NHS referral times :(

[EB211]

Hi everyone! I'm 36, being ttc for 12 months and finally been referred to hospital fertility clinic by my GP following lots of blood tests, husband's SA. I've just been on the NHS referral website and there are no appointment slots available and it says people can be waiting up to 25 weeks to get one. I've contacted my chosen clinic directly and waiting to hear back.

It's massively deflating and disappointing to get to this point and now even more waiting :( Has anyone else been referred recently? How long did you have to wait? x

[dogmam]

Hi @EB211 me and my other half are in a very similar situation! We have been trying for over a year and went to the GP last month, had 21 day bloods and SA done then about 3 weeks ago got the results from the GP who then referred us.

Not heard anything since so just assuming we are waiting on a letter from the clinic to say they've received the referral and we are on a waiting list.

I noticed you said you were referred to the clinic of your choice, how did you manage that? I'm not even sure where we have been referred to, I'm just assuming it's the clinic that's attached to the hospital that we are closest to.

Hope we get our appointments soon!

[EB211]

Hey @dogmam - so when she said she would refer me she asked me to come and collect a form, it has a password and booking reference to the online referral system. It gave me three hospital options that are all about 3 miles away but as I say none have appointments. I sent a message to one and it said if I don't hear back by 3 Dec to call.

I feel like this whole process is just waiting and waiting...and waiting lol.

Fingers crossed you will hear something soon! :)

[Juno231]

Hey I got my referral appointment through yesterday for the 17th of May so that's a 6 month wait unfortunately :(

[dogmam]

@eb211 ah right, that's good at least you have choose where you are going to be seen but not great that there's no appointments! So are you jist going to wait and see what happens after the 3rd?

@juno231 that's an awful wait, but on the plus side, at least you know you're booked in. What were your test results like from your GP, is there anything you can do to help things along naturally in the mean time?

I called the GP yesterday to ask where I have been referred to and the receptionist looked at my notes and said she couldn't see!!! I have to ring back today but have a horrible feeling there's been a mix up with my referral.

[Juno231]

@dogmam everything has come back normal 🤷‍♀️. Although my TSH is in the normal range per the NHS at 3.1, everything I read online seems to say it should be under 2.5 for TTC and can lower fertility otherwise? Not much I can do about that on my own though.

I hope your referral went through okay but I know how crap nhs admin can be so fingers crossed for you!

[EB211]

@dogmam yeah, if I don’t hear anything I’ll call on the 3rd. Had a cry about it yesterday but feeling a bit better this morning. This process really tests patience doesn’t it! Yeah keep ringing until you find out, nothing worse than not knowing.

@Juno231 fingers crossed you get bumped up! People must end up getting pregnant in the meantime and then cancel appointments! Hopefully that’s what will happen to us

[dogmam]

Well I have just rang the doctors back and they have posted me out a letter with a reference on it and I have to go online and choose my clinic and appointment date. So basically and e-referral. Good job I rang to chase it up otherwise I bet they would never have posted it out!

[BriocheBuns]

I was referred in September as had two losses this year, had my third loss whilst waiting to hear back. Still haven’t heard back or received an appointment letter.

I’ve chased it up and even phoned the hospital direct where I’ve been referred to but they can’t see anything on the system for me, they’ve took my phone number and promised to call be back on two occasions but they never do.

It’s frustrating... I’m looking into getting a private fertility scan to get my womb lining checked and it will hopefully spot any other issues if they are present too. I feel like I must do something as I feel useless, I don’t want to keep miscarrying, it’s very traumatic, I’d rather wait and see what help I need and then TTC x

[beachbum85]

Hi everyone,
I know it's different with every hospital, but I managed to get an appointment with the fertility consultant around a month and a half after the GP referred us by chasing the hospital that I chose through the e-referral system (even though it said there were no slots). I called the appointments and referrals teams and the gynae dept, I left voicemails, I wrote emails to the PALS office - anything vaguely linked really.
I wasted lots of time on hold and it was pretty tiring, but eventually someone called back with an appointment. I was referred by the GP end-July, spoke to the fertility consultant mid-September and, after blood tests at the hospital and a private hycosy, we were referred for IVF and have the first appointment mid-December.
Keep persisting :)