IVF at NUH--feedback pls

H

hoping4baby

New Member
Hi. I'm looking for feedback on Prof Wong and his IVF team at NUH.

Here's a bit about myself. I'm a Singaporean living in Japan. Hubby has MF infertility (varicocele) and ICSI is our only option.

Since March 05, we've done 4 ICSI cycles at 2 different clinics (3 fresh, 1 frozen). Our first attempt resulted in a chemical pregnancy and our second in a m/c at 9 wks.

Hubby went for an op to correct his varicocele last Sept. His count went up but not the motility so his doc said that considering my age (I'm about to turn 39), we should continue with ICSI.

We did 2 more fresh cycles after Hubby's op at a different but cheaper clinic in a university hospital. But I learned through a painful way that cheaper also means lousier service and treatment.

I'm seriously considering doing IVF in Singapore on perhaps our final attempt. Any info/first-hand accounts that can help us in making our decision would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 


Hi

I am with Pc Wong. He is a professional and no-fuss doctor. If you want a doctor that showers you with TLC and lots of warmth and remarks, he is not the kind. He will give u the facts as it is, and will not add in too much 'personal comments' unless u probe further.

The nurses at the IVF clinic(they have another name for it) are relatively friendlier. I know most of their names and chat with them freely.

As for my own IVF history, well, i have done one fresh one frozen. In NUH, they normally transfer the embryo on day 4-5. As opposed to some sisters here who said the embryo transfer was done on Day 3.

To freeze remaining embryos, they will wait for blastocysts, which is around day7. They think that it will maximise the chance of thawing. True enough, altho i only have 2 frozen embbies, both could be thawed at my frozen cycle.

As for your hubby's condition, u got to ask a urologist. PC wong will not comment more on male's infertility because he is a gynea.
 
Hi,

I am with PC Wong, currently taking 6 mth off from 2nd IVF. I will starting my 3rd one in Sept 06. What I like about him is he is very straight forward and will tell you exactly what it is. I love his team of nurses who are very friendly, caring and supportive. Even how busy they are, they will always make sure that you feel comfortable. Their follow up is awesome. I just love the whole support system that make me feel welcome and that I never have to feel like a loser for not be able to conviece naturally.
That is also why I have decided not to change to another clinic. To me, it is all up to my body to accept it.
 
Thank you ladies for your help. You've certainly given me some food for thought. I'll sleep on it and come to a decision later.
 
hi gals,

im going to see prof wong tis sat..my 1st appt, does he schedule check ups etc for u before strting any program? and do u all need to wait very long each time?

i had 2 succesful attempts on ivf but both miscaried. one at 2nd trimester due to incompetent cervix cause carrying triplets and another at 7 weeks due to no heartbeat and abnormal growth..so wonder if really pregnant, does he follow up or have to switch docs again?
 
hi puipui80,

very sorry to hear about your loss. i've been following the MTB thread (to get some encouragement) and wondering what happened to you. i can't help you but hope someone will quickly.

btw, if you don't mind, you said that you had problems urinating on the other thread. i also had the same problem on my 3rd ICSI try. there was no urinary tract infection. i just couldn't pass urine about 10 days after ET and had to have a catheter inserted for one week. does your doc have an explanation for your problems? my doc said that if i were pregnant, that could be the cause. but i didn't test pos. so still completely clueless and very worried about next ET because have to hold urine again.
 
hi hoping4baby,

thanks for ur support, though my d&c was 2 weeks ago, nw having my 1st cycle so waiting for 2 more cycles before transferring my frozen embryos. are u doing a fresh cycle or frozen?

i did have urinating problem but it was when i was pregnant leh..they said the baby weight was blocking my bladder. another reason could be dehydration..so they advise not to wait till bladder very full but to go every 15 mins to 30 mins instead. like u, i had a catheter inserted quite a no of times till my vagina really sore and was in alot of pain cause it stung so they had to take out after 2 to 3 days. but my problem stopped after i delivered.

the doc did try to give me a medicine, very acid tasting liquid to help me urine normally but it didnt really help..i suggest u seek a referal to see a specialist tat deals with urinary/bladder problems instead of a gyne if u are worried..i knw its really hard esp when our bladder has to be full when during ET..so i think its better for u otherwise u kana tis problem again cause my ex-gyne said inserting catheter too many time is not really good and can be a source of infection..but dunno if tats cause harmful to baby..but if u are having tis problem now, better to seek help before pregnant otherwise u may have a real problem when ur baby next time is bigger and heavier.
 
puipui80

thanks for the info. sorry abt your d&c. i kena d&c on my 2nd (FET) cycle too. same problem as you--lost the heartbeat and abnormal growth. found out later it was a random chromosonal disorder. my menses didn't come for 2 months after d&c. maybe bec i didn't take chinese herbs to 'pu' my body. pls take care and build up strength for next try.

i don't have any frozen embies left. will be starting new fresh cycle next month.

i did see a urologist. he just said so long as can urine after taking out catheter, no need further treatment and no explanation either since i didn't test pos. i keep wondering even now whether i could have been PG at that time but the shock of the urine problem caused an early m/c b4 it could be detected???

yr experience with the catheter during PG sounds really scary. i better start doing kegel exercises.

maybe you could post at the unsuccessful thread to get more info on NUH. where did u do your two cycles?
 
hi hoping4baby,

oic, im sorry too abt ur m/c...my gyne said the same thing, it seems to be a really common problem. i hope that u will be successful again soon.

yes, maybe u can try taking some chinese herbs to build up strength and regulate ur hormones..i will be seeing one soon after my period.

will u be starting a fresh cycle at nuh? where did u do ur first 2 cycles? i did mine at kkh, 1st attempt, followed by dr foong at gleneagles. dr foong very nice and caring dr but too expensive and i didnt want to go back to kkh so i decided to go to nuh instead for tis try.

it sounds really scary and worrying abt ur urinary problem..if the doc cant find anythin wrong, why dun u see how ur new et goes..but do highlight to ur gyne though. i really hope tat u wun suffer the same problem again.
 
puipui,

if u get pregnant, u will stick to P C Wong if he is your 'original gynea' from NUH. That was what the nurses told me..No, usually I dont have to wait very long for PC wong. If it is IVF related visit (scanning etc), its very fast. But if yours is first visit, that means you are waiting for him together with the pregnant mums, then it will take slightly longer. but definitely less than an hour. average 30 min ??

puipui/hoping4baby,

I also had catheter inserted during embryo transfer because my 'passageway' wasnt that straight. Felt like urinating after ET due to the manipulation too. But had to lie in bed for 2 hours. So I sort of hold urine for two hours. During that two hours, I felt something flowed out, not sure if its the embryo!! definitely not urine.. (yes...i din succeed)

Thereafter the nurse said actually during the 2 hours of bedrest post ET, u can ask for a urinary dispenser to urine on the bed. Maybe u guys can try that out. This will help prevent urinary problems after that.

I din have any urine problems after ET. Just rushed straight to toilet after the 2 hours is up.
 
hi stumbledby,

thks for extra info..30mins is quite fast, at kkh, waiting for my gyne takes at least 2 hrs min, usually 3 hrs by the time i see her..so its really tiring to wait so long and consultation is over within 15 mins.

do u know really how much it costs for a fresh cycle?

so we cant get up after et, tats new..kkh can get up to urine after 10 to 15 mins and go hm liao. gleneagles, same catheter insert to drain urine but take out once drained.
 
puipui,

i think mine was around 10K. didnt really tabulate to the last cents cos i was confused by the medisave (deduct directly) and some of the cost i had to pay up front.

ya..we had 2 hours of bedrest. i literally crawled 'sideways' from operating theatre table to hospital bed (in the op room) so as to remain in 'horizontal position'. the bed was also tilted downwards (ie your head is lower than your feet). No, catheter is not to drain urine; the catheter is to help bring the embryos to your womb.
 
hi stumbled by,

i tot nuh would be much cheaper..my 1st attempt at kkh was abt 5.2k, so didnt have to pay anything upfront since totally covered under the 6k medisave. gleneagles was ard 10k plus oso, deduct medisave 5k, paid cash 5k plus..

i tot govt hospital like nuh was similar to kkh. maybe individual paitient got varying costs..but thanks, i would find out more at my visit.

oic, i had a catheter inserted to drain my bladder after insertion of embryos..dr didnt want me to suffer by holding my bladder for 2 hrs..very funny ah, how come kkh dun have tis lying down policy. so far, i see gleneagles and nuh follow tis procedure of lying down for at least 2 to 3 hrs after et.
 
puipui,

my 10K is everything including 6K medisave. medisave is still my money mah..So you said KKH was 5.2K did u add in the 6K from medisave ?

NUH is restructured hospital not govt. So it has the private hospital kind of treatment where u see only one doc. And u dont have to wait very long like govt hospital. charges should be cheaper than gleaneagles..
 
hi stumbledby,

my 5.2k was the total charges, meaning tat 1st attempt got medisave 6k..but my 1st attempt didnt exceed the 6k medisave limit..thus i didnt have to pay any cash for that attempt, fully deducted from medisave..

oic, i always thought that nuh was a govt hospital, thks alot for clearing that up
happy.gif
 
puipui,

hhhmm...if u only spent 5.5K for first attempt everything in then its CHEAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! u mean everything from doctor's consultations, ultrasound/blood test, embryologist charges to medicine to ER/ET operation ?

is 5.5K the average cost of IVF in KKH ?

heehee..sorry for doubting u but it seems incredible
 
hi stumbledby,

yes, the 5k plus was including all the medication, scans, extraction and transfer..the onli thing exclude is the insurance of course..the medication and reistration had to pay upfront first but after the whole procedure, the amount was refunded back to us..indeed its really surprising as i have been comparing costs, and a few gynes at pte practice were surprised at the amount as well, so ur reaction is understandable..hehe
happy.gif


as whether its the average costs, im not so sure..cause when i saw my gyne, she told me for my age, as i was 25 tat time, would not cost more than 6k. but i think it wun be much of a difference if older..
 
Hi all,

I changed to PC after being upset with my previous gynea for failing to warn me against OHSS during my IUI. She recommended me for ICSI but also for my hubby to undergo surgery to correct his vericocele (like hoping4baby's case). I was alwiz the one craving for kid not my HB. So dun like the idea of him under knife to satisfy my maternal instinct.

Went to PC. He ruled out the need for my HB's surgery. Because for ICSI, sperm selection will be done. There is no guarantee that the sperm count will increase after the surgery. Both my HB and I are in medical related line so we prepared lots of question to ask him. He gave us very straight forward answers. That's the reason we undergone our ICSI with him. I was preg the first trial.

One more thing to share is that during my 19wks preggie, my water bag burst. He arranged for me to be under a high risk pregnancy specialist. I feel so indebted to him and Prof Biswas for having my little precious today. Without them, I will not have the chance to enjoy motherhood. The arrival of my little one influenced a paradigm shift on my HB's perception of no kids is better. I guess my boy has crushed out that thought by arriving prematurely to share the same birthday as his Dad's!

All the best to all of you who are trying..... One day, you will cuddle your little precious, smiling back, thanking yourself to brave through the trials of TTC!
 
mommy1009,

thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear your water bag burst, but yours was singleton right ? Did u carry the pregnancy to 37 weeks ?

Yes, PC is quite experienced. I am a MTB under him now too
happy.gif
 
atlas007,

i underwent IVF. I am in the IVF MTB support group in this forum
happy.gif


didnt strike naturally. esp when under pressure(b4 onslaught of IVF program, I will get UTI, or cant TTC properly etc...hiaks)

u?
 
Dear Stumbled,

Yup, mine is a singleton. No. I did not managed to carry my bb up till 37 wks. Instead he was born prematuredly at 29 wks.

Glad to hear that u r on ur way to be mommy...

Just to give my 2 cents worth of UTI, females are prone to UTI because our urinary tracts is very near our genitalia. More so is our genital is internal as compared to males. As such men are much less prone to UTI (imagine the distance those microorganisms have to travel to reach the internal urinary tract of the men!). So if your partner is not careful of his genital's hygiene and both of you are the more "adventurous" type during times of intimacy, the risk of UTI will be very much increased.

The area under the foreskin of the male organ is a very conducive place for microorganisms to replicate - the pH, dampness, temperature, and unexposed/ disturbed area is great condition for replication.

That's why circumcision is advised for hygienic basis and proactive step to reduce the risk of UTI. But of course, the guys will face the Ouchh...
 
hi ladies

Have you any idea whether Prof Wong will monitor or measure patient's lining during IVF treatment? Stumbled_by, did you get yours measured? Are you expecting twins?
 
mommy1009,

tks for the tips.

Atlas,

U mean during the 2 weeks follicle stimulation stage (egg stimulation) ? I think he measured, but he did not really tell me the readings nor read it aloud. He only tell me the no. of follicles and size of follicles, but i noticed he will see the lining when it is nearer to egg collection time.

Mine is singleton. After hearing what other ladies in this support forum experienced, I think having singleton is much safer
happy.gif
 
atlas,

no doctor will transfer only 1 embryo cos its not worth the effort (After spending so much), unless of cos, there is only 1 viable embryo in the end for transfer. Typically in Singapore, the doctors will transfer 2 to 3 embryos. I think the law forbids the doc from transferring more than 3 embryos.

What I meant was that initially I hoped for twins....cos u asked if I had twins. But on retrospect, singleton is better cos its safer in terms of pregnancy risk. Be it the well being of the baby, carrying baby to full term, risk of premature dilation of cervix, side effects/discomforts of pregnancy etc.
 
atlas

Ok, i checked my profile. I unchecked the 'Do not send me private messages from..', hopefully it works.

if not, let me know again, and I will send u PM instead
happy.gif
 
Atlas,
I hv not been following the thread, just want to drop by to say hi and hope you will hv many good eggs during ER, it should be sometime this week isnt it?
 
Atlas,

Oh dear! Hmmmmm do what is best for you and your body. Even if you hv to cancel this round, you can still restart after your body recover. Dont be discouraged. All the best.
 
it should be quite similar to KKH.

At Day 21, u take injection for 2 weeks. Then thereafter, stimulation will start using Gonal-F. usually stimulation is between 12-14 days. Egg retrieval is done via GA. Then 3-5 days later, embryo replacement will be done. Full urine is required and u will lie for 2 hours after egg transfer.
 
Anyone here who undergo IVF at NUH is under any long term medication(steriods) or suffering from any chronic illness?
 
Hi , i have one failed ICSI (Male infertility) in kuala Lumpur Malaysia last year!!! it took me a year to recovered. So may consider InVitro Maturation

whould like to try in Singapore, as a foreigner am i allow to use NUH or KKH the public hospital and what will be the cost.

How about the private hospital : Thompson,Mount Elizabeth and Gleneagle (it seems O&G partners by Prof NG is very caring )...

Thanks and looking forward
 
I am a 38 year old Singapore currently residing in US. I too had my first failed IVF-ICIS recently, and thinking of coming back to Singapore to do my 2nd cycle with Prof Ng or Dr Foong at Gleneagles or CARE-IVF. Also Considering TMC with Dr Cheng I think.
Anyone has any experience with these mentioned or comments? I would love to use them as my references.
 
Hi mngal,

I had my 1st IVF/ICIS done with SGH/CARE last Dec through my private Gynae at MT E (he is the consultant of SGH), the nurses SGH are very friendly (They will call to update you once the result is out) and the waiting time is very short (10mins to 1hrs the max) but bcos my Gynae is at MT E (private clinic) that why a bit inconvenience , some day i needs to travel to SGD then to MT E to see my Gynae, but overall he is a nice Gynae and responsible ..
The overall cost is around $13K ($6K from medisave bal cash)
I was told they do have their internal Gynae so may be you can try calling them when you arrive.
or if you prefer private Gynae i can give you his contact.
Take care and hope success the next cycle.
 
Hi oink oink,

saw your msg and noted that you shared the same private gynae as me in another thread. Cos most likely need to take many leave for the procedure. hope that you can enlighten me as I will need to opt for IVF/ISCI.


How is your lst IVF in last Dec? In view that our dr is the consultation of SGH but work at Mt E. How many mths do you need to prepare before starting the IVF procedure?

What is the duration from initial visit to injection to the end?
 
Hi all,
I did my IVF in NUH and was successful last year. I am now a very grateful mother of a 7 months old princess. I have plans to try for another baby, but am quite worried about how to cope with the treatment process and at the same time look after my baby. Wondering if there is anyone here who had gone through another cycle of IVF after a succcessful one who could share some tips.
 
Dear Ladies!
Could you write me how it is possible to receive some money from medisave for IVF/ICSI treatment?
Should I have special insurance plan?
 
Hello everyone,
Frist time here....
I am with Dr PC Wong as well... I some times find that he does not explain things to me, unless I come up with the questions. Thus, I myself had to do a lot of studying inorder to ask the questions.

Now, we are thinking of proceeding to IVF..

I am so worried and scared....

After trying with IUI for 3 times... wasn't successful, so this step would be the next step to go..

Yet, although I had taken a month off the medication for IUI my back and left leg aches... to the point that I could not sleep for few days.. told Prof about it.. and was told that its the bones... and should fix it before the actual implantation....

Yet, I feel that my body might not be able to take the hormon shots......... at this stage... just dont know.. who and where to consult about this....
 

Hi i m new to this thread. Can I join u gals in the IVF issues too? As i realised most of you mention about Prof. PC Wong fr NUH, is he/she that popular & experience? And wat kind of stimulation drugs are they using?How's the whole of process of IVF like?I m considering of doing IVF next year. Thanks for any info.
 
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