Private Fertility Testing

[BriocheBuns]

Hello all

I wish to have fertility testing done privately so that I can get some answers.

I’ve had two early losses this year and have been referred to gynaecology by my GP which could take months. Meanwhile, TTC not knowing if there is a problem seems odd as we could be putting our effort and energy into something that simply isn’t going to happen until we rectify what’s wrong (assuming something is wrong).

Equally, if nothing is wrong then we could find this out sooner as opposed to worrying for months to come and waiting for our referral and all subsequent appointments.

Has anyone got any experiences good or bad with private fertility tests x

Hi @BriocheBuns me and my partner went private for testing for the same reason and we didn't regret it at all. Got answers way earlier than what it would be have taken it we have waiting for the NHS referral.

@curlyhairdiva - thanks for replying. I don’t mean to pry but cost wise was it affordable? I live in Glasgow so going to phone a few clinics and see what they can offer. Also, what sort of tests should I be expecting?

@BriocheBuns It was a bit pricey but not too bad, we paid £150 and that included a one hour consultation, a AMH blood test and a scan of my ovaries, and a semen analysis for my partner. We live in Wales though.

@curlyhairdiva - that’s excellent! Just got off the phone to a clinic who’s offering the same for £400+ 😮 I can’t afford that x

@BriocheBuns wow! that is steep. I don't know if clinics are just cheaper where I live or if that is the standard amount. I would call around if I were you, £400+ sounds way too much

@BriocheBuns have your doctors given any indication of the nhs wait time in your area?

I’m down south in the UK, but was referred in June by my GP for blood tests, scans, and semen analysis for my oh. And by the end of August not only had I been referred but we’d had all tests and scans done and results back. So for me it didn’t end up being a long wait at all, even though I’d been told it usually takes a few months to even hear from the fertility consultant.

@BriocheBuns I'm also Glasgow and considering the same. Can you let me know if you find anywhere more affordable please!

@Moominmiss - Hey thanks for replying. I rang the GP yesterday and they said I had been referred in September so I asked what sort of timescale I was looking at but was told they are really busy and don’t know.

I think I’ll ring again tomorrow and get the name of where I’m referred to and ring them direct instead. I’m just expecting it to be months and months due to Covid etc but your reply makes me hopeful x

@crabette - Hey I rang up the Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic who quoted the £400+. Got two more clinics on the list who weren’t picking up so will try again tomorrow and let you know what they say x

Hey, will be interested to hear how you get on too - I've just emailed Spire for a quote.

I think £150 sounds especially good
I had an ultrasound and it cost £200 a few months ago. Blood tests, sperm count etc were extra. I thought a "fertility MOT" was around the £400 mark tbh.

@Pollyell - please keep us informed when they get back to u x

@PurBal - maybe I’m overreacting then, if the full package is reasonable at £400ish then I best get saving!

In your case OP I wouldn’t necessarily go for the fertility MOT type packages. If you’ve had early pregnancy losses then I’d expect you to be offered testing for various different conditions that can cause this (eg thyroid problems, problems with your blood clotting, certain infections etc) and just an AMH test and scan won’t provide this information.

In your shoes I’d definitely ring the hospital you’ve been referred to to ask about their waiting times, hopefully it isn’t as long as you fear!

Got an email back from Spire and just about spat my coffee out!
250 for initial consultation, each individual blood test varies from £40 to £295. I am looking more for fertility test rather than early miscarriage investigations, it doesn't specifically itemise those...

Have you heard from any others in Glasgow?

I paid about £500 for a full miscarriage screen I think - South East England

@SpuriouserAndSpuriouser - I’m just about to ring the GP and get the hospital details and ring them direct for waiting times. You’re right it may not be as bad as I fear x

Just an update - rang the hospital where my referral was sent to. They have no answers for me as my referral hasn’t even been dealt with yet, so it’s just in limbo.

This is why I want to go private, it’s taken a month for this part of the process and nothing has happened then how many more months do I wait to get testing done? These months are so valuable because it would save me the time and effort of TTC if it simply isn’t going to work our yet.

I’m so grateful for the NHS but I’m thinking I should start saving to get to that £400 mark just to speed the process up. Mentally TTC is becoming challenging x

@BriocheBuns @crabette @Pollyell Hi ladies, I’m in month 8 of TTC. Sorry to hear about early MCs, I had one last month too.
I’m in Glasgow & have been to the GCRM for tests as like you we wanted to know if anything was wrong or if we were in a good position to conceive (we know it’s still early days but we had the money available). We paid £550 which included a semen analysis, AMH bloods/ovarian assessment & video consultation with the doctor. You can choose which service you need.. so we didn’t need to pay for the consultation but tbh we had no idea what our results meant.
They are fairly quick to book you in, we had appointments within the month.
The conclusion of our tests were that everything is normal with us & we just need to keep trying. We felt that we wanted the tests done so we are ready if 12 months hits, we knew our next step (dye test/IVF).
Don’t know if this helps but please ask if you have any questions 😊 xxx

@BriocheBunsI should also mention that their full price list is available on their website - AMH blood test alone is £125, women’s treatment consultation alone (blood test & ovarian assessment) is £400... Hope this helps! Xxx

I'm thinking of going for a fertility scan as we are on cycle 11 now and nothing. I worry there will be something wrong with me as I can feel when I ovulate and it's always from my right side every month but I tend to have a constant twinge on that side as well so I want to find out

@MJM1608 - hello 👋 your reply really helped me. It pushed me to make a firm decision on definitely going ahead and getting the tests.

I spoke with GCRM today and they seem so helpful and approachable. The price was as you’ve stated. They said it’s a month wait at the moment but once all tested it’s 4 weeks until results and 2 weeks for semen analysis.

Glad everything is okay with you, I’m really hoping for the same.

Can I ask if you managed to fall pregnant after being tested or did you need any further assistance x

@Pollyell - so far GCRM and GRFC are the only ones I’ve spoken to x

Was £400 for me (scan, consult and AMH test) and £150 for my husband's sperm analysis.

We did some private fertility tests after trying for a year and no joy. I can't remember why we decided to do some private tests ... we were in the referral for NHS so perhaps it was just to speed along. I don't fully remember though.

Tbh I felt like it was a waste of money. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility so the tests didn't reveal anything and in the end our NHS waiting list wasn't that long. The waits between NHS appointments actually also meant that by the time we'd done all testing we were at the end of the second year and eligible to go onto IVF fully funded. Once the referral was in things seemed to move quite quickly.