Implantation Dreams: Part 1
Time to play genetic roulette with 16-year-old frozen ammunition.
Are you pondering egg freezing, navigating fertility treatments or donor sperm or just appreciate an interesting story? Whether you are researching options for yourself, a partner, your offspring, or, like me, assembling a fertility puzzle over decades, Platinum Mum delivers you a roadmap. A personal story backed up by solid research.
In October 2024 as I was hurtling towards geriatric extremes and clinical legal limits I received an email from London fertility warning me ‘if I still wanted to use my frozen embryos I needed to commit ASAP’. Of course, this made physical and ethical sense as I was over 50 now, but in my normal world I was one of those people that genuinely forgot how old they were. Sometimes by glossing over age and sometimes by just abandoning the entire aging concept.
In a mini twist of fate that helped encourage a ‘try for a baby’ mentality, I was already heading to the UK for November 2024. I had set up meetings with funds and lawyers and had a booked plane ticket, which to me meant providence was tempting my internals.
When I originally froze my eggs in the UK I was living and working in London and was told any fertility treatment would need to be performed in the clinic where my genetics were stored. I’ve since found out, thanks to international fertility issues during Covid, if your clinic is HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) licenced in the UK they can provide export procedures. Most countries have a fertility regulator or broader fertility regulations, so make sure you check this aspect of treatment.
For a little more perspective of a sensitive nature, I need to return to 2018. In the last blog I mentioned I had been about to attempt my first implantation around August 2018. What I didn’t share was around the same time I met a special Canadian guy who love blitzed me into a 6.5-year relationship. Despite the initial and immediate connection, at the time I wasn’t interested as I loved London and the 4,707 miles indicated date nights might be cumbersome. He had some complexities having shared his then awkward relationship with his ex-wife, but on the flip-side, his endearing love for his 3 wonderful kids. None of these were deal breakers of course (my own complexities are stark) but my life plan and these left-field logistics put hurdles in the way.
Yet, his early declaration of love and his early ‘being-on-board with my embryo’s’ convinced me to move to the land of cold Hockey, Bears and Cougars. We became best friends, and I had the significant pleasure of becoming a first-time step-mum, added bonus, his ex-wife was kind and thoughtful to me. For the sake of privacy and fairness to all of them that’s as much detail as I will share, but to sum up, it was genuinely one of the best and yet most difficult times of my life (Covid two months after I moved and my mother passing added to the muddle). I still miss the kids dearly and it was being a stepmother to extraordinary humans that curiously eased the bio yearnings yet made them infinitely worse.
And so, I found myself in London in November 2024 in two minds. Torpedoing an awesome but tangled family for a 3-decade slim dream, or bank on my occasional decent step-mumering to encourage my partner to attempt one more? It was a long shot the embryo transfer would even work, and I was still undecided, but I felt I had no choice but to try. Either way I knew the ‘what if’ for the rest of my life would plague me. And I’ve always been a big believer in it always works out how it’s meant to. I threw the decision clumsily into fates hands and of course told my partner.
Before the big I (implantation) can happen, your body/womb must be rechecked, as must your hormone levels. So, I had the lousy pleasure of going through yet another round of blood tests and pelvic ultrasounds. Specifically, your endometrium (womb lining) needs to be built into a cozy boutique belly hotel. As you can deduce, my procreation detectives, this involved more hormones. Thankfully I hadn’t had the hormone rollercoaster for 6.5 years, so like my memory on aging, I had conveniently forgotten what it was like.
Unfortunately, this hormonal agitation was far weightier than the egg freezing undertaking. Endometrial Prep 101 involved significant doses of Progynova (contains Estradiol to help thicken the lining) and Utrogestan (also helps work on the lining of the womb). They needed to be taken together to prevent a jungle gym burrow which would make it difficult for my Berserker urchins to implant and snuggle on in. I was also subscribed Lubion, but I never needed to use it.
The nausea hit me from day 1, like a catering collage chaos menu. The following weeks were the best stagecraft I had ever produced. Out of respect for my partner and the long-shot results, no-one else knew the process I was attempting. Trying to maintain stomach composure whilst the belly was employed in continual melodrama was an exhausting performance.
Coupled with that, I found an email re how much stress and last-minute decision making I had put myself under. The email is reasonably typical re the amount of running around I was doing and the mental strain I was ignoring. This day involved a 1-hour rail trip carrying a heavy suitcase, a drop off at my clinic, then a 45-minute bus trip to a pharmacy, and then back to the clinic for a scan, then a 2.5-hour train trip to the north of England. I was and still am sincerely amazed the process kept processing.
The big numbers to aim for in this part of the process was an endometrial thickness of at least 7-8mms. At my first scan I hadn’t reached 7mm, but they were happy with my womb reinforcements progress. They didn’t change anything and said this was normal and no doubt by the 2nd scan I would be at end-goal wadding. I was. Which meant they could now book in an implantation date.
My path to motherhood hasn’t been conventional by any means but I feel strongly it’s not any less valid or meaningful than other routes to creating a family. It’s simply a different story, although I won’t pretend that no-one will be harder on themselves than me that I didn’t start earlier.
Next blog will be all about I-Day!!! The big implantation and what it involved.
Platinum Mum Cents and Sensibility:
1. Legal Issues for Embryo Transfers
Consent and Parent Rights: If you’re single, you are automatically the legal parent of any child born from your embryo. However, if you are in a relationship but unmarried or not in a civil partnership, both you and your partner must sign HFEA consent forms before treatment for your partner to gain legal parenthood and future parental rights. Errors in this paperwork have led to court cases, so it’s crucial to double-check all legal forms before implantation.
UK: The UK restricts the number of embryos transferred—typically two, or three if you are over 40—and prohibits sex selection unless for medical reasons. The NHS will pay for one IVF treatment if you are over 40 and have been trying for 2 or more years. Additionally, embryos or gametes cannot be mixed for more than one person in treatment, and legal consent must be maintained for any storage or use.
Several European (e.g. Austria, Germany, Italy) and Asian countries (e.g. Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Cambodia) ban or strictly regulate IVF, FET, or related donor techniques. Some countries e.g. Poland, Indonesia do not allow LGBTQ+ IVF. Some countries will not allow surrogacy either. Always verify national laws and clinic policies well in advance if considering treatment abroad
2. Endometrial Lining: Medical Preparation and Quality
Key Requirement: Successful implantation relies heavily on preparing an optimal endometrial (womb) lining. Clinics aim for a thickness of at least 7–8mm, measured by transvaginal ultrasound, before embryo transfer.
Hormonal Protocols: The process typically involves oestrogen (like Progynova) and progesterone (such as Utrogestan) to ensure the endometrium is neither too thin nor too thick. This can mean tablets, patches, and/or vaginal pessaries, often leading to a more demanding hormone regimen for older women.
Monitoring: Pre-implantation requires repeated blood tests and several internal scans, sometimes over rapid timelines and with logistical challenges, to check womb lining and hormone levels. Many women find this phase more physically and emotionally taxing than egg collection.
3. Financial Realities: Costs of Testing, Scans, and Medication Before Embryo Implantation
Regional Estimates for Pre-implantation Tests, Scans, and Medication*
UK (Private)
£1,500–£3,000+ per cycle (covers scans, bloods, and medication)
Europe (Private, e.g., Germany, Ireland, Greece)
€2,000–€3,500+ per cycle for diagnostics and medication
US (Private)
$2,000–$5,000+ per cycle pre-implant costs (varies by state and insurance)
*Costs reflect only pre-implantation steps (blood tests, hormone medication, and monitoring scans). Additional charges apply for egg thaw, embryo transfer, pregnancy scans, and not all clinics offer all-inclusive packages. Financial support for IVF in the UK on the NHS is extremely limited for women over 40, requiring most older patients to pay privately.
Inclusions Usually Needed to be aware of do shop around like I did.
Initial and monitoring consultations and scans: £160–£400 each
Hormone blood panels: £37–£200 per set
Medications pre-transfer: £700–£1,600 per cycle
Advanced lining diagnostics or endometrial array (when recommended): £1,000–£1,600
Administration/prescription fees, viral screens, and legal paperwork fees are separate.