Fertility Clinic Appointments and Beyond..

[dogmam]

New thread for us to continue our fertility clinic appointment progress...

Some of us are waiting for initial appointments, some are having tests and some are starting treatment!

[Juno231]

@tillybabs
@thislittlebird
@kay00
@jeaniej
@PurpleUnicorn01
@paintfairy
@dogmam
@flutterby8
@Ughmaybenot
@dancingfairydreams

[Tillybabs]

Thanks for adding me

[PurpleUnicorn01]

Thank you. How are you all? First injection @dogmam

[JeanieJ]

Thanks for the tag x

Ahhh, so now I'm confused about AMH from the last thread. I thought I'd have to wait until my follow appointment to get results, but do ya think I could call anytime? It's been 6 weeks already!

(Also, I did my AMH on a random day)

[Juno231]

@JeanieJ there's no down side to trying!

[Tillybabs]

@JeanieJ I reckon you can call to get the results. I'm not sure if the receptionist could tell you but there no harm in trying.

[Tillybabs]

Also from what I've seen online, it can be done any day of your cycle so don't worry about that aspect

[acaciabluebell]

Hi everyone, could I also join? I was referred by my GP in March and have my fertility clinic appointment in September. My DH has just done a repeat semen analysis this week which we're waiting for the results for atm. Very nervous!

[Tillybabs]

@acaciabluebell welcome!

[Juno231]

@acaciabluebell welcome! Mar-Sep sounds long! I hope they give you an earlier appointment 🤞

[Kay00]

Thanks for the add @dogmam!

Welcome @acaciabluebell, my OH recently had his (first) SA results back. We really thought he might have a few issues (he drinks lots of coffee, wears tight pants and is pushing 40 😆), so I spent ages priming him for this outcome (explained that's lots of men have issues, it's quite common nowadays and we watched the Rhrod Gilbert documentary), but they came back OK. Where your OH's first SA results OK?

[dogmam]

My appointment today went well! I had my baseline scan which was mainly to check the lining is thin enough, they like it to be under 5mm ideally before starting stims. Mine was 5.4mm but when I asked if this was an issue, the nurse said linings in the region of 7, 8, 9mm are too thick and mine was fine.
I also had a blood test to check estrogen and progesterone levels as this also determines if stims can be started or not. I was told the clinic would ring later in the day to confirm the blood results and let me know if I can start the injections or if I would have to go back in a few days to re do the bloods and re check.
I was also shown how to do the injections, this part was information overload and was so glad my other half was understanding it all and remembered everything the nurse was explaining to us. Partners are encouraged to come to these appointments so that you both know how to inject. I am on Rekovelle stims then from day 5 I also take Cetrotide which stops ovulation. The trigger shot wasn't discussed at this appointment and I wasn't given the prescription for this, I will get this closer to the time of egg collection after the final scan when they are happy with the number of follicles.
As soon as I left the clinic I of course thought of questions I forgot to ask them.. sharps box and how to store the injections.. turns out the nurse forgot to give me the sharps box!

Anyway, I got the call this afternoon to confirm everything come back fine and I had my first injection tonight so it's officially happening! I am booked in for my next scan on Monday to check follicle growth. My protocol is super short and I could be having egg collection as early as the end of next week!

This is the first appointment where I didn't go armed with a list of questions which I'm pleased about as there is a lot to take in so I would recommend when you all come to have this appointment, make sure your partner is with you and you are confident with how go inject. It is so strange to have a fridge full of injections and it took about 30 mins to do the first one as I was a big baby but my other half was very good and it didn't hurt

[thislittlebird]

Welcome to @JeanieJ!

As @Juno231 said, I had an SA and day 21 tests that we were told were "fine" and only six months later when I requested the results in writing did I realise they were not fine, so definitely get them in writing.

We got a private DNA frag test, waiting for the results now. DH's motility is quite low and I was worried about starting ICSI and for it to keep failing. Wanted to know in advance what to expect and maybe it can be improved slightly, who knows. I also refuse to test and have never had a bfp since October 2019

@dogmam to the best of my knowledge Lister can do ivf/icsi pretty much straight away but Guys is pretty slow. I found out the referral was sent off today, I guess I should follow up this week ask for a timeline? Can't believe how quickly it's come round and you're starting! Glad to hear your appointment went ok. My other half had a (virtual) job interview with a company on the other side of the country today. I'm bricking it in case he gets in and we need to live apart while the IVF is ongoing, scared I won't be able to do it myself.

@PurpleUnicorn01 my age would count in my favour and my AMH would count against me....not sure how that balances out lol

@Kay00 I'm pretty sure I ovulated this month based on the symptoms I'm getting. Day 25 and I still have sore boobs, this is rare.

@acaciabluebell welcome to the thread!

I went to the GP to confirm the referral was done, and I also picked up all my blood test forms for viral screening and a day 3 test. Hoping to do that this cycle. Also REALLY hoping I'll have rubella immunity or that's a 3 month delay.

[PurpleUnicorn01]

@dogmam im so excited for you!

@thislittlebird they said to me my AMH was low according to my age so it comes as priority. Who knows lol. I hope everything comes back for you this month too. Waiting is annoying. Immunity tests usually come in a few days.

[Tillybabs]

@dogmam exciting times for you and things seem to be moving quickly now.

How old is everyone if you don't mind me asking? I'm 40 and so would only get one cycle of IVF on the nhs if I do indeed have decent egg reserves.

[thislittlebird]

@Tillybabs I’m 38, it’s only one cycle up to age 40 where I am.

@PurpleUnicorn01 yeah I’m hoping they’re fast, and AMH is high for me but so is my age lol

[JeanieJ]

@dogmam so great that things are moving for you! 🤞🤞🤞It sounds so fast! How long has it been since your first referral?

@Tillybabs Im 34. I think my ccg offers one funded cycle (it's Croydon, they axed it in 2017, but reinstated last year because they got absorbed into South West London ccg). Currently saving in case we need to fund any kind of assisted conception ourselves 😬

@acaciabluebell that's a long wait, can you call & ask for it to be brought forward? My gp referral was in March, then first appointment in April. They can put you you on the reserve list if someone cancels. I've been trying to do that for my 2nd appointment, no luck yet, but worth a shot!

[Tillybabs]

@JeanieJ mine is Croydon too!

[Tillybabs]

I mentioned this before a while back but BPAS fertility will be offering a not for profit IVF service from some point this year. I've signed up to the mailing list just in case.

You will have to pay, but it will be reasonable compared to other private clinics

[Tillybabs]

@JeanieJ yes you are right, for Croydon it's one cycle up to the age of 42. I know others offer 3 cycles for up to the age of 40

Something is better than nothing though I guess

[Juno231]

@Tillybabs @JeanieJ I'm not far from you two! I'm SW CCG as well. I think they'll try and place you for AC at St Heliers btw and I've heard terrible things about them - so I will avoid them like the plague. We get a decent choice of locations with this CCG though!

[Juno231]

@Tillybabs actually it's 42 and 10 months if that helps!

I'm 33 which is the only reason I feel okay to take a few months break now because of the new job.

[Tillybabs]

@Juno231 oh lovely so we can share experiences with the same ccg. Im hoping I can go to Kings, their facilities are brilliant.

[JeanieJ]

@Tillybabs @Juno231 Hey that's cool 😎, same CCG.

Actually my old doctor (still Croydon, but different part) told me last year that I'd probably get placed in St Helier if I needed help because of Covid - I'm kinda hoping that doesn't happen coz I'm not too far from Croydon Hospital now & I've only just figured my way around there - it's such a maze! 😂

Can you ask NOT to be sent somewhere?

I'm probably getting ahead of myself now...

[Juno231]

@JeanieJ yes the CCG has a list of approved locations so I'm pretty sure you can pick from that list. It's places like kingston hospital, st georges, chelsea, plus two private ones like Create wimbledon I think? Not sure how it works though, it's not been mentioned to me yet.