12 cycles TTC, see Dr or wait? Covid-19 / NHS

[croissantmonster]

I’m at the 12 cycle mark in my TTC journey, and trying to see the next step as a positive: time to get everything checked out and see if everything is ok with DH and I.

I’m in 2 minds about going to the Dr’s though. They currently only take routine requests online, and TTC isn’t on the auto-generated list. There is ‘Women’s problems’ though which made me laugh!

Has anyone else been to the Dr about TTC during this time? Should I send a request and see what happens? I don’t want to be a burden by any means, but know it can take a while to have blood tests scheduled etc.

I’m obviously impatient to get moving, but also appreciate there’s a much bigger picture and if we have to wait longer, so be it.

Any thoughts or experiences welcome! Thanks

Hello 🌸 I would go with what makes you feel most comfortable.

I'm going through the exact same at the moment but my docs are doing telephone appointments and she's checking if clinics are open to start the testing process etc and if so we can start.

I would say go with your gut and don't feel pressured into going or not going if you know what I mean. This whole journey is hard enough without adding additional stress and worry 💕 hope you're okay xx

I’m also nearing this stage. I plan on calling for an appointment, whether that be over the phone or in person. I don't want this process to take any longer than it already has so I’m eager to get the ball rolling as soon as I can!

Speaking from experience, as someone who has already been through fertility investigations and treatment, I would try to get an appointment as soon as you can. As amazing as our NHS is the whole process takes a long time and sadly due to everything going on now waiting lists have grown even further. I wish you all lots of luck and if you have any questions then please feel free to ask x

Thanks @HalfPenny28 @Nat4392 @DisneyGirl2387 for your kind responses! I called my surgery and they said they are unable to do fertility/seamen analysis right now and ring again in a month but no guarantee it’ll be then either

Not really what I was hoping to hear!

Semen Not seamen! of course

Hi everyone, I’m in exactly the same situation. Planning on calling the drs next week. Has anyone been tempted to go privately? I keep seeing adverts for clinics (targeted advertising on Facebook) and I think some of them are open for new patients so not sure if we should go this way or not.

@Banoffeepie91 hi! Sorry you’re in this boat too, it’s not easy is it.
Yes, since hearing that my local doctor’s can’t guarantee when they’ll start any tests, we’re considering private but also bothered that NHS won’t take the results into consideration further down the line.
Just weighing it all up right now!

@Banoffeepie91 @croissantmonster I’m not in this situation now but have been in the past. I had the initial blood tests with GP (sorry that doesn’t seem to be available to you presently) and then saw a private gynaecologist as the wait to be seen in the NHS fertility clinic was 6 months. Just wanted to reassure you that my gynaecologist was happy to use my GP results and vice versa. You may find that once you’ve made the initial outlay to be seen privately you want to stick with it (the first bit was the most expensive with scans etc and then at least for me it was a case of spending £10 on a prescription and taking it for a few months (those months would therefore be much cheaper). If you can see a gynaecologist who also has an NHS practice near to you, you may even eventually be able to transition into their NHS list which would save time as they know you.

@Banoffeepie91 I would just be careful of unscrupulous people praying on the healthcare situation right now and definitely go with a doctor who also dose NHS work (something like BUPA or Spire is reputable) as it gets into the £100s quite quickly and you don’t want to waste money

I'm at the 12 month mark too and I had a phone consultation with my doctor. Had the first of the blood tests last week and another in a few weeks. Do what feels right for you 😊

@croissantmonster ahh sorry, just seen that your doctor isn't doing tests right now. Hopefully they will start again really soon.

We were in the middle of investigations in March. All our appointments with the consultant were cancelled until further notice which is completely understandable. I can't imagine the hospitals dealing with this atm unfortunately xx

@Seventytwoseventythree thanks for the advice. Yes, it was Nuffield and Spire that I was looking at anyway for tests so assumed as they are both well known names they would be legitimate. Luckily I’ve already had an ultrasound with the NHS and 1 blood test and got my GP to send me through the results so hopefully I can just show them to the private place. OH has had SA but that was back in 2018 so I assume they’ll want a more up to date one than that.

I always just assumed that when we got to 12 months I’d just follow the normal root and get the ball rolling through my GP. I like to have a plan in my head and global pandemic surprisingly didn’t feature on it 🤣.

Good luck all of you and if anyone wants to keep talking let me know.
It feels so isolating not being able to talk to friends and people about this, I usually tell everyone everything but this is a very private journey that I’m not ready to share with friends or family yet.