IVF clinics

Here is an add on! Daughter is here giving more information. The three rounds was an offer 3 for 2. She self sourced her drugs looking round for the cheapest.. (Reputable suppliers eg. Boots, Tesco, Coop etc ). She recommends the website Fertility Friends if they have not found it already. It was a clinic in Harley Street.

My daughter had successful IVF. The money part seemed quite simple. She paid for three rounds of IVF up front. I do remember that after the removal of the eggs she was asked whether she wanted to pay extra for iCSI ( where the sperm is injected directly into the eggs) as the sperm and eggs were not the best grade. She did this. She can’t remember but thinks it was probably a couple of hundred compared to the thousands for the procedure. I would factor in that cost. The clinic was in London.

As reported in Daily Mail last week a couple from our town had a a baby after they were turned down by NHS (because he already had children) and she saw details of a Harley St clinic which said it was the cheapest in the country. Obviously she was dubious but they looked into it and successful treatment followed. By streamlining (no add on's, lower dose drugs if appropriate etc) £2,500 was the cost. They say that's about half the average. Their daughter was the first of 13 "budget IVF" babies so far.
I'm not sure if I can put the link to their story on here or name the clinic.

Clover 1223.
Our neighbour could not conceive. The medics could not explain it as both seemed healthy. They moved to Germany for work puposes. Four months later she saw a German doctor and asked about the problem. He examined her and said he did not know what she was complaiung about as she was three months pregnant. Full term and a lovely boy. Speculation was that it had somethig to do with German sausages.

My own son, now 21, is an IVF baby, we were at the Park Hospital in Nottingham and also had some health authority funded cycles of treatment at Bourn Hall in Cambs. I had 6 cycles of treatment in all, the last was a frozen embryo transfer which resulted in the pregnancy with my son. Within the year I was pregnant naturally!! All strange but a very good buy one get one free offer! Since the time I had treatment there has been an increase in the extras available. I remember reading recently about a practitioner who was offering treatment without the add ons, acknowledging that the costs can be prohibitive. I've researched - she is Geeta Nargund and I found this about her practice www.createfertility.co.uk
All the very best to your daughter, its a minefield but she knows that. From my perspective I wanted to keep all the information private, not from family necessarily but certainly from the well meaning colleagues who wouldn't have been able to stop themselves always asking for updates. That created a certain tension certainly. When I did reveal the pregnancy there was much interest when someone asked 'did you mean to wait til you were 35 before you tried for a baby?' Grrrr! I wish you all well.

OK, I am going to stick my head above the parapet here. I understand, really, the yearning for a child. BUT, there is always a clinic, a doctor or an 'expert' who can offer a cure or help.. for a very expensive price. The strain of having sex to order along with the cost of treatment, appointments, and tests is a marriage breaker. It bankrupts couples and their families who may want to help. There comes a time when the word NO, has to be spoken. NO it is not going to happen. There is not enough help in this country for people who want, but cannot have a child. Spend some money on a counsellor to learn to live with this cruel fate, and then live your lives with what you have got, not, with what you cannot have. Children are not commodities, it is not our right to have them, and sometimes, we can't have everything that we want. I am sorry if this offends anyone. I believe so strongly that we need to support childless people to come to terms with their childlessness and stop chasing rainbows

I don't know of the cost I'm afraid but DD & DSIL were able to have 2 free rounds on the NHS. The procedure itself is extremely unpleasant & invasive for the girls and the tension is very difficult to cope with for all concerned, especially as we live at a distance. I definitely advise waiting to be told what's happening rather than asking questions - DD clammed up completely & all.our information came via SIL. Unfortunately, the first round didn't work and, although the 2nd attempt looked good, it too failed. DD decided the disappointment was too much to bear and they decided against having another try, which would have been self funded.

Hello Catlover123, my daughter and her husband couldn't conceive naturally, also unexplained. After a failed IVF procedure with the NHS, my DD researched IVF clinics and was treated at one in London (can get name if interested). She was very fortunate that the first attempt was successful and we now have beautiful twin grandsons, their 4th birthday celebrated on Friday. They decided to have 2 eggs implanted in the hope that if one failed there would still be another opportunity with a second egg.

As Marydoll says, it is a rollercoaster experience for everyone. The treatment is very intense but my DD feels it was so worth it. In answer to your question it is expensive, I think it was approx £20, 000 for one treatment 4 years ago. There are add ons, it transpired that my daughter had a high level of "killer cells" and had to undergo blood transfusions every 3/4 weeks up to about 25 weeks, which were £1,500 each time.

My advice is to just be as supportive as you can, be there for when your DD needs you. It is a very emotional time and I worried constantly that the treatment wouldn't be successful and the ensuing heartache, to worrying that after all the treatment the babies wouldn't survive. I think it is only natural grans worry about their DDs during pregnancy whether naturally conceived or through IVF.

Really hope it works out for your DD and SIL and sending you best wishes too

I don't know if your daughter would consider alternatives, but a combination of Reili and Reflexology seems to work wonders. Also less stressful than the conventional route. Good luck.

Catlover123, go onto the HFEA website, and check out her local clinic and there is a lot about the add ins. If it is a good clinic there will be no additional blood tests and procedures.
I hope she and you are lucky.

I too have a miracle granddaughter now 2 years old. My DD and SIL had IVF ICSI treatment which produced 2 viable embryos, the first produced our beautiful granddaughter and the second is going to be implanted when the time is right in March. The cost this time is approximately £2500, the first was closer to £4000.

I hope you will be blessed as we were.

I can't give you info about the add ons, but when my son and DIL went through the procedure, things were very tense, as they were under enormous strain. DIL, then miscarried and completely went to pieces, she kept blaming herself.
We had to tread on eggshells and not ask questions, just wait until they wanted to talk about it.
It is a very emotional rollercoaster for everyone.

The very best advice is to be there for your daughter and SIL and bite your tongue when things get tense.
However, after another round, (their last), DIL became pregnant and after a very difficult pregnancy, our precious wee granddaughter was born.
She was a miracle baby and all the trauma is behind us now.
On the other hand, my DIl's sister had twins via IVF, with a trouble free pregnacy. No-one can predict the outcome.

My very best wishes for all your family and I hope things work out.