I have been trying to conceive for over 8 years and finally decided to have IVF in the UK in 2015. I chose a clinic in the UK that advertised itself as natural cycle IVF because they used less drugs. I found that this was a myth. They used about the same amount of drugs as other clinics, but worse, they did not tailor the medication to my circumstances even though they took blood tests daily. I also felt I was just another number at this clinic and the only thing the clinic was interested in was to charge me for everything. That’s the one thing they did not fail to do! My first cycle failed. I consulted ARGC where I was told a cycle would cost me approximately £15,000 and after reading horrendous reviews of ARGC and I decided to do some research on clinics abroad. After some research I decided to either try IVF in Spain or Greece because both countries had clincs with good success rates. I had a phone consultation with both the Spanish clinic and Embryoland but decided on Embryoland because Dr Nikos Kanakas was approachable.
I called Embryoland’s reception to get some further information and schedule an appointment with Dr Nikos Kanakas. With other clinics I always had to schedule appointments well in advance and thought I would have to wait at least 2 weeks to speak to a doctor. To my amazement the receptionist transferred me direct to Dr Nikos. He spent about 15 minutes chatting to me and as I wanted IVF in about 2 months, asked me to schedule a Skype appointment closer to the time. I don’t have Skype but Dr Nikos was happy to FaceTime or WhatsApp. He was extremely flexible about communicating and I was even able to speak to him on Saturday or Sunday when the need arose. I read the reviews on Dr Nikos Kanakas and Embryoland and was very slept oval when all of them where positive. There didn’t seem to be many couples from the UK. Fertility friends had a very small section but in meeting the good Doctor I realised that the reviews were all true. I arrived in Athens and he gave my husband and I a big Greek welcome. IVF is stressful and IVF in another country even more so but I immediately felt at home. Being in Athens is like being on holiday and Athenians are some of the nicest people I have met. Hospitable and nice. I am currently going through my IVF cycle at Embryoland as I write this review but almost from the day we met Dr Nikos my husband and I knew that we had found our clinic and even if this cycle may not work we will continue with Dr Nikos.
His clinic is clean and modern. On the first day of my scans I was surprised at how good the picture quality was. I could never see that clearly in the scanners in the UK clinic I went to. His staff are all competent and efficient and I was quickly reassured by their professionalism during the egg collection. The main thing that strikes you when you meet Dr Nikos and see his clinic and the 100s of photographs of all the babies conceived through IVF at his clinic peppered on the clinic walls Dr Nikos’ passion for his work is evident and it is refreshing to find someone in this industry who isn’t here just because it’s he’s day job. His empathy with your situation and willingness to help and all his past successes are reassuring.
I also discovered that he has many UK patients. Most of his patients are from Australia but he also has couples coming to him for IVF from Canada and UK. When you visit him you see Cards and photos from all over the world.