Kings Fertility IVF 2023

[LucyFab]

Hi All, we will be starting our IVF journey with Kings Fertility next month. How was your experience? Was it successful? Thanks!

Hi @TheBirdintheCave So sorry to hear that. We got a bfn two weeks ago following an FET. You generally cannot do back to backs with a medicated cycle as the period you get a few days after a failed transfer is not a true period, it’s the progesterone support leaving your body, so I think they generally like you to ovulate and have a true period first.

I can totally relate with the difficulty of waiting, we are not in a position to go again until Sept now due to a number of other things going on, and it’s doing our heads in. I’m counting down the days and DH is also finding this wait challenging.

@Foreverhoping33 lovely news! Wishing you the v best

@RarePlant similar for others we found Stork via Kings the cheapest option too, didn’t try Asda but I looked into them when we were with a different clinic and ended up going with an online clinic esp as it was a bit of a hassle in terms of things having to be ordered in to Asda and then it needing collection. It’s great getting things delivered, though for our FET the standard £50 delivery fee for only £200 worth of meds stung a bit!!

@Eggbert83 OH! I did not think progesterone counted towards a medicated cycle. Other than that (and a trigger shot) we had a natural FET. Hmm... I guess if we can't do August we'll just have to try naturally 🙄

Sorry you're having to wait so long too. I've found the waiting to be the worst part of all of this.

@TheBirdintheCave It really is awful!! We’ve had two failed before but they were fresh. We’ve not been in the position of having embryos in the freezer before and we are dying to get back to them! The reason for our delay is because it’s my 40th and I’m having two parties (my mum wouldn’t take no for an answer!) Mixed feelings about turning 40 but I know if I don’t celebrate it I’ll regret it, but then it adds an unwanted delay of a month, aargh!! Trying naturally is not an option for us either due to the nature of our fertility issue (tube issues) so I suppose I’ll just have to submit to the inevitable and get into party mode!

Ah, with natural I’m not sure as I guess you did have a real cycle in some ways. With medicated you don’t ovulate it’s totally controlled. Have you emailed the nurses? We’ve queried things we aren’t sure about before and they’ve always come back super quick and been v willing to explain. Where a delay is not of your choosing it’s really important to understand the rationale, even if you have to push back a bit, as any bit of sense of control you can get back may help. It is very tough xx

Yeah, I think they find me annoying as I'm autistic, speak very matter of factly and ask lots of questions. They're not replied to my latest query asking about back to back transfers other than to say, basically, that they don't believe I'm having a chemical and to report my fading line on OTD tomorrow as a positive 🙄Like... why? It serves no purpose. I watched the line get darker and now I've watched it fade away, there's nothing else it could be other than a chemical and I don't need a blood test or scan to tell me that 😂

I know the process can be frustrating, but I think they like people to take a month off to let your body recover from the meds and re-establish a cycle. Baseline scans help to identify any potential issues and to see if your body is ready for the next cycle or not. For example, during a baseline scan it was discovered that I had a polyp that grew as a side effect of the meds and now needs to be removed prior to anything else.

Have you tested your embryos? Our doctor told us that embryo quality can be the reason for these chemical pregnancies.

@contentsmayb No we did a lot of research into embryo testing and it doesn't seem to have yet been proven to make a difference so we didn't bother.

I had a natural modified FET so no extra drugs other than progesterone and an Ovitrelle trigger shot for ovulation.

I'd be fine with the baseline scans at Kings IF they happened on day one of your cycle say, instead of day 18-25 of your previous cycle which makes no logical sense as the womb lining is then shed before the cycle in which you intend to transfer. I did challenge them on this and they couldn't give me a reason for why they did it that way so let me have a baseline on day one.

I’m sure you’ve probably already considered this @TheBirdintheCave but could your positive line, or the previous strength of it, be down to the trigger shot that was still in your system as that’s got HCG in it? Keeping everything crossed for you that there may still be hope if there is any presence of a line at all on OTD

@Eggbert83 Nah I tested the trigger out and it was gone by 4dp5dt. I had all of the tests lined up on the window sill like a crazy person. At 5dpt it had reappeared and got steadily darker until 8dpt and then yesterday's ClearBlue stalled and the Easy@Home was fainter. All taken on good holds with first or second wee.

Aw, @TheBirdintheCave im so sorry. I’ve never tested early as I’m so scared of seeing a line disappear, but in a way I wish I had so I’d know for sure whether my embryos are doing anything at all, I always wonder. I’m so sorry it didn’t work out, take good care of yourself, it is a valid loss and it’s very impactful

@Eggbert83 Thanks :) Hopefully our second one will take! It's a 4AB so still pretty good odds!

Does anyone from here ever met in real life? Just thinking we are all from King's, maybe we should create an in-person support group? :) Alcohol-free cocktails and IVF stories in Denmark Hill :)

@contentsmayb Aww that sounds really nice :) I live in Sussex though so can't as easily get to Denmark Hill. I'm only really there for appointments.

That is an excellent embryo! Has every chance! We are transferring a v similar grade, hopefully this is our round x 2!!

On a side note, has anyone watched Celebrity Save Our Sperm on channel 4? I started watching it last night and actually paused as think it’s something DH would enjoy too, if he can be convinced/bribed. Whenever I see ‘celebrity’ in a title I assume they’ll make a joke out of something but actually the three guys participating are taking it really seriously and treating the topic with the sensitivity it deserves. It also has the wonderful urologist Dr Ramsey who we have seen in the past and a brilliant nutritionist called Melanie Brown. We’ve seen her colleague Anna in the past and her advice was brilliant.

@Eggbert83 I've heard about that show but haven't seen it yet. I'll see if I can persuade my husband to give it a go with me :) It's cool that I've already found someone who will be doing a September transfer at the same time as me :)

@contentsmayb So sorry I missed your message suggesting in person meet up. We are in SE London so yes I’d be up for this at some stage!

I'd be up for meeting Aug 15-20 some evening, if anyone is interested, message me directly :) Maybe we can make a WhatsApp group or something. I find it so hard to find people who can relate to all this mess, so figured making new IVF friends would be fun, esp if they live nearby.

Also today is the 45th anniversary of the first IVF baby ever born as I just learned :)

Hi ladies, sorry to bump on your posts. I'd like to join the WhatsApp group when it's created as I'm considering going with King's provide they offer transabdominal egg retrieval. Create won't give me straight answer and sound as though I have a hopeless case with 8 follicles. Ty

I would be interested in the WhatsApp group as well. I will be starting second cycle in September/October so happy to meet up and discuss. Not sure what would be the best way to create the group without all pur numbers become fully public? Any idea?

Hi @LucyFab , I have been messaging people who expressed interest and left my contact info :) I will message you too.

Please can I get some advice? I am thinking of starting IVF at kings, it will be a long commute for me, 4 hours round trip, I am lucky that I can get PTO at work but need to know how many days I will need for a cycle? I am considering embryo banking but leaning towards doing a cycle at a time to see how I get on

@misspinredhill it's a lot of appointments if you're doing a fresh IVF cycle - initial appt then a baseline scan before the cycle you're going to start, day 5 scan then a scan every 2/3 days until egg collection (probably 2 or 3 scans), then a day for egg collection and then another day for transfer. And another day for a scan of cycle is successful. It's doable but with that commute you will basically need a full day off for every appt so depends on how accommodating your work will be. The amount of appts will be similar between clinics but obviously a more convenient one requires less time off.

Hey everyone,

Hoping someone can help who is paying privately for IVF! I had IVF funded through the NHS in September 2021, I was very fortunate this this worked first time and now I have a beautiful little boy who is 14 months old.

I also had 5 embryos that were frozen, I am now looking into having a frozen transfer to hopefully have baby no2. I know I will have to pay for this transfer, does anyone have any insight as to how much it will cost? Waiting times etc?

Your help is appreciated

FET at Kings is £1600 without medication which varies in cost from person to person. I do natural modified FETs so am only paying for Lutigest and a trigger shot :) Good luck!

Oh and currently there's no wait to my knowledge. Our next round is in September but that's only because of how my cycle lines up.

@TheBirdintheCave

Thanks for your reply, I have no Fallopian tubes so Ivf is my only option, I'm guessing I will need all the medication still?