Going private after NHS ivf treatment - advice needed

[cloverleaf6]

Hello everyone. I’ve just had a failed frozen cycle and before that I had a failed ICSI cycle. Unfortunately we have now used up our NHS funding and to make it worse our clinic’s covid rules means we have to go to the bottom of the waiting list for another cycle now, rather than being allowed to have another one as soon as I’m ready (which is what they did before covid). I’ve been advised it could be a 6 month wait now! I was really happy with the clinic but feel that having to wait 6 months and pay for a cycle is just too much. It’s hard enough financially but adding on a long wait isn’t something I feel I can handle. So, we are thinking of going fully private and I wondered if anyone has gone private after NHS treatment and could let me know what it was like. It’s all so expensive and such a big decision so any advice would be so helpful. Thank you! Xx

[Daffodils1]

Hi Cloverleaf, I moved from NHS to private, my choice was dictated by a decision to move to donor eggs after 3 NHS attempts , only 1 unsuccessful transfer. but it is important to consider lots of factors such as cost and distance and reviews if you can see any.

In terms of service there hasn’t been much difference, there are elements of each of the 2 clinics I prefer. when on the nhs it only took me 40 minutes to drive to and from my scans. Now I’m at an hour an half each way. Luckily work are understanding but if I was doing it frequently for egg collection would have struggled as adds to the stress.

Most clinics charge you for the initial consultation, unfortunately until you have met with a consultant and reviewed your case it is difficult to know if they are right for you. I found having a new consultant reviewing my case history reassuring.

Access fertility offer a number of packages, whilst you still have to pay for medication it can help if you want the reassurance of knowing more than one round is paid for what the full cost will be.

Also ask your current clinic for copies of all your medical notes, think there may be a small charge, but cheaper than paying to redo lots of the tests.

Good luck 🤞

[cloverleaf6 in reply to Daffodils1]

Thank you so much Daffodils1! This is really helpful. My nhs clinic is linked to a clinic that offers a private service, but it is further away. I think it would be manageable but I know what you mean about it adding to the stress. Access Fertility sounds good too - I had a quick look at this but will definitely get more info. Good point about paperwork!

Wishing you all the best for your treatment and thank you again 😊 xxx

[Suzannah1985]

Hi Cloverleaf,

Sorry to hear about your cycles so far.

When we moved to private treatment we used Access Fertility, some clinics are partnered with them and it means one upfront cost which can cover multiple rounds and they also offer refund packages. Although we now have our little boy, we found that not having to worry about money between cycles took a layer of stress out for us. We opted for a 3 cycle 100% refund package.

Feel free to pm me if you want to chat further

Suzannah xx

[cloverleaf6 in reply to Suzannah1985]

Thank you so much Suzannah. Lovely to hear you have your little boy now. The clinic we’re looking at is partnered with Access Fertility and we are considering the refund packages. I will message you for a bit more info on this - always helpful to hear how it works from people who’ve used it. Thank you again x

[josephnsn]

I had an ICSI plus frozen transfer at Guys. Both failed. I went to Greece next as wanted to try something different and had a successful frozen transfer. Greece is much cheaper so including travel and accomodation (I stayed for most of the treatment, you can go for shorter period) was a little more expensive than Guys. I went again to Greece this yr and managed to get one embryo to freeze. I then did ICSI at Lister and am pregnant now. Greece was cheaper than Lister. Going privately the wait times for each appointment is much shorter. Usually at Lister I had to wait max 20min at Guys it was over an hr. But yes private is more expensive depending where you go and is stressful trying to decide which clinic. I spent a while looking at different clinics.

[cloverleaf6 in reply to josephnsn]

Thanks so much for your reply and congrats on your pregnancy! Helpful to hear how things compare abroad too. There’s so much to consider isn’t there. I will definitely research a few options for clinics. Xx

[Peanutchips]

Hey Cloverleaf, if you can afford it, I’d recommend going private. I was in a similar position to you. I’d had a freeze all egg collection on the NHS, waited 6 months for my transfer (which failed) and then Covid hit. Was told potentially could be a year from my failed transfer to my 2nd attempt. We’d be trying for nearly 3 years at that point and enough was enough. Went private. Got pregnant straight away, sadly MMC but just did another egg collection last week and results were a lot better than last time, even though I’m older. I can also go straight into doing a FET within a matter of weeks. I guess it depends on your NHS experience though. Mine wasn’t very good. It is very expensive, that is the downside. But for us it’s worth it, we’re just cutting back in other areas. Best of luck! Xxx

[cloverleaf6 in reply to Peanutchips]

Hi Peanutchips. Thanks so much for this. The wait on the NHS is unbearable isn’t it - we waited 9 months after our unsuccessful fresh transfer to have our FET due to covid, and then when I was told it would probably be at least 6 months until we can try again now, plus we’d have to pay for it, I just knew I needed to find another way! My clinic have been great but covid has made the wait so much longer now. My clinic is a satellite so I had my treatment at another clinic, which also offers a private option. So I’m wondering whether to go straight to them as I’m familiar with them. Finances are really tough though so also want to get as much info as I can to feel confident in making a decision.

Thank you for all your advice. Sorry to hear about your MMC but wishing you all the best with this cycle! Xx