After the ups and downs of OE IVF and nothing working out for us, we wanted to be more cautious. We priced out 4-5 clinics in our area (none of which offered any type of shared risk or guarantees) and we decided to go out of town to a clinic that offered some safety net. For the same price of one DE cycle in our area, we were offered 4 fresh DE cycles and all the FET's related. At the time, it seemed like the only way for us to go.
We really liked a donor that was unproven, but going through a cycle when we selected her. We took the chance, knowing that we had 3 more if it did not work out. Well, it didn't and while disappointed, we were not devastated. Next cycle, we chose a 4x proven donor and mother who stimmed well, produced a good, but not crazy amount of eggs and some perfect blasts w/DH's sperm and I am 17 wks pg. The second blessing is we have 9 embies on ice, which we hope will one day become a beautiful sibling.
It doesn't sound like you are interested in a shared risk with other couples, but I'll tell you- the guarantee definitely gave me more peace of mind. While we were at the same point you are in your search, I followed several women's journey and specifically those using these types of programs. I remember a few mentioning it took a lot of stress out of cycling and some of the defeat if they resulted in a BFN.
It is big decision to contemplate. You are smart for putting out some questions.
Good luck and I wish you all the best.
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