Fertility Investigation Privately

[Vics79]

Hi - I have been taking my basal body temperatures and my luteal phase seems to be only 10 days which I gather is too short. I had a m/c at 7wks a few months ago and I wonder whether a short luteal could have been the problem. The gyno at the hospital just said some people are 6ft and others can be 5ft...so didn't shed much light! NHS docs don't have the budget to investigate before a year of trying but if there is a problem, I would prefer to find out now. Can anyone recommend where I could go privately in London to be looked at and what sort of tests they would do & what sort of costs I will be looking at? Sorry if this has been discussed before. xx

My experiences of a LPD in the healthcare system are that they won't even acknowledge it exists, so go armed with proper literature if you can! Medical journals are a good start if you can get hold of them electonically.

Other than that I can't give you any advice, sorry. Good luck.

!) days luteal phase? WOW, I would pay for that mine is between 3 and 6 days when I'm lucky
10 days is a bit on the short side but you should still be able to get pregnant.
Onemoreintothebeach is right,Dr don't even listen to you when you explain that your LPD is short...mine doesn't!!!so I've just changed DR and I hope this one will listen to me
Good luck with talking to your and put your foot down!

Hi Vics79
I'm new to this forum so please excuse my ignorance - I'm in the same boat - we've been TTC for 6 mths but I'm 37 so I don't want to wait a year for the NHS to tell me there's something wrong that could have been fixed a year ago...
I've found that with other problems you have to INSIST on going private - to the point of one GP telling me that sometimes private consultants do surgery they don't need to to make money - the cheek of the GP!!!!!
If it doesn't happen this month I'll be making an appt and insisting on referral. I do imagine it'll be megabucks tho' but at least privately
a. you see the consultant, not an SHO
b. you get offered all the options not just the cheapest!
c. they take time to explain and listen to you.
I think a start might be to see where the local BUPA hospital is and they will possibly be able to tell you which of their branches does fertility work.
Here's hoping for us all!!

Hi Blitzen15, it's annoying isn't it. I was told quite frankly that because most women will fall pregnant within a year of trying then the NHS just cannot afford to investigate lots of women. In most cases it probably won't be necessary in the long run, however, there will be people who may need assistance who will have to wait over a year to find this out. Which is silly when time is of the essence! I would tell your doc that you have been trying for a year and if you don't get referred then find someone else. I may have to bite the bullet and dig deep to find a clinic who can run tests etc
Luce2006 - your doc sounds ridiculous, I thought LPDwas a well known problem in fertility ?!

I may be being really ignorant here (and insensitive, so forgive me). But if you mc at 7 weeks, doesnt that mean you conceived and it implanted and stayed there despite your short luteal phase? How can that be affecting/causing the miscarriage at 7 weeks, when the bean had been there for that length of time, causing your body hormones to change?

Hi Miffles, I'm probably the one being ignorant, I read that you could conceive on a short luteal phase but you wouldn't be able to sustain a pregnancy...I totally see what you're saying but I assumed an early m/c at 7 wks could mean it didn't implant properly, hence short luteal phase. Not sure!!

I think with a short luteal phase you generally have low progesterone which can cause miscarriage. I'm sorry for your loss Vics. There are multitudes of reasons why you miscarried at 7 weeks though, it may not be your luteal phase.

Hi... I am really sorry about your loss. that sucks.

i have had 3 MC have have gone private. I had my investigations done at the Lister Hospital. You can check out costs on line at most of the hospitals. checkout the HFEA website for a list of clinics. Roughly, appts cost around £150-£200 each time and blood tests start at around £160 per time. Scans are around £160 too.

if you have had multiple MC you may be covered under private insurance. It isnt considered 'fertility treatment' which is normally excluded. You will have to check the finer detail of your policy, but mine, with the Pru, covers if you have had 3 MC over your lifetime- which is good as I had one before DD and 2 since and as I hadnt had 3 consecutive I wasnt covered from NHS point of view.

Vics79
I feel like an insensitive a@@@!! I'm so sorry about your MC
I've read somewhere that 9 is the shortest luteal phase needed for egg to travel down and implant itself because roughly it takes 7 days to do that.
Have you had your hormones checked?

Thanks guys for your advice. I'm just panicking and probably too much googling and self diagnosing . The Lister sounds so expensive but i may look in to it, if things don't work out. Can you get general tests like progesterone done on the nhs or do you have to have been trying for a year??