# IVF at UCH, London (The Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health)



## Briss

I am considering UCH for my IVF as it has a very high rating on hfea. Although it does not seem to be a very popular choice, cant seem to find anyone who cycled with them. Grateful for any info on this clinic. Please share your experience.

It would particularly be great to hear from NHS patients. I understand that NHS patients are being referred to its Reproductive Medicine Unit while CRGH is its private unit. Not sure if they have different rating though


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## esiuol

Hi, I too am thinking of going there as an nhs patient. i phoned them and they said nhs patients are treated the sane as private patients. although I've not found anyone recommending them on this forum, people are raving about them on FF. 
hope this helps x


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## Briss

yes there are quite intensive discussions on FF https://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=277419.0

I wonder if anyone from B&B has any experience with UCH. I am not sure yet when we are going to start, am waiting for my appointment. Would be great to find a buddy for the journey ahead :)


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## Briss

has anyone had any recent experience with UCH?


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## mrsdh

Hi 
I'm not an nhs patient as over 40, but I have just had treatment at the CRGH. They have been wonderful and I'm very happy with the way I've been treated. From what I've heard, the consultants here are also at the uch, Paul Serhal is very much involved with patient care in both clinics. From my research , they have the second highest success rates (ARGC being number one but are the most expensive). All in all I wouldn't hesitate using them again, which hopefully will be in the New Year. I hope you get some response on here from ladies using them through the nhs, but as you say , there are not many posts on this site that mention these clinics! I wish you all the luck on your journey and hope its a short one .


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## Briss

thank you very much for responding! so far I have heard only good things about this clinic. can i ask you how much did you have to pay overall? 

I have got very mixed reviews about ARGC so decided not to go there. am also considering doing a natural cycle IVF and UCH are offering this services while ARGC is heavily medicated.


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## Briss

I wonder if anyone else has any more recent experience with this clinic? 

I went to Create for my first natural cycle IVF but now considering switching to CRGM. They are so much more expensive. we are self funding so this is really big deal for us.


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## Frustrated1

Hi Briss,

UCH (RMU) only sees NHS patients, not private ones. RMU works hand in hand with CRGH and some of the doctors work at both clinics. The nurses, however, do not cross over. If you have treatment at RMU your initial consults will be there, as will your scans and blood tests. Any blood tests and scans that need to be undertaken at the weekend will be undertaken at CRGH as RMU is only undertaken Monday to Friday. Your egg collection and egg retrieval will be undertaken at CRGH. Furthermore, your meds will be directed by the doctors at CRGH not by the doctors and nurses at RMU (RMU give them your scan and blood results, the CRGH doctor determines what change should happen to your meds and the CRGH nurse rings you and tells you before 8pm that evening). 

The contact with doctors at RMU is rather limited to say the least. I saw a junior doctor for my very basic and brief IVF consult about four months prior to my treatment starting. That was simply to tell me about the IVF process in broad terms (nothing I didn't already know) and wasn't able to deal with the specifics of meds etc as that isn't decided until much closer to when your treatment starts (sometime between day 1 and day 14 of the month in which you start down regulating for full IVF) and is set by CRGH in any event. Apart from that, aside from being scanned by doctors a number of times (when they often did not have time to talk due to the back log of patients to be scanned - I wanted to ask some important questions once and the consultant held up her list and said "sorry, I can't answer as I have all these people to scan in the next hour...") I never spoke to another doctor about my treatment until the day of egg collection. I was told what meds I would be on by the IVF nurse at RMU who will not be able to answer any detailed questions about why you have been put on a particular protocol because it had been set by someone else. 

RMU is a bit chaotic and disorganised, but then again so is CRGH. When I reported to reception at CRGH for my egg collection I was left waiting in reception for 90 mins as the receptionist forgot to tell the surgical team that I'd arrived!

Feel free to message me if you have any more specific questions.


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## Frustrated1

Sorry, the only other thing that you need to remember about NHS treatment is that they take privately funded treatments into account in determining how many cycles, if any, they will fund (at least this is what the IVF nurse at RMU told me). For instance, my PCT will fund three fresh or frozen rounds of IVF. I was told that if i had a private round of treatment after my first NHS round of treatment then this would be knocked off my NHS allocation and I would only have one NHS round left rather than two. I'm not sure how this works for the PCTs who only fund one round of treatment in circumstances where you may already have had one round of private treatment.


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## Briss

Frustrated, thank you so much for responding! Looks like UCH (RMU) and CRGH are linked together. I can go via the NHS (most likely as self funded), does it mean I will go via UCH? and if I go as a private patient I will go via CRGH. which is better?

I need to check this point as I thought only self-funded NHS patients (not private patients) are counted towards your IVF allowance. I think I can get 1 fresh and 1 frozen IVF (provided my FSH goes down) on the NHS. Also I was hoping to do natural IVF and the NHS does not fund natural IVF. 

it's slightly worrying that they are a bit chaotic and disorganised but they got you pregnant and that all that matters. Was it your first IVF?

How did you find their embryology team?


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## Frustrated1

Briss, I'm afraid that I don't know what a self-funded NHS patient is. Does this mean that you get your meds for free but pay for everything else or vice-versa? I was told that if we took ourselves off to a private clinic and had treatment then that would be counted. The nurse never mentioned anything about self-funded IVF treatment, but then she was prone to making mistakes!

You can't go to UCH as a private patient. You would have to go to CRGH. Not sure how self-funded NHS patients are dealt with.

The embryology team were absolutely excellent.

p.s. If self-funding means that you pay the exactly same as you would privately then I would certainly go direct to CRGH rather than via UCH.


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## Briss

Thank you! My FS said with high FSH she cant refer us for funding but she can still refer me for IVF but we would have to self fund it. To be honest, I was not sure what was the point of this referral if we can just turn up privately but maybe there is something that NHS will be able to fund. It's good that you mentioned it. I am going there next week and will ask about it.

How long did you have to wait from the moment of your referral?


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## Frustrated1

I was already being treated at UCH for IUI. They decided in February not to proceed further with that and referred me for IVF. My initial consult was in June (2 months late as they booked me in for the wrong clinic for my April appointment. I kicked up a fuss and my treatment started in September and not in December as the junior doctor indicated (they have a six month wait from the initial consult to Treatment starting. ). That reminds me, RMU's best moment was when they wrote to me referring to my husband as a completely different person!!!


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## Briss

a six month wait from the initial consult to treatment - that's ages!! I am slightly worried when clinics mix up things but the important thing is that their lab does not mix it up.


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## Frustrated1

I thought it was ages too so I mentioned to the clinic that we might do a private treatment during the wait. That's when I was told that the private treatment would be deducted from my NHS allowance.


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## Briss

that's definitely something to ask, I wonder if I already lost my entitlement by doing natural IVf at Create...


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## sudharani

Hi All, 

Has any one has got recent experience with UCH as an *NHS* patient for IVF? I have to choose one clinic from the following by 19th March 2014 so that my GP sends referall.

*Guys Hospital*Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK

*The Centre for Reproductive & Genetic Health* 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD

I am unable to take the decision. Can any one know based on their experience or knowledge which one is best in the above? Please let me know. I have to decide by 19th March 2014.


Many thanks in advance


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## sudharani

Hi All, 

Has any one has got recent experience with CRGH as an *NHS* patient for IVF? I have to choose one clinic from the following by 19th March 2014 so that my GP sends referall.

Guys HospitalGreat Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK

The Centre for Reproductive & Genetic Health 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD

I am unable to take the decision. Can any one know based on their experience or knowledge which one is best in the above? Please let me know. I have to decide by 19th March 2014.


Many thanks in advance


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## sudharani

Hi Briss, 

Could you please let me know your overall experience with CRGH as an* NHS *patient for IVF? I have to choose one clinic from the following by 19th March 2014 so that my GP sends referall.

Guys HospitalGreat Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK

The Centre for Reproductive & Genetic Health 256 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8LD

I am unable to take the decision. Please let me know your expeerience. 

Many thanks in advance


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## Briss

I have not had my treatment yet so can't say but if your stats are fine both seem good choices but uch has higher success rate. Guys seems a bit overcrowded and no personal approach but again that's my impression based on what other people have said


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## adsfqr

Frustrated1 said:


> I was already being treated at UCH for IUI. They decided in February not to proceed further with that and referred me for IVF. My initial consult was in June (2 months late as they booked me in for the wrong clinic for my April appointment. I kicked up a fuss and my treatment started in September and not in December as the junior doctor indicated (they have a six month wait from the initial consult to Treatment starting. ). That reminds me, RMU's best moment was when they wrote to me referring to my husband as a completely different person!!!

Hi Frustrated1

I am thinking of whether to choose UCLH or Hammersmith as an NHS patient. reading your previous posts, sounds like UCLH have a 6 month wait fro the initial consultanation to the commence of the treatment. Is that right? 

Did they just inform you a date that you can start your treatmentment and let you wait until then or was it because they had to perform some tests on you, such as blood test, hycosy, etc before they can start treatment? if the waiting is because of tests, then, I wonder if I show them all the tests I have done so far, would that speed things up?

Thank you in advance!


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## Briss

Hi adsfqr 

Cant believe how long ago I started this thread but I actually only just started my IVf at UCH. I did a few natural IVFs in the meantime and explored a few other things (all failed unfortunately so it's definitely more IVF for us from now on) so it was not all just waiting but a fair bit. 

basically in mid January this year we were finally referred by our FS to UCH. I had my initial appointment at UCh only in May. I could not speed it up. I called them regularly to check for any opening but there was none available. After that I was sent to do various tests including bloods, SA, 3d SIS, dummy ET, group session etc (I've done them all before many times but they only accept their own recent tests) and once all was done they sent our papers to apply for the funding. We waited about 2 more months for the funding (still, I am so pleased we got it!) which was finally approved end of July. After that I waited a couple of weeks for them to have a meeting to determine my protocol. Once this was done I was invited to come to discuss a few things and collected my medication (huge bag!) and I started prep stage for the stims on Saturday. 

It's a lot of waiting, but I am just grateful they accepted me despite high FSH/low ovarian reserve and managed to secure my funding. Our chances are not very good but at least we are given an opportunity to try.

I have also asked for IMSI (for which we will have to pay yourself as it's not covered by the NHS)


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## adsfqr

Hi Briss

Thank you so much for your long reply! Glad that you have secured funding and good luck with your treatment! 

The waiting time does seem to be very long...I guess I'd better find out how long it will take with hammersmith as well. 

Thank you again for your reply and wish you a great success this time!


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