Ivf at an nhs clinic

[Lucky41]

Im thinking of having ivf from nhs clinic instead of a private clinic...whats everyone experience been like ???

[Sarah_S]

Are there any NHS clinics? I was referred by the NHS but my treatment was in a private clinic, funded by the NHS. Pretty sure I got the same treatment as if I'd been paying for it there, and was offered optional chargeable extras if we wanted e.g. embryo glue x

[Hidden in reply to Sarah_S]

I had the same experience - minus the optional chargeable extras. When I asked if I could add things, I was told in no uncertain terms that the NHS does not allow this and that we should be grateful that we are receiving the funding. I dropped the subject very quickly as I didn't appreciate the embryologists tone. Funny how things vary between clinics!

But yes, for the OP, I agree with Sarah_S, there don't seem to be 'NHS clinics' as such, you will receive you NHS treatment at a private clinic x

[Hidden]

I had IVF at an NHS clinic in west London (pm me if you would like specific details). I’ve not had private IVF to be able to compare - the clinic I went to also does private work too but it is an NHS hospital trust.

[Lucky41 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks z

[Mrsplant]

I do it thru the NHS the guy we use is also the private guy

[Lucky41 in reply to Mrsplant]

Thanks x

[Lou7744]

Hi there, I’m shortly to have my first private round of IVF through an NHS clinic. I’m not expecting it to be that different from my first nhs funded cycle, although I do feel that I have more say over my treatment, as I’m paying for it! 💕 xx

[Lucky41 in reply to Lou7744]

Thanks z

[Lucky41 in reply to Lucky41]

X

[Ekjones86]

Hi hun, I too had nhs funding at a private clinic. I had read things previously saying that the treatment wouldn't be as good as it was nhs funded. To be honest we had a fantastic experience. The staff were all amazing and so friendly. We have been extremely lucky and had it work first time. Started injections in Feb, and I'm currently 16 weeks pregnant. I will be eternally grateful to the nhs! We had treatment near Cambridge. Not sure where you are based but PM me if you're nearby and I will let you know where we went xxx

[Caza2009]

I’m having NHS treatment in a clinic which also provides private treatment in West London. My first fresh cycle failed and due to have FET in a couple of months. Have no complaints about the clinic. Feel free to PM me if you’re in the same area and you want details xx

[precioce]

We had the first 5 rounds, including one NHS funded, at an NHS facility that provided private treatment. This was the only clinic nearby that offered treatment without travelling for collection and transfer. For round 6 we moved to a new private only clinic as we wanted a different type of treatment and also there was uncertainty around how much longer the NHS facility was going to stay open as it was going to shut and then it wasn't...repeated. We really enjoyed the experience at the private clinic and the facilities they offered which we hadn't been offered before like seeing our embryo before transfer and being able to watch the transfer. If we had more treatment I would not go back to the NHS facility. They have a satellite office where we live in Bristol and then only 50 minutes or so to Cardiff for the lab.xx

[Lucky41]

Thanks for sharing your story with me x

[Hidden]

I really don't know as I have just been on NHS so far....the only thing is the NHS consultants are the same ones you get at private clinics a lot of the time. My consultant works at a very expensive fertility clinic and he has 25 years experience....and all free on NHS for us.

Only thing I have heard people say for private clinics is they sometimes tailor the process for you specifically. In our NHS clinic it was a one size fits all and I lost faith in the process.....but easy to loose faith after a failed cycle I guess.

Other people will have different experiences though so best to get lots of views before making your final decision....

Good Luck!

xxx

[Kari55]

I had an IVF in the NHS clinic. They also offer self-funded cycles so it is possible to go private. My clinic did egg collection only 3 times a week and my eggs were collected on Friday which was a bit too early and possibly impacted the outcome. That’s why next time I try I will use a private clinic where egg collection is done every day. Having said that I’m sure that bigger NHS clinic might be collecting eggs 6-7 days a week.

[Lynnr54]

My clinic is an NHS clinic. First round was through the NHS where I got a BFP and my 3 frozen rounds have all been as a private patient at the NHS clinic.

To be honest I’ve found them brilliant. On my NHS round I was offered an add-on (embryoscope) which I could pay for - they don’t recommend other add-ons on a first round as they like to see how you respond before doing anything else. Having said that they are in the middle of a clinical trial for first time IVF patients - can’t remember if it’s for glue or a scratch but if that goes well they said they would be offering to others going forward.

My clinic still did scans first thing in the morning and do egg collection on weekends if necessary, though do time the start of your injections to try and minimise the chances of that happening.

In fact I found the process as an NHS patient a bit easier than as a private patient. As a private patient I had to phone the private patient office for all my appointments (whereas on the NHS I just made an appointment at reception as I was leaving my previous appointment) and they didn’t seem to be at such convenient times. I’m sure that truly private clinics also offer much more modern facilities than the NHS ones.