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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

So, what happens when you go to the GP to ask for fertility help?

9 replies

ksrwr · 27/11/2013 14:34

i was wondering if anyone could give me a heads up what to expect. my DP and I are getting nowhere ttc no.2 child (18 months of trying so far), and now that i'm 38, time isn't on our side. so i'm hoping our GP will be able to help.
first appointment is on 17th December (!!) and as i'm crap at waiting, i was wondering if any of you have been in this situation.
what will happen next?

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Vatta · 27/11/2013 14:43

Different areas of the country have very different rules around eligibility for fertility treatment. In my area (saw the gp re this today!) you can be referred for tests/treatment if you TTC for one year without any luck, but in other areas it will be different.

My GP wanted to know how long we'd been trying, whether we were "doing the necessary" (!) at the right times of the month, and about any other underlying health problems.

Good luck.

Vatta · 27/11/2013 14:44

Ps may be worth googling for your local area to see what the rules are.

ksrwr · 27/11/2013 14:47

thanks Vatta, i've made a spreadsheet charting my cycles etc, so hopefully that'll be helpful.
did you get referred for tests?
what ARE the tests?

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ksrwr · 27/11/2013 14:47

will do
thanks!

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neiljames77 · 27/11/2013 14:54

Your partner will be checked first for sperm count, if that's ok, you'll be checked for blocked/twisted tubes etc, then you might get given what my wife was given. It's called Clomid. There's a warning that it may cause multiple birth.

ksrwr · 27/11/2013 14:56

thanks Neil - off to google Clomid.

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Vatta · 27/11/2013 15:32

My situations a bit different - I've become pregnant then miscarried twice in the last 6 months, so I'm being tested for problems connected to miscarriage rather than fertility itself.

Do bear in mind 30% of all fertility problems are down to the man - doctors maybe tend to focus on women, but the simplest first test to do is to check your husbands sperm.

Keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal · 27/11/2013 15:37

As Vatta mentions, it does really seem to vary depending on what part of the country you are in.
I also had a spreadsheet charting my cycles which is helpful as you will constantly be asked how long your cycles are and the date of your last period.
As you already have a DC, it may be something quite simple in terms of a few tests and medication for one/both of you, but I'll share my experience of IVF in case it helps a bit.

I hate to say it but my advice would be to prepare yourself for the fact you will possibly have to self fund any fertility treatment. Based on my area of the UK (The Midlands) you wouldn't qualify for NHS funded treatment as you already have a DC (there are a few factors including weight, age etc that would disqualify you from receiving funding too, and even then you only get one funded cycle)

We had been TTC (our first DC) for about 3 years with no success, though it was probably different for us than it will be for you as the reason we were not conceiving was quite clear (DH has retrograde ejaculation caused by diabetes and he had undergone a couple of initial investigative tests a couple of years before hand which hadn't amounted to any actual results/official diagnosis etc.)
We decided to start from the beginning and it was very simple, just a normal appointment with our GP - he had a quick look at our notes but didn't really ask any questions, just said I'm going to refer you to a private clinic for fertility treatment, it's clear you have been trying long enough. (This was October 2012)
We were initially referred to the fertility department of our local hospital and I had blood tests on day 2 and 21 of my cycle to check I was ovulating and also a chlamydia test. We had a couple of appointments with the head fertility nurse at the hospital to complete our application for IVF funding on the NHS where she explained exactly what we would 'get' on the NHS. Also more blood tests and screening for HIV/hepitias for both of us were done (all legally required for treatment)
We got an info pack through from the private clinic and had our 1st appointment in May this year.
Once we were under the private clinic's care I had an internal scan to check my ovaries, my DH had a couple of operations to surgically remove and freeze sperm, then they ordered and delivered medication for me.
I did about 10 days of hormone tablets, then 2 weeks of 2 different injections, (with internal scans at the clinic every other day for a week to check the injections were working) then one last trigger injection before going under sedation to have my eggs collected, fertilised with DH's sperm in a dish (a process called ICSI) and the fertilised embryo transferred back into me a few days later. (they also froze 3 other embryos for us to use another time when we want DC2 etc) NHS funding in most areas only allow 1 embryo to be transferred back to prevent multiple pregnancies.

I had to wait just over 2 weeks after that but then got to POAS and we are so lucky to have got a BFP and I am now 8 weeks pregnant.
So from the initial GP visit to getting the BFP it was about a year, though we did have a lot of delays and problems getting paperwork from the NHS to the clinic which held things up quite a lot.
We actually found the whole process quite straightforward once we had got going with the treatment.

Obviously it will all be different for each couple depending on what the actual issue is - ours was probably quite easy as it was clear what the problem was and everything with me was fine.
My DH didn't have to do anything except have his sperm removal op. (Most blokes would have to provide a sample in a pot instead of that part.)
Also, I understand you have a lot more options if you are paying privately for treatment.
Not sure how useful my experience will be but happy to answer any questions if you like!

Good luck with everything!

ksrwr · 27/11/2013 20:53

Wow, what an incredible story. Thank you for sharing, its so interesting. Enormous congratulations on your pregnancy! So very much deserved after all that.
Thank you again - hopefully a year from now I'll be in a similar position.

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