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Conception

When's the best time to get pregnant? Use our interactive ovulation calculator to work out when you're most fertile and most likely to conceive.

Original poster

First Fertility Clinic Appointment Tomorrow

964 replies

dogmam · 04/01/2021 18:07

Me and my partner have our first appointment with our fertility clinic tomorrow!

We went to the GP after a year of TTC and after 21 day bloods and partners SA, we were referred straight away to the fertility clinic. GP tests were in October/November so it's moved along quite quickly so far.

Feeling slightly nervous but also excited to hopefully get some help! My partners SA showed low motility and morphology so I assume that will be discussed..
What else should i expect from this first appointment? Is there anything I should be asking?

Thanks in advance! I'll update this after the appointment tomorrow as I know there are a few others on here who are in a similar position and might find it useful.

OP posts:
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Juno231 · 13/04/2021 18:07

@thislittlebird my original appointment was for May 17th and then I got a letter through the post to say it had been cancelled. I also got another letter through the post to say I had been given a new appointment for early Feb. So I'm really hoping you'll get another letter with good news in it!

thislittlebird · 13/04/2021 18:19

@Juno231 Weird both our May 17s have been cancelled. I feel like I can’t possibly believe they’ll get anything right and move it forward, they’ve been so terrible for us to date.

I keep thinking maybe someone added my husband’s next SA to the file and they moved it because of that????? But that also seems very optimistic lol

Juno231 · 13/04/2021 18:32

@thislittlebird I do hope it's for a positive reason! Or because of the SA they're changing it to a funding application meeting rather than just a catch up?

thislittlebird · 13/04/2021 18:51

@Juno231 that would be the dream! But I don't have much hope. I wonder how good they are at joining the dots like with things like this.

thislittlebird · 14/04/2021 10:53

Just for the purposes of updating you all, I got the new appointment letter today and it was just moved by an hour on the same day Confused

Anyway.....going to carry on researching private options because I don’t think I’m confident putting all my eggs (!) in the nhs basket after my experiences to date.

paintfairy · 14/04/2021 13:47

@thislittlebird 🤣 ridiculous. But at least it's not being delayed.

I've got my first scan tomorrow with the hope of doing IUI this month. (NHS).

Juno231 · 14/04/2021 14:33

@paintfairy ah brilliant! I've got all my fingers crossed for you. January baby lol!

paintfairy · 14/04/2021 15:05

@Juno231 I'm secretly hoping it doesn't work! 🤣 January baby indeed.
I think I've concluded the iui won't work and we'll have to do ivf. Therefore it'll be a pleasant surprise if it does! (Less pleasant if it'll be born January).

Juno231 · 14/04/2021 15:09

@paintfairy I'm banking on my post lap cycle to be the one lol. February baby would be nice :) I'm getting annoyed at the thought of ending up with IVF to produce summer babies - as silly as it sounds!

paintfairy · 14/04/2021 16:09

@Juno231 on god yes. Don't want July or August either! 😆 I'm not sure how we are still picky? But.....

thislittlebird · 14/04/2021 16:17

Who here has male factor issues and what have they recommended for you so far? I’m concerned no one is going to talk to us about this at our one hour different appointment.

I would settle for any month baby at this point, I’m not confident we can produce a real human baby at all lmao

Original poster
dogmam · 14/04/2021 22:46

@juno231 oh that's good that they would do what they need to do there and then. Hope it does the trick for you!!

@thislittlebird what a carry on with the appointment change!! Try not to feel too disheartened, although I know it's hard not to. Hopefully come May 17th you'll have more answers. Male factor here too, well, assuming the 2nd SA results is similar to the first. Our resulsts/plan appointment is next week and I am going to write a list of questions I want to ask, but will find out what's recommended for MF!

I would take a Christmas day baby at this rate!! Desperate times when you've never had a glimmer of a BFP in 18 month!!

OP posts:
paintfairy · 14/04/2021 22:51

@thislittlebird my DHs first SA was low motility at 25%. Everything else OK. The second was 35%. Nothing really changed. It would be interesting to see what a further one was. But although 35% is considered normal- it's only just. And not exactly great? But they (NHS) haven't advised on him doing anything at all to Improve it.

Tillybabs · 15/04/2021 12:52

Hi ladies. I heard about this thread on another one. I’m so glad I found it!

I’m finding it really useful from what I’ve read so far.

So we have been ttc since October 2020. I turned 40 in January and I don’t have children but my partner who is older has 3.

I have been pregnant before 8 years ago unplanned but MC and went back on the pill.

I’ve been having regular periods since coming off the pill and ovulating every month so far and have been using OPKs which have worked for me.

I spoke to my GP and because of my age, she referred me to the fertility clinic and I got a letter within a week! My appointment is next month which I have to attend with my OH

I was hoping something might happen before my appointment but AF is coming today or tomorrow!

Juno231 · 15/04/2021 13:12

@thislittlebird I think some of the ladies on the infertile donkey thread had OHs with MFI who used impryl and saw big improvements? Incl notyetamumbuttrying whose OH went from MFI to no MFI at all whilst taking the supplements. I think the doctors only ever suggested things they could be buying/doing on their own and it wasn't an NHS recommendation as such - so will really depend on the doctor?

@Tillybabs welcome! looking forward to hearing what the fertility clinic tells you - make sure they don't mess you about timeline wise if you're already 40 though!

Tillybabs · 15/04/2021 13:39

@Juno231 thank you. I definitely won’t. My GP was really good with referring me quickly so hoping it’s the same at the clinic

paintfairy · 15/04/2021 15:02

I had my scan today and started my injections for iui this month. Feels surreal.....
@Juno231 I tried to persuade DH to try impryl but he was not impressed with the cost. 🤣 My friends DH was told to try proxeed by the private clinic (after the first ivf failed mind) which looks maybe better? Still costly though. I do wonder how much an SA fluctuates naturally though anyway? My DHs did and nothing had changed really. I have another friend who went through iui and then ivf (ivf successful) and her OHs SAs - some were ok and some not. Another minefield! 🙈

Juno231 · 15/04/2021 15:37

@paintfairy I think it can fluctuate a bit although @thislittlebird 's OH has had two bad ones now I think so not just a fluctuation. But yes proxeed is a popular one!

paintfairy · 15/04/2021 15:56

@Juno231 I tried to convince DH to buy what's in it (cheaper) and diy it. But he was too lazy to deal with it and ordered wellman again, because he was paying. 🤣 I've paid for them all up to now.

Juno231 · 15/04/2021 15:59

@paintfairy hahaha at least it meant he got more inclined to take wellman! Mine still doesn't take anything unless I physically hand it to him and tbh I don't give him much of anything anymore as it was clearly not helping anyway lol.

thislittlebird · 15/04/2021 19:20

Welcome @Tillybabs, let us know how it goes with the doctor! That’s fast though!

@Juno231 my husband is on impryl now, I think notyetamumbuttrying’s was on either well man or proxeed but I can’t recall. I think I’ll give him the three full months on impryl and then maybe swap it for proxeed???? Maybe what works for one won’t for another? His second bad SA was 6 weeks into taking impryl so I know it hasn’t been 3 months like they suggest but it makes me anxious that he went from 14% down to 9% motility on it. I don’t understand how bad it is in the scheme of these things because everyone seems to talk about “low” sperm count and his is high but with very low motility. I tried posting a thread about it and got zero responses 😂

He had an injury when we first met....I can’t help think this is the cause of his problems. He didn’t break his penis as such, but he did something to it not long before we met where he woke up one morning and it was bent. I’m making this sound weird Confused

@dogmam what sort of questions are you thinking of? All I can think of asking so far is will be we need ICSI and needing ICSI really annoys me because it’s yet more cost. Hmm

@paintfairy 35% isn’t too bad though, feels hopeful!

paintfairy · 15/04/2021 19:25

@thislittlebird that made me laugh. But I think that is actually a condition? I can't remember what it's called. But it shouldn't really make a difference? I hope the supplements work for him! 35% isn't dire but I just wish it was better! Issue probably isn't even him. 🤣

thislittlebird · 15/04/2021 19:35

@paintfairy I had to google to remember the name, it’s called Peyronie’s Disease. I have yet to see it linked to sperm count in the results. He’s ok now, just with an additional bend he never used to have. But when we first met he’d only just had it happen and found it all more uncomfortable and saw a urologist who didn’t do much beyond offer surgery which he was not keen on.

I have to keep reminding myself people get pregnant with low sperm counts all the time, it’s not impossible.

I’m absolutely bricking it that he’ll do another test and we’ll be down to like...5% motility. I can’t take the stress of it all.

thislittlebird · 15/04/2021 19:41

I just saw an old thread about sperm count problems and someone else with a high count but low motility husband said it might balance out but “I imagine the duffers get in the way” and now I can’t stop laughing.

Tillybabs · 15/04/2021 21:39

@thislittlebird thank you and will do! Yes I was surprised how fast I got an appointment too