First Fertility Clinic Appointment Tomorrow

@PurpleUnicorn01 yeah I feel optimistic. I think!
@Juno231 the waiting for results is the hardest bit I think!
@thislittlebird the referral process? The GP did it early Jan. The GP part took longer than the rest of it so far, because they were useless! Literally did nothing to change the SA. He was on the same supplements etc. But it was done sooner, so whether that made a difference? The first time it was an hour old.
@dogmam no, I know what you mean! It's all so complicated.

@dogmam, im nervous and excited all in one go! That's a great point about questions. Any suggestions? My only question at the moment is when can we start lol thank you.

@dogmam Great, thank you, I’m glad it doesn’t need to be timed. I hope the sonographer talks me through what they can see too. It’s good that you got the results there and then instead of an anxious wait for a report to be written up.

@paintfairy good news, and really nice that she gave you the progesterone to try. How long has the process been to this point for you?

Also good news on his SA, had he done anything in particular to get the better outcome? My husband went on the hottest day of the year last year and I’m sure that didn’t help his results.

@dogmam I had a similar number of follicles, can I ask your age and was this NHS? I’m 37 and had 17 and 11 and the doc was thoroughly unbothered about the number of them when I asked her about PCOS. She said you could be borderline but wouldn’t worry, I prefer the answer you got. I don’t have any of the other symptoms either. I knew I’d be at risk of OHSS so am going to make sure that if I get out on clomid or something that I’m monitored. Like @Juno231 said, I’ve wondered if it could be PCO no S.

My DH is going for his next SA soon, maybe next week, really hoping it’s better.

Hi ladies, this thread has been really helpful so thank you for starting it and adding your experiences.

I haven’t been referred yet. GP has done bloods, swabs & smear for me. OH has had semen analysis. GP has now referred me for an ultrasound which I’m hoping doesn’t need to be timed at a certain point in my cycle as I’ve been given an appt to attend rather than me arranging it for a certain date.

Juno your experience with the HSG sounds awful although I’m glad they were kind.

@Juno231 that sounds like an anxious wait. It seems silly though they are making you wait. I have my first appointment with gynecology on Tuesday, fingers crossed. Its on the phone. I will ask them what the waiting times are and will post on here if it helps. Also if you have it privately they won't actually know anyway. just saying. I was going to go to Turkey and have it as its cheaper than here but that just depends on the waiting times here. Will let tou know when I find out more info.

@PurpleUnicorn01 how are you? where are you at in your cycle now? when is your appointment again?

@dogmam sounds like a brilliant day progress wise! Sounds like you could have PCO without the S then? No idea if that affects TTC at all other than the overstimulation you mentioned. On the bright side, sounds like that would mean lots of eggs to harvest if it came to IVF?

@PurpleUnicorn01 I got a peak LH test on Sunday so was super lucky with the timing of my HSG in the end. DTD Sat/Sun/Mon so should be covered and it means OH can have his SA on Friday now no problem.

Am dying to find out the results of the scan and blood test though! Considering how little time I got last time with the doc, I think she'll be rather annoyed when I'll ask her to tell me all of my results line by line lol. I just don't want to end up with them saying everything is fine only to find out later down the line that my TSH has gone up further or something.

If at the next appointment they fob me off and tell me I just have to wait until the 2 year mark I have already decided that I will ask for her professional opinion on if there's any point in us doing IUI privately in the meantime. I'd also want to know if she knows what the IVF waiting times are roughly and to confirm how many rounds of private IVF we'd be allowed before forfeiting the NHS one. I don't particularly want to end up at the 2 year mark only to be told it'll take another year before it's my turn to have IVF so I'm planning for backup options!

Good to hear you guys are doing well.

Excited for you all! @dogmam i love yiur accounts they are fab. @paintfairy how are you feeling? @juno231 how are you getting on now?

@dogmam sounds productive! No, that's why they didn't do my HSG straight away. But because SA was ok and scan ok, we move to that next. Fingers crossed your SA has improved!

Ok, i've had my appointment. Here's the update!

I started spotting today. This tells me (so I assumed) I've ovulated and I would put it at yesterday. So it was interesting to go today. Scan lady was nice. She said everything looked OK and she could tell I had ovulated from my right ovary (today is CD13) and she asked if my cycle was regular and where I was at. She wrote the report there and then. I had to just go back in the waiting room. Then I was called in to see the fertility nurse. She checked my height and weight and my bmi is OK at 26.9. She confirmed my scan was OK and everything looks fine in that respect. There was fluid but that's consist with ovulation apparently? I told her I'd started spotting today. She's actually given me some progesterone pessaries to try for the rest of this month (good scan timing)! To see how I respond to them, as it'll be a good trial. She said you can get them on prescription but as they are expensive they don't like them being given out. I didn't have to pay today. And if she's right I might even end up pregnant this month. They might delay my period though but I'm to do a test in 2 weeks, because if I am pregnant she wouldn't want me to stop them, I'd need to carry on. If I'm not then I can stop them and wait for AF. When AF comes I'm to call up and book in for a HSG and not have unprotected sex. On that day DH would have to come with me and they'll go through all the consent forms (need ID) and get all the paperwork done at the same time. And we could actually start the IUI next cycle (assuming tubes ok).That seems fast and very scary!
DH is like- do we not want to try ourselves and see if the tube check just works? And I'm tempted to ask them that. If we can use the progesterone (even if it means paying) and try for a month or 2 on our own first, following HSG. Because in theory there's no reason we shouldn't be managing this for ourselves.
His test wash for SA was fine. They need 5 million but really they like to have 8 million in case. He's got 15 million. I asked about the other issues and actually everything was normal on this one! His motility was 35% (25% last time). She asked was it cold last time but they did take an hour to do it and I think it was less this time. So that's good news. Maybe a one off (who knows) but its not so dire its a problem, clearly.
So yeah, still moving forwards.

I think the time scale is all pretty fast considering. I don't really think they could have gone much faster, for those worrying about it?

Thanks! I'll update later!

Good Luck guys x

@dogmam good luck today! Let us know how it goes
@paintfairy same to you :)

Yeah I think I will. I hate that it’s the path we have to consider really, because I never thought this wouldn’t work in all the years I debated when to start ttc. But I think it’s best to try it and get the help when late 30s/early 40s. I kick myself a lot for not starting ttc earlier, but can’t change it now.

It’s frustrating how the nhs wait times don’t seem to account for age really.

@thislittlebird yeh it's worth checking before you splash out on tests, it might be they accept from some clinics and not others, so better to know in advance.

I think we'll be looking into ivf in the second half of this year as well. I'll be 40 in November so don't think I can put it off, especially as I apparently have low ovarian reserve.

I got some tests done with Care (who the NHS also use) and I’m considering some more with Kings @Kitekat81 so hopefully it’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll wait until a bit nearer the time and see if they move it forward like they did for @Juno231.

Same here regarding the wait. I can’t wait that long, we’ll go private for IVF later this year I think, if no joy in that time and no chance of clomid. I’m hoping clomid is what the nhs will give me but we shall see if they think I fit the bill.

I hope they do move mine forward, that would be great. I might ring the gynae team anyway and ask if they’ll accept my private tests while I wait.

@thislittlebird it's worth reaching out to ask but I don't think there's a blanket approach - I've def heard of clinics that insist on redoing what's been done privately. Btw my initial appointment was exactly May 17th but got massively moved forward so hopefully they reschedule it as earlier slots free up!

@thislittlebird I think they should accept it if it's a reputable clinic. When the nhs fertility doctor said it would be a 4 month wait for an hsg we said that we would look into getting that done privately to try and speed things along, she thought that was a good idea and said we could get the results sent over. If the hycosy had shown that my tubes were both blocked, that would be an infertility diagnosis so I think would have put me on the nhs ivf waiting list straight away (waiting list is 10 months). As the hycosy showed that everything is fine, I haven't bothered sending over my results to the nhs clinic as there's not much point. Without a diagnosis we have to wait until we've been trying for 2 years then we would be diagnosed with 'unexplained infertility' and put on the waiting list then. That's going to be too long to wait for us, so if we do go down the ivf route it will have to be private.

I know @Kitekat81 got her hycosy private, I’m tempted to do the same but worried they won’t accept it

Another question for all of your further into the referral process than me...will the nhs accept private tests? I am happy to get my tests done privately while I wait for May 17 but I don’t want to pay for them if they make me do them all again anyway.

Is the NHS app good? I don’t have it. @Juno231

The inconsistency is kind of annoying but hopefully you’ll get them through soon. My other half needs his SA done again soon. I just got my referral through today and he’s got plenty of time to do it since it’s not until May 17

I’m really annoyed because the delay isn’t on me, they gave me the wrong results and I just have to wait longer because they got it wrong. Ugh.