Will they let me continue with IVF if I own up?

I got referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic after my second miscarriage as was over 35 and had a third miscarriage 3 months after my second. Be aware the wait may be very long due to covid I was referred in January 2020 initial appointment was supposed to be August 2020 got cancelled due to covid. Finally had tests April and consultant appointment June not found anything significant have a plan in place if I actually get pregnant but been trying since last miscarriage April 2020 with no luck including 3 rounds of clomid.
If you can go private do we can afford to now due to an inheritance but I'm in 2 minds whether to just give up as has been 5 years and is just making me miserable and we do have a 7 year old.

Hi OP, I’m so sorry about your miscarriages. I’m being referred for IVF right now so thought I would share my story in case it’s helpful. I’m 35, we were TTC for 3.5 years, did all the tests and they came back good, we were diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’. We were being referred in November when we miraculously got pregnant naturally, but sadly needed a surgical termination due to the baby having a heart defect so he wouldn’t have lived longer than a few days past birth. I thought this would mean we weren’t eligible but we still are. The stipulations are that you need to have a live birth/successful pregnancy to not qualify anymore. We live in Surrey, so had to wait 3 years to qualify for NhS IVF (might be less if you have diagnosed problem). I would be honest with them and I’m sure they will still give you the funding, don’t be afraid to ask them about the conditions as it’s a minefield!

I have had 4 miscarriages and just had my one nhs round of ivf treatment. My clinic knew about my previous losses - it's very important they are aware of your history. My ccg policy is no living children after 2 years ttc.

You are eligible for further investigation into recurrent miscarriage (due to your age, usually its 3 losss). I'd look into possible causes of your losses whilst waiting for ivf.

I'm very sorry for your losses ❤️ x

I'm so sorry for your losses but I think you already know that it's wrong to lie to medical professionals about your medical history. The truth is you need help holding a pregnancy not conceiving. Get the help you need and don't waste the precious resources others genuinely need.

There are some basic tests you can do for miscarriage eg thyroid problems are linked with miscarriage. I'd make sure to be in optimal health by getting basic blood tests from a gp or one of the fingerpick test companies.

Likewise you can get a blood clotting test privately (not via post).

A promising line of research is about endometrial stem cells, look up Siobhan Quenby. You can have a procedure called an endometrial scratch plus there's a new drug sitagliptin. I don't think these will help if it's an egg health problem though. There's also steroid treatment for high natural killer cells.

Sending you best wishes, recurrent miscarriage is awful.

Apologies, it doesn’t look like Fertility Friends Forum is very active these days. I would still look into fertility support group either on here or FB if you have it.

Hello
Sorry for your losses
At 40 I wouldn’t waste any more time waiting for NHS IVF (but keep on the waiting list) and start investing if there are any reasons for your miscarriages privately through a clinic. Some clinics have a good reputation for success with harder to treat cases, I am not suggesting that yours is but If I was paying I would want to go through one with the most experience in this area just in case it turned out that way. I also suggest joining Fertility Friends forum there is a wealth of info on the site which helped me greatly when I was ttc. Best of luck.

The advice is to seek help after 6mths if your over 35 so my guess is the GP has rightly referred her to the fertility unit.

Like others, I'm a wee bit confused about how you got on the ivf waitlist in the 1st place! In my healthboard it's 2 years without conceiving. You have conceived twice in 13mo without ivf. You do need to be honest with them so they can investigate the reasons for mc. At 40, it could just be bad luck and the next one will be fine. However, depending on the criteria for being on the list, you might risk them dropping you off it and putting you on the miscarriage investigations lists instead.

I am very sorry to hear of your miscarriages. But like others have said, to have fallen pregnant twice within 13 months of TTC is great given that you are 40. My understanding is also that the condition is no previous children, not no previous pregnancies.

I had IVF for my second at age 39 because we had been TTC for 18 months with not a sign of a pregnancy, even though all our test results were very good. We were lucky and had a healthy baby the first time. But it is a very tough thing to put your body and mind through, especially given that the success rates are not hugely better than conceiving naturally. As you say, it may be that you have difficulty keeping a pregnancy, in which case IVF may not really be much help. Although they do select the 'best quality' embryos, the criteria are quite rudimentary (eg are the cells dividing symmetrically and at a reasonable interval) and I doubt they can select for 'staying power'. One thing that may be helpful for you though is that post-embryo transfer you are given progesterone supplements which reduce the risk of miscarriage. You may be able to get those without going through IVF though if you have a history of recurring miscarriage.

IVF is quite hard on your body and there is a risk of your ovaries being overstimulated, which can be deadly in rare cases. The NHS clinics are very careful to avoid that happening though. Mentally I found it torture (although not conceiving when TTC is always hard) and the day we went to the clinic to find out if it had worked was hands down the most stressful day of my life.

In terms of tests I would just be a bit cautious about advice from a private clinic. there are a lot of tests out there that don't actually tell very much and cost a lot. Be sure to do your research online before agreeing to any tests or treatment.

Also since you're new to MN I highly recommend joining a TTC or IVF group on this site. I joined one at the start of my IVF cycle and we are STILL friends many years later. It was an absolute godsend to me to message with other women going through the same thing at the same time as these can otherwise be very lonely experiences and no one else in your life is as obsessed with the process as you will be.

Good luck! :-)

Actually I'd stick with the NHS for the time being. 13months is no time really and their is probably a good chance you'll fall naturally while on the waiting list.

But beware the waiting list can be a long time.

Also the tests you could do will be done by the ivf clinic.
Because it’s a fertility clinic rather than just ivf iyswim

I'm so sorry for your losses
I was just starting to be investigated for not conceiving when I fell pregnant. I was 21. I had being trying for two years. Yes, I know that's very young. However it's the only successful pregnancy I've ever had. Miscarriages ever since and I've given up (many years later, single parent to the one I have and running out of time fertility wise and no partner). Weigh up your options and go for what's best for you. I always wanted more children but it didn't work out, DD has been the absolute light of my life.

And btw, there are many reasons why one couple might need IVF. It’s not. JUST about never managing to get pregnant.

Eg some eggs might be of poorer quality leading to miscarriage. IVF can help select the best ones..

It would be better if the clinic knows because they will adjust treatmenst accordingly.
Eg higher levels of progesterone after transfer.

I’m pretty sure that the rule is no CHILDREN, not no pregnancy.
Many women will have conceived naturally but miscarried early on.

At least that’s how it is at my local hospital. But you might want to double check with yours.

Firstly I'm Really sorry about your miscarriages.
I too would think you're not eligible going by that statement you posted, I would take it as you've been trying over two years without a hint of pregnancy. As others have pointed out you have managed to get pregnant twice, but sadly miscarried.
I myself would be speaking to the gp and possible asking if any investigations into this could be done ? You said yourself your tests all came back normal fertility wise so I agree it would seem a little pointless at the moment doing ivf if you could naturally conceive and hopefully carry to term.
I am going through ivf atm, have secondary infertility and been trying for 4 years. It is brutal on your mind and body and not to be taken lightly

TBH, you've only been TTC for 13 months, and have had two pregnancies in that time.

Loads of people TTC for longer than that, and loads of people have more than one miscarriage.

I'm not sure you'd be high priority just yet at the fertility clinic, nor for miscarriage investigations.

Also, I thought most CCG’s didn’t fund IVF on the NHS over 35 because the success rate is so low.

Either way, you will be limited to the number of cycles you’re entitled to (it ranges between 1 and 3 depending on where you live,) so if there is a reason why you’re miscarrying then you will be using IVF cycles and going through the stress, the drugs, the egg harvesting, with not only a limited success rate, but also the chance of MC if you are successful.

Honestly I would ditch IVF for now.

If your fertility tests have come back positive and you’ve had 2 pregnancies already and only been TTC for 13 months, can I ask why you’re on the waiting list for IVF?

As you’ve not been TTC for 2 years yet and if the literature has this as a stipulation, then no you wouldn’t yet be eligible.

But you’ve conceived twice in less than a year, and although you have miscarried those pregnancies, this would point to you not having any reason for needing to have IVF?

IVF is a brutal process and there are no guarantees.

Assuming there isn’t a fertility problem I’ve missed here, I would ditch the idea of IVF for now and keep TTC and maybe look more into seeing if there’s a reason you’ve miscarried twice in quick succession.

There may actually not be a reason. But if there is then IVF isn’t going to minimise that chance.

I’m not sure if it would mean you were eligible or not but after a third miscarriage you’d normally be sent down the recurrent miscarriage investigation route….a common reason is you having undiagnosed clotting issues. Could you pay privately for this to make sure that’s not the problem? Not tell your gp for now?

How many rounds on ivf do you get on the nhs? I assume you can't just keep trying if it's not successful?
If you do have a reason for the miscarriages and it isn't resolved first you could be wasting the chances of IVF that you do get.