The doctor retested for my thyroid (which delayed things yet another week) and then prescribed me thyroid tablets, which he says I will be on for life – I hate taking tablets! I knew I had been very tired lately but I thought it was because I was working long hours pretty much seven days a week. When I started taking the tablets it was like I was born again! The difference is amazing, I feel like I am alive again! Obviously it wasn’t the hard work that was running me down!

So then came the mammogram, apparently the IVF stimulation drugs affect the breasts so it is important that they are checked to ensure there are no problems before you start taking the IVF medications. In the UK they will not do a mammogram screening on the NHS under the age of 50 unless you have a problem. Since I did not have a problem this meant that I would have to pay privately for the mammogram. I called a few private hospitals to get a price:

BUPA £179, but they had £20 off if I went before the end of the month

Nuffield Hospital £178.50

BMI £101

No competition – I went for BMI. The radiologist was great, and what a difference from going on the NHS – your appointment time is kept to and they even give you coffee and biscuits afterwards!

I have been verbally told that everything is fine, just waiting for the images and report to come through.

IVF cost so far £752.60

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In the pharmacy Esther, who served us, was great. It turned out she had lived not far from us in the UK for a year, so her English was very good. The IVF medications we received were:

Provera 5mg tablets x30 which cost HUF 746 (approx. £2.47) – to be taken for 12 days to provoke a menstruation

Gonal-F 45ONE/0.75ml injection which cost HUF 50,174 (approx. £166.34) – to be injected once a day for 5 days from day 2 of the bleeding

Merional 75 injection (2 boxes) which cost HUF 3,862 (approx. £12.80) – to be injected twice a ay for 5 days from day 2 of the bleeding

IVF Cost so far £491.17

The Gonal-F needs to stay in the fridge. When I asked if it would be OK until we got home Esther kindly found a small cool box and cool block to put it in for the journey – no extra cost!

So now we were kitted up with all our medication, excited and apprehensive at the same time, we had a drink and caught a taxi to the airport (cost HUF $5,000 approx. £16.58)

IVF Cost so far £507.75

When we arrived at the airport our next concern was how to get all this medication – of which the majority was liquid injections and the clinic had given us all the needles required  – through customs since we were only carrying hand luggage and there are strict restrictions on carrying liquids and sharp objects. We asked a few people if it would be OK to take through as hand luggage, thinking that we may have to check our bag in and pay the extra for it, but most seemed to agree that it would be OK. We explained as we went through customs that we had medication, and some was in a cool bag instead of the required clear plastic bag. They were great. There was no problem at all, but it was secure, they took some sort of swab from around the cool block and checked it in a machine, then we were on our way.

We sat out on the balcony with a drink, watching the planes. I said that I thought we didn’t seem to have enough medication. We checked what we had. The tablets were fine, the Gonal-F was fine, it was the Merional that was worring me. Peter Kovacs had explained to us that this was a liquid and a powder in each box. I would need to put the liquid from one of the boxes in with the powder from that box, then draw this out with a needle and put the mix in with the powder from a second box, discard the liquid from the second box and then inject what I have in my stomach. I would need to do this twice a day for five days – but I only had two boxes. My husband said that maybe that lasted the whole five days – I didn’t think so, there was only a small amount and if it did not activate until you mixed the liquid with the powder then it wouldn’t stay active for five days! I reckoned I should have had 20 boxes. Anyway, I thought I would email Peter Kovacs on our return and if the worst came to the worst we would have to purchase the rest in the UK.

We boarded the plane – on time this time – and suddenly there was an announcement requesting that I go to the front of the plane. This had never happened before, we thought it must be something to do with the medication we were carrying. When I got to the front I was told that I had forgotten something and handed a plastic bag and a note. In the bag was 18 boxes of Merional and the note was from Esther at the pharmacy stating that she had made a mistake and did not want us to leave without the correct medication. The additional cost would be €128 and we could sort out the payment via email once we arrived home.

We could not believe it. It was not as if we had already paid for the medication and not been given it, we had not paid for it. It turns out that Esther, only knowing my name from the prescription and that we were catching a flight back to somewhere in the UK some time that day, had driven to the airport and spent three hours trying to find us. When she did determine which flight we were on we had already boarded. After a very persuasive conversation with customs she managed to get them to agree to bring the medications on board for me – even though she did not have any payment, or guarantee of payment for them. Now that is what I call service, I doubt if that would happen in the UK!

On our return we sorted out the payment – although the pharmacy did add a transfer fee making it €145 and I had to pay a transfer fee this side, so the total I ended up paying for the additional 18 boxes was £143.85 when it should have only been HUF 34,758 (approx. £115.16) had the prescription been given correctly in the first place.

IVF Cost so far £651.60

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The cost of the flights from the UK (Luton Airport) to Budapest and a hotel room was £214.86 for the two of us, booked through lastminute.com using Wizz Air and staying at the Atlas Hotel – we thought this was very good value, and certainly far better than any other deal I could find given the inflexibility of the dates and the amount of notice.

IVF Cost so far £214.86

We turned up at the airport in good time (not something we are very well known for!), boarded the plane on time, then started moving for take off. Suddenly the engines stalled and there was a smell of fuel. We waited in our seats while they tried to restart the engines, then while they were supposedly resetting the on board systems. Chug, chug, chug and another strong smell of fuel told us that this plane was going nowhere. We were sent back into the airport to wait. We were supposed to have taken off at 08:05. The first notice came up and told us that we would be delayed until 14:00. We couldn’t believe it. A SIX hour delay – such a delay doesn’t happen very often nowadays, especially when the flight is only 2.5 hours. Apparently they were having to fly in a replacement part that was needed. So we sat it out. At almost 15:00 we were told that the delay was now until 16:00. At gone 17:00 we were told that the flight was canceled!

This was it. All that planning, all that research, all that umming and arhing about where to go, and when we finally made a decision and got moving with it then this happens. All I could think was “This is just not supposed to be”, and the tears started falling down my cheeks. A lady from the airline heard that we had an appointment and went to see if she could find us any other flight with any other airline that would get us there on time. It was bad news, there was none. More tears!

Suddenly the airline changed their minds. They said they were going to fly another plane in and we would go – now scheduled for 21:00 – there was still hope. When 21:00 came and went we were not distressed because we were now in a queue for boarding and we could see the plane; and sure enough, after over 13 hours sat in Luton Airport (not fun I assure you!) we were eventually airborne!

We had arranged to have dinner on the Sunday with a lovely lady who I had been in touch with through this blog and who had already completed her first cycle at the Kaali Inst. Unfortunately, to our great disappointment, that never happened as we arrived at the hotel at almost 01:30 on Monday morning – but at least we were there! Because we were so late we had to get a taxi to the hotel – HUF 4,800 (Hungarian Forint), approximately £16.

IVF Cost so far £230.86

The next morning we took a taxi to the Kaali Inst. (HUF 2,800, approx. £9.25). It is off a steep hill down a small private road. The place is beautiful, extremely well kept. You walk into a wood clad waiting room that looks very elegant, and was surprisingly full – this actually gives you confidence, if this many people are here it must be good! The receptionists were lovely, their English was more than adequate, and we were made to feel very comfortable. We had arrived early so we sat in the waiting room, now feeling much less apprehensive about our choice of clinic.

When we were called in to Dr. Peter Kovacs office for our consultation there was an acknowledgment of our numerous communications (through the blog I have often emailed him with readers questions) but the focus was fully on us and the procedure that was facing us. Peter Kovaks went through all the result that we had from the pre-appointment tests and explained the probabilities of success with IVF. I then had an ultra sound scan and a programme of treatment was drawn up. There are two things I need to sort out before the treatment can begin. Firstly I need a mammogram and secondly it was found that I have a problem with my thyroid so Peter Kovacs wants me to sort that out through my GP before the treatment starts which will cause approximately a four week delay in the starting date.

We were given a prescription for all the medications we would need – we said that we would prefer to buy them in Hungary as they would be cheaper – along with a map and directions for finding the pharmacy.

When we came out of the appointment both my husband and I said how comfortable we felt with Peter Kovacs and how he instilled confidence. He was very professional, and seemed to know just how much detail we needed. His English is perfect, and he is very upfront about the probabilities of success – he certainly does not try to give you false hope, but at the same time there is no doom and gloom story. As my husband said, he couldn’t imagine finding anybody better to undertake something so sensitive and important.

The medications that were prescribed to me include:

Provera

Gonal-F and

Merional

We were charged HUF 13,000 (approx. £43) for the consultation, which lasted about 1.5 hours, and HUF 8,000 (approx. £26.45) for the ultra sound – our next stop, the pharmacy!

IVF Cost so far £309.56

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The list of tests is:

Test required for IVF-ICSI treatment:
 FSH, LH, estradiol, PRL, TSH hormone levels day 2-4 of menstrual cycle
 Papanicolau smear (from within 1 year accepted)
 Rubella screening
 Cervical culture for Chlamydia
 Complete blood count, liver function tests, sodium, potassium, Creatinine, Electrocardiogram
 HIV, hepatitis B and C screen (for both partners)
 Semen analysis
 Uterine cavity evaluation (HSG, saline sonohysterogram, hysteroscopy)

We live in the UK and we went to our own GP not knowing whether or not we would have to pay for the tests. Our GP was great, and in fact we ended up getting all of the tests done with no cost. At one point it did look as though I was going to have to pay for a smear as the last one I had done was over 12 months ago but less than the 3 years that they will test for at no cost on the NHS. However, trying to keep the IVF cost down, I asked Dr. Peter Kovacs if they could do the test in Hungary and he said that if my smear test was normal in 2007 and according to local regulations it does not need to be repeated till 2010 then I will not need a fresh test.

I must admit that I do not really understand what all the tests are, but what we needed to do / part with in order to get all the results required was the following:

MYSELF: In one appointment with the nurse she took 4 tubes of blood and did and electrocardiogram (ECG) which involved putting pads on various parts of my body and wiring me up to a machine – I think it just tests that the heart is functioning properly and is totally painless. I also had to give a cervical culture for Chlamydia – just a scrap from the wall, nowhere near as bad as a smear!

DEAR HUBBY: Poor, poor hubby, he absolutely hates needles and he had to give 2 tubes of blood – he survived though! On top of this he also had to take a semen sample to our local hospital.

The only thing that I don’t think this covered was the final test, uterine cavity evaluation (HSG, saline sonohysterogram, hysteroscopy). I had many tests done about three years ago and my GP said that this would be covered in the notes from them. Some of the tests that I had done back then were not very nice, but I don’t know what they were called I’m afraid! It’s the one where they put a dye through you that was really a little unpleasant, all the rest were quite bearable.

At this point the IVF cost is zero – what a bargain!

So, a week later we had the results in hand and were all prepared for our first appointment. Nervous? Definitely!

IVF Cost so far £0

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So where have we chosen I hear you ask? Well, we are going to the Kaali Inst. IVF Centre in Hungary.

What made us choose this centre. Well there were a number of factors. I had some great clinics on my shortlist and a number of the doctors had been truely fantastic at answering questions both from myself and others of you who also wanted some answers. I was feeling very pulled toward three places in particular:

The Nairobi IVF Centre in Kenya – Mr. Olegs Tucs has been brilliant at answering questions and on top of this we love Africa!

The New Hope Fertility Centre in Mexico – Dr Alejandro Chavez-Badiola has also been excellent at answering questions, and the idea of less medication with the mini IVF was incredibly appealing to me – I hate medications!

The Kaali Inst. IVF Centre in Hungary – Dr. Peter Kovacs was actually the first person I ever contacted about IVF, long before I ever even considered starting this site. His response was very good and answered all of my questions without having the structure of questioning that I later developed for other clinics. My husband and I went to Hungary for the first time a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with it. On top of all this Hungary is only a 2.5 hour flight away from us in the UK.

To be honest, I think what swung it the most for us was the convenience of Hungary to us. It was difficult to choose between the clinics, they all seemed to satisfy us , however the cost of the long haul flights was significantly adding to the overall cost of the treatment. The price of the treatment in Hungary was very reasonable and so it made total sense to choose the Kaali Inst. IVF Centre – first consultation appointment made for the 26th October 2009!

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