Fertility Exeter

We were extremely fortunate that our first round of NHS funded IVF was successful thanks to the team at Exeter.  Clearly this is going to influence the ‘review’ such as it is, but we wanted to post this to reassure those who are starting their fertility journey with the clinic that they are professional, kind and effective (for us at least). Clearly not everyone is going to have a successful story, and you can do your own research in terms of success rates. However, although the success rate at this clinic is not the very highest, it’s important to note that most of the clinics with ‘better rates’ are more selective about the patients they take on. It’s easy to get swayed by statistics at every turn during the process, but in hindsight what was more important were what was said in our meetings with the specialists and embryologists.  All I can say is the team at Exeter seem extremely knowledgeable and at the top of their profession. I would also say that during the process you will be visiting the clinic a lot and do not want to be faced with a lengthy drive each time. If this is your nearest clinic, we would certainly not hesitate to recommend them.

Tom T

To be honest the staff were lovely. We were well treated when attending the clinic, however we were unsuccessful and from the follow up appointment with our consultant, all follow up information was very negative. We were blindsided by the information we were given after having an ‘Optimal’ quality embryo transfer in our very first full IVF cycle at aged 39. We were really positive going into our follow up consultation. It was a lot to take in all at once but when we had discussed it as a couple and asked four more questions via email about our NHS treatment. We were told to pay for another consultation, we told them this was obtuse and would we have to pay for an answer to questions via email. We did receive a apology phone call and told we would receive a reply once the consultant returned from holiday, two and a half weeks later. A month later we still had heard nothing, we emailed in again. We then received an email that was vague and didn’t answer our questions at all - complete fob off and a waste of our time. I would chose another clinic if you can - communication is poor and your treated like a statistic not an individual.

Victoria Webber

We have used fertility Exeter for two separate rounds of IVF - the staff there are amazing, it really feels like everyone genuinely cares about you and your outcome. Other clinics I’ve looked into make you just feel like a number. Despite maybe a couple clerical errors, fertility Exeter have been amazing throughout both cycles, and from the first to second cycle (2015 to 2017) they greatly improved their lab technology which was great.  Will definitely be going back there again for our next cycle, once our Twinnies are a bit older

Amy Young

Unlike the first reviewer, our experience has been great. The first reviewer is correct though in that the HFEA stats are not great and the clinic should really give their own percentages of success rather than national statistics BUT, that being said, Exeter Fertility have been brilliant to us! Occasionally, they are tricky to get hold of but they are always helpful and caring. Thanks to the medical staff and scientists, we are now expecting twins and could not have done it without these wonderful people. All of the staff were very friendly and go above and beyond even despite the fact they are MASSIVELY over stretched and underfunded like the rest of the NHS. Its easy for me to say now as the IVF worked for us first time, but I think even had it not worked, I would not have blamed the clinic. They do a great job and I would recommend them. :-)

Gordon Lyle

Leaving a review is not normally something i bother doing. But this is such a hard thing to deal with that i feel it is necessary to share our experience. First things first, it's very hard to be too critical when your wife is expecting a baby girl which is from a successful IUI and happened first time. We are extremely grateful for what they did for us and couldn't be happier. We were sent to Exeter from Torbay Hospital and our treatment was on the NHS. For people who have to pay, i would recommend seeking out the clinic with the best success rate, depending on distance for you to travel. At Exeter, don't expect to be seen on time. Not one of our appointments was. The first one was over an hour late. It's also a similar story with each process. Every new appointment we had was weeks/months of waiting. And the flexibility of appointments was virtually non-existent, which was very difficult juggling that and my wife starting a new job. The first week in particular pushed us right to the limit! However it is pretty obvious they are understaffed for the amount they have to take on and clearly a lot of them work long and hard hours. The staff are superb to say the least. We always felt welcome and looked after. They were always happy to help and talk. And during different procedures, they made us feel calm and comfortable. Our experience took around 2 years, from our first appointment at Torbay to a positive test at home. There was lots of waiting and lots of travelling from Torquay to Exeter. Patience was certainly the key and at times we felt like we could of just given up. But for anyone starting out, keep the faith that it will happen for you and be patient. You will get there in the end.

Simon Harris

Kathy Elizabeth

We had an excellent experience from 2016 - 2018 with Exeter Fertility. All staff incredibly caring, without being unrealistic, during the three cycles we underwent. Special mention to Lisa Joels, Sonal Paradkar, Joanne Wilson and Sandy Frith - so positive and informative throughout. There's no doubt this is an incredibly tough process, so any dissapointing results are bound to attract nagative reviews - I'm unsure of the usefullness of a rating system for such an emotional process. Our twin girls were born in December 2018, and it's down to the people at this clinic that we have them - you just can't indicate the importance of what they do every day, and what they achieve, with a simple star rating system.

James Cann

It's hard to express in words the extent to which the incompetencies of this clinic impinged on our family life. We did complain in writing to the local health trust, but their letter of reply was as incoherent as the processes to which we were subjected during our time there. "We call your condition unexplained infertility" was their phrase, which was nonsense. This clinic clearly has worked for some, but I'd urge you to examine their statistics. Between this clinic and a local GP,  the various female health tests on my wife resulted in un-interpretable data because the tests as requested could only ever be inconclusive (they refused to test for AMH). We eventually went (successfully) to the Lister clinic in London who were _amazing_ (and my wife had to create _such_ a verbal stink to have her health data passed on), but only after wasting a lot of time with these people (2 precious years, or so). Here is my email in case you'd ever wish information: r.e.beardmore@exeter.ac.uk. (I'm a professor at Exeter University, so we know a bit about lab tests.) People need such support during IVF (not that we ever got close to having those procedures) but this clinic did little to provide support, quite the opposite.

Robert Beardmore

Had a great experience here in 2014, staff were absolutely lovely and treatment was effective. Would choose them a second time.

Alexandra Morgan

Excellent friendly and very helpful and caring

Scott Hall

Fertility Exeter was the first IVF clinic in the Southwest and has been established for over 20 years. Benefitting from the backing of the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust