Donor Egg Abroad

[try9ng]

Just had our third failed cycle, this was even worse than first two, think clinic left too long on stims and didn't get 1 fertilised eggs. Think we need to go down route of donor eggs now. How does it work? Does my husband fly out and give sample and then I go out after for transfer? Are there many trips needed? Thanks for any info. And any recommendations on clinics?

Hi, I think generally it's two trips for both, but I guess it depends on the clinic. Here's an example:
https://ivi-fertility.com/patient-journey-overseas/

I'm not specifically recommending this clinic, just this is one I've been talking to about IVF as I'm out in Spain. They seemed really nice and professional... but I just got my AMH results back and its 0.35 so I think my eggs are stuffed. :'( Now I have to consider whether to go down the donor egg route or not.

Spain are very big on donor eggs and theres a ton of clinics in Barcelona and Alicante who deal with UK clients.

Thank you that is really helpful. It's a hard decision to make isn't it. I don't know whether to try our own again or just give up and go for donor. My DH has poor sperm too so I'm not even sure it will work. Have you been through IVF before? I hope it all works out for you

Yes, it's hard. I only just started looking into IVF. I thought I was too old (46), then got pregnant twice 7 months apart. Miscarried at 7wks then 5 1/2. Thought if I was still able to get pregnant naturally then maybe my ovaries were in better than average health and there might be a chance... but test results suggest otherwise. DP's sperm is fine (hes a bit younger than me) so it's just my eggs that are the problem. :'(

I'm trying to get my head around the issues of egg donor approach: whether it's right for the child, how well I'd bond with it, etc. Actually considering embryo adoption as an alternative, even though we have good sperm, as it feels like more like an actual adoption and potentially easier to explain to the child as it grows up. Amd a bit more balanced between parents. I dont know. None of this is stuff I ever thought I'd consider until the miscarriages - I was actually happy enough being childless but losing a pregnancy is heartbreaking. Cant begin to imagine the stress of multiple IVF cycles, hope you're doing ok.

Awh I am so sorry to hear you have been through such a tough time. That is heartbreaking. Trying for a baby and not being able to get or stay pregnant is so hard. I think I can get my head around using a donor Egg, obviously it's difficult to know until you do it how you will really feel. I would love to be able to have a baby using our own but if the only option we have is donor then I guess that is the way we will have to go. We are waiting on our review appointment and will take it from there. It is promising you have managed to get pregnant twice, is there anything they can give you to help you have a successful pregnancy?

I mean I thought it was promising that I'd got pregnant (second pregnancy only miscarried 2 months ago), but the doctor at the clinic seemed to think it didn't make any difference. At my age the quality of eggs is generally so low that most pregnancies will end in miscarriage anyway. And with only 5 follicles on ultrasound and such a low AMH, she reckons they'd probably manage to get 3 eggs, maybe 2 or 4, and highly unlikely to get a viable embryo out of that. No other suggestions. MC are probably due to chromosomal abnormalities so nothing any meds would solve.

Had already lined up a first appointment with another clinic (before the test results) so will go ahead with that tomorrow anyway and get their thoughts.

@try9ng we too just finished our third unsuccessful cycle where there was zero fertilisation. We are also looking into egg donation now.

We went to the Fertility Show in London yesterday and spoke to a few clinics in Cyprus and Spain about egg donation cycles.

All clinics follow similar procedure - your husband needs to go once for sperm sample and you need to go once for the transfer. Some clinics want your husband to go twice so that they can use fresh sperm but have frozen sperm as backup. Some clinics want you to go twice so that they can do a check up. In any case, you don't need to stay more than one night on each occasion and if you can get flights, you could even do a day trip.

We did all of the checks through my local gynaecologist and our fertility clinic here, then DH flew out to hand over his sample. Once it was all sorted, I flew over for the transfer.
We had three blastos implanted (two rounds) but, unfortunately, I lost them after a short while.
I've had a hysteroscopy and an endometrial biopsy done here (still waiting for results) before we will consider what to do next. We've now been referred to the most senior consultant at our clinic abroad and she won't proceed without the additional testing. My clinic here did three unsuccessful rounds without ever mentioning any further tests. They just assumed that because my tubes are blocked and I'm "old", that'll be the reason.

Dropping by to check if anyone have decided on any clinics yet? We're looking at IVF Barcelona, Clinica Tambre, and IVF Life Alicante. So difficult to choose!

I am also looking into DE centers recently went to The London Egg Bank for a consultation- am undecided. Why are you guys looking to go abroad over UK ?

Am done with IVF after 4 rounds - got pregnant naturally in the past few months but both early miscarriages. Still hoping it'll come good but reality kicking in as,am 43

@Countrygrrrl we are going to Spain because (a) they are the most advanced when it comes to IVF, and donor egg IVFs. (b) there's little or no waiting time compared to the UK and (c) it is cheaper than the UK

There's a disadvantage as well, as in Spain donors are all anonymous. But for us other benefits outweigh this disadvantage.

I'm not sure they are more advanced than the UK - most important predictor for success will be age of donor

I went to The London Egg Bank- they charge 12k for 6 frozen eggs - so some may not thaw /fertilise/grow to an embryo/implant- they basically guarantee only 1 embryo from 6 eggs - that's pathetic. You also pay 2k or so for each additional ET after 1

BUT if you pay 20k upfront they will give you 10k refund if you don't get a live birth. This is clearly the way to go as they will do anything to get you a baby and avoid giving you 10k back !

Well, UK unfortunately is not at the forefront of assisted reproduction techniques and there is very little personalisation of treatment. My research shows that Spain is indeed the most advanced country when it comes to IVF. They have patients coming from all over the world and have a very good system in place to deal with international clients. From doctors to acupuncturists to reflexologists everyone dealing with fertility in the UK that I have spoken to recommended Spain without any hesitation.

The guarantee program like the one you mentioned is also available to many Spanish clinics. This is indeed what we have to decide in the next few days. The upfront payment is what makes it financially difficult for many.

Hi hope you don’t mind me joining this thread. I’m in my mid thirties and have a low AMH for age but apart from that no issues with me or husband. I’ve did 3 rounds of unsuccessful ivf/ICIS. Although I usually get one or two ‘good’ quality embryos only one out of four has ever implanted and I mc at 9weeks. I’m just thinking of giving up on my own.

Im really thinking about egg donation. I’ve thought alot about it and I just want the baby to be healthy with my own there is chance it won’t be. I’ve seen some recommending Spain and I’ve heard others recommending Czech Republic. For us cost is important but also if we can get a good match. We are aren’t sure with Spain as we are both very fair skinned/freckly with Auburn hair(Scottish) and I’m quite tall but if they selected someone with dark black hair, dark eyes it would be obvious and I would worry the child would feel so different from us. Anyone know how accurate they will be or would we be better looking at Czech for a good match? Thanks 😊

Hello @Kitty12345678 welcome 🤗

Spanish clinics by law are required to match physical characteristics of the donor and the recipient. But I don't know how far they actually go to find the match. From speaking to a few Spanish clinics, they have told me they have no trouble matching Caucasian and others but Oriental is where they really struggle. If you are considering Spain then I would suggest you hold video consultation with a couple of them and ask them directly of the likelihood of a match. And whatever you decide, good luck!

Thank you so much for your advice.it’s good it required by law. I was thinking next steps would be a video call. I can hopefully get a good idea if they can match. I’ve heard the Instituto Bernabeu is good but they have so many different branches and I not sure if there is a difference between them.

Hi @Kitty12345678

I honestly wouldn't give up on your own eggs at your age - even with low AMH

There are so many variables in IVF that can influence the quality of the egg and success of implantation. Maybe the drug protocol was not right for you or your hormones were not optimal for that month

I've had 4 IVF cycles the latest rounds 2 DET all good embryos (one the best ever ) but none of the DET progressed. Its very stressful on the body and all this affects the outcome

Have you read It Starts with the Egg?
I would strongly advise implementing as many points as you can and taking grass fed bovine bone broth (home made ). I started taking it and my next IVF got higher fertilisation and embryos. Who knows if it helped but I'll keep taking it !!

All it takes is one miracle and yes the odds may be against you but if I were you I would try naturally for a while longer 🙏🙏

Good luck 🤞

@Kitty12345678 I was just reading this thread and saw your post about Instituto Bernabeu so wanted to let you know that I'm waiting to start double IVF with their Alicante clinic. I had a video consultation wanting to find out a bit more about egg donation but they felt I still have a good chance with my own eggs so I'm planning to do one round with my own. It will be two egg collections back to back in order to try and achieve more embryos more quickly. So it's worth speaking to them about your individual circumstances to see what they think. I am 40 with AMH around 8, one failed IVF round so far.

@Kitty12345678 , I agree with @April623 . The doctors will be able to best advice considering all facts about your health whether you need donation at this stage.

As for Instituto Bernabeu, we had a consultation with Alicante. I picked Alicante based on the reviews both online and on Mumsnet and so far happy with them. Due to my age, donation is the best option even though my AMH is high (11) for my age.

We are having another consultation tomorrow with Barcelona IVF, after which we will decide where to go.

@Countrygrrrl Thanks for your advice. Im sorry to hear you have been through multiple Ivf too.
I think Im just tired of ivf and the disappointment. Every doctor, therapist and family I’ve spoken to about this keeps telling I’m still young and keep trying. But knowing when I should give up on my own and move on is hard to know when. My protocol was the highest they could give and I’ve never had hormone issues as estrogen or progesterone were good, womb lining is always good about 14mm. I have a AMH of 4.7 which low for my age. It has also taken a decline in the space of year, as it was 5.6 before. At this rate I feel my reserve will be so low in couple of years.

Im currently with the NHS and they are super slow, to transfer our last embryo, will be 4months waiting list then if we want to do treatments again it won’t be until spring. I’ve been talking to someone I know from work and they suggested Duostim, which is where they do two egg collections in one month. Sounds like it might help me get more eggs. It would need to be private as the NHS would never do it. I do have some funds left from my works private healthcare, so I could use that to fund a round. Would need to be in the UK as that’s what they cover. I also spoke to a lady about the Spainish clinics doing the pregnancy guarantee scheme, where you do a duo
with your own eggs and then two tries with a donor. If you don’t get pregnant they give you your money back.
i have a copy of that book but I’ve not read it. Never heard about the soup but I will try anything tbh.

@April623 thanks Duostim is exactly what I’m thinking would be the only treatment that works for me. Your AMH seems pretty good. I’m just so confused with why mine is so bad for mid thirties. Just really unlucky I guess, zero women in my family have had issues conceiving. My mother had my brother at 34 with only one month of trying. It makes me feel sick. I will look into the one in Alicante. Good luck with your journey.

@Serendipity24 Thanks. I am probably best to setup a video call with them and see what the say. Good luck with your treatment. x

@Kitty12345678 So sorry to hear your story, it does seem very unfair to have a low AMH but don't lose hope. I'm no expert but I know that AMH is only part of the story and although I have a higher AMH that doesn't tell me anything about the quality of my eggs and at mid thirties I'm sure your eggs are highly likely to be better quality even if there are less of them. But I also think donor egg is such a good option to have in reserve. Im probably going to go down that road if my next cycle is unsuccessful simply because I want to start a family as soon as possible and age is not my friend!

@Serendipity24 Let us know which clinic you decide on 😊

@Kitty12345678 I know exactly how you feel the dissapoitment of failed IVF is just awful and for me I didn't feel.that there was any post mortem as to what happened and why and how can we do better next round.

With regards to your stim dose - I did a lot of research into this (I'm in the medical profession) and it turned out lower dose worked better for me (gutted after spending a good few grand on meds that didn't help).
If you have low ovarian reserve blasting the ovaries is not going to generate more eggs - what's needed is the ideal protocol to tease out and sync the ones you have. FSH :LH ratio is important (I did better with lower FSH). Its all about quality not quantity

I can figure the NHS care is not nuanced enough to deal with your case - you definitely have age on your side so try to stay positive 😊

The dual stim in Spain sounds great - ask loads of questions and if you are going down that road and self funding then do check out that book. Get them to interogate your previous IVF cycles

I took 3 months out to implement as many of the suggested recommendations and I did get better outcome (but no baby)
Good luck and keep us updated I'm going down that road early next year

🙏🤞🙏

@April623 hope your treatment is going well.

We have finally decided to go with IB Alicante having considered all factors. I found the communication with IB much better than with Barcelona. It was difficult to get information on pricing etc. from Barcelona, I had to exchange several emails while IB was really quick and organised. When we compared all costs, IB was a clear winner too.

@Serendipity24 That's great news that you've made a decision! When do you get started? I'm still waiting for some cysts to disappear so I haven't started yet but hoping to in November 🤞🏼 x

Best of luck @Serendipity24 hope it goes well for you 🙏 I was just looking at IB Alicante today and have an email to schedule a consultation 😊 But am also looking at Prague - may be slightly easier for me to get to and the few I looked at seem so advanced. Plus slightly cheaper( but fortunately cost not really an issue). Anyone looked at Czech clinics ?