IVF through Access Fertility

[Ttc0]

Hello, has anyone had experience of using Access Fertility to pay for their IVF treatment? (Sorry in advance for long thread😀)

I am on a two fresh cycles plus unlimited frozen embryo transfer package. My first cycle didn’t produce anything. The second I got some embryos. One of which I got pregnant with but it didn’t make it so we are having to try again.

Due to my age (I’ll be 41 soon) I spoke with my consultant and they said having more embryos at a young an age as possible would be medically good advice as it helps with the chances of getting pregnant now, but also if I am lucky enough to have a second child.

To help with this I was planning on paying my clinic directly to do a fresh egg collection and put any embryos in storage. For my next transfer I would use the younger frozen embryos on my existing Access Fertility package and continue with them as agreed under the unlimited frozen transfer part of the offer.

However I’ve seen in AF package they have a clause saying you can’t have any other IVF treatment outside their programme if it ‘adversely affects the chances of me becoming pregnant’ and I would need prior written consent from them to do so. otherwise my agreement with them would be cancelled and I wouldn’t be able to have the unlimited frozen transfers done and I’d have to fund everything myself /resign up to another package.

My argument is that I will be having the same egg collection with the same clinic as before so this wouldn’t adversely affect my chances but instead would preserve my fertility to help getting pregnant. Any embryos collected from the egg collection wouldn’t be used under the programme I am in with Access Fertility. I am going through it now to preserve younger embryos at this age now so that I’m the sad event I don’t get pregnant with my current embryos I won’t have to start IVF from the start at 42 thereby reducing my chances even further.

Has anyone had any luck getting this agreed with Access Fertility/any tips you could share?

thanks!

@Ttc0 i don’t have any advise, but thought I’d bump the thread as I’d like to do the same with Access!

I am also on the two cycle package, my specialist recommended that I do a frozen transfer with stims as I can't get a thick lining any other way, but because of my high AFC she didn't want me spontaneously ovulating. I spoke to access fertility and said I would pay for the collection procedure with the clinic. I thought this would be acceptable as it's seems that everyone's a winner, I do what is most likely to work and hopefully get pregnant and they then don't have to pay for anymore transfers.

They told me no, that they consider this embryo banking which is not allowed and I cannot have any IVF outside the package.

Agree with previous poster they will likely say no because the programme specifically doesn't work with embryo banking. BUT I would ask the question because you just never know and you plan to use those embryos should this treatment not work. If you don't ask you don't get. If they say no you in the same spot as you are now.

Good luck.

@potpiefriday Thank you for letting me know your experience, although I’m sorry to hear they wouldn’t agree to it.
in their clause/contract it says they won’t allow any other treatment if it ‘adversely affects the chances of becoming pregnant’. Out of interest, when they let you know their decision did they refer to this at all and explain why they didn’t agree/think it would adversely affect your chances?

Like you, I agree that having a separate egg collection that is paid for separately seems really sensible if age/fertility is a problem. Especially as the person has to go through the preparation for the transfer anyway so collecting eggs at the same time doesn’t impact on it - and in the long run they’re not having to pay for any more transfers so they’re not out of pocket.

I am going to ask them anyway but have a concern that the answer will be ‘no’, and can’t see what it is that they would classify as not adversely affecting.

It feels like I’m going to be quite a lot out of pocket to do what’s medically best.

Fingers crossed!

Thanks. Yes I will ask them, fingers crossed they agree!

@potpiefriday and @Agapanthus13 hi don’t know if this is helpful to you but I spoke to my ivf clinic today and they’ve said that I can have an egg collection with them and do an embryo freeze all without it affecting my access fertility package. What it means is that I won’t be able to do any transfers from any embryos created (fingers crossed!) in that cycle but freeze then all. I would then use the frozen embryos created from the access fertility package two months later as a frozen transfer (as you need to have a withdrawal bleed then a period before starting a transfer). That way you can still use your AF package as you’re not using any embryos created outside of it.
Hope that helps you both and good luck with your journey xx