T85 | ExpatWoman.com
 

T85

30
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 June 2013 - 16:39
Hi aish_dxb Cord blood stem cell + cord tissue is approximately 15000 DHS for all 3 i have contacted (Biovault, Smartcells and Cells4Life). 3500 DHS (Biovault and Smart cells) / 4500 DHS (Cells4Life) initial payment for the kit. The rest is on an installment basis (upto 6 months). 2 of them offered me an early bird discount – around 1000 DHS (Biovault and Smart cells). Hi KH Biovault is also a UK company (in the booklet it says their headoffice is in the UK). Cells4Life actually have a premium package which is an extra 3000DHS to store the blood sample as is, they claim it stores more types of stem cells. I asked the represntative if there has been any issues due to the iron in the red blood cells, she said there has been no evidence of this being a problem. But anyways I don't see the need to pay extra for a service that I am not sure about. However, they also claim that they can isolate and store 20% more stem cells from smartcells due to the machine they use. I would love to get as much feedback as possible. Wishing you all the best!
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Latest post on 11 March 2013 - 17:22
Hi hopingblu. you are correct if the PGD was conducted then there is no worry about down syndrome, however we did not do PGD (an extra 10,000 Dhs which we could not afford). I did the NT Scan and the result was fine Thanks to Allah. This was my first IVF, and this forum was a great source of information, so I thank all those who posted and replied. Regarding egg quality I didnt take anything extra other than prenatal vitamins (pregnance plus) and the doctors didnt tell me anything. However after researching online, i have come to know it is important to increase your protien intake (egg whites was recommended). Wishing you all the best. Good luck to all of us!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 February 2013 - 20:50
Thank you fandrew for your wishes. The doctor im referring to is a new doctor i went to, i have graduated from al fakih clinic! This new doctor at a different hospital has said that ivf babies should do an ultrasound scan that test for down syndrome , i think its called an NT Scan. This is what i gathered online. Her reasoning is that the eggs arent of the best quality and so the risk is higher. This came up because i have done 5 ultrasounds already and im worried incase the continous scanning may harm the baby. She said its upto me to decide but she recommends it. Another question, are there any doctors that you would recommend for ivf pregnancies? I have read on this site about some but i don't know if there is a doctor who would treat ivf pregnancies with more care.. And also this doctor said that insurance will not cover ivf pregnancies and so we should not mention it again..did anyone hear about this before? Thanks <em>edited by T85 on 25/02/2013</em>
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Latest post on 24 February 2013 - 18:00
Hi everyone I wanted to know if any of you have down the test for down syndrome? My doctor has said that IVF babies should have it done no matter the age of the mother. I feel after all we have gone through this is another huge thing to go through. Would love any feedback. Thanks in advance
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Latest post on 24 February 2013 - 17:58
Hi everyone. Thank you all for your wishes. I thought to provide some information after my experience Regarding the payments, as mentioned earlier I went with Al Fakih Clinic. Our payments were: Initial consultation, ultrasound, SA and blood tests – nearly 3000 Dhs IVF treatment – 28000 Dhs Paid for 1 betaHCG, progesterone and estrogen level test – 600 Dhs 1st ultrasound – 300 Dhs 2nd ultrasound – 500 Dhs (different machine) 3rd ultrasound – 450 Dhs 4th ultrasound – 500 Dhs So in total we paid around 33,000 Dhs to Al Fakih clinic directly We also had to get other medicines estimated cost – 2,000 Dhs •Antibiotics – around 200 (this is an assumption as I lost the receipt) •Progesterone (each pack is 78 dhs and has 15 – 3 a day – for around 13 weeks) so in total require 19 boxes – 1,482 Dhs •Estrogen (each pack is 17 dhs and has 11- 3 a day for around 13 weeks ) – so in total require 26 boxes – 442 Dhs •Aspirin (each pack is 25 dhs - 3 a day) – in total required 1 box – 25Dhs So IVF has cost us an approximate of 35,000 Dhs. This breakdown just so those who are thinking of going through IVF have an idea of the TOTAL cost, a lot of hidden extras. However, I would like everyone to know once I heard the heartbeat for the time I felt nothing can be more valuable in this whole world. I am so thankful that to date everything is going fine ilhamdolilah. I wish all those who have to go through IVF a successful story and that may we all be blessed with healthy children. If anyone would like any other information please feel free to ask on this thread or send me a msg.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 31 December 2012 - 15:04
Hi, thank you all for your support. I had my 2nd beta hcg today (9dp3dt) and it has risen to 12 :) which means there is implantation (ilhamdolilah - thank God). But the doctor told me im not out of the woods yet, and that she expects a higher value, and so has prescribed Prednisone (10mg) once a day and Aspirin (75mg) once a day. She says this will help implantation and increase blood circulation. Im worried about them causing any birth defects. Has anyone taken these medications? inshAllah i have a little strong baby trying to stick and grow. good luck to all!
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Latest post on 30 December 2012 - 12:24
@Fandrew Thanks for your support and reply, and will be hopeful. Wishing you all the best.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 December 2012 - 10:19
Hi ladies Hope all are well. Yesterday (7dp3dt) I was asked to come in for my first beta hcg test, my result was 3.3 (needs to be above 5 for a positive pregnancy). The nurse told me that is early to get a positive but it sometimes shows for 20% of people. She said it isn’t a bad number as it is not 0. Which means something is happening and that I need to come back in 2 days for another test. Also my estrogen decreased from 1000+ to 380 and progesterone went from 60 to 28 in 4 days. Of course when I got the news I started crying and getting depressed. Today I’m trying to be stronger and stay positive :) I would like to know when was your first beta hcg test and what were the results. Thanks in advance
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Latest post on 23 December 2012 - 10:02
@che731 thank you for your reply.. i called the doctor she said she would like me to go and do a test incase its a unirary tract infection.. so now im hoping that the drive from sharjah to dubai will not affect... thanks again :)
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Latest post on 22 December 2012 - 20:05
Thank u @che731 Im a little worried... I was told to stay in bed so thats what i have been doing.. But now I'm having back pain and cramping.. Is this normal? Is it cuz i have been in bed all day? Im soooo worried... Did any of you go through this the same day of ET? I read online about having these symptoms but later on.. Not the same day... :( Thanks
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Latest post on 22 December 2012 - 11:13
hi everyone. i just got home from my ET. i have 3 embryos swimming inside :) the whole procedure didnt take 5 min. dr.fakih did it and he was very kind showing me on the ultasound whats happening and dr.amal was sittig beside me explaining and talking in a relaxing tone. when i finished they gave me a print of a picture of my embryos and a print of the ultasound when the embryos are inside.now i have to stay in bed for 2/3 days.. and to eat alot of protiens, even said have 6 egg whites a day. no carbs, dates and pineapples.. im soo excited. sticky thoughts and baby dust to all of us. <em>edited by T85 on 22/12/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 December 2012 - 09:07
hi ladies. the embryologist called and said only 3 are fine today so he believes its better to transfer today. im on my way to the clinic. please pray for me and baby dust to all of us. thanks
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 December 2012 - 12:40
Hi ladies thank you for your replies. @Fandrew . Is it safe to assume if i wait to day till day 5 and none survive that the same would have happened in the uterus? Or is being in the uterus , natural environment, might have a positive effect? Also why would anyone transfer on day 3 and wait for 2 weeks for a result they would know if they waited till day 5 for the transfer? Sooo many questions in my head... I pray that whatever happens its for the best. Thanks again
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Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 17:49
Hi about freezing I have asked in Fakih IVF, it is not done, only freezing of eggs and sperm. In Sharjah in 2 clinics they told me it is done as long as they have a valid reason, such as very low sperm count, low egg reserve, in my opinion we wouldn’t be going through IVF except if there is some reason so I wouldn’t worry about it. in summary yes they do embryo freezing in Sharjah. I have no information about Abu Dhabi. Ladies I have a question, I got a call from the clinic saying that they want to schedule my ET for Saturday (3 day) but after all my research online I prefer a 5-day transfer, they told me as I only have 4 fertilized till now 3 or 5 day doesn’t matter. But the embryologist said I will take your preference into account, on Saturday morning I will check the embryos and if they all look OK then we will keep them in the lab and do a 5-day transfer, but if only 2 or 3 look good then we will go ahead and transfer on Saturday. Now to the question… do you prefer a 3 day or 5 day transfer? And which did you actually do and was it a success ? thanks
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2012 - 11:49
Hi ladies.. thank you for your kind words and support. I will need some more if you don’t mind :) So I went for the egg retrieval yesterday, once in the operating room they checked my identity and then gave me the anesthesia. I woke up in the recovery area, the nurses were being very helpful and caring. The doctor then came and told me that they got only 7 eggs, she said a lot of my follicles were empty and it seems I still have a lot of smaller follicles but she thought they would probably be immature so no point of collecting them at this stage. She told me she expected much more eggs but 7 is fine, but I might have to come back the next day and try to retrieve more eggs. Ofcourse by then I started crying and all were trying to calm me down and told me 7 is fine but it might just be an option to come back tomorrow. From 11 30 I was on my nerves until they finally called at 6 in the evening with the news that 6 of the 7 were mature and all looks good and that I will not have to come back for another ER ilhamdulilah (thank God) . Today I get a call that only 4 have survived till now. I’m getting worried. inshAllah all of them survive and are of good quality. Is this normal? About the ER itself, felt a little discomfort the same day of the ER, was told I can take Panadol blue if i feel I need to, so i took 2 pills towards the end of the day (8 PM). The day after (today) is more painful, I’m having back pain and cramps but nothing too bad, and I went in to work as normal. I feel I am on a lot of medication, 2 antibiotics- Flagyl and Ciprobay ((2 times a day), Progyluton pill under my tongue (3 times a day), Cyclogest pessaries (3 times a day) and Glucophage (2 times a day). in total 12 pills a day! Did everyone also take so many medicines? Again thank you for all your support. <em>edited by T85 on 20/12/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 18:43
Hi everyone.. here is my update I went yesterday for a checkup, during the U/S all seemed OK, but the doctor said my lining is looking a little bit thick and so I need to take antibiotics… she reassured me things are OK but this is just to stay on the safer side. My blood test results came back and they called me in to take my trigger shot, I was not expecting that at all. They kept telling me your ER will probably be on Thursday so I didn’t expect it. anyways I went and got the shot. My ER is tomorrow (Wednesday). inshAllah all goes well. May you please give me any tips regarding ER. I know im not supposed to eat from tonight midnight, no perfumes, jewelry, contacts… but I keep reading about extreme bloating and so on. Did anyone go through that? Another concern is the anesthesia .. I have never gone through that is it scary? and is it true that people say all their deepest darkest secrets? Please pray for me.. hope i get enough eggs and the procedure goes smoothly.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 December 2012 - 17:56
Sorry I have not been on for a while. This is my update I went to the clinic and went step by step with the nurse regarding how to mix the medicine and give myself the injection, and I got the hang of it.. i recommend that everyone does that... I have been to clinic for the check up (blood test and ultrasound), and all seems to be going well thank God. I am still on menupor (dosage 150 a day), she says this is best because of my PCO. I have another check up tomorrow. All I can do is keep on staring at my calendar and counting days and estimating my EC and ET days and when would the 2WW finish.. did anyone else do this?
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Latest post on 10 December 2012 - 18:08
@Plum Tree Thanks for the advice. I talked to them and they said that this is probably how my body reacted to the injection (gonapeptyl 0.1mg). I was just asking here to know if this happened to anyone else.. to feel normal.. So yesterday I went for my monitoring checkup. ultra sound and blood test. said all is OK thank God. They gave me injections Menopur (150 Total - 75 to be taken 2 times a day) for 3 days. My next appointment is on Thurs for another checkup. I took my first Menopur injection this morning and I got so fustrated. They did explina how to do it but somehow it felt overwhelming. When I injected i actually felt a big pop of air and got a little scared actually and im still feeling something uncomfortable around the injection site. Will go today evening to take the second one with a nurse there to relearn the steps and make sure I'm doing it right. Thats my update for now. :)
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Latest post on 10 December 2012 - 17:59
@jimnbaby Congratulations! This is exciting news. Wishing you a safe pregnancy! and hope to join the pregnancy club soon! @Plum Tree Hope you get a big fat positive soon! <em>edited by T85 on 10/12/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 December 2012 - 11:34
@Plum Tree Wishing you all the best :) @confusion Thank you for your support. A weird kinda icky question. I went on the second day of my period (which came very early.. And even on the second day it was spotting) anywayz the dr said im good to start the treatment but after the 1st injection i have had no period bleeding.. Did that happen to everyone? Im sooo sorry if this grossing people out! Will keep everyone updated for those who were in my place as i appreciated any infomartion i could get about the process and so on.
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Latest post on 06 December 2012 - 12:26
hi. i started my treatment today. scan, blood test and first injection to supress my system (gonapeptyl 0.1mg) and they gave me another one for tom i have to also take antibiotic (zithtromax) then on sunday i should go back for a scan and another blood test. the whole thing was explained as a 10 - 12 day then EC.. dont know what is that considered? long or short? im feeling excited that after 2 years of waiting i feel its getting so close but im just scared of the whole thing. InshAllah all goes well. i was told to cut out carbs as i have PCOS. i will miss my sweets and chocolate. does anyone have any diet tips? recommendations? been reading to eat eggs, peanut butter... @Plum Tree thank you for your replies. its so nice to have someone to talk to about this. wishing you all the best and that your embyros are doing great! baby dust to all of us. edited by T85 on 06/12/2012 edited by T85 on 06/12/2012 <em>edited by T85 on 07/12/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 December 2012 - 16:36
Hi Tommorow is the 2nd day of my cycle and im going to Dr.Amal to start the treatment. I am panicking and feel sooo out of it. This is the first attempt and im hoping for the best.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 November 2012 - 11:48
Hi T85. Re freezing I think it would depend one on your age and two on how well u do with the meds during IVF treatments. If u r young and still have plenty of 'biological' time then I wouldnt make the already hectic schedule of a treatment worse by travelling far as u will most likely have good egg quality should u want another round. The other reason for freezing may be if u find yourself suffering from the side effects of the meds, a frozen cycle involves much less medication and will save you a lot of bloating-cramping-injecting-headaches etc. But if u do ok with the meds then again no worries. HTH BTW Im on day 7 of short protocol...1st scan tomorrow...let's c how well my apparently old self is reacting to the three daily injections!!! thank you for your reply. Im below 30 and our main issue is low sperm count so i guess i will not let the embryo freezing issue make my descion. wishing you all the best with the scan. good luck
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Latest post on 24 November 2012 - 11:20
Hi All, I just thought of something and would love some input. As i mentioned earlier i felt comfortable with Dr.Amal at al fakih clinic, the only thing is they dont freeze embryos as per dubai law. Is that a big negative? Should i do the treatment in a place that would freeze, which means in sharjah?
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Latest post on 19 November 2012 - 23:19
Hi Jimnbaby, Hope you are feeling better. I would love to hear your feedback about the treatment with Dr.Ashraf. Wishing you all the best. Good luck!
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Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 15:57
Thanks for your response. I would like to know of any pointers or advice regarding how to prepare for IVF. Should I drink more milk (does it count if i have it with tea?)? eat something in particular? do I have to quit coffee all together? I would like to do all i can to make it work....
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Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 12:50
Hi All, I went to my initial consultation with Dr.Amal in Fakih Center. She was sweet, caring, attentive and helpful. Did not make me feel bad for any reason, (Dr. Mohammad actually said that at the start of your marriage you used birth control and now you are running to take medicines for children, which was very hurtful, but I ignored it) Anyways back to Dr. Amal. She looked at our test results, did ultrasound and said all looks good and to come back on the 2nd day of my next cycle to start the treatment. She gave me her mobile number incase I need anything and we have a “dedicated nurse” that will be available if I would like to come and discuss in more details. They noted that I do not live in dubai and so said they will teach me how to give myself the injections so I do not have to visit the clinic every time. The feeling I had walking out of the 2 clinics is incomparable. After leaving Dr.Mohd I felt very depressed, however with Dr.Amal I felt much more calm. I know this is nothing tangible but in my opinion this is a time when we should have a supportive doctor. ICSI costs is 28,000 Dhs including all medications. The difference is 6,000 Dhs and location (for me as previously mentioned Sharjah is a much better location) I have not yet made a final decision as 6,000 Dhs is not a small difference. CHE731... thank you for your reply.I will also make an appointment with New Hope as another option. can you provide the cost at that clinic? I will probably start treatment mid December. So I still have some time to think it through. jimnbaby...I would love to know how the treatment with Dr.Mohd went. Good luck to all :)
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Latest post on 08 November 2012 - 12:15
Hi I went for my second appointment with Dr.Ashraf and have a weird feeling. So I started asking about the procedure and he explained it, he said to come in after a couple of days to start treatment…then I wanted more details as in what medications I would have to take, what would happen in the next appointment.. and his reply was, I’m not in the mood to tell you (I think it was meant as a joke, but this is a very sensitive time for me). I asked again saying I need to be mentally prepared so I would like to have an idea about what would happen and his response was I cannot answer you now as I will only now then, he said it depends on your follicles and other things which you should not worry about this is my job all you have to do is exercise, eat fruits and vegetable and drink a lot of milk. His location and timings are great for me, I work late and live right next to the clinic. This is the main reason I would go back, he said he would accommodate me needing to see him at any time for injections and so on. I would like to have some feedback. Is it normal for a doctor not to know what will they do and what medications will be required until the day (again I do not know what is supposed to happen on that day) itself? The cost is 16,000 (ICSI is required for us) not including medications. The nurse said it would be around 22,000 as a total. I have an appointment next week with Dr.Amal (Fakih center) will update it with how that goes as well. Thinking of checking New Hope Center as well. 2 people here seem to have good feedback but for some reason i feel they are ads as the people posting have 2 or 3 posts only? i do not mean to offend anyone but just saying my thoughts. Anyways would love to hear more. Thanks edited by T85 on 08/11/2012 <em>edited by T85 on 08/11/2012</em>
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Latest post on 08 October 2012 - 12:52
Thank you for all your replies. At the moment I will go to Dr.Ashraf again just to follow up on our first appointment and see what his thoughts are. I will also go to Dr.Fakih and see what he thinks. Then who I feel more comfortable with I will complete the treatment with. I will keep you all posted. Thanks again!
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Latest post on 03 October 2012 - 15:36
I recommend Enjab Hospital , Dr. Ashraf is great he knows what he's doing,I did my IVF this month with him and I'm waiting to do my BETA tomorrow ..wish me luck! but if I'm unfortunate and had a BFN i"ll still re-try with Dr. Ashraf. Hi, I’m new to EW. i came across this website when i was doing some research regarding ivf clinics in Dubai and Sharjah. i am now considering going to Dr. Ashraf in Enjab hospital mainly because of location. i would like to know on what basis do you recommend him (is that compared to other doctors?) or due to his success rate..or...?. Dr.Fakih and Dr. Mohd (DGFC?) are mentioned a lot. but Dr. Ashraf’s name pops up every now and then. another option is Sharjah is conceive clinic, but it seems not upto date to the other clinics? I’m very confused. hope i can get some more information about the sharjah clinics and if i should just go to Dr.Fakih (very recommended it seems on this site)? thanks in advance