My experience at IVI Aravaca has been exceptional. They made it possible for me to have my daughter Anna and now they have done it again, I am pregnant again. Dr. Mayoral, in addition to being a great professional, is a wonderful person. I will never marry to thank her in particular and the entire team in general.
We had failed IVF with IVI Madrid Aravaca in March 2019. As an international patient the service we received was far from personalised nor were we offered the best possible protocol and technology for our case. I dealt with over a total of 5 international coordinators throughout my treatment. They seem to prefer e mail to a central mailbox. This can be nerve wracking for an international patient towards the later days of stimulation, scans and changes to meds. My first consultation was a brief (45 mins) paid consultation and scan. A standard protocol was set which deviated from the 3 previous IVF protocols I had. No consideration seemed to be given that I achieved a pregnancy (although later miscarried) in the last IVF cycle on a different protocol. The egg retrieval was performed in 15 mins. I was not introduced to the person doing the egg retrieval and only realised which of the 4 people in the theatre it was as the anaesthetic was taking effect and they took up position. No explanation was offered why my consultant was not available for egg retrieval. After egg retrieval a doctor who had not been in the theatre turned up to tell me how the egg retrieval had gone. A person who spoke very limited English called me the next day to update on embryos and could not engage in any of my queries. Their laboratory called me a total of 2 times (day 1 & 3) during the wait for blastocyst. When we turned up at noon for what we thought was a blasto transfer, after keeping me waiting on full bladder for 45 mins, they informed us in the open plan waiting area that none of the 5 good quality embryos had survived. The embryos had arrested somewhere between day 3 & 5, they were not sure when. Apparently the laboratory tried to call me that morning but my phone showed no missed call or voicemail. The consultant was quick to blame my age (40) for a decline in the quality of my eggs and the fact I had at least 1-3 day 5 embryos in previous IVFs was irrelevant. I asked for photos of the embryos and to my surprise was informed that an embryoscope was only usually used for younger women, I had not paid extra for use of the embryoscope and there were no photos. At no point was I informed that I had to pay separately for use of an embryoscope. When we asked why no option was provided for a day 3 transfer we were told that all embryos at IVI were taken to day 5. We were then asked to pay extra for the extended day 5 embryo culture despite not being given the option of a day 3 transfer and the embryos arresting between day 3&5. My e-mail to the head coordinator about my experience with the clinic has not even been acknowledged. My attempts to get a lab report have been fobbed off so far.
All of this is in contrast to another IVF clinic in Madrid that I later had a free first consultation with where they took the time to take detailed notes, try to build on previous protocols to provide a better chance of success and offered a more personalised service.
Good points: some of the nursing staff and some coordinators were good and good room facilities similar to a private hospital
The best experience ever! After 4 years of trying Dra Barrio made me pregnant in 3 months! I cannot recommend her enough! The best doctor I ve ever had!
I can not even blame the lack of service, communication and empathy on a language barrier as my partner is Spanish but this clinic promote themselves as "international" and I feel sorry for any non Spanish people that would have to deal with them. They left telling us crucial information until the last minute with left us with limited options. They also gave wrong communication on more than one occasion which was very upsetting. We tried to move to the London Clinic to finish the treatment but was left waiting for two months for them to come back to us on something they said would take 3 days. Going through IVF is already going to be emotional, do not make it harder by using IVI, look for another clinic.
The actual surgery day was a bit too commercial and not personal enough.
Nice clean and tidy clinic, visited in 10/2019. The staff is empathetic and kind and their competence is professionalism has brought the much coveted fruit. Foreign facility board.
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