Kim

I would like to say a HUGE thank you to the doctors, embryologists and all the staff at Gynem who were a part of our successful IVF journey. A special thank you to our wonderful coordinator Eliska, who was kind, informative, responsive and supportive throughout. My husband and I are from the UK and have been trying to conceive for over 12 years. After undergoing fertility tests and investigations on the NHS, the outcome showed that my husband’s sperm was of poor morphology and motility. I also had PCOS so conceiving naturally was not going to work anytime soon. We are also in our late thirties and mid forties so time was running out. We decided to look into IVF in Prague as a friend had a successful IVF baby in Prague with a different clinic. We did our research showed Prague as a top country for IVF success and Gynem really stood out to us. The Youtube videos as well as the website and reviews were all informative, clear and positive. The location was fantastic for us and was important as we knew we would be travelling to the clinic multiple times for treatment. We filled out the online questionnaire to start the process and was contacted very quickly by our coordinator Eliska, who explained everything to us and booked us in for out free consultation in the clinic. We decided to go to Prague to do the consultation as well as preliminary tests in person. The tests are all included with our package and results came back quick as it was all done in-house. We met the doctor and I will always remember what he said to us that made us have real hope. He said we only needed one good quality egg and one healthy sperm to make a baby and that we had come at the right time. Had I left it another 2 years, it might have been too late to use my own egg. I really appreciated the honesty and felt in safe hands. The clinic was easy to get to, super clean and welcoming. You can tell they really pride themselves on professionalism, cleanliness and efficiency. We left the clinic with medication and instructions to start the ovary stimulation and egg collection which was all done in one month. I had to have a private ultrasound in the UK and send the report to the clinic in regards to the ovary stimulation. I could have had it done free at the clinic, but I was not able to travel and get time off work at that point. It was also cheaper to pay for the scan than pay for the flight. Once the clinic got the results, my egg collection date was booked and we knew when we had to fly to Prague and stayed for 6 days to have my ovaries monitored and eggs collected. We were pleasantly surprised that we had 11 mature eggs and after fertilising with my husband’s sperm via ICSI method, we managed to have 3 blastocysts. We did pay extra for PGT-A testing which is so worth it in my opinion. We had the blastocysts frozen and came back to the clinic 2 months later to have the best grade and euploid blastocyst transferred into my womb. It was a quick process, and we left with medication and instructions on when to do a pregnancy test and what hormones to take and how long for. This was 3 months ago and I have since had my 12 week scan which confirms a live single pregnancy with a healthy heartbeat. We also just had our blood screening for Edward’s, Patau’s and Down’s Syndrome which all ccame back as super low chance which backs the PGT-A testing results. I would fully recommend paying for PGT-A for peace of mind as well as reducing the chances of transferring a aneuploid blastocyst, which would more than likely have resulted in a miscarriage and cause heartache for me as well as prolong the time to getting pregnant. Although we are only in the beginning stages of our pregnancy, our 12 week ultrasound scan shows we have a healthy fetus and that means Gynem has achieved their aim to help us get pregnant. The rest is up to us and fate so I have no qualms giving a positive review and leaving feedback to help others before we have a live birth. We are so lucky that we were successful on our first round of IVF but I also believe the success was down to the doctors who diagnosed our fertility issues. They were correct with diagnosing my husabnd’s sperm issues as well as my PCOS. Not every IVF protocol will be same for everyone so I really appreciate Gynem for looking at us as individuals and tailoring the support and medication to our needs. I fully recommend Gynem to anyone looking for a trustworthy clinic in Prague. The staff, treatment, location and support are amazing. Everyone speaks and understands English and most staff speak another European language so everyone is catered for. We did have to pay extra for medication, PGT-A testing and our private scans in the UK. Also, we paid for flights and hotel for a total of 9 days (2 days for first visit which was consulation and prelimnary tests, 6 days for second visit for ovary monitoring and egg collection and 1 day for the last visit for frozen embryo transfer). Location was so easy to get to. We stayed in Bila la but which is central with places to eat, shops, entertainment and you can walk and explore the Old Town, Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and get a taxi to Prague Zoo. There is a direct tram service to Gynem as well as a subway (Florenc) so transport is not an issue. Ubers and Bolts are very affordable also and should be used if time sensitive for appointments at the clinic. My advice for potential clients: make sure you do your research into what IVF is and what it involves. It is a very complex subject and if you don’t know your diagnosis, treatment options and excluded fees such as medication, you will feel flustered and confused. We went into this with our eyes wide open and with at least 2 months of research. If you are going to be spending money then you need to ensure you understand what you are paying for. Another piece of advice is, make sure you tell your coordinator at the clinic when you intend to come back to the clinic and if you’ll be having scans back home or in their clinic. This is important so they equip you with enough medication to last you whilst you are back home. We made a mistake and had to come to Prague the second time a little earlier to get additional ovary stimulating medication. So had we had the correct amount of medication, we would only have needed 3 days in Prague instead of 6. As mentioned before, I fully recommend PGT-A testing, especially if you are over 35 years of age. Be sure to understand the price of PGT-A. We did not factor the processing costs and thought we only had to pay for the testing but obviously the embryologists need to be paid for the processing. Not a big deal or cost but please bear that in mind. Prices are very clear on the price list as well as package list. We just didn’t factor in that additional cost. The package itself is very extensive and includes so much. We went for the Maximum package so we could take advantage of the sperm fertilising extras which were necessary in my husband’s case. Egg freezing and storing is included for one year whereas other places will charge extra so well worth the money in my opinion. Communicating with the clinic was all done via email and highly efficient. We did have our first phone call with Eliska before coming to Gynem for the first time and she made me feel so reassured and welcome. Facilities are amazing. Treatment rooms are clean, changing area and recovery area are well equipped, reception area very welcoming and nature inspired. My husband said the sperm drop off room was adequate and private enough. We are so happy with the outcome and would fully recommend Gynem in a heartbeat. We are so impressed with the service, professional environment and the wonderful staff. We are truly grateful for our chance of being parents in this lifetime. Thank you Gynem, from the bottom of our hearts. We plan to come back to have a sibling for our baby in the near future so watch this space!