Fertility appointment

[Elektra83]

Hi All, we have been given our first appointment at the fertility clinic in June, can anyone give me some guidance on what to expect please as I have no idea what to expect!

[CatnipMouse]

Hi there, is it an appointment with the hospital gynaecology service or is it your first appointment after you have been referred to an IVF clinic? And what tests have you had done so far?

[Elektra83]

Hi Catnip, thanks for replying.

It's with the hospital gynaecology team. So far I've only had a day 21 blood test, which came back fine. Hubby had his SA done and that's the reason we have been referred to the hospital now (low motility, reduced numbers of normal sperm etc).

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Both of you should attend this appointment. If you can both attend so much the better, the initial appointment can be nerve wracking and being together as well can give both of you moral support. You can both ask questions.

I would write down any questions you want to ask well ahead of time, no question is daft and you do not want to leave there thinking, "oh I should have asked about ...". Take notes too.

If specific tests are suggested do ask them why these are being done. They do not always tell you the purpose. Semen analysis generally are repeated and I would think they will ask for more, one poor result is not conclusive.

Generally the first appointment is a chat about your medical histories, lifestyles and tests done to date. You should both be tested in tandem by the hospital following your appointment in June.

You need a diagnosis first and foremost. You will also need to be persistent in order to get answers.

Good luck!.

[Christelle2207]

Hi
Hospitals vary but my first apptmt was with a nurse who wanted to document mine and DH's medical history - and I think get an honest answer to the question to DH do you have any children because the hospital policy at the time was not to offer any help to couples where EITHER had children. We had already had sperm analysis done at that point -
And 21 day bloods tests
(Both twice) which did not point to any obvious issues. Anyway I was referred for scan of ovaries then HSG test (to check my tubes) - this all took a while as both had to be at a certain points in the cycle and they had limited availability. Once they were clear I was eventually referred to the consultant who was a bit useless really and just put me onto clomid (if this hadn't worked I would have been eventually offered
One cycle of ivf I think). Anyway I conceived on clomid so didn't get that far. Best of luck but don't expect thing to happen quickly. I think it took us about 8 months from going to see gp to getting to the fertility consultant and the clomid prescription. I was
Pg the following month tho.

[CatnipMouse]

Not got a lot to add to the above, yes I am sure they will want another semen analysis and they may want day 2/3 bloods from you. You should probably be aware that other than lifestyle advice to improve sperm quality or your fertility, there is not exactly a huge range of things that they can offer - it's basically Clomid or IVF and if you are already ovulating then Clomid may not be worthwhile. If I were you I would find your local CCG policy on IVF (if it's not on the website you can email them and ask for it) and make sure you understand the eligibility criteria.

Oh and you might be waiting quite a while to be seen. Just cos it says 10am does not mean you'll be out the door by 10.30. I think our longest wait was about 2.5 hours past the appt time, very frustrating when you need to get on. Don't plan too much else for that morning / afternoon!

[CatnipMouse]

Oh and they may weigh you (BMI calculation) and blood pressure too.

[Vap0]

Hi
I had quite a shock at mine. I was just expecting a chat but they wanted to swab me. - 3 different swabs, 1 for chlamydia but don't know what the others were for. I was totally unprepared for this and even though I had only washed a few hours before if I had known I would have gone home again 1st and washed again and had a tidy up. I never received the results from any of this so expect everything was ok. There is lots of waiting for further appointments. Best of luck

[Elektra83]

Thanks everyone! I'm working on lowering my bmi now but that is stressing me out slightly! Other than that, I'm wondering if it will be ivf - hubby only has one testicle (lost the other because of testicular cancer) and I think the treatment has affected his sperm.

I'm now wondering if it's worth booking the morning of the appointment off work. Part of me thinks the time it all takes will work in my favour as I have just been made permanent at work and hopefully will get 6 months of service to be eligible for ML