Fertility specialist

[Arghhelp]

Can anyone recommend a good fertility specialist in London? Not so much and IVF one but someone who will do all the tests etc. and tell us if there is something wrong? We have been trying for ages for baby no.2. Baby 1 was IVF (first time successful) but after two failed IVF cycles and accupunture and hypnotherapy and everything else, we are just wondering whether the clinic we used was right and my eggs are just old and I cannot conceive. Will be 40 this year. Pretty desperate and quite broken about not being able to give baby 1 a sibling especially as i keep getting asked all the time. Would really appreciate some help? Tried CRM not ARGC. Is it worth going to ARGC?

If you fancy going a little further out look up the New Life Clinic in Epsom they are lovely and have good success rates. Mr Gaffar has worked at a couple of the big London clinics so is very experienced he was also very honest about our chances.

What does your clinic say? Have they offered any thoughts on why the last two haven't worked? Have they made suggestions about what they'd do differently if you did another cycle with them?

I think it's always worth considering your options and looking around at who can offer you the best success rate for your particular circumstances, taking account of both your age AND the cause of your infertility. At 40 you might particularly want to consider somewhere that has expertise in 'older' patients - I don't think ARGC do but I may be wrong on that.

The reality sadly is that any given cycle is more likely not to work than to work. And at 40 that's even more true - it would have been unusual to succeed first time a second time. But that doesn't mean it can't/won't ever work for you. Only you know how long your finances and emotions can keep going.

Very best of luck - I know well the awful all-encompassing pain of a failed cycle. I hope you get there x

Oh I meant to say, as i inderstand it, alongside age having had a previous IVF success has a big impact on potential future success. So basically the fact you've had one IVF baby increases your chance of success in future. Good luck.

Thank you highlove...finances are a little strained so this will be my last go if at all. DH wants to try naturally for a while. Every month I get my period, utter desperation hits and feel really broken. I just dont seem to be able to accept failure though..so really dont know what to do. Breaks my heart everytime my little one asks or points to his friends siblings and introduces them to people as his own...I NEED this to work.

Amo101 thank you but it has to be based in London because we are building a new house and my little one has to be taken to and from classes and I dont have a nanny so travelling further afield is just not possible unfortunately. Thank you though.

By the way, clinic didnt do anything differently the second and third times and I am quite upset with them for that. No advice either. That is why am trying to change.

Oh you poor thing - its such a shitty place to be. In your shoes I'd be googling all the clinics in London to find those who specialise in 40+ patients. Look at their stats for 40+, not just their overall success rates. And then go for a consultation.

You might also want to check out Fertility Friends website. Look for a thread by a poster called Agate (I think) which is called something like learning from a failed cycle. It is a mine of info which I used after my failed cycle to inform my follow-up discussion with my clinic - was very useful and really helped me regain a bit of control. The site might also be a good place to get recommendations for a clinic that specialises in treating ladies who are over 40.

I take it you have had a follow-up with your current clinic? What did they say about why it didn't work?

Hi. I personally used Anna Carby at Boston Place Clinic. Boston Place Clinic are a new clinic but she comes from the Wolfson Unit at Hammersmith Hospital and I had my private treatment there before they separated the private clinic from the nhs treatment facility at Hammersmith. So for success rates you could look at the Hammersmith Hospital rates as a guide. They may be lower than some other london private clinics, but it is because the NEVER turn "hard" cases down, which some private clinics do to improve their stats.

I am not promising that you will guarantee a success in one hit, but as a fertility specialist she is the nicest, most helpful, but also honest person I have dealt with. She went above and beyond to help me on many occasions (including coming in at 7am on a Saturday morning when the clinic was closed, doing a scan and then babysitting my son while I injected my hormones). I met her when I conceived my first son at Hammersmith 5 years ago, and I specifically chose her again this time when I was paying for private treatment as I needed someone I trusted to use my limited money wisely.

I had my son on my first round of ivf last time, and this time I had 3 rounds and conceived twice. First one I miscarried in first trimester, this one I am still carrying at 20 weeks.

Sorry for long post but I thought it might give you some facts to go by. She may at least be worth a consultation with?

I cannot praise her highly enough, and the clinic is full of very highly qualified specialist with brand new cutting edge equipment.

I wholeheartedly recommend Clive Spence Jones. He is the President of the Section of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at The Royal Society of Medicine. He works at the Whittington under NHS and privately at the London Clinic.

Although have not conceived via IVF, I recommend Dr Nargund, Creative Fertility. Dr Nargund is a professor at St Georges hospital in London - not sure if she is still based there but she teaches in most NHS hospital. She uses mostly natural approach in IVF.
We went to her when we had unexplained fertility ...
That was 8 years ago, we now have DC who is 7 and a second one due in June.
Best wishes in your treatment to both of you

Argc baby here, so must disclose a bias. For us it was a last throw of the dice so we chose the clinic with the highest success rates. As long as your FSH is less than 10 they will treat you.

First of all, thank you everyone for all your replies. I cannot tell you how overwhelmingly grateful I am. Will start researching each one and let you all know who I decide to go with.
Thank you for all the tips. Going on FF now.
My clinic didnt give me any reason except that my eggs had deteriorated in quality and that there was nothing they could do and nothing I can do. I was devastated. I just need to try one more time I think. I am so desperate.
firstpost, can I get a FSH test done anywhere?

Also, firstpost, if you dont mind me asking, was the cost over 10,000? Thank you everyone...really appreciate it..starting my googling now.

By the way, highlove, the post is Agate's guide to learning from your failed IVF cycle and it is brilliant..thank you so much.

It was expensive but so different to my previous cycles elsewhere.

It did cost around 12k but I needed treatment for immune issues that really ramped up costs. You can opt out of these I just didn't dare 'in case' it was the difference between success and failure.

For comparison my previous results were 4 eggs 1 embryo, 7 eggs, 2 embryos. At Argc I got 23 eggs and 18 embryos, of which 7 went to blastocyst

You should be able to get an FSH test through your GP?

If not, definitely you can have it done privately through a lab.

Thank you first post...thanks a lot

by the way, first post, was that coz they give very high doses? did you get OHSS at all?

I successfully had a 1st round of ivf at Hammersmith Wolfson clinic. I then tried using my frozen embryo a few months ago but was unsuccessful at Boston place. I know the egg wasn't as great as the first one so am putting it down to that.
I'm looking to start a fresh cycle at Boston place in the next month or so. I found Boston place to have good facilities, nice staff. Has anyone had a fresh cycle there?
Worried about spiralling costs .