Ivf Spain recommendations and how to get scans/blood tests advice

[Blue-cat33]

Hello all,

I have been looking at potential ivf in Spain with a clinic in Alicante that offers ivf/double donation money back programme. Does anyone have any experience of this or donor ivf in Spain. Positive or negative.

I am also looking for information on where to go for bloods/scans etc in east of England as will be paying privately.

Your help and advice is appreciated.

[Doglover7866]

Hi Blue, I’ve just had treatment in Cyprus. Ultrasound Direct do bloods and scans for treatment abroad.

[Blue-cat33 in reply to Doglover7866]

Awesome, thank you.

[Carelia]

Hi BlueCat,

If you are talking about a clinic in Alicante with a beautiful modern white building with a manicured garden surrounding it….I have done the guarantee programme myself there, and I am currently pregnant from that programme. It is excellent!

If you want to discuss that specific programme or the clinic, there is a FB page for clients of that clinic only ( run by clients of that clinic, not the clinic itself! ) where you will have any of your questions, big or small, answered very honestly. It is a “closed group” and which do not discuss any other clinic, so join only if you are planning to go there

Depending on your age, there are 3 different money back programmes;

1) if you are 42 or younger; one (or two in a way of a double stim round) stimulation round with your own eggs, and if those do not result in pregnancy, you have two further rounds with DE.

2) If you are 43 or older or if you simply wish to go through the DE route/ DE is the right choice for you; same as above but all 3 rounds are with DE. Note, these are 3 stim rounds, not 3 transfers (so you may get many transfer per one stim round).

3) If you are 43 or older or if you simply wish to go through AE route, and below 50 years; same as above but with AE

As you mention the bloods: The one key aspect to consider is that before you are accepted to the money back guarantee programme, you do need to do some blood tests / other tests as it is effectively an insurance contract you are buying and the “insurer” needs to know you meet certain parameters to be accepted. However, the doctors there have a good idea of the acceptance criteria so they will be able to give you guidance as to which programme you would be accepted to, even before you apply. Aspects that disqualifies people include a previous C-section, strangely. If you have got pregnant before on IVF, even if it then resulted in a miscarriage, seems to actually work for you vs against you to be accepted.

Those test can cost anything between £1k - £2k, and while that may feel like a lot of money, it is still cheaper to do them there, than it is in the UK. You can however get many of the standard blood test done with your GP for free so that should be your first point of call. Any tests results do take here will be valid with them for 12 months. Importantly, unlike UK based clinics, Spain will accept the results from your GP. I considered the tests a “cost of the programme” so I added the cost on top of the programme fee and considered the overall cost before making my mind. However, ensure they give you the list of tests in writing on an email and with cost breakdown before you go and do them. This ensures you know the total tests needed and the total cost. This was my only frustration with them. Given I had the list it was clear but some people had experience where they had not thought of all tests and they had some “added later”. This is annoying when you are budgeting. You can overcome that by doing everything with pre-agreed email. I don’t think this is intentional on their behalf, but sometimes the co-ordinator you get is just not on top of it.

Now, at this point …..I can’t believe I did not go there earlier. Well, I do know, it was the pandemic I had done a few OE rounds in the UK before going there and the clinic’s protocols are just so much better than the “best UK clinics”. They say Spain leads on IVF and now I clearly understand why. I say that after having had C or D grated blastocysts in the UK - and then 3 years later - in Spain I was getting A and B blastocysts. This was simply due to change in protocols. I was 42 at stim rounds, getting A graded blastocysts was a big surprise, better than my UK results when I was 40.

If you go to the DE or AE route, based on what I am seeing from fellow clients doing DE or AE today, the blastocysts they are transferring again are A or B grade. Combine that with the much better pre and post transfer medication protocols in Spain, I tend to see people getting pregnant latest by their 2nd or 3rd transfer with DE or AE. It is not the magic bullet - I must stress - but I have not yet seen a fellow client in my current cohort who has had their money paid back to them…they have got pregnant and had a live baby in the end.

Lastly, it is indeed the only place with live birth guarantee in Spain (and in most countries besides Russia). This matters a lot as you may get pregnant but then have a miscarriage and get dropped from the guarantee. With the live birth guarantee the package still continues with you in that scenario. Most clinics do not have live birth guarantee; I researched far and wide and the other place where I saw this was Russia (St Petersburg based clinic) but getting there now is a challenge/ impossible, and they are far far less regulated in their DE and AE practises…!

PM me if you have any specific questions on the clinic or the programme.

[R1985 in reply to Carelia]

Hi there, I am considering clinics in Spain that do DE, could you DM me the clinic you used in Spain please? Thank you

[Carelia in reply to R1985]

I've sent you a message

[Boo718 in reply to Carelia]

Hello can you dm me the clinic please

[Carelia in reply to Boo718]

I sent you a message

[Ecbe in reply to Carelia]

Good morning, I am also interested in this clinic, would you be able to pass on details about this clinic please. Many thanks