Fertility clinic

[Eiremogra]

Hi all, I’ve just been sent my pre clinic questionnaire and am feeling super anxious! TTC at age 40 and I feel the fertility clinic appointment is going to be tough! What should I expect to happen? All bloods/hormone levels came back N. What will happen at this appointment? Help! :(

Hello @Eiremogra - sorry I can't help with your question but i'm just behind you in the process and have just been referred by my GP. How long did you have to wait to get an appointment?

I'm sure it will be ok once you are in there. The NHS have some info on the website here if that's useful > www.nhs.uk/conditions/infertility/diagnosis/

I hope it goes ok x

@EB211 I got referred this week an my appointment is on the 17th of May!

Jumping on here @Eiremogra as I'm wondering the same as you!

Thanks @EB211@Juno231. Me and OH had tests in September, bloods/hormones/semen..all N. Referred to fertility clinic 1st October and just got clinic questionnaire in today’s post. No date for actual clinic appointment yet but when I phoned they said it could take 12 weeks (from referral date). I feel so nervous and have spoken to friends who have had horrible experiences at fertility clinics...if I knew what to expect then maybe I’d feel a little calmer. Also..I’m worried. TTC for a while now and time is not on my side :(

@Juno231 I had to log in to the referrals booking system to pick a hospital and there are no appointments available anywhere. I thought things were moving on so its a bit disappointing to be waiting again!

@Eiremogra @EB211 see I was told 12 weeks as well but the GP booked it for me and when he saw the times he went "oh dear, this is embarrassing really" and even he was appalled at the waiting times. Hopefully yours won't be as bad as mine though!

I started tests in July but they took ages to sort my OH's SA out so I'm annoyed it's taken this long to even get to this stage. All normal as well by the way. The only thing I'm concerned about is my TSH being 3.1 when most of the medical stuff online says anything over 2.5 really reduces fertility. When I brought it up to my GP she just said it will be for the fertility clinic to determine lol.

@Juno231 sounds like you Gp passing the buck!! 😤 I hadn’t thought about TSH, will phone my Gp tomorrow and request a copy of my blood test results x

@Juno231 I wonder if it has to do with all of the cancelled appointments earlier this year. I just want some sort of date! Even if it is in 5 months time.

@Eiremogra The main thing to remember is that its a step forward in the process and hopefully will mean you are closer to being a mum. What bad things have they said about their experiences? My GP never told me my blood results apart from Prolactin because it was high...which i've been worrying about for months!

@EB211 my Gp just said all my bloods/hormone levels were normal. A friend of mine had a terrible first appointment at fertility clinic - the nurse wasn’t supportive at all and focused on my friends weight/age/ reduced chances of a successful pregnancy!!! Horrible!!

@Eiremogra

Firstly I'd be checking your local CCG guidelines for age cut off for treatment. Most NHS clinics insist on treatment being concluded by age 40 and no older? You don't want a surprise when you get through the process to be told you aren't eligible for funding. You have to be in receipt of the confirmation of funding letter to proceed to treatment. It's not the same as the GP referral

The actually clinic bit is fine - background health questionnaire, talk through any tests results you've had and what they might want to do extra and then the types of IVF they'd recommend

focused on my friends weight/age/ reduced chances of a successful pregnancy!!

Clinics have an ethical duty to be honest with you about your chance of success - age and weight are 2 of the biggest issues/barriers to fertility and success of treatment which is why the NHS has a cut off for both

Sorry if I sound negative/harsh. I went through 5 rounds of IVF and you do need to be realistic about the process so that you are mentally prepared for it to sadly fail (hopefully not) or to need multiple goes at it x

I just wanted to wish you the best of luck OP.

I’m 40 too and had an FET in August, I’m now 18 weeks pregnant with our first baby. (Our fresh cycle last year sadly didn’t work out).
Our clinic was pretty good, my age was obviously mentioned but not in a sneery negative way just in a being realistic kind of way. We met some lovely nurses and doctors who were all encouraging and kind. I think the key is to be positive and try not to let anybody else’s negativity get to you which I know is easier said than done. I’m saddened to hear your friends have had some bad experiences.

Think about looking after your mental health and well being too. I had some reflexology leading up to the IVF which I found really helpful and relaxing. I have heard some people have benefitted from acupuncture too.

Hi ladies, I'm interested in this as well. I sent off my clinic form a few weeks ago, but haven't heard anything back yet. They said in normal times the wait for an appointment is 12 weeks, but in Covid times it's likely to be longer...so I have no idea when I'll actually be able to speak to a specialist. All my blood tests (and partner's SA) came back "normal", but our GP didn't give any more detail than that. Do you think I should be requesting the actual numbers? Or would it just give me something else to worry about that I can't do anything about?

@ivfbeenbusy I appreciate your advice and understand that we need to be realistic (but hopeful!). The issue my friend had wasn’t about the realities of her situation (age etc), it was about the unsupportive attitude and almost dismissive approach of the clinician - I’m sure this isn’t the ‘norm’

@FingersCrossedForAllOfUs Thankyou, I’ve read about the benefits of reflexology/ acupuncture for fertility and am absolutely going to try this 💕

@Kitekat81 seems we’re in the same boat..I guess if there was anything to worry about your gp would have let you know? Anyway that is going to cause extra stress I would avoid!

I'm going through this at the moment too

I had blood tests in september I think it was and DH had to take a sperm sample to hospital at the beginning of november. My next appointment with the clinic is mid december where I assume she will give me the results but had a lack of communication about whether I need to ring the GP about my results (which I havent done as I wont know what any of the results mean anyway), or whether she is supposed to give me the results on the phone in december.

She didnt particularly have a nice bedside manner for my first phone appointment in september when she first ordered tests, but I have lost 12lbs since then so hoping she can see my commitment and is a bit nicer this time.

@newnewnewbuild I’m sorry your Gp didn’t have a nice bedside manner, I really feel clinicians attitudes can have such an impact! If I were you I’d ring for my test results, you don’t need to be told all the complex readings but getting told that they’re all ‘normal’ may give you a sense of relief...I know I felt relieved, almost like that was the first step ticked off the list! Good luck!

Yeah I think I'll ring for them today after reading this thread!

Sorry I meant that the fertility person wasnt the nicest, not the GP.

My appointment in december has already been pushed back once during the second lockdown so I'm hoping it doesnt get pushed back again! Feels like such a long process already

If it helps - one of the ladies on the Nov bus had a referral put through end of Sep and she got notified just the other week about having an appointment scheduled for Jan. So not nearly as bad as my 6 month wait!

Thanks @Juno231... fingers crossed we don’t have too much longer to wait then x