First Fertility Clinic Appointment Tomorrow

How are you feeling about starting treatment Purple I imagine it’s mixed emotions?

Oh yes definitely! I think half the time the men don’t understand the anguish we go through.

@CausingChaos2 yes just waiting for funding approval confirmation, then hopefully get a treatment start date.

Yes it is difficult when you feel alone. There's only so much i can talk to OH lol

Thank you Purple that’s really kind

I haven’t got any friends who have gone through this so it’s good to have people to chat with who understand. I hope everything is going to plan with your treatment too.

@kay00, that is definitely progress and its great they are checking everything for you.

@CausingChaos2 welcome! You are amongst friends here. We all understand what you are going through. I haven't had some of those tests but im sure some of the other ladies have.

Hello ladies,

We had our first fertility appointment yesterday so as this thread helped me while I was waiting, thought I’d share my experience to hopefully do the same for anyone else who is worried.

We were offered a same day cancellation so not much time to prepare. First, both our medical histories were taken. Then moved on to the tests we had already had done by the GP. DP was told his SA results were very good and that the rest of the appt would focus on me. My blood results were all fine, smear fine, they would have wanted to do an ultrasound there and then but luckily it had already been done and again my results were normal.

So the next steps were to have an AMH blood test. Then I had two options, either a laparoscopy and dye procedure which the gynae said he was offering to me based on my severe period pain. Or checking my tubes with X-ray. There was a lot of talk of endometriosis and how if he found some during the lap, if it was a small amount, he could deal with it there and then. He also said if I was under GA he could flush my tubes properly, as if it is done while awake it’s painful.

He said the pain I have during my period is too much and he wants to know why. He was perplexed that I hadn’t been investigated before. Not for lack of trying!

If all is found to be ok after the lap then onto 6-9 months of clomid. If tubes found to be blocked, straight to IVF. Not too sure about the clomid idea, I do ovulate every month and don’t want unnecessary medication. But will need to wait and see what the lap findings are first anyway. He couldn’t give me any idea of the waiting list times for the procedure but my consent forms were done there and then, so will just have to see when I’m called up now.

Felt very scary and sad to be hearing IVF being put into our plan. Yesterday evening I felt like calling it all off and just being happy with our little family of two (+ the pets). Going to take some time to let it all sink in and not make any rash decisions.

Thanks again for this thread which gave me some idea what to expect.

Hi Ladies, I just finished my first fertility appointment with Exeter Ferility Clinic.

It was arranged via video link between Consultant Iryna Roshko (and a nurse who was watching in) and my partner and I. The appointment lasted about half an hour.

She started by asking us both a few questions about our life styles (ages, whether we smoke, how much we drink etc) and then she asked me some more in depth questions about my cycles. She was interested in my cycles being irregular lengths (shortest 32 days, longest 47 days) and that my periods are long and painful. She was concerned that I could have a) PCOS (although previous tests results render this unlikely) b) low ovarian reserve c) Endometriosis

She wants my OH to have an SA
For me she wants:

• Prolactin blood test (any time in cycle) - GP to organise
• Clamidia blood test (any time in cycle) - GP to organise (results will take 4 weeks+)
• Blood test for ovarian reserve (any time in cycle) - at local hospital
• We have booked a HyCoSy (tubal test + Ultrasound) for in about 3 months time (needs to be in 1st 10 days after period starts)
• I have to ask GP to confirm I had both MMR vaccines as a child.

Our follow up appointment has been left open pending above.

She said there were some pills she could give me to stimulate ovulation but she would only prescribe them to me if OH's SA comes back OK.

If everything above comes back OK and I am still getting long painful periods then she will want to book in surgery to look for Endo.

And that's it. Its now on me to book the tests with my GP and to get the ovarian reserve test done at the hospital.

Feels like progress!

@thislittlebird AFC was 10 which again is normal. Thank you that made me feel better.

@PurpleUnicorn01 ah ok, that explains the long protocol. Sorry I should have typed it fully, AFC is antral follicle count. It probably is normal but just the lower end of normal maybe? I think the nhs cut off for AMH is 5.4 so maybe that’s why they consider it more low than a clinic without that cut off.

I was actually shocked they said its classed it as low when 2 other Drs said its normal. Who knows lol

Sorry what's AFC? AMH was 6.1 which nhs class as low but elsewhere they say its normal. @thislittlebird. I had a follicles count as part of my pelvic scan. I think i had 10 which is normal on any given cycle without medication.

What was your AFC and AMH @PurpleUnicorn01, out of curiosity? Since they've gone with LP...

I am making my list for tomorrow, it is substantial but I know I won't need to read it all out lol.

@juno231 thank you. Ah man i was hoping for short protocol as i hate injections. But it is what it is.

@PurpleUnicorn01 yes that would be long protocol - basically means you'll start your injections in the cycle before IVF to down regulate your hormones (induce artificial menopause really). I presume you mean gonadotropin - (so Gonal F perhaps) to stimulate the production of follicles. I would assume that would be once your IVF cycle starts down, after the down regs?

Hi All, i wonder if you can help. The dr has suggested 300 units of gandotrophin and a long down regulation. What does that mean in English lol. Is that long protocol then?

@Juno231 I think it's exactly the same chance per cycle. But because you have had more goes then it adds up. So over 3 yes it's more percent in total because you've had 3 and not 1. But there's the same chance per individual one. So cycle 2 has no more chance in its own right than cycle 1 did.

@paintfairy cumulative percentages were never my strong point but I guess it's the same principle as ivf having a 30% success rate per cycle but 90% if you do 3?

@paintfairy in sorry about your bfn. But yes now it means you're one chance closer!

@SunshiningBetty that is bonkers!

@Juno231 really? I don't really see how when technically they just do the same each time? There'll be no cycle 4. 🤣 I guess you have to hope one works though.

@paintfairy ah no iui success rates are cumulative for whatever reason. So your odds increase with each cycle but something like 90% of the successful cycles happen before cycle 4.

@SunshiningBetty really? That's bonkers. You wouldn't think the syringe would put it any further up? Were you firing them out with force? 🤣 What size syringe? 🤔
@Juno231 I'm not sure on your stat logic! 🤣 I'm sure there's a 13% chance every time?

@Juno231 I have added that to my questions! Definitely need to know how to contact them.

@SunshiningBetty that is so cool!! I'm so sorry for the heart ache you must have experienced with TEN miscarriages though :(

@thislittlebird granted I also didn't have the secretary's contact details so had no way of asking after the appointment so that was probably the stressful part. I guess also make sure to ask what tests you could do privately that they can take into account in order to speed things up?

Just thought I’d post my experience in case it helps anyone. We tried for 3 years then went for tests. DH had very slow sperm which was very deformed. They said we might get pregnant naturally but it would be unlikely.

A few months later I was ovulating but really sick and didn’t fancy sex so I ‘syringed’ the semen in as I didn’t fancy sex. DH was less than impressed. I got pregnant that month. Unfortunately I miscarried as I had very old eggs but then I got pregnant every month after that I syringed rather than had sex. Had 5 miscarriages and then one stuck. Then trying for DC2 was a repeat performance- got pregnant every month syringed but miscarried another 5 times.

One doctor said that the syringing might have deposited the semen nearer to the cervix so the weak sperm didn’t have as far to swim. Who knows but it worked for us.

@paintfairy I completely forgot your bfn was IUI, sorry it was a neg but as Juno said, your chances will improve so that’s a good thing!

@Juno231 good tips, I will make a note of this.