What would you do?

[AnnieStar12]

After a year of TTC another child, and two losses in that time, we have decided to try ICSI - I have low AMH of 4.8, my last AFC was only 4, and OH has poor morphology under 1%. We are 40 so know our chances are low. Money is limited but we have a fixed amount gifted by a relative for this purpose that could pay for one of the following:

option 1 = one round at the ARCG clinic which has higher success rates than average but will cost £15k for one round which is the maximum we could spend. So we’d only get one shot.

option 2 = A full 3 cycle package at my local fertility clinic. It’s fairly new so only has a few results which are consistent with national average. For under £15k we could have three full cycles of ICSI so 3 times the chances.

what would you do?

I think I’d be tempted to go with the three-cycle package. As we get older the number of ‘normal’ eggs and thus embryos decreases. You could be at the best clinic but if you just happened to produce a batch of abnormal eggs that round there’s nothing they can do about it (and likely you wouldn’t know until you start trying to transfer, unless you PGT-A test) so at least you are hedging your bets with three rounds and three chances at getting good eggs?

It Is a tough situation though and on another day I could argue the other side, but today I’d go with three chances.

have you had a look at any other fertility clinics, even outside of your local area, that might give you better results with a similar price tag?

Hi, just replying as I am in almost the exact same situation (age, losses, budget) and am trying to make the same decision right now. I am starting to think that one cycle really wouldn’t be enough so am considering a local clinic where I could have three rounds. I’m also looking at Crgh (good rates and also seem to have a multi package through access finance which I’m looking into cost-wise). I’ve just started looking at clinics in Spain too, which are a lot cheaper. Would be good to hear from others in a similar situation including those who are further down the line. Are you considering pgta too?

Definitely a 3-cycle package. One average, I was told, it takes 4 cycles to conceive. First cycle (in any clinic) is a "tria" cycle. They don't know anything about how your body will react to the meds. Of course, I am sure there are cases where it might be successful. However in my experience, it takes more than one to figure out how to make things work.

I would definitely go for the three cycle package. I also think there will be benefits to being more local for all the scans etc. Remember they don’t usually include the cost of drugs when they tell you how much a cycle will be, so you need to factor that in too. Wishing you so much luck with whatever you decide.

No brainer, 3 cycle package. IVF is basically a numbers game - more you can transfer the better your chances. Good luck.

Thanks everyone for your advice, I think you're all right - it is a bit of a numbers game in the end. Feels quite scary signing up to this!

@Prettyflowersallyear good luck with your journey. I did look at CRGH too, but they are also on the pricy side - I will look at the access packages though and see what the prices are like through that - thanks for the tip. I don't think I will to the pgta as it seems like there are mixed opinions on whether it's really worth it and we have a limited budget so would rather focus on getting max cycles.

Most clinics do 3-package deals. For example, I go to Kings. They do 9,500 for 3 egg collections. Not including the meds.

https://www.kingsfertility.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Full-Price-List-V3.1.pdf

I’m very new to all of this, but after investigating for myself would a clinic abroad be an option? Looks like they have fantastic facilities, great results and a 3rd of the price here?

@Theonlywayisup1 thanks for your reply. Unfortunately it's not really realistic for me to travel abroad for this.

Also the clinic I mentioned in my first post is in London and I think will be about the same price as those abroad. A 3 cycle package there is £10k so I reckon by time I travel somewhere for 3 cycles I'd easily end up spending that same amount.

Have you considered going abroad? I have done 4 cycles in the uk; currently doing a duo stim abroad. I found the services much better and the costs cheaper. No success yet, but banking the embryos nonetheless. I wish I had gone down the abroad route sooner.

@blahblahetc can i ask what country? And how much is it abroad?
The clinic and package I’ve found in London works out at around £4k per cycle including medication and everything else. So I was thinking that’s probabaly similar to
what I’d pay travelling abroad by time you include flights and accommodation. Also I have a toddler and full time job so would be really hard to travel for this. But I’ve not actually looked in to what’s involved.

I haven’t done much research myself but only gone with the reviews online. It’s a clinic located in Prague. We have paid just over €7,000 so far for a duo stim protocol, this price includes MACS, ICSI, a hysterocopy, implantation window test, plus storage of sperm and embryos. It would be €550 less if I had decided not to do PGTA in the beginning as they have done the biopsy for the embryos produced from cycle 1 so that can’t be refunded.

I got most of my meds from the local pharmacies (can’t remember exact costs but cheaper) and anything I need toward the end of the cycle I get from the clinic (more expensive than pharmacies). They made sure I have enough but not a surplus - something I found refreshing as the uk clinic I was with (Create) always gave me more than what I need, so paying for what I don’t need.

Costs aside, it has been less stressful dealing with the Prague clinic. They are prompt, they don’t make administrative mistakes (so far!) and I can get hold of my coordinator on WhatsApp when I need urgent answers. This is the main reason I advocate going abroad really. I was very very stressed (and angry with their mistakes) with Create and that doesn’t help with my egg quality.

I am lucky as my work allows working abroad, my husband’s doesn’t hence the frozen sperm. I also did Airbnb and flew budget so that cost is minimal.