IVF at over 40 - London

[Sp4rkle]

Hi everyone, my husband and I have been looking into the IVF route and finding it a complete minefield to navigate!

I am over 40 and aware that the success rates for IVF can make for some discouraging / grim reading - even for those of a younger age. Nevertheless, it's a route which we are interested in going down.

It's obviously not a cheap process and we don't want to waste time and money with a clinic which is not of good quality. The problem we find is in weeding out what is good and bad!

The HFEA site has very old data and clinics are not very forthcoming with information - considering they are the regulator I wish they did a better job at providing recent information! Google reviews can either be a bit sparse, or some hit and miss. It's a big decision which clinic to go with and seems word of mouth may be the best measure.

One clinic which stood out is ARGC. They claim to be one of the more successful clinics in over 40s. However, the Google reviews can be a bit critical and I recall seeing on mumsnet some comments which confirmed some of the negative feedback on Google.

Previously, I went to the London Women's Clinic for initial tests. At the time I decided not to go ahead. I made contact with them a few months ago and after a response they did not follow up. Some feedback on Google confirms the clinic is not very good with communication + on the pricey side compared to others so I am inclined not to use them.

We are London based and know that sometimes you get what you pay for. In the long run, paying a little more for a good quality clinic may save us money. I would be really grateful for any recommendations and advice about this.

Thanks

I started IVF this past year while 40, I’ve got low AMH and we have make factor issues too.
I looked at lots of clinics, including ARGC and know two friends who used that clinic.

In the end, we opted for Bridge clinic in Kings Cross. It is a new clinic but a lot cheaper than others. I’ve had a positive experience there and got pregnant twice - first was sadly a miscarriage but I’m now pregnant again and it’s looking more promising this time. A friend of mine has also started using them as has had good results so far (more eggs than expected).

I did a 3 cycle package via Assured fertility which works out the best value if you expect you’ll need more than one cycle, which is likely at our age.

The thing with clinics like ARGC is they throw absolutely everything at you, whether you need it or not! it’s like a boot camp you’re there every day and have to do a test run with them for a month before you even start. As a result it’s much more expensive.

For us, we had a set amount of money so it was a choice of 1 try at somewhere like ARGC or 3 round with Bridge clinic. For us it made sense to go for the latter option because I knew I had low egg reserve so wouldn’t be getting lots of eggs/embryos. Also, I’ve conceived naturally in the past so knew there wasn’t a hidden issue with my body rejecting pregnancies so didn’t think I would benefit from all the extra add-ons.
I felt we just needed a helping hand to get sperm to meet egg.
So it is about finding the right clinic for your specific circumstances. good luck!

Congratulations with your positive result and I hope all goes well for you!

Thank you for the recommendation on Bridge Clinic, I will certainly have a look into them.

I have heard that ARGC require a lot of visits and daily check-ups but didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing either that someone was monitoring so closely.

The money factor is an issue of course. We don't want to throw good money after bad with a clinic which may not be so good. But also don't want to go for the most expensive clinic and pay for lots of things which may not be needed.

Hi there, I have used care fertility initially .. which was a very horrible experience and then went ahead to use Argc. I found their service amazing , yes it is a bootcamp, but honestly you kinda get used to it. With Argc they are incredibly professional , I found once care fertility had my money they didn’t care. With argc I felt they listened , they replied to every email , call and I never had to chase them for anything. When I went to care fertility .. I was told by the consultant I should consider doner eggs .. as I was 41, I did two cycles , the first cycle no embryos as only one fertilised. The second cycle 2 embryos day 5. Fresh failed and one was frozen. I decided then to move to Argc. They got me 5 , 5 day blastocyst. I transferred 3c Fresh failed but I have two frozen. I spoke to the dr and Said I am losing time and what is the best that I can do ? He advised to do duo stim. With that we got first stims , 6 5day blast.. we got them tested and four came back as euploid : ) the second round we came back with four 5 day blast, chose not to test. So now we have 10 embryos banked. I’m now in the process of going through a frozen cycle. I feel with Argc even though it’s cost a lot of money, it was worth every penny. Feel free to ask any questions xx

Hi Wildstar! 4 euploid. That’s amazing. Did you use growth hormone at all in your protocol. Wishing you all the best on your frozen cycle.

@Wildstar that sounds like a great result, good luck for your FET! Reading about your results has kind of made me even more frustrated about my own experience with them.

I was looking at ARGC but I am a full time wheelchair user and when I emailed to ask if they were accessible the response is no because they're a listed building. Why do people insist on putting medical facilities in listed buildings?!? (also it's not actually true that they can't, it would just cost them more money to find a solution and they don't care enough to).

@YBABY2024 yes I used growth hormone in the first set of stims for duo stim, the second time I was stimmed no growth hormone. I feel that did make a difference to my outcome xx

@Hoppy1985 I am so sorry to hear that, I saw one of the doctors who trained at Argc, Dr Sami who has moved across to Plan my baby, he is the lead consultant there . I saw they are using similar protocol as Argc and also linked to over 40 clinics over the Uk for blood tests. Maybe you can look into?

@Wildstar thank you, I will have a look!

@Wildstar - thank you for the info - really appreciate it and it’s so nice seeing such good results. It keeps me positive. Sending you all the good vibes. Incidentally I’m also at the ARGC and about to start a back to back retrieval. I too spoke to Dr Sami way back last year and highly recommend.

@Hoppy1985 at plan your baby with Dr Sami the medication is delivered to you and I believe the retrieval and transfer is at Kings hospital which I would be sure is accessible, as per Wildstar cannot recommend Dr Sami highly enough. I had success with ARGC previously and that is the only reason I haven’t moved to Dr Sami. Wishing you all the best.

@Hoppy1985 - just to add - I’m sorry ARGC is not set up to be accessible. IVF is a journey in itself. I cant imagine how frustrating that is to find care inaccessible. Also, just thinking here, I’ve heard good things about CRGH. Not sure if they are accessible but perhaps give them a ring. Dr Saab was the consultant my friend recommended.

@YBABY2024 thanks, yeah it really sucks tbh when everything is a battle already. Thanks for the rec, I will take a look!

@YBABY2024 yes I had my initial consultation with Dr Sami, who recommended Duo stim. I can’t thank him enough. My protocol was done my Mr T. I feel for duo stim they added on growth hormone and clomid and that made a lot of difference to my result. Wishing you all the luck for your treatment. Your in good hands x

@Hoppy1985 I think -Plan your baby may be a good option to explore as they have Dr Sami as the lead who will probably take all his experience from Argc to give the patients a tailored treatment plan x I wish you all the best xx

@Wildstar i was at care working, all 6 embryos came as euploid my insurance covers care ..so now I’m considering switching the clinic

may I ask what protocol they gave you? I was on pergoveris 450 and then added the ganyrelix

Hi @rainbowhigh Did you mean uneuploid?
I am so sorry to hear that. I went with Argc, I’ve been to care fertility as well but I can honestly say there is a massive difference in both clinics. With Care fertility I felt just gave me a generic protocol, did one scan at the beginning and one before retrieval. No blood tests, nothing before egg retrieval. You talk to a consultant once, for your protocol and then it’s all nurse led. Even your embryo transfer is done by a nurse. I just didn’t think they cared enough.
At Argc I was monitored every other day the first week , second week every day, bloods and scans. I saw a consultant for my scan. Mr T did my protocol and changed my drugs based on scans or bloods tests each day. Some days I didn’t take drugs. I was given growth hormone and clomid during my treatment. I feel like they made sure I gave the best shot for my treatment and for my age. Xx

Hi all, hope you don’t mind me joining. I am 42, and haven’t had any success in trying in the last 2 years. We are looking at the possibility of IVF and know it has a low success rate at my age. My previous tests were fine for my age, so it may be down to egg quality. My husband’s results were really good, so no issues there.

We are trying to decide who to go with, does anyone have any indicative prices for Arcg?

@Alicana

10 to 13k depending on what meds you need and any immunes up to pregnancy test.

My immunes and stim dosages were low so mine came in at 10k.

Cant recommend ARGC enough and if money constrains go to Dr Sami at “Plan my Baby”

Wishing you the very best.

Hi @Alicana, my first cycle at ARGC was around 16k as I had to have a xtra tests on go on Humira for raised cytokines. I did duo stim after and that cost me around 23k. But yours could be less, I needed growth hormone which is quite expensive. But I feel like it really helped to get me the desired embryos. Feel free to ask anything else x

Also I agree with @YBABY2024 you can go to plan my baby, it may be a bit cheaper. The lead doctor is Dr Sami , who worked with Argc previously and did my first consultation and recommended duo stim which I can’t thank him enough for. Xx

Thanks both of you for taking time to respond! It’s such a minefield, and you don’t really know what you’ll need until you’ve picked someone and by then you’re locked in!

I wish I had started earlier, but thought we would give it a try for a while, but there has been nothing in 2yrs. Before I was getting pregnant but sadly had miscarriages, but absolutely nothing now.

Think I’m just worried that once we start, I will find it hard to stop if we are successful, even though I know time is against us.

@Alicana it is like learning a new language and fertilty clinics are predatory. I would say except for ARGC and Dr Sami.

At our age it’s a race against the clock. The good news is that your body knows what to do by getting pregnant, just now about a little hand with the procurement of the right egg.

in my opinion, finances permitting, you should lead by clinic success rate and not on the cheapest. You get what you pay for.

just ask any questions you need, but definitely ring up ARGC and Dr Sami for a consultation.

the fear of the process was actually way worse than the reality. In fact I’m having another cycle on my next day 1 after my last freeze all and I don’t worry about it at all.

good luck and keep us posted and feel free to bounce any ideas of us. You just have to give your best shot. We’re all here with you. Xx

I went with CRGH in London. We had a really positive experience with them. We did 3 cycles of embryo batching and PGTA. Our first transfer (frozen) worked and we are now 12 weeks pregnant. We went there based on their success rates, and recommended by two friends who had success there. I am 42.

Thanks both, that’s really encouraging. I think we will take the plunge and book appointments.

Hi again! I have had initial consultations with Plan Your Baby and attended an open evening at ARGC. The costs seem similar with both. Initially assisted conception was suggested at PYB, but after looking at my history they said IVF would be the best shot. They certainly don’t sugar coat it which is encouraging! They said it it’s a gruelling expensive process with a 20% chance of success! I think we will have some tests done again and see where we are. Do you think it’s worth paying for a consultation at ARGC too?

They seemed to put it all down to egg quality and there’s not a lot I can do about that, so not sure if we should cut our losses and just be as healthy as we can try naturally. Part of me feels that we should give it our best shot with the IVF as we may regret not trying. We could probably do 2 rounds comfortably, just worried I’d be tempted to keep going of it doesn’t work!!

Well done on getting the ball rolling. Personally I would have the consultation at ARGC too. You want to make the final decision with all information. However if you’re happy with plan your baby then you should go for it. Keep us posted.

Thank you! I think we will. An extra consultation in the grand scheme of the total cost is nothing and time is running out so need to spend the money wisely! I will update you!

Hello ladies,
Can I also join the chat please. I am 42 with low amh trying to conceive naturally for 1.5 y , but unsuccessfully. Looking for ivf as due to low amh not qualified for nhs treatment. Has anyone heard of Ovom care before? Just looking into different clinics as really want to find the one that will help to conceive. As it’s so expensive I don’t think I will be able to afford more that 2 cycles of ivf. Thank you.

@Anastasia2024 - of course you can. I know nothing about them.

when I chose a clinic i narrower it down to CRGH (Dr Saab) and ARGC. Those had the best success rates in our age group.Recommend you get a consult with them alongside this clinic if you want to add it to the mix. See a few. Make a choice. The biggest factor on your success after age is clinic success rate. Wishing you a happy baby asap. Xx