Back from the Czech Republic

Hello Everyone,

We are back from Reprofit in the Czech Republic. We had a great time!  There were a few kinks along the way, but nothing we couldn't manage. 

We flew into Dublin because it is cheaper then flying into London or directly to Brno. We stayed at our favorite airport hotel, Bewley's.  Since we arrived early in the morning we had to wait around 30 minutes or so before they had our room ready.  We did not mind because it gave us a chance to fuel up on breakfast at the hotel's restaurant.  Once our room was ready we caught up on a few ZZZ's lost during the flight.  When we woke up, around five hours later, we went downstairs and had a lovely dinner once again at the hotel's restaurant.  We had a great first night.  However, the second day of our trip did not start off as well as we would have hoped.

Our flight into Bratislava, Slovakia was on Ryanair.  This is one of Europe's most popular low cost airline.  We have learned during our travels that the flights are so cheap because of "bare bones" service.  You are actually penalized if you do not print out your boarding passes before your flight.  If you show up for check-in without a boarding pass you will be charged 60 euros per person to have one printed out for you at the gate.  If you show up late for check-in like we did, you may not be able to check your bags like planned.  Furthermore, make sure you opt to check in bags when making your reservations or you will be charged yet another 60 euros for each bag you want to check.  Since we were not able to check our bags, we had to take them on board with us.  So my advice if you choose to fly Ryanair or any of Europe's low cost airlines, make sure you read the fine print and look for any hidden fees before showing up at the gate for your flight! If you don't, you will pay more. It is best to plan ahead when choosing to travel on one of these airlines.

Our flight into Bratislava was a long two and half hours.  The flight was full so we were not able to sit together, so we both got middle seats.  The seats on these flight do not recline ("bare bones" remember...but the flights are cheap!) and do not have nice built in headrests so long flights can get a bit uncomfortable.  Once we arrived in Bratislava the customs line went quickly and the girls at the counters both spoke very good English.  Our only hitch was trying to figure out how to catch the bus into downtown Bratislava.  We finally broke down and got a taxi.  Thankfully the taxi driver only needed to hear the name of the hotel and off we went, straight to our hotel!  Once we arrived at the hotel we only had to wait twenty minutes to check in.  We slept a bit since we had an early morning flight, then went out and explored the city.  The downtown was lovely and well worth the long flight. 

After two days of exploring Bratislava, it was time to head to Brno. We took a taxi from our hotel to the bus station.  It cost around 5 euros and was easier than trying to catch a train or bus at 5 in the morning.  Once at the bus station it took us a few minutes to find Platform 16 to catch our Student Agency bus.  The bus ride took around 1:45 minutes.  The time flew by because they have entertainment systems built into the seat backs so I was able to watch a movie.  They also have free wifi.  So my husband went online and caught up on some work.  Once we arrived at the bus station in Brno, we caught another taxi to the Hotel Europa (pronounced Hotel Evropa!).  I got a great rate on the hotel, only $50 a night and very nice accommodations for the price! Because we did not have Czech Koruna, only euros, we ended up spending 20 euros for a $2.00 taxi ride.  So make sure you have Czech Koruna before jumping into a taxi! We also arrived too early for check-in at our hotel and had to store our bags and go exploring for a while.  Luckily, we had our consultation appointment at Reprofit so we had somewhere to be and did not mind the three hour wait for our room. 

While at Reprofit, we met with the nurse practitioner.  I had an ultrasound to make sure my endometiral lining looked good for our FET the next day. We discussed the procedure in more detail and then set the time for our procedure the next day.  We were at the clinic for a couple of hours before we headed back to our hotel. The next day we arrived a little early and were soon ushered into the room where the procedure would take place. There were several other couples in the waiting room. However, we only waited a couple of minutes before a nurse directed to an office to wait for the doctor. A few minutes later, we met with Dr. Daniela Vitouskov who then explained what would happen during the procedure. She then took us into the procedure room and showed us our embryos on the screen (2 beautiful Grade A 5 day Blastocysts), then she performed the procedure.  There was a slight pinch and a little discomfort then ten minutes rest and we were done. It all happened within less than an hour.  After the procedure a representative from finance took us downstairs to pay and then were we on our way.

This time around we paid half of what we paid the first time due to a Shared Risk arrangement that Reprofit has with Miracles Waiting.  Our total cost for the procedure cost us $1500.00 and I'm happy to say, four weeks later that our procedure was a success.  We are pregnant with twins!!!

If you have any questions about Reprofit, embryo donation, traveling to Europe for IVF, or for any other reason, please feel free to comment. I would be more then happy to answer any questions you might have. 

Our Next Trip

Well here we are preparing to leave for our second trip to Reprofit.  I must say, planning for this trip went significantly smoother then the first. Once again, Paloma with Miracles Waiting scheduled all of our appointments with the clinic. I made all of our travel arrangements in advance.  So now as we approach our departure day, all I really have left to do is pack our bags and get our travel details organized.

It was much easier this time around to make our travel arrangements. By scheduling everything in advance we cut down on our expenses. To save on airfare we waited until six weeks before our travel dates to buy our tickets into Dublin. We paid $864 per ticket with American Airlines and went directly through the AA website to accrue more airline miles. Instead of flying into Prague, we decided to fly  into Bratislava Slovakia on one of Europe's low cost airlines, RyanAir.  We saved over $500 a ticket. Bratislava is conveniently only an hour drive from Brno and is close to Vienna.  To avoid renting a car and to save on travel costs we'll take a Student Agency bus into Brno.  Once in Brno we'll use the city rail service and taxis to get around the city. We have also come to enjoy all the walking involved during our travels for the exercise and additional cost savings.

We have planned to travel for a total of eight days. Just enough time to do a little site seeing. We'll spend our first night in Dublin and then fly into Bratislava early the next morning.  While in Dublin we'll stay at our favorite airport hotel, Bewley's. I got a great deal on our room, $56 a night through Orbitz! We also save because the hotel offers a free shuttle service from the airport and there is access to a city bus that will take you directly into downtown Dublin. From Dublin we plan to fly into Bratislava where we will spend two nights at the Ibis Centrum Hotel in downtown Bratislava. The hotel offers a great location directly in the center of old town within walking distance of most of the attractions .  We'll spend two days total in Brno at the Hotel Europa where I got us a great room for $50 a night. For both hotel stays, I had to shop around the different hotel and travel sites to find the best rates. I ultimately, ended up using Venere.com We'll then head to Vienna for a couple of nights before flying back to Dublin and then home.

We are very excited and will write more upon our return.  Wish us luck!

Our IVF Experience

Choosing Reprofit was an easy choice for my husband and I.  We had read about many couple's experiences and also found several reviews about the clinic online. We also worked with our consultant, Paloma, with Miracles Waiting.  She answered all of our questions and scheduled all of our appointments. This left us with only a few decisions left to make, our hotel and flight arrangements.

To make our arrangements we used various travel sites. I used Priceline.com to reserve our airfare and went through Venere.com to make our hotel arrangements. I had heard that the best fares are often on Priceline and after many comparisons determined that Venere had the best rates by far than any other hotel site.  Since we had already been planning a trip to Eastern Europe, it did not take much additional planning to incorporate a trip to Brno from Prague.  Brno is also only a two hour bus ride away from Prague, so we were able to add this to our itinerary easily.

We flew into Prague and spent several days site seeing.  From Prague we arranged to take a Student Agency bus to Brno.  The bus dropped us off right in the center of Brno and from there we took a taxi to our hotel, Hotel Cyro.  The hotel was close to Reprofit and only a $5.00 fare to and from the clinic.

The outside of the Reprofit clinic was bright and welcoming. It was clean with white floors and modern furniture.  The nurses all wore nurses outfits similar to what nurses wear here in the states.  To our surprise we were greeted in English and everyone was very nice and courteous.  The nurse gave us some paperwork to fill out and then we waited for the doctor to arrive for our initial appointment. 

When the Dr. arrived she was very nice and greeted us with a thick Czech accent, yet spoke fluent English.  She looked over our medical records and gave us an idea of what to expect the day of our Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET).  From there she directed me to another room where she performed a trans-vaginal ultrasound. I asked about my Fibroids and if she thought they would be a problem. She mentioned that they were large but that she didn't think they would be an issue. After the ultrasound was complete she took us back into her office and explained what would happen during our procedure. We then shook hands and left the clinic.

We returned to the clinic the next day. Upon our arrival our nurse quickly escorted us to the room where our procedure would take place.  I changed my clothes and then waited for the Dr.  It only took a few moments for the Dr. to arrive.  He explained the procedure and then showed us our embryos up on the monitor. The procedure only took a few moments.  Afterward, we were escorted to the Dr.'s office where he explained our next steps, the hormones that I was required to take, how long I was to wait before taking a pregnancy test, and what I would need to do if the procedure was a success.  From there we were directed to the Accounts Payable department where we paid for the FET and the Trans Vaginal exam. 

Once downstairs we went to the pharmacy and filled our prescriptions for Estrace (Estrogen) and Progesterone. Buying them at the clinic rather than back in the states was significantly cheaper.  Two weeks of progesterone and estrogen cost me $150.00.  In the states I would have paid closer to $500. I was required to take both the estrogen and progesterone for two weeks before the procedure and then another two weeks after the procedure. If everything went successfully I was to take then keep taking the progesterone for 12 weeks into my pregnancy.  Unfortunately, our FET was not successful.  However, now that we are planning our second trip, we have enough to get us through our next trip to Brno.  

Overall, my husband and I were very happy with our experience and have started planning our next trip scheduled for this October.

Why we chose IVF in the Czech Republic

Unfortunately, our first efforts with a European fertility clinic did not result in a pregnancy.  Of course we realize that it may take more than one procedure to realize our goal. Notwithstanding this, we had such a great experience at the clinic that we have already began planning our second trip for this October.  We also decided that because we had such a positive experience we should share our stories and any information that may help others make the same decisions we did.

Our first experience took place at Reprofit, a fertility clinic in Brno, Czech Republic.  I just happened to stumble upon the clinic while searching for cheaper IVF options here in America.  It also just so happened that we were already in the process of planning a trip to Eastern Europe for our vacation.  So when I found the Reprofit website it seemed like fate.  Even more surprising were the prices.  When researching their prices we were shocked by how much cheaper they were than any of the clinics we had looked at in America.

Since we were now very intrigued, we decided to find out as much information as possible about the clinic.  I did various searches trying to find as much information as possible. I was able to find fertility discussion sites where women had either gone to Reprofit for fertility treatments or were planning to go to, just like us.  Luckily, I had made several connections and learned as much as I could about the clinic.   These women were a wealth of information and eased our worries and concerns about traveling to another country for fertility treatments.

However, rather than calling the clinic directly we went through an organization affiliated with the cilnic, Miracles Waiting.   Our coordinator's name is Paloma.  She arranged our appointments and was in constant contact with us and the clinic.  She helped alleviate any of our concerns and was available to answer all of our questions.  Had it not been for Paloma, I do not think we would have made it through.  She has been nothing short of a godsend. 

Planning our trip to Prague and Brno was not as complicated as I initially thought it would be.  We had heard from a friend that it is cheaper to fly through Dublin and then use European no frills airlines to fly to Prague.  We chose to fly from New York to Dublin on Aer Lingus into Dublin and then took another flight on the same airline from Dublin to Prague.  Had we flown directly into Prague on an American airline our flight would have cost considerably more money.  By flying into Dublin and then flying on Aer Lingus into Prague, we saved around $500. From Prague we took a Student Agency bus directly into Brno which cost us $14.00 a piece roundtrip.  From the Brno train station we caught a cab to our hotel that cost $2.00 total.  Getting to the clinic cost another $6.00 round trip. 

All in all between airfare, hotel costs, food, and clinic costs we spent a total of $5,200.00 - Frozen Embryo transfer $2200.00, airfare $1500.00, hotels $700.00, food $500.00, transportation $300.00.

We had a great experience.  We now have hope that our dreams of having a child together will soon become a reality and we've had the opportunity to experience the Czech Republic in the process!

Please continue to join us as we continue our IVF journey and discuss the many affordable fertility options available throughout Europe. 

Affordable IVF Options Available in Europe!!!

Although my husband and I both had children from our first marriages, we agreed early on that we would like to have a child together.  However, after trying to conceive naturally for many years and then undertaking numerous fertility tests, we were told that our options were limited.  We were not candidates for IUI or IVF treatments.  Our only options were either to accept sperm and egg donations or to seek an embryo donation.  After researching the cost of both of these treatments here in America, we determined that the costs were out of our price range. While initially I was resigned to my fate, I soon was back online looking for other options. Just by chance, I stumbled across fertility clinics in Europe that offered treatment to Americans. To my great surprise, the cost of such treatments was a fraction of the cost here in America. Even after adding the cost of travel, the cost was very affordable.

The costs associated with embryo donation here in America can range anywhere from $8,000 to $35,000. However, in countries like the Czech Republic, the costs are roughly 25% of the costs in American hospitals (even after factoring in the cost of the travel). There are also many affordable options in other countries in Europe. The quality of healthcare is also comparable to the quality that you would expect in American medical centers. The facilities in Europe are clean and modern and the staff and doctors are well educated. Most of the staff at these centers speak fluent English. 

If you are having trouble affording the costs of fertility treatments in America, Europe is a great option! Follow along with our blog as we discuss the many fertility options available, including travel suggestions and advice.