Donor ivf- recommendations for London - European clinics

[londonrc]

Dear all, I was hoping some of you might be able to help me - I’m 45 yrs old and now looking at Donor ivf in London or Europe. I just feeling totally overwhelmed and not quite sure where to start so I thought recommendations would be best. I would appreciate anyone’s thoughts / advice / experience on taking this route. Thanks.

[Hidden]

Hello I know exactly how u feel. We are on the donor egg route out in Spain. Our clinic has been fantastic. They keep in regular contact with you and are available all the time for advice and help. They find the donor for us that is as close a match as possible. It is also completely anonymous out here where as it's not in the U.K. Xxx

[andylins]

If i'm not mistaken the clinic we've been with is going to have its ''open days''in London, seems 3-4th Nov. Though I need to check this. Here's some of my background which was steadily leading me to egg donation route. I'm 37, dh - 38 yrs old. ttc since '08. I was through 2 chemical pregnancies. Then dr put me on Clomid 50 - chemical. Oct - Dec 2010 - Femara and Purgon 75. Took a long 3 months break from treatments. Tried IUI three times in a row - bfn x 3 Feeling exhausted, but did give IVF shot a try using own eggs. (10 eggs retrieved, 8 mature, 6 fertilized, 2 survived.) They placed back two low grade morulas on day 5 - bfn. Going down route B - egg donation. It took us 2 shots to conceive our adorable son who was born via planned C-section 2 yrs ago. We've recently been through another round with Bio texcom for a sibling. Successfully - I'm currently prego with baby#2, waiting for the 12 wks scan. So again, I truly believe it would be nice for you to attend those open days in London. All the consults are free, so you can get all your questions answered first handed. Let me know if I could be of any help. Good luck!

[andylins]

Also if you are considering using donor eggs, then this might be useful for you.

~

Medical factors for the recipient.

All recipients, regardless of age should have a complete blood count, blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C, cytomegalovirus, rubella, toxoplasmosis and RH factor before starting a donor egg cycle. Do you have any health problems that would be affected by a pregnancy such as cardiovascular disease? Are you on prescription medication, etc? If you are over 40 and are considering the donor egg options, make sure that you have a current electrocardiogram, mammogram, glucose tolerance test and chest film. Have you talked to an obstetrician about the risks relating to pregnancy, labor and delivery for women in your age category? Have you discussed the risks of multiple births, which is quite high with donor eggs? Have you asked about the miscarriage rate after embryo transfer? Has your husband or partner's semen been tested lately? Will the clinic use estrogen and progesterone to prepare the endometrium lining of your uterus. Will the clinic require a mock cycle first? Which type of estrogen is used? Hope this helps.

[andylins]

Finally, choosing the clinic. Questions to ask:

What are the live birth rates from the donor egg program you are interested in?

Does the clinic have its own egg donor pool? What information is shared with the recipient about the donor?

Do recipients have any choice about donor selection?

Clarify what type of screening and counseling is done for egg donors.

What are the costs? Do you have to pay the full amount if the donor doesn't stimulate well, if few eggs are obtained or fertilization is poor?

What, if anything, is covered by health insurance?

Does the clinic freeze extra embryos?

Does the clinic have win'win plans?

Do you meet the requirements for their ''guaranteed'' plans? (If there are any)

Make sure you've got your own list to get the most of the insight. Also study the legal part well. Self education on the point means a lot. All the best.

[londonrc]

Hi there, thanks for all your messages- sorry I didn’t reply. Have found a clinic in Greece that I am happy with so will hopefully be heading out there in mid December. Thank you again you give me lots of hope! X

[virginia22]

I was on Intersono in Ukraine and they were excelent. I got pregnant but I lost it at week 7. It was an eggdonation program and I have vitrified 6 embryons when I recover of this bad moment I will go again for the vitrifies. Good luck for all!!

[andylins in reply to virginia22]

I'm so sorry for your loss Unfortunately, things happen, no one can rule over things but Lord..I've faced a mc once too.. Our dr at bio texcom explained some of the reasons why mc can occur. During pregnancy, your body supplies hormones and nutrients to your developing fetus. This helps your fetus develop normally during your pregnancy. Most first trimester miscarriages happen because the fetus doesn’t develop normally. There are different factors that can cause this.

Firstly, genetic or chromosome issues. About 50 percent of miscarriages are due to chromosome issues. Errors occur randomly when the cells of the embryo divide, or are due to a damaged egg or sperm cell. Problems with the placenta can also lead to a miscarriage. These include: intrauterine fetal demise: The embryo forms but stops developing before you see or feel symptoms of pregnancy loss.

blighted ovum: No embryo forms at all.

molar pregnancy: Molar pregnancies are rare. There is usually an abnormal placenta growth, but since both sets of chromosomes come from the father, no fetal development occurs.

partial molar pregnancy: This happens when the mother’s chromosomes remains, but the father has also provided two sets of chromosomes. This causes placenta abnormalities and an abnormal fetus.

External health conditions, lifestyle habits, and underlying conditions may also interfere with the fetus’ development, especially in the second trimester. Exercise and sexual intercourse do not cause miscarriages. Working won’t affect the fetus either unless you’re exposed to harmful chemicals or radiation.

Conditions that can interfere with a fetus’ development include: poor diet, or malnutrition. advanced maternal age. untreated thyroid disease. uncontrolled diabetes. infections. trauma. obesity. problems with the cervix. abnormally shaped womb. severe high blood pressure. food poisoning. certain medications.

A mc leaves a huge scar but I hope time heals..

[virginia22 in reply to andylins]

Thanks a lot for the information. You are very kind. I hope everything is going better for you !!! A big huge!

[Marmo]

I've found this amazing article, thought it can be useful for those planning DE IVF cycles. ~~

''A unique method to get pregnant in your 40s with your own eggs!

Bio TexCom Center for Human Reproduction offers patients who are above 40 and for those, who suffer from low levels of AMH, an innovative program that makes it possible to get pregnant with their own eggs. The donation of mitochondria, or,as it is also called, mitochondrial replacement therapy, is an innovation and a breakthrough in the field of ART and the fertility treatment. This program gives women, who underwent numerous unsuccessful IVF cycles, aged 40+, (patients with low mitochondrial functional activity), an excellent chance to give birth to a child who shares a genetic relationship with her and her partner. How is this possible?

Mitochondrion is one of the most important components of any living cell, including the egg. In simple words, mitochondrion is the cell’s energy station. Essentially, its work consists in supplying the cell with vital energy for its normal functioning.

Women that went through multiple unsuccessful IVF attempts, as well as of older reproductive age, need to restore oocyte mitochondria in order to successfully become pregnant. A woman can become pregnant only if there are functionally active mitochondria in her oocytes. Donation of mitochondria will allow thousands of hopeless women to give birth to a healthy child through IVF using mitochondrial donation.

To carry out such a procedure, an egg donor with a high functional activity of mitochondria (a blastocyst production rate of 70% or more), a patient (willing to get pregnant), and sperm for in vitro fertilization are required. Healthy functionally active mitochondria are taken from a donor’s oocyte and integrated with the patient’s cells. Next, fertilization with sperm and transfer of a healthy embryo into the patient’s uterus is performed.

Mitochondria donation is a unique assistive reproductive technology, which is basically the implantation of a healthy and functionally active donor mitochondria into the cells of an infertile patient, that provides the patient’s cell with the necessary energy and contributes to successful pregnancy.''

In other words, this may give you the chance to still use YOUR egg, not DE!! I wish we had this option 3 yrs ago!

[andylins in reply to Marmo]

This is the sad truth. But unfortunately those over the age of 40+ who are trying to become parents through ivf meet the failure quite often. It's known that medical statistics confirms that at the age of 40-45 it's more difficult for a woman to not only get pregnant, but also to bear a healthy child.

Though this fact does not mean that it is absolutely dangerous for a woman!! There are a lot of success stories of aged happy mothers who confirm vice versa. However, with age, a woman’s ovarian reserve decreases. And this reduces the chances of getting pregnant. In addition to this issue, there could be a low mitochondrial activity. These mitochondria are very important components of any cells. Egg cells cannot do without functioning mitochondria. Those not only provide oocytes with energy, but also have their own hereditary DNA material. With a deficiency of active, functioning mitochondria in eggs, even a healthy embryo does not take and the pregnancy does not occur. In this case, successful IVF is possible with using donor mitochondria only.

Mitochondria replacement therapy is also called the “three parents method”: the procedure is based on the transplantation of mitochondria from a female donor into an egg cell of a patient who wants to become pregnant. Healthy donor mitochondria are integrated with the patient’s cells, fertilized, after which a healthy embryo is placed in the woman’s uterus.

This reproductive technology is also an alternative to surrogacy. It enables families to have genetically healthy children. Since the mitochondrial donation uses the egg of a donor, which does not contain defective mitochondria. The method is also recommended for women with a high probability of the development of mutations in mitochondrial DNA and subsequent severe illnesses in an unborn baby. Taking all this into consideration, mitochondrial donation helps barren women not only to become mothers, but also to exclude a number of genetic diseases. With the help of mitochondrial donation, a woman can bear and give birth to a child on her own without resorting to surrogacy. Isn't this amazing?!

[Louiebalooie]

Hi londonrc, there is a really useful website which you might find useful about IVF and egg donation treatments abroad... internationalfertilitycompa...

I know that many of the featured clinics hold consultation clinics in the UK to talk to them about the whole idea also!

Good luck with everything! x

[andylins]

Mitochondrial replacement therapy is one of the innovative methods to treat infertility. This option is relevant to women over forty years old who have treated infertility with no luck. In the most of cases women have a low functional activity of mitochondria. And those in their turn are the most important components of any cell. Therefore, it's an opportunity for a woman to give birth to a long-awaited baby. Moreover, this baby will have a genetic connection with her and her husband/partner! Mitochondria are often called “cellular power plants”. It's so because of their ability to convert nutrient molecules into energy. Mitochondria provide eggs with the necessary energy for normal functioning. A woman facing the constant failure, needs to restore the mitochondria of oocytes first of all. Taking into consideration the number of eggs decreases with age. If there are not enough functionally active mitochondria in the eggs, then it is possible to become a mother using mitochondrial donation + IVF. Fertility specialists find an egg donor with high functional mitochondrial activity. These healthy mitochondria are taken from the donor's egg cell, integrated with the patient’s cells, then fertilized with the sperm of the husband/partner. A healthy embryo is then transferred to the uterus. 1 shot of mitochondria donation + ivf, for example at our clinic, costs 6500 euros.

As I've posted previously, we passed de ivf treatment plan abroad, in Kiev. Here are some of their really strong sides. Their embryologists work with fresh genetic material (eggs/sperm cryopreservation is used only at patient’s will). It is known and proven that quality of eggs gets worse during the freezing process leading to the failed IVF attempts. In addition to the spermogram doctors there conduct sperm analysis for apoptosis. Conducting this medical test embryologist determines presence of the damaged sperm cells which prevent successful conception and can cause child’s DNA damage. In the case of cells’ poor quality, doctor prescribes appropriate medication, afterwards performs reanalysis and successfully fertilize the egg. Karyotype analysis is the part of a standard analyzes set (karyotype test shows the total number of chromosomes, the sex of the person being studied, and if there are any structural abnormalities with any of the individual chromosomes which can cause child’s diseases). They can also calculate the ideal 'window of implantation'. This is the most successful period for the embryo transfer without disturbing its structure and endometrium integrity. Their medical staff carry out detailed diagnostics of patients in order to identify clearly the seeds of the disease or reasons of the unsuccessful IVF attempts. There are no identical protocols!! They walk the line of the latest methods of treatment. So, for example, embryologists use the most successful method of working with blastocysts, namely, embryo transfer on the fifth day. Or they're currently widely using the mitochondria replacement therapy with ivf which is aimed to supply the eggs with the needed energy for successful fertilization and further blast development.

Hope my post is useful, all the very best to you!

[londonrc in reply to andylins]

Hi, is this therapy still in trial stage or is it being rolled out to anyone who can pay for it? If so what clinics are doing this in Europe and any idea of cost?

Thank you

[SerrineV in reply to londonrc]

Hi, I thought I could share. If you're considering mitochondrial donation, then one of the clinics overseas offers different packages (found this on fb): 6500 EUR - 1 shot with mitochondrial replacement. 9900 EUR - 2 shots with MD. 14900 EUR - 5 attempts with MD. Offered on regular base, not trial stage. The clinic performs only fresh 5 day blasts ET which is aimed at boosting success chances.

[SerrineV]

Once you get your head around the IVF cost the most important concern for us is to know about their chances of success. The IVF clinic you choose, lab factors, the method of performing the procedure, the competence of the embryologist are all factors that can affect your IVF results. Even if these conditions are perfect. If even after choosing the right IVF clinic, you are wondering why it didn’t work for you, try to get an idea of personal factors that could be causing problem. Like most biological processes, pregnancy and the development of an embryo inside the human womb is a complex procedure. What we do not know about pregnancy is much greater than what we do know. Some specific factors that may be to blame. One way to improve your chances of IVF success is to opt for PGS testing to study the genetic content of embryos. before transferring them to the uterus. This allows the doctor to select the embryos with most chances of success. Embryo implantation rates are also higher in women near the age of 35. I've been through failures too. Such a dreadful experience! Anyways, dh and I finally got luck through surrogacy with BTC, Kyiv. They fulfilled our dreams.

I know your rainbow's just behind the corner – Make sure you're in right repro unit hands.

All the very best to you.

[andylins]

That’s extremelly tough. When struggling for baby#1 I felt jealous about all those prego ladies around. Even announcements - everything concerning little ones. I know Iwas not the only one going through this. We had been trying for long years and I had had two miscarriages. Actually I cought myself on the thought I would have had another baby this time years ago..

This is how it passed during our first DE ivf struggle for baby#1 at overseas Biotexcom fertility clinic. After the date for initial consultation was defined we were sent the list of the required documents. These were: transvaginal ultrasound check results. Breast ultrasound check results. Chest x-ray ( for both me and dh). Doctor’s certificate that I wa healthy enough to carry out a baby and that pregnancy was not prohibited for me. Also sperm count. At initial consultation we underwent the required tests (blood tests for both, pap smear, sperm count). Dr studied medical records, then performed transvaginal ultrasound check and evaluated our chances. Dr explained us a treatment plan and they gave us meds needed for the subsequent stimulation protocol. Seems that’s all. Hope this helps.