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.

I would assume the at home tests only give an indication into the sperm count? Which is something they need to know, however they also need to look at the motility, morphology etc.
Sperm count could be fine, but if they have poor motility and cant swim in the right direction you wouldnt know from a home test.
You can ask your partner to speak to the GP about getting a test done. Its unlikely youll get reaults before your appointment though. If the fertility referral wants this info they will ask your partner to provide a sample anyway.
From lots of reading up the first appointment is info gathering and planning. The consultant will order more tests or procedures no doubt so they will prob ask for this at the time.
Dont stress about the appointment (easy for me to say) they will go through everything with you and point you in the right direction.

@Dancingfairydreams it does seem to vary by location as to the order they want all the tests to be done, but I'm sure if they expected the SA to be done before your first appointment then your GP would have told you that. As @Flutterby8 says i would just wait and see what they say at the appointment. I wouldn't waste any money on at-home tests, they aren't as reliable and I don't think the doctor will accept them anyway, so you would just end up needing to do them again anyway. Good luck for your appointment, let us know how you get on!

Brill, thank you all, really appreciate the help

@Juno231 yea it’s the worst! I did for a couple of cycles but my cycles are anywhere between 28 and 101 (seriously!) days and honestly I couldn’t ever really pick up a proper pattern, so I gave up, it was a bit depressing!
@Flutterby8 yea I gather it’s pretty much all down to Covid but isn’t everything right now? I did ask about a different hospital but there’s none close enough to accept me as a referral which is grand. I love living out in the sticks but it does sometimes have its negatives!

Can’t even believe it! Had an email yday saying that they’ve ‘finally’ reached me on their waiting list (after a week!) and that they just need me to complete a questionnaire and we can book my first appointment. Way too excited at the prospect of tests and scans 😂

@Dancingfairydreams no i wouldn't waste money on at home ones. The results of the proper ones are fairly quick (much quicker than the way they faffed with me), so if they need one once referred, they'll just ask. And it won't hold anything up with you, as that's what takes time. Don't worry about it. I expect them to repeat ours but I suspect that'll be back way before they get all their info gathered on me and look into my potential issues etc.

@dancingfairydreams hi! If I were you, I'd ring the clinic that you've been referred to and just ask if it's usual to be referred without a SA and if they want you to speak to your GP. I rang my clinic a couple of times before my appointment just with random questions and the receptionists were very helpful. Having said that, I don't think it matters either way, as they will likley ask for a repeat SA anyway, and think of it this way, you've got your referral in earlier than someone who's GP orders a SA first before referring. Let us know how you get on!

@flutterby8 has AF arrived yet?!

@ughmaybenot can't believe the clinics contacted you?! Bet you're so pleased! Are you just gonna put all the private stuff on hold then and see how you get on with the clinic?

@dogmam yup, AF has sort of arrived.
My BBT had risen quite a bit this morning and I was shocked as I expected the complete opppsite to be honest. Ive had a bit of a headache today and felt flat then started spotting this evening. Nothing heavy but just brown spotting. Sorry for the info overload!
I honestly just feel rough.
But as I expected, CD32 today. Back to the drawing board.

Well my appointment this morning got rescheduled only an hour before it was meant to take place... now it's on for the 11th. Kinda bummed about it!

Aaah that sucks @Juno231 sorry that they’ve messed you about with it.

@dogmam oh I wasn’t very clear 😂 it was the private clinic contacting me, they’re ringing today to book my telephone call and any necessary follow ups/scans etc 😊

@Juno231 wasn't the original face to face appointment next week anyway? Its really annoying they made it earlier to then put it back again. Do they not realise they are disappointing people? Also your DH has to be there and not everyone works from home? So to cancel it on the day is pretty bad.

@Juno231 how bloody frustrating! I get that there is alot of strain on hospitals at the moment but you would have though you would have been given a bit more notice than that?!
On the plus side, at least you have been rebooked and its not too long to wait.

Yeah it's frustrating alright! At the same time I feel like I'm expecting it with the NHS lol.

Now I just read something which triggered an aha moment for me - apparently UTIs can cause scarring/blockages on the fallopian tubes, which I never knew. Guess who had 3 years of chronic UTIs waves

Makes me all the more keen to get a hycosy scheduled in to see if that's the case.

Oh wow, I did not know that!! Never really had UTI issues before but previously had kidney stones!
Interesting to know though!

My brain has been working overtime since the BMI discussion recently on here.
I think although I know bodyweight can affect alot of different body systems, I dont think I ever appreciated how much it can affect fertility!
Ive been doing some reading up and scared myself into dieting again 😂
That and trying to get in some exercise, even if its just going for a walk. Although, its so cold and miserable at the moment I dont want to leave the house!

@Flutterby8 I know some massive people (both sexes) that got pregnant though. So it doesn't affect everyone? That said- i need a diet. 🤣

@Dancingfairydreams did you have your appointment?

I thought I'd update with mine. It was more positive than I expected.
Quick rundown:
GP has already done day 2, 21 and general bloods. A rubella immunity test, and chlamydia test. In 2019 i went to GP with spotting and had pelvic scans that year for that. DH had SA in Sept.

Prior to video appointment today we had to fill out paperwork with all info. So they didn't really ask questions. She went over all past results and made sure we understood them. She asked me about my spotting and said I maybe have a LP defect. She also talked about DHs motility. Her thought is that IUI should work for us and I'll be supported with progesterone.

So, DH needs another SA next week. They'll wash it to see if it is OK with that, for IUI purposes (if not, then we'd be referred for IVF). I go on 1 march for an internal scan. Then they go over that with me and the SA results too. If all looks OK then I need to have tubes checked (if blocked, then its IVF). And then they'll apply for funding for IUI.

Hi @paintfairy your news sounds promising, glad your appointment went well.

Mine not so well. Consultant doesn't believe I have much chance of conceiving naturally & stressed the odds of another ectopic are high, for this reason he cannot prescribe clomid etc as this would push the risk up higher again. I need to loose some weight to get my bmi lower & can then consider a referral for ivf...but again the risk of ectopic remains. Lots to think about.

@paintfairy that does sound positive, and gives you a solid plan for moving forward! Lots happening in the next month for you then. I don't know about you but for me when I have these things all mapped out it makes me feel more in control and like we are taking steps forward in this journey!x

@Dancingfairydreams I just saw your update as well, sorry that yours was not as positive. Sorry for my ignorance, but is there a risk of ectopic if you end up doing ivf? I thought they would have more control over where the embryo might implant?x

@Kitekat81 apparently the embryo could still move around & get into the wrong place, he said the remaining tube could suck it up,or of there is any scar tissue from the other side from where the tube was removed last year it could also attach there 🤷‍♀️

@Dancingfairydreams oh no, I'm sorry. I was thinking the same as @Kitekat81 about the ectopic. My mind naturally would assume that it's less likely? Because it couldn't get stuck on its way down the tube. I suppose its possible but you'd hope also possible that it would be ok?

@Kitekat81 yes it definitely feels better to have some kind of process and an idea. I am definitely someone that deals better with knowing things. Even if it's ages away.

@Kitekat81 I'm sorry they weren't as positive. If I were you I'd perhaps get a private consult as a second opinion? It's a big decision otherwise to make on one persons opinion.

@paintfairy I'm still so pleased with how yours went!

Well my appointment is supposed to be tomorrow (although with how last minute it got rescheduled last time, I'm not holding my breath until it actually happens) so I'll give you an update then. It won't be as positive as paintfairy's I don't think - partly because I'm below 35 so will have to wait until the 2 year mark for any treatments I think!

@Juno231 that's not the rule, is it? Maybe it varies. My understanding was they might make you wait 2 years for ivf if they can't find a cause. But if there's a reason then you don't have to wait at all? And all the other stuff - I thought you didn't have to wait for either? You just need to be ttc for over a year?
Interestingly there was zero reference to AMH. I don't think they even look at that.

@Dancingfairydreams I hadn't thought about that, it does make sense though. That is a lot to think about then. If the next step is to lower your bmi, you could take a couple of months away from ttc to focus on your health, and then as @Juno231 suggested, perhaps it might be worth getting a second opinion before you make any further decisions?x

@Juno231 good luck for tomorrow, really hope they don't postpone on you again! Let us know how you get on x

@paintfairy it's two years for fertility treatment in my ccg unless they identify something wrong with you. So far all of our tests have been fine so unless the hycosy shows blockages I guess we're waiting? If that's the case then I've been contemplating doing an IUI round or two privately in the mean time.

@Kitekat81 thank and I will do - I've found this thread super helpful so far :)