Failed Egg Donor in Greece (Athens) - worth trying Spain?

[maxlau]

Hi there

We're new to the forum, based in Melbourne and - like many in here, I suppose - we've been on this IVF/ED journey for a while :-)

I am 45 and my wife is 43 and - after 8 unsuccessful IVF cycles here in Melbourne (very few eggs of poor-medium quality, we never got pregnant), we did 2 ED cycles in Athens with Dr Syrkos. We got 3 embryos last July, one of which we implanted fresh - my wife got pregnant, but at the 1st scan there was no heartbeat and the sac was basically empty and smaller that what should have been.
We just got back from Athens, where we had put the 2 remaining embryos (which looked in good shape when thawed) in, but unfortunately 2 consecutive pregnancy tests showed negative, which was very disappointing.
We don't know what happened (no-one in similar circumstances does, I guess), but we're obviously crushed at this stage because we had high hopes for these 2 embyros.

We're now thinking of trying Egg Donor somewhere in Spain, and I was wondering if anyone here has had success there after trying in Greece. Any direct experiences would be of great help, as well as any recommendations for good clinics over there with good success rates.

Thanks in advance :-)

- Max

[stacey10]

Spain is pretty expensive and they don’t seem to get many eggs/embryos for the money you spend, have you thought if going to the Czech Republic,mcyxles are cheaper and they have good success rates too. Two great clinics are zlin and reprofit. I would also suggest that your wife maybe do some additional testing before you spend anymore money, immune tests, hysteroscopy to check for any uterine problems if she hasn’t done it already

[maxlau]

Good idea about the tests, I think she's done a few but I will double-check with her. Do you have direct experience of those clinics in Czech Republic yourself, if you do not mind sharing?

[maxlau]

@stacey10 what specific tests would you recommend by the way, based on our situation? Thx again!

[stacey10]

@maxlau phia has put together a list of must do’s for the tests, I’ll go find them and put the link up. Things like mthfr gene mutation, factor v Leiden, nk cells etc.
ive had success with zlin in the Czech Republic, I did one cycle and got 4x5 day blasts, and got 3 babies out of it. Reprofit is also a good clinic.

[stacey10]

Zlin charge €4500 for a donor cycle which includes icsi and they guarantee 2 top 5 day blasts.

[stacey10]

Found it

https://www.bubhub.com.au/community/...17#post8885617

[Phia]

Too quick for me @stacey10!

HE LIST! Best chances of getting pregnant after repeated failure: tips and tricks

• It’s all about the uterus! Cakes won’t bake if your oven is broken.
• Ask your FS to undertake a laparoscopy and/or hysteroscopy to check for endometriosis or fibroids, adhesions or polyps or the shape of your uterus.
• See a reproductive immunologist (Dr Gamal Matthias) or haematologist (Dr Peter Ellims in Melb) or Dr Artef Saba (Perth)
• to check for any immune issues. This includes Natural Killer Cells, etc, that may attack an embryo that’s transferred. They will prescribe meds to suppress this response. You might need a treatment that is administered intravenously and repeated before and after transfer.
• Do you have MTHFR? No, I’m not swearing - it’s about how your body absorbs folic acid / folate. It’s a simple blood test but important for fertility and easy to treat by changing your folic acids to a different kind found in Optimal Health prenatal or Tresos Natal - these are prenatal supplements.
• Vit D is essential, so is Calcium taken together.
• Don’t forget your Vitamin Bs. And Es
• A month from out from your transfer - get a scratch to ensure your lining plumps up for the next cycle.

Kalina’s list for DE Clinics!


Eggdonationfriends.com has some good info, you can select by country and off you go.


For those who like stats and having as much info as possible, I'd suggest the following:


- Make sure they are clear on how they measure success rates, is it a positive pregnancy test, a clinical pregnancy (heartbeat on US) or live birth. Few will have reliable live birth stats because some ladies don't report back on fire the pregnancy progressed.


- If quoted success rates seem too good to be true, be careful. Much of it relies on self reporting.


- Make sure you know what percentage of the transfers they use to calculate success rates are singles and doubles. If a clinic does mostly single transfers then a comparable success rate is more impressive than if most of those transfers are doubles.


- Ask exactly how many DE cycles they do per year. You can't read too much into success rates for a clinic which does a small number. A clinic which does many hundreds per year and still has good success rates will have more reliable stats. Etc.


- Make sure they give you info on their FET single and double success rates, these can be different from fresh transfers. Also ask what their embryo thaw survival rate is. This last number will tell you something about the quality of their lab. I'd also look into how experienced their embryologists are - their skills and experience are arguably most important.


- Beware of hidden costs and make sure you know exactly what is included in the price. Many clinics (all this pertains to every country btw, not only Greece) will give you a quote....then you'll find out that they need a more money for this, that and the other.

[maxlau]

Thanks heaps, this is brilliant! :-) You ladies are super-helpful. My wife is still quite distraught from the negative pregnancy test, I will get her to check this list as soon as she's better.

[Kalina]

Hi @maxlau - just wanted to add that I think having a fresh set of eyes, ie a new doctor/clinic review your history can only be a good thing, whether you choose to switch to them or just get a second opinion.

Your stats are quite similar to mine - I did 9 own egg cycles here which I only got two very early chemical pregnancies from, then three failed donor egg cycles in Greece before switching to a new clinic. Very glad that I did because it worked with the new clinic. I looked at Spain because they have some good clinics, but decided on Czech Republic because their results are as good for a lot less money. I would have happily stayed in Greece also (would have gone to New Life or Iakentro clinics instead) but figured why not a holiday somewhere we haven't been before.

Also (sorry for the long post), I didn't get from your post whether you used donor sperm as well. If not, be aware that older sperm can be problematic even if it passes analysis, sometimes there are no indicators other than repeat failure. If not using donor sperm it may be worthwhile going to a clinic that's able to do MACS/PICSI.