We’ve been advised by Dr. Ramsey to move to the Lister as they are the only clinic that can do a Microtese on the same day as an egg retrieval, and ARGC can’t guarantee this will align as they aren’t set up for it. Our previous round we had sperm frozen but nothing survived the thaw, therefore this is our best chance of ICSI working. What worries me is the success rates are so much lower at the Lister clinic. I’m really worried it’s the only place we’ll get an embryo but then it won’t be successful. I don’t know much about the Lister and how they operate but does anyone have any advice or positive experiences with the Lister? Why are ARGC so much more successful? There’s no issue on my side so I’m less worried about getting eggs, it says online that Lister can test for immunes etc. Feeling very stressed as we will only have 1 shot at the operation.
Changing clinics to the Lister Clinic... - Fertility Network UK
Changing clinics to the Lister Clinic vs. ARGC
hi - I don’t have experience with ARGC but we did do microtese with Mr Ramsay and treatment at the lister and have 2 children from that - happy to answer any questions you have by PM!
ARGC are great if you are someone with a complex history (e.g. low amh, recurrent miscarriage) as the tailoring and immune protocol they offer can help with this. If you don't have any issues on your end then the Lister may be a better fit as they specialise in the sperm, and that's what matters for you. I had treatment at ARGC a few years ago and for me, the cycle was actually worse than my NHS ones (6 eggs but 0 made it to blast). I also had to move to London for it (as they need daily blood tests) so it ended up being really expensive. ARGC is good at what they do, but going with them is certainly not a guarantee
Thank you, I’m sorry to hear about your experience. I think that makes sense, I feel a bit better now x
I had treatment at ARGC, I was 42 and it was not successful but I had no complaints about the clinic.
With my ARGC cycle, I actually was assigned to have the embryo transfer at a nearby clinic (I can't remember the name). It was pointed out to me recently that this would mean I would not form part of the ARGC statistics. It made me wonder if they allocate those who are looking more promising to have their embryo transfers at ARGC and send others elsewhere. Food for thought 🤷🏼
Hello, I’m sorry to hear that. I do think their reporting is based on cycles started, so all patients should be included. I thought that that was because they have different locations/buildings rather than it being outsourced but I could be wrong x
hey, is there no option to get your embryos done at the lister, freeze and do a frozen transfer at ARGC?
I had my 4th and only successful transfer done at ARGC and now 20 weeks pregnant so cannot speak more highly of them! They are so intense but everything is so tailored to you it’s amazing.
Hello, congratulations! I’m just worried that if one clinic isn’t responsible for the whole journey they can just blame the other clinic, and moving things around might cause errors etc. but I will ask. Can I ask what your situation was? I’m trying to work out if we need whatever makes ARGC so different - I know they did well getting my eggs because they were all mature x
I was at a clinic with an excellent lab - but they really botched my FET - and I was never seeing the same doc twice
So I move my embryos to a clinic where they are better at FET… only time will tell but if you can afford the export/import/transfer fees - then it’s absolutely something to consider.
People ship embryos abroad all the time - so I wouldn’t worry too much about errors if you’re just moving between London based clinics - also I’m sure both will claim to have state of the art labs. Once an embryo is frozen - that segment of the work is done - there isn’t any need for blame shifting between these two stages really.
All I can say is my Importing clinic was very keen for me to move my embryo - cos they’re getting the potential win statistic on their books - based off another clinic’s handiwork really.
Thank you that’s so helpful xx
I actually had my EC done elsewhere both times. After 3 failed transfers (5 embryos) after the 2nd EC we genetically tested the ones we got and moved the good two embryos to ARGC. We have completely unexplained infertility- but I do have elevated NK cells. They’ve just been amazing and have only just had my final intralipid last week.
That’s so helpful, thank you - really good to know that this is an option. Always happy to hear when it works out for someone after a difficult journey too x
Hi,
I was previously at ARGC. I think they are good and monitor you throughout treatment very intensively. Unfortunately I didn’t have success with them but to be honest I struggled with navigating appointments and work and found it all exhausting. I think it helps if you can be flexible with work because you’re not sure how long before you are seen as it’s a ‘first come first serve’ system with most tests and scans. So difficult to plan anything around that. Hope that helps x
I’ve got lots of experience with Lister - both with egg collection and embryo transfer. I’ve been with four different Lister consultants and my husband have seen Dr Ramsey (we did Zymot for DNA fragmentation). Feel free to PM me for any questions. I feel like I know all Lister’s pros and cons by now 😄
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