IVF/ICSI abroad

I sent you a PM, Sophia.

I'm currently going through an ICSI treatment in Utrecht.

I'm really curious about your answers.

Best,

Hi Sophia, in the mmm topic I already mentioned wanting to switch to Dusseldorf. But for us, the question remains at which attempt. We are definitely doing a second ICSI in Nijmegen anyway. There is also one insurance that covers a 4th and 5th attempt with the highest package. We want to switch to that insurance if it doesn't work out by the end of this year, and then definitely go to DD if we haven't done that yet.

I'm not sure exactly what you want to know? I'm a member of a closed Facebook group for IVF/ICSI Nijmegen. Many girls there have switched to Dusseldorf and Ghent. And several have had good successes. The big difference is that both hospitals are further ahead in techniques. They look more at the individual and also do more tests. Like extensive blood tests for both man and woman. Not just hormones but also vitamin deficiencies, thyroid, and autoimmune diseases. The techniques they might apply additionally are assisted hatching, pipelle, and in DD I read that they use PICSi and IMSi (techniques to find even better sperm cells). What they both do is let the embryos grow until day 5 before transfer. These embryos seem to have a better chance of implanting. Since naturally, the embryo also arrives in the uterus on day 5. And the puncture is done under anesthesia, which is a huge relief for many women.

As for insurance, it's still a bit of a hassle. At both hospitals, you often pay upfront at the hospital and not everything is covered. Like the extra techniques you have to pay for yourself, certain tests, the anesthesia for the puncture.. But the doctor often knows how to get something covered anyway. Also, medication is still a hassle with insurance. Recently, some insurers cover it again but not all because there's a rule that you have to get the medication from the hospital pharmacy where you're being treated and not from another pharmacy. DD doesn't have a pharmacy in the hospital and therefore it's quite a hassle, something to look into. Anyway, you should expect to still have to pay a lot financially.

It's become quite an extensive post. Maybe you already knew most of it but I hope you found it helpful anyway.

Love, Sarah

Sophia, I think you mean me instead of Jess?

But the fact that I'm leaning towards DD is mainly about the distance... DD is 1.5 hours drive for us and Gent is almost 3 hours. DD also just felt more right to me, I don't know why. More of a feeling. What really appeals to me is the PCSI and IMSI. If I switch, I want to ask if they use one of those techniques.

Good luck with making your choice, girl. I hope one of the hospitals is the right step for your little miracle.

By the way, if you'd like to read experiences, there are various groups on zwangerschapspagina.nl about treatment in DD and Gent. Maybe you'll find something useful there too.

What is pisci and imsi.

PICSI is a new method for selecting suitable sperm cells for an ICSI treatment. The heads of mature sperm cells have a receptor for Hyaluronic acid (Hyaluronan) on the outside. Immature sperm cells do not have this receptor. The combination of this characteristic of mature sperm cells and the fact that Hyaluronic acid is an important component of the shell surrounding the egg makes it possible for these sperm cells to attach to the egg shell, penetrate it, and potentially fertilize the egg. In standard ICSI sperm selection, no distinction is made between mature and immature sperm cells. With the PICSI method, however, the characteristic of mature sperm cells is specifically utilized. For this purpose, part of a culture dish is coated with Hyaluronan so that mature sperm cells will attach to it. After the sperm cells have attached, they can be used by gently detaching them from the surface with the ICSI needle. The sperm cells are then used for injection. This method does not cause any damage to the sperm cells. The PICSI method is recommended for patients with few eggs, for patients with poor fertilization rates in IVF and/or ICSI treatments, and for men with sub-optimal sperm quality.

IMSI stands for Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected sperm Injection. This new technology is a refinement of the ICSI technique. In an ICSI procedure, the embryologist selects sperm cells based on a few visible characteristics. The sperm cells can be magnified 200 times. However, with IMSI, a magnification of 6500x is used, making certain characteristics related to the shape of the sperm cell much more visible. As a result, the chance of pregnancy increases because the embryologist can make a more precise choice in selecting sperm cells. Additionally, the use of IMSI reduces the risk of congenital abnormalities and miscarriages compared to the standard ICSI procedure. Couples where the man has very poor sperm production are primarily eligible for this new technology. It can also offer added value for couples where the man needs to undergo TESE.

Wow, what developments! It's great that it all works out... thanks for your explanation

Hi Sophia. This is the website of the Gender Clinic Utrecht, which works with Cypress. The whole treatment takes three weeks and costs around €5000, including hotel expenses. You can specify which gender you'd like, and everything is taken care of regarding transport and communication with the clinic. Take a look... and ask your health insurer what they can cover for this.

http://www.genderkliniek.nl/

Hopefully, you'll have a successful ICSI treatment xxxx

@sophia,

I hope you and your husband will soon find your way around the mmm and that it will be blessed with a good pregnancy and ultimately, after about 9 months, a cloud-like baby with a big www hug...

. http://www.zwangerschapspagina.nl/vruchtbaarheidsbehandelingen/

Maybe you can take a look around here.

@naujyrac,

First of all, I'm so sorry for your loss... and I hope your baby lets go soon.
But what I can tell you is that if you're worried, just go back and request a D&C. How long have you been waiting now?
I waited about 3 weeks myself; it was last year from 22-04-2014 to 04-05-2014, so it took quite a while. Eventually, I had a D&C because not everything came out on its own... on 05-05-2014.
The only advice I can give you is that the long wait, which was due to all the holidays back then..., meant I couldn't get an appointment sooner... So my advice is to book an appointment for a D&C right away. Unnecessary waiting is so stressful...
At least for me... Strength, girl, and I hope that once you've found some peace, you'll be able to pick up the threads again...

Love, ju or wel mavanmi

Thank you so much for your answers, ladies!!!

It is quite painful though . I'll contact the doctors as soon as possible.

Good luck to you both with your pregnancy!!!!

We're in Belgium (Genk) for the treatments. Send me a PM if you want to know more.

Hi everyone,
I’ve had 3 ICSI treatments in the Netherlands, unfortunately without success. Now I want to try in Belgium, but I was wondering which health insurance would be a good fit for this. Do you have any advice?