After our last failed ivf with icsi cycle, I've taken a few months to regroup. We are at care fertility but we are considering moving. Time is always against us with my partners condition.
We have had a few concerns with the clinics approach. I've seen so many great reviews but I was left with many questions not answered. I'm looking for any outstanding clinics with great reviews or personal recommendations in England. We live in Yorkshire but are prepared to travel.
Our Story in brief: I'm almost 39. AMH 9. On ultrasound before stims they found 5 noticeable follicles. With short protocol stims gonal f, meriofert, zanirelix and trigger I got 9 follicles all different sizes. 8 were deemed suitable to use. We had icsi. My partner produces large volume of sperm but his ability to penetrate the egg is low so we used icsi. Devastating only 4 of the 8 fertilised. The clinic said this is very disappointing and they aren't sure why but nothing was suggested to investigate. I understand I'm almost 39 and I know alot of it is the egg quality but it just seems odd only 4 fertilised with icsi. I asked what the reason might be and they said they weren't sure. The only changes they suggested were me going on a long protocol so that all my eggs would hopefully mature together. I'm in agreement. In fact I asked going into the first cycle should I be on anything to ensure they all mature together as I've read up and they said no. My mother has shared they found endometriosis in her hysterectomy. I asked the clinic about this and they said my ultrasound looked fine and my uterine lining is wonderful.
Changes we have made after cycle 1:
Mediterranean diet ** we did eat alot of processed food before due to partner struggling to maintain weight for to cancer diagnosis.
Avoiding plastics
Switch to all natural organic soaps, shampoos
Detergents
Deodorants
No make up or perfume or aftershave
No car seat warmer
Low caffeine 2 cups per day
I'm taking 600mg ubiquinol, Vitamin e, & c, 3,000iu vit d, selenium 200, ashwaganda for stress, prenatal, Vitamin b high strength and microbiome tablets for vaginal flora.
My partner is taking impryl, Vitamin d, selenium, ubiquinol and we found out he's extremely low in folate so he's on that now too high strength.
I feel we are doing everything we can and I'm looking for a clinic who will do the same. It's over £12,000 per cycle and we don't have that money and we never know what time we have together so there is time sensitivity with this too.
We are considering sperm dna fragmentation test, using IMSI, and Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) as we read that the low fertilisation could also be that the sperm and egg didn't trigger the calcium chain reaction to begin the process.
Out of the other 4 that did fertilise, they were all very slow to grow and 1 made it to day 6 blast but pgta revealed it was aneuploid.
Any clinic recommendations who can help us with would be greatly appreciated xx
Written by
Harlo86
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm sorry to hear about your experience. A few friends of mine have had positive outcomes at clinics in Zlín, Czech Republic, and Gdansk, Poland. However, every situation is unique, so it's important to find the right fit for your needs. One helpful option might be reaching out to the team at Fertility Clinics Abroad. By completing their short questionnaire, they can recommend clinics tailored to your situation. Their service is completely free. Alternatively, you can conduct your own research, but be sure to ask potential clinics the following key questions: a) Success rates: Specifically for cases like yours, considering your age and condition—avoid asking for their general success rates. b) Specialist experience: How experienced are the doctors in dealing with your specific condition? c) Time and costs: How much time and money will the entire process require? d) Certifications: Ensure the clinic holds relevant certifications and adheres to industry standards.
With this information, you can compare clinics more effectively and choose the one that aligns best with your needs. Some of the most popular destinations for fertility treatments are Spain, Cyprus, and Portugal, as well as more affordable options like Poland and the Czech Republic. Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!
Thank you very much for this great information. I will definitely look into going abroad. Thank you for your questions to consider and ask. That is really helpful xx
I've had treatment at 2 different uk clincs and have recently moved to a clinc in prgaue for my final roll of the dice for treatment.
Although my 1st cycle failed at the clinc in prgaue I felt they were just as disappointed with the outcome and were quick with suggestions on things to change or try. My current regret is we didn't take the step to go abroad before as the amount of money we have spent here has been unreal.
It's not a scary as you think to go abroad that was my biggest fear and now I think I wish we had went after our first failed round in the uk
Thank you so much!!! I am researching gong abroad now. I have heard ivf Turkey is meant to be really good. I really hope this works for you. Sending all my love and best wishes ❤️ xxx
I’m having treatment in London and from my experience it is a loooong game, of course everyone’s experience is different and for some it is much shorter. Having half of the eggs fertilise to become embryos sounds pretty normal to me but I am a few years older than you. I am really happy with our clinic and consultant but no ultimate success yet. Wishing you all the best in your next steps xx
I live in Yorkshire too and we found a brilliant consultant who came highly recommended. We had been going through IVF-ICSI for several years without a positive result before moving to his clinic after receiving a recommendation from a friend who he had worked with (she had success on her first try). We had to undergo IVF-ICSI due to male factor infertility and he really worked with us to really tailor the treatment to make sure it worked with my body. He is very thorough and emphatic and was always available for us (we had his mobile number and he was always happy to discuss any questions or concerns). We did a fresh egg collection and transfer with him and I now have a 6 week old son.
His clinic was pretty local to us (about a 30 minute drive, but we live in the North of North Yorkshire).
Happy for you to message me for more details (I know you aren't allowed to write clinic names on here!).
sorry to hear your experience. Create fertility clinic in London are amazing if you want to try you can. Also give your husband proxeed men not impryal. In prenatal you take proxeed women new formula too. And no sugaray food at all.
I’ve realised that a reply I wrote to another post this evening might also help. Copying it in below, slightly edited for you…
I’ve recently used a pre treatment cycle of Testogel and had two back to back stimulations afterwards. My embryo quality improved from the previous round without pre treatment cycle. Might be something to ask your clinic about.
Do you know if the slow development is from fertilisation or if from day 3? I’ve read development to day 3 is based on the egg quality, while day 3-5 is more likely the sperm. My husband improved his sperm significantly with consistently taking Wellman Conception Max and CoQ10, and having no alcohol for 6 months. CoQ10 supports cell energy so might be worth checking if your partner can take it and if he does drink alcohol to cut it out.
Other ideas might be to have Karyotype testing for you both to check there isn’t anything chromosomonal and dna fragmentation for your partner.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Triggered too soon 
Poor response, despite plenty of follicles. 
ICSI IVF, Follicle Growth. I'm In Need Of Advice.
Age 43, AMH and AFC ok. High or Low dose stimulation? Hysteroscopy? Additional tests?
