Michelle
We decided to try Gynem clinic in Prague following a bad experience with our first NHS fertility cycle in Ireland where we felt we were just a number and there was no real feedback or any information given as to why the cycle failed. Once we began to do some research about private treatment we realised that it was a lot more affordable abroad. We spent a number of months researching and comparing clinics and finally decided on Gynem. We have not been disappointed.
The clinic is on the outskirts of the city but is easily accessible by public transport. The clinic provides a taxi to pick you up at the airport and transport you to the clinic for the first visit. This eases some of the worry of finding your way about in a strange city. On arrival the reception area and clinic is bright, spotlessly clean, relaxed and very welcoming. There is free coffee and water available in the reception area which is a lovely touch. All the staff we encountered were friendly, professional and approachable. Nothing is too much trouble. Quite a few of the staff speak good English; however for those that don't there is always a co-ordinator available to help and we had no problems at all communicating with everyone.
For our first visit we booked a long weekend break and met with Dr.Milan Mrazek on the Friday for our consultation, although this can also be done by Skype. He is very knowledgeable and humble and we felt we could ask him anything. He was very happy to give advice whilst also allowing us to make up our own mind on the way forward. Unfortunately our first cycle turned out to be a little stressful due to the discovery of an endometrial polyp just a couple of days prior to starting stimulation's and going over to Prague. The clinic were so quick to help however and they had a meeting among the doctors to decide the best way to proceed in our case. We proceeded with a freeze all cycle but sadly this did not work out and our 2 embryos deteriorated on day 4.
We returned home and arranged a skype follow up the following week with Dr Vlcek who had performed my egg collection etc. The wonders of modern technology - we were able to sit in our kitchen and ask the doctor our long list of questions! We found this follow up so helpful and felt very well informed when it was complete, nothing was left unanswered. As with Dr Mrazek, Dr Vlcek made us feel he had lots of time to talk to us and we didn't feel rushed at any time. We decided to take a few months to think about our options and save up for our next round.
We have just returned home from our 2nd round of treatment with Gynem and this time things have gone a lot better. We made it to embryo transfer this time and have 5 embryos frozen which we are delighted with. We are currently in the 2ww so don't know the outcome yet, but i would have no hesitation in recommending Gynem. Their professionalism and relentless commitment to the patients is excellent. They are so patient and kind at all times and you really feel like you are receiving personalized treatment.
As an international patient you are assigned a co-ordinator who keeps you up to date by email and/or phone. This really is so valuable. Linda was our co-ordinator and is the most positive, friendly and professional person I could have wished to deal with. The updates are generally quite fast apart from holiday times when there was a bit of a delay, but this is understandable. Linda always answered all my queries, and there were a lot of them! Whenever i was in a panic or worried about something she always reassured me. She even gave us advice on where to visit, restaurants etc in Prague. Having someone personal to deal with your case is so reassuring. Linda arranged for Michaela to meet us on the day of embryo transfer in her absence, and she was also lovely. She was so friendly and helpful and almost as excited about our embryos as we were!
A quick note about Prague - although we were not really in Prague for a holiday, over our 3 visits we did get to know the city quite well. There is plenty to do and an endless choice of restaurants/attractions to visit. The buildings really are beautiful. My advice is to master the metro and trams - we did find it a bit daunting to start with but once you get the hang of it, its a great way to get about and so cheap. Our first visit we stayed in a hotel close to the clinic but this time we stayed closer to the centre in Prague 1 and it was much better. It is so easy to get to the clinic on public transport there really is no need to stay close to it. This time we were so close to the metro station and endless restaurants. We even went to the cinema one night which was just across the road.
If you are thinking of choosing Gynem i can honestly say you wont regret it - they run a very professional and efficient service and make everyone feel very welcome.
