CRGH vs Create IVF - need suggestions please

[janett2]

Hi , can anyone suggest me which is better CRGH or Create please. We are trying for a second child. So not eligible for NHS funding. We have been trying for more than 3 years with no success😔 We have been looking into IVF clinics. We have finalized CRGH and Create (as of now). But couldn't decide which one to go for. very confusing process 😓

35F, DH 39M.
I have endometriosis. AMH normal. DH semen analysis normal ( lower end of normal)

I did go through the HFEA websites but people's opinion would be more valuable.

Which is better in terms of success?
How does the price compare for both ?
Any suggestions for a good consultant in CRGH and Create ?

Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks xx

@janett2
Hi, I'm currently with CRGH and have been for over a year now. I looked at CREATE but changed my mind at the last minute as they just didn't seem to have the advances that CRGH have if you've got any complex issues. When I spoke to the Dr at Create he didn't even know what calcium ionophore or IMSI procedures were which really shocked me!!! We needed both for our treatment and would have even had them as a choice if we'd been with Create.
CRGH are however expensive so I would look in to a price plan through someone like Access fertility to see if you're eligible for a fixed price.
I hope this helps?

Thanks @Sheepsheeps :) How much are they charging via access please ? Will there be much difference in price between Create and CRGH if we go via the access package ?

Would you recommend any consultant in CRGH pls?

Hi,
It all depends on exactly what treatment you and your partner require. I found Create very 'one way' which is worrying if you require a more different approach. Create are very focused on low stim approach which may not work for you esp if you can only afford one go at IVF. Most of the time your first round is almost an experimental round so to speak so if you can afford a 3 cycle package that's often the best option.
Create also had very little interest or knowledge for that matter on male infertility which was 50% our problem.
There are many Dr's at CRGH, I only have experience of two, Dr Ali Charmi and Dr Jara Ben-Nagi. Both I think are directors and really know their stuff. Probably not the warmest of Dr's there but I'd prefer a really good clinician over anything else. They also discuss their cases as a team so you are effectively getting an opinion from all the experts.
I hope this helps?

I had twins via Create and they were excellent not without their issues - but generally very good.

I know a few patients at CRGH who aren't happy at all and are now looking at Create

It's very subjective and one persons experience will be completely different to another's

Just as previous poster said Create don't offer lots of new innovative add ons but then again even the HFEAA ratings suggest many of these ads ons don't have any benefit either. I actually found this comforting that they weren't just suggesting expensive extras to get more money

It is a low stim approach but when I compared what dose i was on (225) compared to friends with other clinics they were on similar. It's just Create doesn't do down reg - which suited me massively as I was being treated for secondary infertility so wanted to cycle with minimal impact

Thanks @Sheepsheeps !

@febrezeme Thanks :) May I know how much the cost was for 3 cycles please (including medications)? I got the price list from them but heard that the actual price with all the add-ons like medicine will be much higher.

So would like to know if there were any additional costs apart from the 3-cycle package ( with support package) ? How much do the medicines cost per cycle. Its all new to me, so lots of questions in my mind. Thanks!

@janett2

I did 2 single rounds first which worked out really expensive with ICSI, FET, freeze all, freezing, some PGTA testing, 3 transfers, medication I probably spend circa £20k

I then did a 3 cycle package of natural modified with ICSI and the support package which cost £13.5k all in including all drugs, 1 transfer, freezing etc

Thanks @febrezeme What an expensive process IVF is 😓

I've spent about £60k in total with 6 rounds of IVF and we haven't even done an FET yet.......

Hi 👋 Hope you do not mind me joining, I have a consultation booked with Create next month after a failed 1st round of IVF with NHS on max stims (got to egg collection with 4 eggs, 2 of which mature, but then failed fertilisation so no transfer this time- have low AMH and ICSI advised for next time). @febrezeme if you don't mind me asking what were your circumstances and what worked well for you?

@Sheepsheeps is that with Create that you're with? Would it be possible to understand a bit more about the costings at your end? We have considered 6 cycles after my first one a little while ago

Hi @janett2

I'm with CRGH. I am having 2 rounds of ivf/icsi and total cost is about £25 000 (I am 45yrs and so i don't qualify for Access financial packages). No FET yet.

I would try to put another clinic in the mix if I were you. You're basically chosing between natural/modified or old school ivf and you might prefer the fully medicated route, but I don't really recommend CRHG.

SO expensive and they are supposed to have 'best results' but then I've heard that about ARGC too.

I'm trying to think how best to communicate my issues with CRGH... Their nurses, consultants and sonographers are great (but I would imagine this is true of most clinics). If you are not varying from the standard, i think it might be fine, but if anything goes wrong there is no accountability and no support. Nothing terrible has happened, but lots of little things. One example:

I received a message on the portal for me to call and make an appointment with the nursing team. The portal didn't give any information about what the appointment was for. I rang up and they went to give me an appointment that week and I said I have a named nurse overseeing things (due to previous complaint as partners sperm had been sent for wrong test and he had to go in to give another sample). Typically you have all of the nurses doing everyone, so you speak to someone different everytime and I don't know what this appointment is for and so perhaps could you check with J... They called me back and said this is for an initial medications appointment and J... would like it face to face. I arrived at the clinic and checked in. I waited for 10 mins and went back to reception to check that I had been checked in correctly, they rang the nurse to check and she hadn't seem to have realised that I was there in person (might be wrong, but whatever). I carried on waiting. After 20 mins of waiting the nurse came and apologised saying she had 'been on the phone'. She then told me that as my treatment wasn't due to commence for several months it was too early to have an initial medications appointment. I was pretty surprised. I asked if she could look into how the mistake had happened and she agreed. I didn't hear anything further and so sent her an email, to which she didn't respond. I emailed the admin team requesting it be looked into, without any response.

They recently took over a new clinic in the City that used to be City Gennet maybe? and they seem to have too many clients for their staffing levels. I don't know what the problem is, but I would have left if I wasn't an older patient.

@Sunflower360

I had multiple miscarriages and found the NHS miscarriage next to useless, I also lost a tube due to a ruptured ectopic. I then lost my second tube following an IVF transfer to another ruptured ectopic. My first egg collection showed that egg quality was rubbish and I had less than 30% fertilised even with ICSI. PGTA testing when I was 35 showed I had no normal embryos in the couple I tested. I swapped onto natural modified after lots of research and a "nothing less to lose" outlook - far fewer eggs but 100% fertilised top quality embryos and my twins (didn't bother PGTA testing them)

Thanks @febrezeme for sharing. If you don't mind me asking what was your AMH when you did natural modified and how many eggs were collected/embryos formed?

@Sunflower360 it was 11 I think so below average for my age - with natural modified 3 cycle package I got 2 / 7 / 2 eggs - 4 top quality embryos in total so much better than my previous cycles where is got 14 / 14 and only 2 average quality embryos each time (2 of which PGTA abnormal)

@Sunflower360 that's with CRGH. 2x 3 cycle packages back to back. We've got 1 included FET to use but we will have to pay for drugs which will be around £1500-2000 I reckon

Thsnks @Sheepsheeps we were considering maybe 6 cycles... would it be possible to understand a bit more about your 6 cycles during the treatments?

@b0zza1 Thanks for letting me know about your experience. I have been hearing about this kind of experience from other people too.

But just thinking if its worth the go because of their success rates.

Would you recommend any female consultant at portland( other than seshadri ) please ? Dr seshadri looks very busy with appointments.

@Sheepsheeps Could you please recommend a female consultant in Portland, aside from Dr. Seshadri please ?

I'm using Dr Jara Ben-Nagi. She is exceptionally knowledgeable but not the warmest of Dr's.
Is there any particular reason you'd like a female consultant? Only reason I'm asking is because you will be scanned, treated, eggs collected etc by whichever Dr is on duty that day, not your consultant. They are responsible for your treatment plan really rather than the procedures in itself.
Some of the nicest Dr's I've seen are male for my scans and egg collections.

@Sheepsheeps Thanks very much :)

Ah, I thought everything will be done by the consultant only so I preferred a female doctor. I think I am fine with male and female doctor now :)

Would you recommend anyone in CRGH Portland? I see that Dr. Jara practises in CRGH City.

First 3 round package:
75mg Meriofert/Fostimon - 3 eggs collected 1blast
225 Meriofert/Fostimon - 2 eggs collected 1blast
225 Meriofert/Fostimon- 1 egg collect 0 blast
Second 3 round package:
Mild protocol - 2 eggs collected 0 blast
225 Meriofert/Fostimon 0.2mg Buserelin 3 eggs collect 3 blasts
225 Meriofert/Fostimon 0.2 Buserelin 4 eggs collected, 1 blast
Did all 6 rounds back to back with no break using Nothesterone between collections to control cycle. I have felt absolutely fine all through the treatment physically other than the mild protocol where I was put on Clomid and it made me so short tempered and snappy that I would fly off the handle at the smallest thing! Also the antibiotics I was first put on were horrendous! Awful violent stomach cramps and no warning diarrhoea for several days. I also seem to catch a cold every single treatment cycle so my immune system must be absolutely wrecked now too.
I'm tired now of going back and forth for scans, injecting myself with cocktails of drugs (which let's face it, nobody really knows the long term health effects of), trying to juggle work with appointments, lying to family and friends etc.
I'm scared that I have put myself through all this for nothing. We won't know until we start to transfer our embryos. We've declined PGT-A testing through fear of having all our hard work and efforts binned against our will because a test comes back as genetically abnormal.....

I think Dr Jara works at both clinics but I could be wrong.
I've had Dr jara for 2 of my egg collections now but otherwise I think I've seen 4 other consultant's for the other collections.
For the scans you will.probably be seen by some of the nurses but I actually prefer the male Dr's who do them. Very professional and they have been lovely and caring.
Honestly, by the end of your treatment, pretty much every clinical member of the team will have seen your foof in great detail and from every angle; i dont even bother to wait for the curtain to be pulled before dropping my knickers 🤣🤣

@Sheepsheeps 😂😂

Hopefully my shyness goes away too :)

@Sheepsheeps Thank you for sharing. Sounds all very promising with 6 frosties! Could I please ask what's your AMH / age? My AMH is 6 (that was late last year so could be lower now), AFC 4-6 in total and my age is 37 so really thinking through what our best choice will be in terms of protocol and type of IVF