the prescription for my medications. A quick taxi ride to the pharmacy and that got filled with no issues (unsure if you can get them in your home country or not). Began treatment and in my case, went back every 3 or so days for a scan to check how things were tracking. Honestly, it has been great. I've felt so at ease. Tomorrow I go in for another scan to determine retrieval day.

The clinic itself is on the outskirts of town, I'd say about a 10-15euro cab ride, depending on where you stay. I am close to the city centre. I've been walking to and from as I enjoy the exercise, but still cheap enough to do cab rides either way. It's a modern facility, with nice consulting rooms. I will know more about the recovery space in a few days, but so far, super happy with my choice of clinic!

I'll also add, it is a very busy clinic! Each time I've gone, there has been a mix of foreign and Greek couples and singles. I heard an array of accents! However, each person has their own coordinator and Dr, and the service still felt personable.