Anyone used fertilysis testing?

[Joeysjourney]

Just discovered the Fertilysis website after someone's comment on here today (thank you!)

Just wondered if anyone has used this testing service before?

I've never had a pregnancy and worry about recurrent implantation failure. It seems a lot of tests are available with this company (nk, thrombophilia, uterus bacteria etc) but there are so many choices, I don't know which ones to pick.

Grateful for peoples opinions on the service and which tests I might need? Seems quite cost effective!

Thanks! Love to you all, joey xx

[Tnthketnf]

Hi Joeysjourney. I saw them recommended in here and booked a consultation with them . I will update you. I googled a lot as I haven't heard them before and I couldn't find a lot.

I found this thread

rollercoaster.ie/community/...

and apparently there's a Facebook group. Unfortunately I don't have Facebook anymore but I will try and ask my husband to find it.

I am little sceptic but probably will give the NK testing a try.

Not sure about the menstrual blood test. It's not something widely done. And I wonder whether the EMMA/ALICE tests are better. They are definitely more invasive and more complicated to organise. In that thread I shared above one of the ladies says the menstrual test tests for more stuff.

As with anything in the ivf word it's not simple at all 😕

Good luck

[Tnthketnf]

I have now used Ferilysis, still waiting on results. Let me know if you want to know more on how it works. 😊

[Joeysjourney in reply to Tnthketnf]

Oh brilliant! Sorry I'd missed your previous reply! Yes let me know how it goes! Timeframes and accuracy for example.

There are so many tests they do i don't know which ones to pick - how did you choose? X

[Tnthketnf in reply to Joeysjourney]

I don't have the results back yet but I should have them in a week or so. It is a bit tricky to organise, the order of things so they can all be shipped back in one pick-up.

So for choosing the tests, you can have the free consultation with them. They look at your history etc and recommend which tests might benefit you. Or your doctor can decide what would be best for your case.

The person I spoke to from them was not a doctor. I think he is a molecular biologist/ reproductive biologist.

For organising the tests now it will depend what tests you do. I went for the reproductive Immunology and the advanced microbiome. So I did the swabs as soon as I got the kit and stored them in the freezer. Then booked the blood draw in advance. And the pick up the same day. In the meantime I collected the menstrual sample on day one of my cycle and stored I the freezer until pick up time.

There are some blood tests which need special storage.

The blood draw was also not easy to organise but that's because I live in Scotland and there are very limited or no options for any private healthcare. Even in Glasgow the biggest place in Scotland.

I do not know about the accuracy yet.

It is a lot of money but I wanted to do something, not another blind transfer

[Tnthketnf in reply to Tnthketnf]

Just to add that I chose the two tests because of no implantation. After 4-5 years of trying including 4 ivf cycles I have never had implantation, never even a faint positive. There is probably an egg issue so I was sceptic about these extra tests . However I thought that even if we move to egg donor the Immunology tests and the microbiome would be useful. That's because I don't think my only problem is egg quality. I think that I would have had a chemical in nearly 5 years of trying, if uterine and Immunology factors were ok and the eggs were crap.

Sperm seems okish and the embryologist in the clinic said we didn't need sperm dna fragmentation test. And for now we decided to wait on this.

I am not sure about the advanced Immunology/alloimmunity tests.

I will update you on the time for results and accuracy. And any benefit.

What are you thinking of doing?

[Joeysjourney in reply to Tnthketnf]

This is all so so useful. I have exactly the same issue as you {6 years 2 cycles no implantation} and the same thoughts - surely something would have stuck by now.

I'm thinking I might need the same tests as you and they do seem a lot cheaper than paying clinics to do the tests.

I couldn't get a consultation until the last week in August! 😭😭 I don't know whether to just go ahead and order or not. I'm due another fet around end August start September so I want to get this sorted first.

Hopefully these tests pinpoint something for you. All these years trying is soul destroying and so frustrating

[Poop84 in reply to Joeysjourney]

Hiya I’d defo recommended immunology level 2 testing ie Alice/ Era test, nk cell testing, blood type. And see if they’d agree to intralipid and steroids before your next transfer x

[Tnthketnf in reply to Joeysjourney]

I know, it's difficult to know what to do. Most clinics don't support reproductive Immunology and they won't guide you. I hope they would at least accept the results and work with them.Maybe ask your clinic what they think for choosing what'sbest for your case?

Basic reproductive Immunology was good start for us, for unexplained and total lack of implantation.

The other test I did was not invasive either and would not require any intervention/interfering with a transfer, like a biopsy for ERA/ EMMA test. Only timing for results.

I know, it is so draining so many disappointments, so much time and stuck with no answers.

I hope you figure out what to do. All the best and let us know how you get on if you can!

😊

[Babymagic37 in reply to Tnthketnf]

Hi Tnthketnf I hope you don’t mind me jumping on yours and joeysjourney thread. I have a consultation with Fertilysis tomorrow. We are using donor eggs but unfortunately experienced a chemical recently so we’ve opted to do a bit of testing just to see if there are any issues going on with my body. Can I ask if you’ve had your results yet? And how you found using them? I too am thinking of the microbiome test and immunology testing. Would be great to hear your experience! x x

[Tnthketnf in reply to Babymagic37]

Hi Babymagic37. Of course I don't mind. I just had the results last week, so a full 10 working days after they received my samples. Now all my results came back clear, no issues at all, which of course is good but leaves me wondering. I thought the this would offer an indication of what to do for next steps, changing something for next transfer. When you get your results they offer a consultation at €100 to discuss the results and potential treatment plan. I think it's with a doctor this time.

I am debating with myself whether I should have this to decide if I need further testing. Because the results are all normal I don't think there's any treatment to recommend but I am thinking maybe asking for advanced sperm testing and alloimmunity. My clinic doesn't believe in these so I am kind of lost here. And it's a lot of money.

Overall I think they were worth it The tests I did were not invasive and at a smaller price if I had them in UK. It does need some planning but not as bad as you might think. I do think though that it's best if your clinic guides you in choosing the tests.

All the best!

[Babymagic37 in reply to Tnthketnf]

Hi Tnthketnf, thanks for the response. That’s great news that all your tests came back normal! 🎉 I do understand it could leave you feeling like there’s something else wrong but I think it’s important to celebrate the small wins! This journey is so difficult. We had our consultation with Fertilysis today and I was really impressed. By far one of the best fertility related consultations we’ve had. The Dr (I think a microbiologist) suggested the microbiome and autoimmunity tests which were the ones we were thinking of doing anyway. Did you go for the basic or full microbiome? The follow up consultation sounds useful for peace of mind, particularly if your wondering what next. Have you had sperm dna fragmentation and karyotyping done? I’m no expert but these would be my go-tos before the alloimmunity. The alloimmunity is such a specialised area and as yet there doesn’t seem to be anything to suggest you need that? But I’m no expert! I’m trying my best to find my way in all this too! x x

[Tnthketnf in reply to Babymagic37]

Thank you. And good luck to you. I am probably going to book the consultation.

[Joeysjourney in reply to Tnthketnf]

Oh that's interesting. No issues but no answers equally!

Can I ask, the full microbiome test - is that the same as Emma and Alice? I can't quite remember what he told me on the consultation xxx

[Tnthketnf in reply to Joeysjourney]

Sorry I just saw this. I don't know, I don't remember asking this. I read online from another patient -so not confirmed- that it is the same and tests for even more things. Based on the fact that neither test EMMA/ALICE or menstrual blood analysis is a universally accepted test proven to help conceiving I went for the least invasive method- the menstrual blood analysis.

[Joeysjourney in reply to Tnthketnf]

Thanks lovely! I went ahead and ordered the full microbiome. Omg it shipped and arrived so quickly! So just need to wait to next week and I can collect and send it off! Thanks for keeping this thread updated. It's great to share experiences and I will do the same x

[Tnthketnf in reply to Joeysjourney]

Good luck! I am waiting to hear back about the extra consultation. I went to book but the date is 2 weeks after my prostap which will kick off the next fet. Ideally I would like to know before I start my next Fet..nothing is straight forward in this business..anyway ! I hope all goes well and I ll keep an eye for your updates! xx

[Joeysjourney in reply to Tnthketnf]

Just keep an eye on appointments as I couldnt get one for 4 weeks and then just so happened to check one day and there was an appointment available the next morning! Must have been a cancellation. Worth just checking everyday xx

[Tnthketnf in reply to Joeysjourney]

Thanks! I will start checking 😀

[Midsummer_daydream in reply to Tnthketnf]

Hi there, would you mind if I ask how much is the immunology test? I also suffered from unknown reason for implantation (the NHS won’t do any test for me under funding until I fail 3 times). I have one more try so wanted to prepare before I talk to them again

[Tnthketnf in reply to Midsummer_daydream]

If you look them up you will find the prices for all testing I think the basic immunology was about €300. It's not cheap.

The NHS consultant said that the only test that they can offer after recurrent miscarriage-and sometimes after repeated implantation failure-is the antiphospholipid syndrome. The reproductive immunology (nk cells) is not something they offer as there is not enough evidence to support it. Sometimes they will work with an Immunology protocol but only for patients with an immune condition. That's what they told me when I asked.

[Midsummer_daydream in reply to Tnthketnf]

Thanks vm. It’s useful to know . They told me in my first failed attempt that basically they won’t look into issue because of 30% chances of success meaning under my funding I will need to fail 3 times for them to run any investigation. I’ve asked for lining scratching and they said it’s not evidence base. I only managed to get Lubion injections for my 2nd FET… I felt ignorance across the board. Have you been able to ask for antibiotics? I’ve read that it is harmless and can prevent bacteria easily. I’m thinking to fight again for this and if they refuse I’ll need the test from Fertilysis to prove

[Tnthketnf in reply to Midsummer_daydream]

Like with most things in the ivf world you have to keep trying and arguing your case. I haven't asked for antibiotics. I asked for blood thinning injections which they agreed to for my last transfer. This is the treatment for the antiphospholipid syndrome and although I didn't get the test and they said there is no evidence to support it will improve my chances but it will not do any harm so they gave them to me. They aren't as agreeable for steroids or antinflammatory drugs and given my nk cells are ok I probably won't have them for the next transfer. Anyway...all the best!

[letro112]

I have done a huge amount of testing for recurrent miscarriages. Fertylis in my opinion is the best value for money. The infections screening that is dine is very similar if not better than the Emma and Alice tests. I again did both. Also did chicagos and the full immune panel with fertylis again learnt more from fertylis than chicagos. In addition also identified I have clotting issues too and I was reacting to my hubbies sperm so he was also given a course of antibiotics.

Personally of all the clinics these at least check in detail both partners, amd is way one cost effective than alot of the other tests.

[Babymagic37]

Hi Joeysjourney, I’m looking to use Fertilysis for testing too. Can I ask if you decided to use them, what tests you did and if they’ve been helpful? I agree with your earlier post - there’s so much you could test for “just in case”, where do you even start! it’s an absolute minefield! I feel like researching fertility has become my second job. Anyway, I hope things have gone / are going well for you 💕 x x

[Joeysjourney]

Hi there, I haven't decided fully yet. I has a really good consultation with them and he recommends the microbiome and immunity tests.

My Dr has said he will prescribe me a low dose of steroids for the next round so I don't feel like I need to spend money on the test right now? As for the microbiome, it's in my basket and I'm just trying to decide if it's worth it. My Dr said he would prescribe me probiotics but not antibiotics without cause so I might go ahead.

Let me know how you got on x

[Joeysjourney]

update: after a free consultation with their reproductive microbiologist, he recommended that I have immune panel done and full microbiome. My Dr has already agreed to give me steroids without testing so I opted for the full microbiome test from fertilisys.

I ordered the kit and it arrived in 2 days from Greece, to Northern Ireland! Waited for my period and collected my menstrual blood sample (messy business, very unsavoury, let's not talk about it) and two vaginal swabs (easy). Both chucked in the freezer till pick up - they send a DHL driver to collect your sample.

I had trouble with the box ID that you input online to arrange the pick up date and time and I emailed their general email. Received a very prompt reply and solution given. Sample picked up no problem.

Waited 10 working days for results, nothing through. Chased the email again and they arrived in 12 hours by email.

All in all and excellent service, if a little unnerving given that I've hardly heard of them and it's a substantial cost to take the plunge. But can't really fault it. Even the consultation was worthwhile and gave me some clarity on my challenges.

Results all clear by the way on the microbiome, except some mild thrush which I can treat over the counter (any wonder with all the poking around up there!)

So it's not a bacterial issue. Heartening and disheartening all at the same time. We can rule this out and no need for expensive Emma Alice biopsy.

Take care everyone xx