Thinking of going private abroad. Any tips?

[StonyGround]

Well, a bit of background....

Age 39 yrs 4 months. Been in the NHS infertility system for 2 years with PCOS, with 8 years of unprotected nookie with my husband (age 44) before hand and not a pregnancy to be seen.
I have completed clomid and metformin cycles. Progesterone high of 23, and low of 1 - and that was on a triple dose of clomid. Metformin was upped to 1500mg, at which point I started sleeping all the time and possibly drooling while at work.
Nobody can figure out what my cycle is, or if I even ovulate. I have 3-4 periods a year and these can last between 2-4 days.

Pregnant twice with clomid (double dose) and metformin (1500mg and zombified), lost three the first time, one the second, but have been told they think I'll conceive by myself. I've also been told there is no investigation until I've had three miscarriages. The Dr was a bit surprised when I asked him if this was 'perhaps a little brutal'.

Yes, I have a high BMI, I have lost three stone and am now living off 1240 cals per day to try and meet the weight criteria, platforming for months at a time. I weight c.17 stone. I have been big all my life, and have the added knack of weighing heavier than I look by c.7lbs. This is not an excuse, just a statement of fact.

I have a record of what I have been told at my fertility consults, with conflicting information at every turn leaving me wondering exactly what hoops do I have to jump through to achieve their ever-shifting criteria, and if they are just going to move the goalposts again if I actually achieve what they are asking. I have even been told, by my consultant, that it helps if I cry and beg when I actually get an IVF referral.

I have no faith left in the the NHS.

So....I'd value advice on
Where do I start to investigate private treatment abroad?
What are there average costs per cycle?
What tips and tricks are there to understand what service is good/fair/reputable etc.

Any advice gratefully received!

[Slainte]

Sorry I don't have time (or much knowledge) to answer in full but have you thought of going private in UK? There are lots of private clinics and it may save you the stress of travelling during treatment too.

[hawkeye21]

Not much advice I'm afraid. Only things I can offer is:
Make sure they meet appropriate hygiene standards
Think about and ask what support they can give if there are problems (e.g. over stimulation)
As these things are based on cycles, bear in mind that it may be hard to predict in advance when things will happen. Last minute flight bookings can be pricey

As slainte suggested, don't discount private clinics in the UK.

[hedgehog1975]

I don’t know anything about treatment abroad, but I do know about not being happy with NHS treatment (see my thread down the page). I received some good advice on there, to complain and get a 2nd opinion. I emailed the PALS team at my local hospital and have had a response already to say they’re investigating, which is the first time I’ve been impressed with anything to do with this hospital! They shouldn’t be telling you to cry and beg – either you’re eligible for referral or you’re not and if you are they should be referring you after 8 years.

Good luck with it all, I know it’s not made easier when you’re not happy with your treatment.

Hx

[eurochick]

Some of the women on the conception boards have had good experiences going abroad. It doesn't seem to work out that much cheaper though once travel and accommodation are factored in. There is a lot of information on the Fertility Friends forum about various foreign clinics.

The cheaper options in the UK can be found by shopping around (we are at Create, because we like their approach, but they are also one of the cheaper London clinics). Have a look at self-funding through an NHS hospital too. The NHS clinic to which we were referred (King's) offered this.

[Slainte]

I second having a look at the UK fertility friends website. A lot of posters on there have been or are going abroad for treatment.

The website is here.

[HoopHopes]

Care fertility clinics do private work, their criteria for BMI is under 35 for private work if it helps. For NHS care expect BMI under 35. No idea if abroad use weight as criteria for treatment so an easy thing to read up on maybe. Abroad can be cheaper depending on what treatment is needed but worth going to free open evenings at private UK clinics first to see what they are like. Depends where you are in UK as to where to go private.

I have read of people having treatment in Athens and Cz republic, the fertility forums is a mind of information and also asking on the conception thread here may get people who are having treatment.

[Shroomboom]

Hi Stony,

So sorry to hear you're going through such a struggle If you are looking for specific places to go abroad then I would highly recommend the hospital we went to. It's in Brussels, so not too far away from the UK, and the care was excellent. We live in Belgium, and I'd had four rounds of IVF at a different hospital over here. When they told us there was nothing more they could do my friend recommended the CRG clinic at UZ Brussels. We went along and they couldn't have been more positive. We are finally pregnant (26 weeks now!) after a frozen embryo transfer at the CRG. We can't quite believe it!

If you google CRG Brussels then you should be able to easily find the website where they have all the information regarding treatment and prices (in English). My doctor was Prof Dr Blockeel, and was just wonderful! I cannot recommend them highly enough, I just wish we'd gone there earlier!

Good luck to you, I shall be thinking of you x

[purplemeggie]

I'm having treatment at Arleta in the Czech Republic. I can't fault my treatment and would recommend them.

[lucieloos]

Hi there, I'm another one at reprofit in Czech and I can say it has been so much better than my experiences in the UK and a fraction of the price! We were looking at around £5k for one round of icsi in the UK and paid £1,400 in Czech. Flights are really cheap with Ryanair. If you are lucky and go in off peak months you can get a direct flight for about £50 return. Accommodation is very reasonable and food is cheap as chips. I would say you could get flights and accommodation for around £300 for a week. I would definitely recommend it over the UK. You will save yourself a fortune and they have better success rates. The clinics are extremely clean and professional and they are using new techniques not yet available in many UK clinics.

[miamiaMo]

indeed clinics in Czech (also Greece, Poland, and Spain) do great job, and thier success rate is really high. Good luck to everybody