Tips on speeding up getting to fertility clinic - advice please

[Mirry71]

I wonder if anyone can give me some advice. I'm 35, about to turn 36 in a couple of months. DH and I had been trying for a year and went for tests in November. Went to GP in December to be told the initial tests all showed everything was normal and that we would be referred to our nearest (large London) assisted conception unit for more tests/whatever happens next.
Have heard nothing and asked at GPs yesterday when I went for something totally different.
They rang back today to say that because of the backlog we would not even HEAR about an appointment for another 6-8 weeks - not even to get an appointment.
Is this totally run of the mill? Is there anything I can do? I don't think I've got the money but if I scraped together my savings would I miraculously get an appointment and if so how much would it cost?
Any advice gratefully received mumsnetters. Am at the end of tether. Was 34 when I started ttc, looks like I'll be 37 before they even get round to doing anything at this rate!

Thanks MrsMar. You're absolutely right and all is in motion - just slowly. I just feel so frightened that it is never going to happen when I see the months go by and read all the doom and gloom about women ttc in their 30s.
This is the one thing I will say for Lord Winston - at least he doesn't blame 30something women trying to get pregnant like a lot of the other docs who are quoted in the media - and who just make me feel awful.

Certainly my experience of the NHS is close to yours though it sounds as if some of the waiting times are reduced - we were referred in Jan and got an appt in June (having had a number of tests done). They will probably want to go through cycle monitoring so you will have a month where they take bloods and scan you to see what is happening (ie they'll watch the follicle grow etc). They may want to repeat dh's sperm test as the results can change over time. So your second appointment may not be for 3 months (they want a separate month to do the hsg, though in my case there was an 8 month waiting list for HSGs as they did them as part of a lap and dye)

Kings has a fairly good reputation.

You have only been trying for a year, and statistically you are fairly likely to concieve within the next 12 months. The doctors you will be seeing know this, and it does impact their treatment - they're not in such a rush with you, because until something is shown to be wrong, then you probably don't need any potentialy invasive treatment.

If that were not the case, and either you were trying for longer, or you knew you had some issue then I would recommend going privately. Some of the London clincs have very good results, and would be able to finish the tests within 3 months of your first appt (which would be say in the next 2 weeks), and you could be having treatment fairly quickly (you may be prescribed clomid whilst undergoing the cycle monitoring, though some NHS hospitals also do that).

Hiya Mirry,

It's also worth remembering that Lord Winston said recently most fertility problems were caused by people not having enough sex. Aparently we have it something like 40% less than women in the 1950s. It's not surprising that we take so long to get pregnant, I think I only conceived because I ov'd over Christmas and neither of us was working and were bd'ing every day (not out of pressure, just having fun at Christmas! hehe!) I'm sure it'll happen soon xx

Mirry
Glad you are at least in the system. Allthough clinic has said no chance of a cancelletaion it is worth ringing up every 3 weeks or so once you get the date of your apointment to see if they have any earlier dates. Te reality is that some people DO cancel....one of the obvious reasons being that they become preg before the appointment. At work we have a bizarrely high nmber of people who have had fertility issues and i dont know why or how but at 4 of them became spontaneously pregnant after having been told no chance of anything without help.

I do have a slight word of caution about using a private clinic when you are on the NHS list. There is slight variation in the tests used in some clinics. This is because some specialists are more comprehensive on what they ask the diagnostic tests to report on. ironically it is often the NHS that is more thorough in this respect. Also - check with your local PCT on this one - some areas will prevent you having free fertility treatment (tests aren't included) if you have started on the private track. It ISNT fair and is based on the crazy idea that just because you can pay for £300 worth of tests that you can find the money for all treatment. Rules vary around the country.

Thank you all for the good advice. I will keep ringing up and I will just have to hope that the next few months go fairly quickly and it all goes to plan. They were short of a doctor last year hence the backlog but hopefully things will improve. I should just accept it and not get stressed.

Maybe Lord Winston is right! After all the fuss, I'm on day 9 today and to be truthful don't feel at all like getting down to it for the next 10 days or so! What I want to know is how much were all these 50s women getting??? Oh well I suppose there was no Life on Mars or 24 or Heat magazine then!