First Fertility Clinic Appointment Tomorrow

[dogmam]

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.

@Myfavouritefudgecake no idea why they couldn't help you with estrogen at this stage but I know one of the ladies doing ivf on another thread I'm on also tends to struggle with thin lining, and she does her very best to boost it through diet. So that might be worth a shot in the meantime? Lots of antioxidants, supplements etc out there for it I think. Obv not ideal but might as well give it a shot whilst you wait. How long until you hit the 2 year mark?

@juno231 I’ll be at 2 years in January. I know it’s not long in the scheme of things but feels like an awful long time to almost definitely not get pregnant, and if I do be at high risk of miscarriage. I’ve been researching supplements and think vitamin E might be worth a try. Do you know if that lady has had any success in managing her lining?

@dogmam yeah, it's slow progress and I'll feel better when I have a private consult booked in. I'm so so so angry with my GP and the NHS over the way they've failed me. It's just so unfair, and I'm exhausted and today I've started to stomach problems which is clearly stress. Would be interested to listen to the podcast if you have the link though.

I'm going to sign up to a new surgery tomorrow, the stupid current surgery sent me a text this evening to say the doctor was on leave??? Well this morning you had no appointments left, so which is it? Told me to call on Monday for an appointment with another doctor which is ridiculous because the whole point of this was me trying to speak to the same doctor who referred me.

Is that facebook group private? Maybe I should look for one.

Hi @Myfavouritefudgecake. It's been a nightmare and I'm just very emotional and tired. Makes you feel so hopeless, as I'm sure you know. The lack of help is so damaging.

I don't know much about oestrogen, I have a lot of it I think and a lack of progesterone. No idea why and no one seems to care.

Maybe you could get your AMH tested privately in the meantime? You may have done that, I'm not sure.

It is a long time, I get it. We'll be two years in October and we're not allowed IVF for our "unexplained" until 3 years. I'm going to challenge this when I get set up with the new GP but either way, it's a long time, especially when you're older.

@thislittlebird emotional and tired is exactly it isn’t it. It’s exhausting. And as wonderful as I’m sure our partners are they simply can’t understand the toll of this happening to our bodies so it can also feel very lonely. 3 years sounds just awfully long, not only to wait but to go through the month on month rollercoaster. Glad you’re challenging it with the new GP.

I’ve had all the tests under the sun and they’re all fine apart my endometrial lining, which is thin. But not thin enough to get me any sort of help But from everything I read online from clinics it’s very very unlikely that I’d ever fall pregnant naturally. So I just feeling like I’m trying in vain (which does wonders for your sex life )

@Myfavouritefudgecake three years is ridiculous. I have no idea how they can even say the over 35 group should have to wait 3 years. It’s crazy. Fair enough if you’re 25 maybe but a blanket policy is nuts.

Hopefully you can get to the bottom of your lining issue. I complained to PALS again today and asked for a second opinion. Am pushing ahead with private anyway, but I’m not happy at being classed as unexplained.

I don’t feel like we’ll fall naturally either. We’re ttc again this month but I don’t feel like we’re going to conceive this way.

Hi ladies. I’m just joining this thread.

I have my first fertility appointment on Friday with the OH and it’s face to face.

I’m nervous and anxious about it.

One question my OH has been asking is, when is comes to him giving an SA sample, we are aware he will probably have to do it at the clinic. Can I ‘help’ hun with it or does he have to do it alone?

Hello Tilly when my OH had to do a sample it was done away from the hospital. If they ask him to do one on site I think it would seem a bit odd if you asked to accompany him.

Understand you feeling nervous about the appointment but hope reading our experiences has helped a little. How long have you been TTC?

@CausingChaos2 we have been TTC since October last year. Because I turned 40 in Jan my GP did a referral after 6 months.

So this morning I got a text to advise it will now be done online which js what I originally expected going by others recent experience of their first appointment.

Ok that no problem, I just wondered where he would be expected to give a sample. I guess we will know more on Friday.

@Tillybabs My OH is going to call to arrange his first SA appointment today, so I should have a little more advice on how it works. I assume my OH will be asked to produce a sample at home and get it to the fertility clinic (or some other address?) within an hour and a half? I'll find out more and reports back

I'm going to give bloods at my GP surgery tomorrow (for Clamidia and Prolactin) and at the hospital to test for my ovarian reserve.

After that I am just waiting on OH's SA results and then we can book in my HyCoSy (ultrasound test scan and tubal test), which I think will be in August.

@Tillybabs and @Kay00

Ive had all my appointments online its actually much easier. They will send your OH a letter with where he needs to go to do his SA, it's usually at your fertility clinic. You only go in if you need a scan or something. Apart from that it's all on the phone.

@Kay00@PurpleUnicorn01

Ok thanks both that’s all good to know.

Yes to be honest it’s much easier and convenient to be online so I don’t mind.

@kay00 sounds like it’s all moving fairly quickly. I hope it all goes well

Welcome @Tillybabs

My husband has done his samples in the clinic each time, in the special room with the waiting area outside 😐.

Ok I sent an email to PALS detailing our experience with the gynaecologist and now I have an email saying I have logged a “formal complaint” and a case manager will be in touch. 😭

I feel stressed just thinking about this, I’m so worried I’m going to get interrogated about my last appointment and still not receive any help/a new appointment.

Also, the lister clinic haven’t replied to my appointment enquiries after multiple email exchanges, there’s still no answer to the “can I have an appointment?” question. I’m very exhausted. I just want to quit all of this right now.

@thislittlebird you are joking, the room was near the waiting room?! 🙈

Sorry to read you haven’t had a good experience with the gynaecologist

Hi guys,

First time posting, didn’t know if this was the most appropriate post.
My husband and I have been trying for a few years now (around 2-3) I haven’t been too concerned but want to get some initial investigations etc to check if everything is ok.
I’m going to ring my GP surgery soon to start the process as it where. What should I ask for? Bloods? Scans etc.
I was investigated for PCOS a few years ago after pelvic pain but was all negative.
Periods are completely stable and regular.
Help/advice appreciated :)

@nursejo19. Welcome! I just told them we were having trouble conceiving for a number of years, then they usually get bloods done and a pelvic scan. Your GP should know which bloods etc. Good Luck. Or just him for a referral to fertility treatment, they usually send of a referal to gynaecology no issues.

@tillybabs hi, SA arranged through GP prior to clinic referral was done at home and had to take it to local hospital within the hour. Then since fertility clinic referral, SA has been done at the actual clinic. Our clinic has rooms specifically for that, he does what he needs to do then leaves the pot in a little window thing which is then collected by the lab.

@nursejo19 hello, just tell your GP you have been trying for 2 year then they will arrange tests, usually SA for partner and bloods for you. After you get the resulsts you'll probably then be referred to the fertility clinic where they will do their own set of tests/investigations.

@thislittlebird have you had any luck with getting a GP appointment? Have you been officially discharged from the clinic then? If I were you I would ring the clinic and ask what the next steps are following your last appointment. That should open the conversation back up so that you can challenge them about your 'diagnosis', that's when you can quote NICE guidelines etc. I deffinetly think you need to keep persuing it with the clinic as ultimately that's the people who can help you.

Hope everyone's ok. Two weeks until we sign consent forms, looking forward to next steps!

@dogmam thank you that’s really helpful to know.

@nursejo19 I would make sure to mention OH's SA though as sometimes they just get the ball rolling on the woman's side and forget about the man until much later, even though it can be concurrently. At my GP they didn't even consider it, they had expected my OH to contact his GP for an SA referral himself, even though no one had asked us to do that. But yes overall just tell you've been trying for 2-3 years and nothing has happened - they take over from there but you should expect day 3, day 21 and an ultrasound to be arranged to start with.

@thislittlebird I really hope the complaint speeds things up for you and is there a way to call and chase Lister? Sounds like you're having to fight for them to take your money!

@dogmam yay! Im still awaiting my consent forms.

Thanks everyone who has commented, I’ll ring my GP when I next get chance and I’ll make sure to mention what you’ve said to them.
How long should I expect the process to take with COVID etc?

@nursejo19 I think the timelines can vary a lot tbh! I had this call with my GP back in July last year. By the time my tests and OH's SA was done it was end of Oct and a referral to the fertility clinic got sent out in Nov. Originally our first fertility appointment got scheduled for May 17th (ie just this Monday!) but luckily got rescheduled for mid Feb in the end. So it took us 7 or so months from contacting GP to fertility clinic. For some it's been faster, for others longer.

@nursejo19 I think it depends where you are. My GP didn't do any tests. They just referred me for investigations. I got a letter with a number of options and I chose one and booked in online. This all happened within a few weeks, and then my initial consultation was pretty soon after.

@Tillybabs yeah, unfortunately for him on the second visit they'd stuck seats outside for patients to wait in....not ideal.

@nursejo19 welcome to the thread! Yeah, as others have said there's no real answer to how long things take. Varies greatly depending on where you are.

@dogmam nope, no appointments. But I have now had a letter from the gynaecologist who said we were unexplained telling my old/current GP she's happy to help. I'm so confused tbh. I've got an appointment with the nurse at the new surgery on Friday, to be checked so they can register me at this surgery. Not sure how to resolve this. Thinking of taking all my letters with my on Friday and asking the admin people there.

I have the PALS "formal complaint" logged. I didn't ask to log one, they decided my letter was a formal complaint which makes me very anxious. But the thing is, in this letter today she says she explained CCG guidelines but she didn't, she did not say why were were unexplained. I am waiting for the PALS case manager to call me this week, hopefully. I don't think I've been discharged, but I'm not sure.

Two weeks will fly by until you sign!

@Juno231 We now have 1. an appointment with Mr Ramsay booked in next week and 2. an appointment with the Lister, with the doctor I requested, on June 2nd. So even if the NHS insist I'm unexplained I'm going to get on with anyway, I can't wait anymore. I'm 38 on Saturday and everyone thinks I'm fine because high AMH! My eggs aren't going to have a party and fertilise themselves.