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

This is really helpful. I am at the stage where I’m considering testing and wondered if would be quicker going private. Am also near Glasgow so at least I know how much to set aside. Guess even if unexplained it’s good to know there aren’t any problems

@LT103

This is really helpful. I am at the stage where I’m considering testing and wondered if would be quicker going private. Am also near Glasgow so at least I know how much to set aside. Guess even if unexplained it’s good to know there aren’t any problems

Yes and no. It's good to know there are no problems, but that also means there are no answers ....

Then it's a waiting game for IVF

@Twizbe ah yeah I guess. I didn’t think of that side. We’ve decided to give it til Christmas and if nothing we will contact the doctor and get the ball rolling. Crossing fingers it doesn’t come to that

@BriocheBuns oh good to hear!! What month of TTC are you on? It really just gave us peace of mind that everything is in working order & we hopefully conceive naturally soon! 🤞🏼 They have brilliant customer service (of course cause you’re paying a fortune!). We only started the testing in September then had the phone consultation 2 weeks ago so no pregnancy yet... fingers crossed for this month! Had deffo made me feel more relaxed & optimistic about this cycle whereas the past few months I’ve been more stressy and obsessed! Anything else you’d like to know? Deffo a lot of money but has really taken the pressure off this month! xxxx

@MJM1608 - aw good luck to you and I’m so glad it’s taken the pressure off. Don’t you think knowing everything is fine just gives you that reassurance and piece of mind?

We’ve been trying since January so will be a year soon. I’ve had two losses, extremely early and what you would class as chemical pregnancies but of course still a loss as far as the GP is concerned.

That’s why I’m thinking there may be an issue and so I would like to find out so I can see what the next step would be to resolve it.

I only use opks and don’t temp, I take no vitamins etc, I often read about so many things people do to aid conception and feel like I could do a lot more. Are you trying anything that you think helps other than the obvious? lol

Is the testing quite invasive? Uncomfortable? Or was it okay x

@LT103 glad that info is helpful! 😊 I guess for us we wanted the testing done early on (8 months in) to know whether we were going to face challenges ahead. Time seems so precious when TTC & the longer it goes on, the harder it is mentally! It really gave us much more confidence that we are doing everything right & now have to let nature take its course!

@BriocheBuns Aww thanks, and you!! Yes absolutely it has made such a change to our mindset. I do think stress and obsession with it is not good for the body but it has really helped me relax this month. Time will tell if it’s made a difference 😂

CP’s are so hard, we had one last month. Going from the euphoria of a positive test, to seeing blood and having everything taken away so quickly! We asked the doctor about CPs and he said it is positive to know you can fall pregnant and he wouldn’t be too concerned unless there was multiple (I think 3+). Hopefully there is no issue & your sticky bean is just around the corner!! I got my BFP an hour before DH appt and the woman on the phone said so often people cancel their appts because they have fallen pregnant naturally before the appointment! worth asking if you get a refund if this were to happen! We had the CP so still needed the testing.

The doctor said it’s good that we both take vitamins (folic acid - I take pregnacare conception, he takes wellman). We exercise daily, eat well, don't drink much anymore but who knows if that helps! He also said that they don’t really recommend temping and OPKs, the best way to tell if you’re ovulating is by EWCM. He said DTD every other day from your period then a few days around EWCM should catch it! We also use pre-seed, have you heard of this?

The scan of the ovaries and follicles was a bit like a smear test, they put a probe inside you but no it’s not uncomfortable at all! The nurses are sooo lovely & kind too!

Sorry for the essay - please let me know how you get on!! Really glad I’ve helped but hope this month you don’t need it anyway!! 💜✨🥰 xxx

@BriocheBuns sorry one more thing 😂 our next step would be a dye test where they basically flush your tubes to make the paths clear for swimmers! He said that the success rate is high & within 6 months people often conceive. The treatment is £500🙃 but if we hit a year, this is our next step! IVF is obviously a last resort but he wasn’t keen on us jumping to this as it is not an easy process. Hopefully a route neither of us need to go down 😊 xxx

@MJM1608 - hey again 👋 sorry you also had a chemical, it’s such a shock to the system isn’t it. Getting a positive pregnancy test and then starting to bleed totally floored me. Both times I got my BFP around a week before my period and then started to bleed when my period would have been due. I think my egg fertilised but there’s an issue when it comes to implantation. They just won’t stick!

My tests wouldn’t darken, they were so light and that kind of prepared me for the worst, more so the second time around.

We’ve tried Sperm Meets Egg Plan once Since January and that month we caught, I’m wondering if I should do this every month. Only thing is it’s quite exhausting and very repetitive. It involves so much DTD which is a good thing to maximise the chances but simply burns me out and feels so unnatural.

I have folic acid tabs in my drawer and not sure why I haven’t been taking them, pure laziness I guess. I’ll start today.

I hope you don’t have to proceed to the next step of getting your tubes cleared. I pray a BFP finds you before that x

@BriocheBuns hope you had a good weekend! It’s devastating isn’t it, and a whole rollercoaster of emotions! Especially after 2, can’t imagine 😔 Hope you are staying positive 💗 sometimes it’s just luck isn’t it.. some friends have just DTD around ovulation and fallen pregnant. We DTD every other day & it’s tiring / forced 😂 great to hear you have started taking your vitamins! What stage of your cycle are you on? Hopefully we get our sticky bean soon ❤️❤️ Xx

@MJM1608 - hey 👋 weekend was awful. I got my peak LH surge on Saturday but me and OH fell out over something so he went off to his mates and stayed there overnight so we missed our opportunity this month. I’m so mad at him.

I hope yours was better?

I don’t temp so don’t know when I actually ovulate but the GP said I must definitely be ovulating if I’ve managed to fall pregnant even though it never stuck.

England has went into lockdown so I’m a bit apprehensive Scotland will be next and that could affect my chances to get seen for fertility testing, what do you think?

What stage are you at in your cycle x

@BriocheBuns Oh nooo sorry to hear that! Did you DTD last week? Sperm can live up to 7 days so you never know!! It's really frustrating when you need to have sex but hate each other on the same day! It's so forced & not enjoyable! Hope you're OK! We went to Trump Turnberry for an overnight so that was nice and helped take my mind off.... for 24 hours lol!

I don't temp either - think that's where TTC would become too obsessive for me! I don't think we are close to a second lockdown quite yet, I think they will be monitoring the situation from 10th Nov, hopefully the fertility clinics will manage to stay open if they do though as they offer scan services etc! Have you booked an appt or are you still saving up? We had to pay upfront but not sure if they offer other payment terms. Hope you get some answers by the end of the year!

I am 6dpo (or 4dpo as I got two peak smileys - two days apart) so quite confused. I should hopefully be out of my misery in a week's time! The TWW is the worst... xxx

@MJM1608 - well I was trying to follow the SMEP where you dtd every other day and then dtd 3 days in a row when you get a positive OPK but we never even got to complete the plan! So we had been doing it every other day but stopped the night before positive opk. I may have a small chance but not all sperm is good enough to hang around that long.

Aw Trump Turnberry looks really nice, I’ve seen it a few times on booking.com and even drove by it once. Such a gorgeous building. How was it? Was it a nice distraction?

Still saving for it so haven’t booked any appointments yet, definitely want to get it done though.

Oh exciting, when do you plan to test or do you just wait for period to arrive? x

Did you ever get tested for antiphospholipid syndrome?

I have that (though I didn't have miscarriages. I just had blood clots) but if you google it. Miscarriage is the biggest sign.

@Happyheartlovelife - no never been tested for that, is that also known as sticky blood? Can my GP test me for this if I request it?

@BriocheBuns hello! How are you getting on? 😊 just wanted to check in! What stage of your cycle are you at now? AF is due on Sat for me.. tested at 10/11dpo and BFN so not testing for a few days because it’s sooo disappointing! Hope she comes early, feel no different this month!! xxxx

@MJM1608 - hey 👋 how are u? I’m due AF on 17th November, had no symptoms to make me feel like I could be pregnant. Also don’t think we dtd enough around ovulation as me and OH had a tiff.

You’re still in with a chance, don’t be disheartened. I stupidly done some cheapy pregnancy strips yesterday and today knowing it’s too early as I have a bunch in my drawer 😏 x

@MJM1608 - oh I’m possibly 7dpo as I got positive OPK on 31st October and don’t temp x

@BriocheBuns Oh yeah you said about the wee argument but you DTD on the lead up so you’re not out of the running by any means!! 🤞🏼 Have my fingers crossed for you!! I had my positive OPK on 27th.. time has passed soooo slowly 😂 will test again in another few days then (un)patiently wait for AF all week 😴 you’re deffo not the first person to test that early, the temptation is too much sometimes!! xxx

@MJM1608 - hey 👋 how u getting on? Have u been resisting the urge to test x

@BriocheBuns a lot has happened in the past few days 😂 it’s so funny what happens when you “relax” just a bit more.. so anxious after a chemical pregnancy in Sept but we are over the moon!!😊 I think I’m 13/14 dpo today...

How are you getting on? 🙏🏻 Hope your BFP is just around the corner!! Xxx

@MJM1608 - OMG I’m so gassed for u, currently giving u a virtual hug 💓

Talk me through the journey, it’s amazing what can happen in a few days!

Huge congratulations to u and OH x

@BriocheBuns Aww thanks so much! ❤️ Means a lot! To be honest once you’ve had a chemical it’s hard to get excited as I’ve been through this emotion before and it didn’t work out 😔 but just got to be positive & hope that this is my rainbow baby that I love so much already! 🌈

We only had our final fertility check a month ago - definitely gave us reassurance and helped us relax more! This month I didn’t obsess over OKPs & went more by EWCM before testing, I use pregnacare, he uses wellman, we use pre-seed, DTD day before/day of peak/day after and 1 time more, I also didn’t shower after sex (felt totally disgusting and who knows if that made a difference 🤷🏽‍♀️)! This is month 8 for us! I don’t really have any symptoms so totally shocked by the news!! Now I’ve got insomnia though 😂

How you feeling, have you been testing? Hope it’s good news for you too!! I had negatives Fri & Sat then BFP at 12pm yest (not even FMU) 🙏🏻✨ xxxxx

@MJM1608 - I pray this is ur 🌈 baby 💓

Just try and enjoy each day and tell yourself this is a healthy pregnancy and everything is going to be okay 🙂

Sometimes no symptoms is a good sign?

I understand the worry and u possibly not being able to enjoy it/celebrate it for fear of the unknown but u deserve to be happy and u definitely should be.

I’m going to buy a FRER tomorrow morning as it can show upto 5/6 days before period apparently x

@Onceuponatimethen where abouts did you go for your screening please as I’m SE as well. TIA

@DMT1982 are you looking for a miscarriage screen covering things like Factor V Leiden?