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

@sirensong daily monitoring meant my protocol was adjusted according to my blood results.

I wasn’t monitored at all care fertility and was just given a standard protocol. With one blood test and two scans throughout the treatment.

At Argc I was also given growth hormone, and some days was told not to take meds. The first week was every two days bloods and scans … and the second week was every day till ER. Xx

I finally had my first extraction. There were issues where I couldn't start the cycle due to high Oestrogen levels which delayed things for a month. The same issue repeated the following month and it was because of a large follicle which had elevated my Oestrogen levels. The clinic decided to trigger the large follicle and I commenced the injections for the cycle.

The doctor was able to collect 5 large eggs which he seemed very happy about. The next day I was informed that 1 out of the 5 eggs fertilised. I was quite disappointed and had hoped for some more positive news. Day 3 I get an update that the egg was dividing nicely and everything was looking good. I had an update the next day that everything still looking good but they wanted to try make an embryo before freezing it.

Day 5: I get the call that the egg had not achieved blastocyst and cells were starting to degrade so they could not use it.

As we only had one fertilised egg from the cycle I had pinned my hopes on that one doing well so we may have something to show from the cycle. It would have still been a long way as they would need to test for genetic abnormality and then implantation along with all the other issues.

We have more cycles and will try PRP - I had wanted to have PRP during my extraction but the doctor said it was too late as we hadn't discussed doing it on this extraction (he hadn't discussed anything with us about the extraction procedure!)

I really hope things go better next time than the first cycle but am worried it may be an indication of what we can expect from the process.

@Sp4rkle sorry about your first round. Which clinic did you end up going with and did the 5 eggs match expectations in terms of AFC/AMH or do you think they'll increase dose next time?

All the best for round 2. A brand new throw of the dice

We went for a place called IVF London in Elstree. It was a little cheaper than the Central London places but also they were more willing to work with me and a Consultant I was seeing for something else recommended the place to me.

It also seemed to have lots of good reviews on Google. Although I realised after making the appointment that they offer a 'free scan' if you leave a review which no doubt has boosted the number of reviews. I didn't leave a review and still got the scan.

I will speak with the Doctor this week. I don't know what they can do. My AMH is pretty low and I guess it's expected that quality may not be so great at this stage. I take supplements like COQ-10 and DHEA to try improve things but who knows how much it really helps!

At collection the Doctor was really happy that he was able to collect 5 good sized eggs and I walked away feeling optimistic. I think he was counting on being able to get a few good embryos out of my cycles. But first cycle did not provide that opportunity. I can only hope that things are better next cycle and we can freeze an embryo.