frustrated, please advise

[Hope43yrs]

I have been researching clinics for a while and having a very limited budget, I have to chose wisely and objectively but I found this to be impossible as obviously there are as many opinions as experiences and outcomes… I am shocked however to find how unethical and to some extent immoral some consultants and clinics staff are in general. I am also sad because just reading others experiences put me so down and hopeless. I have definitely crossed off a clinic that I think it should be shut due to misleading and abusing patients that are already in a very fragile and vulnerable state. Please advise if you’ve seen yourself in this situation and what have you done to overcome this moral dilemma.

Thank you

(you can PM if this is easier for you)

[Orangeflowers]

Hello,

Unfortunately many clinics will take your money but will not be clear, or give false hope, on your chances of success. For that I'd look at HEFA.

If you have a limited budget, I'd advise clinics abroad are cheaper if you go to the right countries e.g. Czech Republic, Greece, Poland etc.

Also, if you're only planning one or two rounds with limited funds, maybe give donor eggs serious consideration.

The main thing I think is time and to get going as soon as possible. Personally I think outcomes would be similar with many clinics if they have reasonable ratings and a inspected lab.

I'm sorry if I may be sounding blunt, but I'm also 44 and at this age I think the outcome very much relies on luck (and / or good egg reserve and quality). Maybe start with one round and see how many blastocysts you get and whether there's enough to test etc. (which is probably not worth it unless you get unusually high numbers for age of blastocysts). I don't think packages including transfers are necessarily worth it. It is likely you may only have 2 to transfer on day 5, which you might do fresh and have none left to freeze.

If I can help at all from my experiences, message me.

Hoping you find a great clinic and positive outcome🤞x

[Hope43yrs in reply to Orangeflowers]

Hi Orangeflowers,

Thank you for the info, I appreciate you telling me things how they are so that I can make a wise decision even though this is hit and miss with all these fancy clinics… x

[Hidden]

Hi,

in the UK we are regulated by the HFEA and they advise that if you are not happy with the service provided by a fertility clinic in the UK, you should make a complaint in writing directly to the clinic.

Its really important that any concerns as a patient are raised directly to the clinic. Sometimes they do get things wrong. For more information, HFEA offer guidance on making a complaint to your clinic and what your options are if you are still not happy:

hfea.gov.uk/contact-us/maki...

Please note that members are not permitted to recommend clinics on this forum.

The HFEA also offer a search engine for finding a clinic in the UK which have been revied by patients using these services:

hfea.gov.uk/choose-a-clinic

[Eggfreezer2015]

The only other thing I would add here is that when speaking to clinics, if they recommend add ons you can also check these on the HFEA website to see what classification they have been given, so you can make an informed decision of cost V add on benefit. Good luck on your journey! 💜