First Fertility Clinic Appointment Tomorrow

@paintfairy I'm super sorry for the BFN but at least you know that it means your next IUI is more likely to succeed! Stats wise the percentages go up a fair bit with each iui so fingers crossed this was just a practice round and the next one's the winner. Also takes you into spring baby territory and that sounds pretty lovely 😍☺️

@thislittlebird mine was a super quick first appointment and they glossed over a lot of the practicalities so be on the ball about asking how the things will happen. Eg if they say a repeat SA is needed - how is this actually actioned? For mine they asked for repeat bloods but forgot to say it was at a completely different location and that I could just rock up at the drop in and not have to wait for an NHS letter or whatever.

@dogmam I had a chat about the boss thing with some ladies on a different thread who are all going down the ivf route and the consensus was pretty much that there's zero protection for you from an employment law pov. So if you're pregnant or whatever you're legally protected - but if you're essentially declaring that you're trying to become pregnant - if you then miss out on promotions, bonuses or pay rises etc off the back of it you have no legal recourse. So no matter how nice you think your boss is, ultimately they're not there to have your back, but rather the company's. Considering the ivf route could take a lot longer than we think (years), I wouldn't want to have potentially ruined my career in the meantime.

@dogmam, no not just yet I may give them a call in about a week to see if they have any updates for me. No idea in terms of protocol. I completely forgot to ask. I assume they will tell me on the next appointment before they start. I am sure it will come through soon.

@dogmam I think time is my biggest concern with all of this. I'm going to ask about the private tests if needed, and am bringing print outs with me of the tests I've had. I cannot lose any more time than absolutely necessary now, that lost six months isn't coming back so I'm happy to pay for private tests. They also have a private area at this AC unit, I think. These are good questions, I'll write these down!

Did they do any tests at your first appointments? They called this 'diagnostics' on the phone.

@paintfairy I'm definitely going to write a list because I know everything will exit my brain the minute I get there.

@PurpleUnicorn01 This appointment is my NHS one. I had a private consult after my AMH and AFC tests in January. They told us to bring our test results along.

Waiting times is a good one. I'm hoping they're going to say we need to have IVF. I'm happy to pay for anything if there's a long wait, I'll see what they suggest.

I have the consultant name already so I'll make sure the find out the secretary.

I'm going over my results from January and now remember I have a retroverted uterus. No idea how common this is.

@dogmam I did an IC this morning but since I was already spotting, I knew the answer. 🙄 Disappointed but I kind of expected it i guess?
@thislittlebird @Kay00 they do tend to explain most things. I didn't ask everything at my first appointment (your head just gets lost) but they did say I can email anything. Plus I've ended up back a million times so i was able to ask things. I did write a list for one time of all the things I'd thought of, as we'd got so far through.

@kay00 @thislittlebird, i hope you're first appointments go well. Are u private or nhs patients? On the nhs they just asked the usual medical questions, they look through you're test results and either request more tests or recommend more tests. My main question was waiting times etc. I needed a scan but there was a 3 month wait so i had it done privately and emailed it over to tge secretary of my consultant, so I'd advise always find out you're consultants name and the secretary.

@Kay00 my first is on Thursday morning too! I was going to post here to ask what do you guys who have already done this think is a useful question you might not have thought of?

Currently I’m thinking of questions around next steps, timescale and process but I’m not sure if I should be thinking more broadly.

@Juno231 best wishes to your belly button! Glad you’re feeling better, and yes I am relieved to finally be getting to see someone.

@PurpleUnicorn01 that’s great news!

😱😱😱 that poor lady, how debilitating for her! It's good that she has group therapy but I wish there was more they could do to help women with severe endometriosis 😪

Glad you're feeling a little better @juno231

@purpleunicorn01 I'd be feeling excited, I think you should allow yourself that. It's progress after all x

My first fertility appointment is on Thursday morning, so I need to start preparing for it. I'll get some questions written down and will write a summary of my attempts and test results so far.

@juno231 thank you. Im excited but i guess i share the same sentiments as you all and don't get my hopes up x how are you?

@PurpleUnicorn01 that's brilliant news!! How are you feeling about it?

@thislittlebird also great news - I'm glad they're taking you seriously finally. Next week already 🙌

@Kay00 she has terrible endo. We're talking regular group therapy for life with chronic pain kinda bad. It's spread to her hips so she limps, and all the scarring from the excisions and ablations cause pain as well - eg she now has an ovary that gets caught in the scar tissue :(. Fwiw I haven't told my boss about the infertility, I just told her about the lap from a gynae surgery pov so she wouldn't dig any further. I don't think it's a good idea to tell your employer tbh.

Feeling much better now but my belly button does hurt a fair amount still 😬

I was going to try testing tomorrow but it looks like my rhr has given me a heads up! Its not looking promising....... 🙄

@dogmam we could end up being cycle buddies

Hi Guys, so just had my 2nd appointment, they said they will send off for my funding today, then the fertility unit will contact me to complete some online forms before treatment starts. Its about 3 months until I start. So really similar to you all. .

Ugh stop typo

*we ARE NOW seeing the fertility dept and not the gynaecologist

Erm so I am definitely not up to speed here and I saw elsewhere that Juno didn’t have the best time at the lap so I hope you’re feeling better @Juno231!

I’m just popping in to say I got off a teams call a few minutes ago and the hospital had called my husband. They called him in response to the PALS email I sent, and they’ve changed our date and brought us forward to May 6th (instead of 17th) and we’re not seeing the fertility department for diagnostics at Sidcup and not the gynaecologist at Woolwich...so that’s different.

The lady on the phone said to him she was concerned that this was going to simply delay things so she’s changed it and we’re seeing fertility face-to-face next week to hurry things along.

@Juno231 11! Esh...! Does she have Endometriosis, or was for another reason? Its nice that you have been able to discuss with your colleagues. My boss is a man and he's only a year or two older than me, so i'm not sure I would feel comfortable telling him when any of my appointments are for. Luckily I don't have to ask his permission to take time off work etc.

@PurpleUnicorn01 Thanks for sharing... I read a few things about how PRP can help your eggs, but I suppose I don't really understand how it works. It sounds like a very new development, hopefully we see more research in this area in next few years.

Guys this could help some of you.

medimall.gr/prp-gives-hope-to-women-trying-to-get-pregnant/

@Juno231 11?! Flipping heck. That doesn't sound good at all. I don't think I'd be wanting to need 11. Ever!

@paintfairy yeah luckily the consultant told me to book the rest of the week off so that's what I've done. My boss has had 3 laps before so she knows what it can be like luckily. Still can't believe our team assistant has had 11 - and all much more extensive than my little crappy one!

@dogmam @Juno231 I think it's exciting to you in the sense of - something is finally happening! When you've just been sitting thinking it never would. But it's not exciting in the clapping and cheering sense. I mean yeah, its stressful. And something personally I'd rather no one know about at the time (so they can't keep asking).
@Juno231 hobbling doesn't sound fun. But it's an excuse not to have to do crappy housework. Good job you booked the time off!

@dogmam omg it's only ever the fertile people that think IVF is exciting! and don't realise how insensitive it is to say... My next appointment was set a while back for the 17th of June I think but god knows if it'll get changed?

Thanks for the support ladies, I'm just at home atm hobbling around with a massive bloated tummy and unable to do most physical things lol.

@dogmam

Thank you! Will keep you all posted. It is later on today

@dogmam some people metabolise it quicker than others. If I'd tested earlier i would have seen lines. I just didn't expect it to go that fast, but it was a week, so....