Help choosing IVF Clinic in London

[NP145]

Hi there, I have just joined mumsnet and found the content and comments really useful. I'm 40, with low AMH (3.5) and we have just had our first IVF treatment with Chelsea and Westminster on the NHS where it was successful and I got pregnant but sadly recently had a miscarriage. I am now looking into next steps and looking to choose which London clinic to go for, but finding it quite overwhelming as it's such a big pool. I've narrowed it down to a few, Lister and ARGC being on that list. I would love to know your thoughts, shared experiences and if anyone could offer further advice please? Thank you

Hello!

Sorry i can't offer lots of advice as i haven't been through IVF yet, however i'm in a similar position in that i'm choosing clinics. I have a low AMH (6.2) but am slightly younger (33) - i have been keen to find clinics which specialise in these areas.

I have a consultation with Lister next week (and can share back any learnings) and have also spoken with CRGH on a mini-call.

I had discounted ARGH as i've heard they're very intense (almost daily tests and some expensive add ons). As it's my first round i'm not sure i'm ready for all that, but I expect that appeals to some people as they are essentially "throwing everything at it".

CRGH seem to offer a range of add ons too, e.g. they may use human growth hormone in poor responders, which i'm aware is contraversial and not used by all clinics, so i got the impression they also have a range of treatment options and approaches to try.

I spoke with my local Care clinic and really liked the Dr, however my only concern was that since i'm planning to do embry banking and testing, it's an area the London clinics seem to do on a more routine basis, so wasn't sure they would be as suitable. The real advantage for me of Care is being close to home (20 mins vs over 1hr to London)

I've been told the first round of IVF is a bit of trial and error to see how your body responds anyway.

Anyway, i hope you get some responses as i'm keen to learn too! x

Hi @Carlotta27
Thanks so much for coming back to me on this. I'm so pleased I've connected with someone who is on the same page. Good luck with your meeting with Lister next week, yes please - if you don't mind, I would love to hear your feedback. Yes I too have heard ARGC is very expensive but also keep hearing of other clinics being time wasters so it's quite a big decision isn't it.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and findings so far.

Yes I agree and I can also relate and share with you, that the first round of IVF you are pretty much learning on the go. Whereas now, for our 2nd I feel much more prepared and know what to expect.

Hope that helps and I wish you all the best of luck with it all x

Nice to connect with you @NP145 and thank you for sharing your journey so far, i'm really sorry you had to go through a miscarriage and think it must take a lot of strenght to be pushing on as you are.

Hopefully we will get some more responses from women who have used those London clinics (i certainly found quite a lot by googling the name of the clincs + mumsnet from a few years ago).

Will share back as I learn and look forward to hearing form you too x

@Carlotta27 Thank you for your lovely message and kind words, really means a lot.

Yes hopefully we will get some more responses, ha - i did the same on mumsnet which was very handy and also discovered Facebook groups quite useful too. I felt that was a better process and I wasn't sure how much trust you can put into online reviews / google reviews etc.

This is quite an interesting read too: https://theduff.co.uk/

Lets keep in touch and wish you all the best xx

We had our daughter through Lister - found the medical care excellent. We swapped consultants and went with James N for our daughter, who was fantastic.

we met with CRGH but I felt very much as though they were just trying to make as much money as possibly from us. Didn’t like them. But I have friends who used them who found them great, so maybe I just had a bad experience.

ARGC just sounded exhausting!

@NP145 Thanks for that! Lots of good stuff on TheDuff and that article about what men get up to on collection day made me chuckle!

@CuriousGeorge80 Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and congratulations on your daughter, it's not an easy journey. I actually have a consultation with Dr Bora, hoping that's not one you swapped from! I expected James N may be super busy as he is clinical director, but good to hear the Lister in general was positive for you x

@Carlotta27 no it wasn’t Dr Bora 😀

@CuriousGeorge80 phew, good to know! 😂

@CuriousGeorge80 thank you for sharing and congratulations on your daughter. Really positive to know and hear this feedback

I've recently cycled with ARGC. I'm 41, AMH 3.9. Yes it was very intense, I made sure I took 2 weeks off work (I can't do my job remotely) as I had to hang around nearby some days in case they called as I don't live local so it was tiring etc.
But otherwise i can't really fault them. Sadly my cycle didn't work but I will happily go back to them (when I get the cash - hopefully in August).
That is the downside. It is expensive. But at my age I won't be doing this for years to come, so I decided to just throw everything at it and hope it works. I think I spent 11-12k on my cycle. Not including immunes testing. I've just recently paid for that in preparation for next cycle.

I know crgh wasn't on your shortlist, but I don't recommend it. I'm there currently and would have left if I wasn't 45 years old! I think there's a danger IVF can feel like you're in a pipeline, but at crgh it feels like a very over crowded expensive pipeline!

@b0zza1 Thanks for sharing your experience on CRGH. I’m sorry it’s been so impersonal but hope it will pay off for you.

CRGH were on my shortlist (I have low AMH and was impressed by their success rates), but since it’s my first IVF round and I’m not sure I need all the bells and whistles extra testing they offer, I’m leaning towards a local clinic or Lister. Hearing your experience is helping validate the choice to avoid a CRGH or ARGC until a last resort scenario. X

@NP145 Hello 👋🏼 I am also considering ARGC for my next cycle. There is a Facebook group called ARGC Support Group which has a lot of information and shared experiences which I have found useful! It does sound very intense and expensive, especially for me as I'm not local and would have to stay in London. But their success rates are so high.

@Yumky thank you so much for coming back to me and sharing your story. Really useful to hear your outlook, so sorry to hear that your cycle wasn't successful but that is great to know that hasn't put you off trying again. Wish you all the best with it all x

@b0zza1 thank you for getting in touch to share your story, so sorry to hear you had such an unpleasant experience. Wishing you all the best going forward x

@April623 Thanks for coming back to me on this post, I too have found their facebook page really insightful. I agree, it does sounds really intense and expensive but on the other hand I don't want to go to another clinic and waste time and money when that could have gone to an ARGC for example. It's a tricky one. Wish you all the best with it all x

@NP145 I know what you mean! I have only had one failed round so far but as I'm 40
I don't want to waste any time. If I lived in London I would definitely go with ARGC. It's just living a good few hours away complicates things for me and adds a considerable amount to the cost. I'm still very undecided.

One thing I would say if you choose to go with ARGC, just get the immunes testing done. I didn't bother for the first round (thought it would save money and the doctor didn't seem to think it was that necessary and kept saying it was up to me) but I kind of wish I had. I've had them done now and while the results aren't too bad they have recommended a few different things for next cycle. Obviously I'll never know if it would have worked has i done them the first time, but that what if will always be there. Anyway we shall see what the next cycle brings!

@April623 There are so many of them to choose from and all make out they are the best, so that’s interesting you said if you lived in London you would definitely go for ARGC. It all adds up doesn’t it!

@Yumky ah ok, that’s a really useful tip - thank you for sharing. That must be very frustrating for you, I know it’s not always easy

Hi @Carlotta27 in currently pregnant with twins conceived via my frozen eggs with icsi at argc. It is very intense with the blood tests etc but we had one shot at doing this (I’m 43) and I wanted to throw everything at it. I’ve two friends who also have twins conceived via argc so that tipped my hand. I say go for it if you can make the finances work. Good luck

@Ellsbatt Thank you for sharing your story and huge congratulations on your pregnancy. That certainly sounds like the intensity of argc is worth it x

@CuriousGeorge80 May I ask what were the fertility issues and whether your daugther got a baby following her treatment at Lister and changing consultants?

@Yumky I have Hashimoto hypothyrodism, thyroid antibodies and high NK cells so I will need to have IVIG. I read that the best clinic for autoimmune issues is ARGC. Did you have autoimmune issues?

All

Has anyone had IVIG and if yes, did you have the first drip before or after the embryo transfer?

Thank you in advance 🙏