Will they let me continue with IVF if I own up?

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Hi,
I'm 40 and my partner and I have been TTC for 13 months. We've just found out today that we've had a second miscarriage (the first happened at 7 weeks and this one at just 6 weeks). We are devastated and wondering what to do next. I would like to talk to my GP but we are part way through the NHS IVF wait list and a condition for treatment was never having been pregnant before. I want to have an honest discussion with the NHS about what our best options are now but I don't want to scupper our chances of getting IVF.

All our fertility tests have come back really positive (high egg count, good semen readings, no issues revealed on ultrasound etc) and we managed to get pregnant the second time just three months after the first time.

I wonder if anyone knows what the medical advice would be for us now. Would IVF weed out the poor eggs from the high quality ones and therefore be our best option anyway? Do they administer IVF differently if you've previously managed to get pregnant? (Eg I've read that the drugs they give you can be dangerous and maybe I don't need them if I don't have a problem impregnating ?) The fact that I had both miscarriages at a very similar time makes me think there could be another issue at play?

Thankyou so much for any advice

Apologies, it doesn’t look like Fertility Friends Forum is very active these days. I would still look into fertility support group either on here or FB if you have it.

There are some basic tests you can do for miscarriage eg thyroid problems are linked with miscarriage. I'd make sure to be in optimal health by getting basic blood tests from a gp or one of the fingerpick test companies.

Likewise you can get a blood clotting test privately (not via post).

A promising line of research is about endometrial stem cells, look up Siobhan Quenby. You can have a procedure called an endometrial scratch plus there's a new drug sitagliptin. I don't think these will help if it's an egg health problem though. There's also steroid treatment for high natural killer cells.

Sending you best wishes, recurrent miscarriage is awful.

I'm so sorry for your losses but I think you already know that it's wrong to lie to medical professionals about your medical history. The truth is you need help holding a pregnancy not conceiving. Get the help you need and don't waste the precious resources others genuinely need.

I have had 4 miscarriages and just had my one nhs round of ivf treatment. My clinic knew about my previous losses - it's very important they are aware of your history. My ccg policy is no living children after 2 years ttc.

You are eligible for further investigation into recurrent miscarriage (due to your age, usually its 3 losss). I'd look into possible causes of your losses whilst waiting for ivf.

I'm very sorry for your losses ❤️ x

Hi OP, I’m so sorry about your miscarriages. I’m being referred for IVF right now so thought I would share my story in case it’s helpful. I’m 35, we were TTC for 3.5 years, did all the tests and they came back good, we were diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’. We were being referred in November when we miraculously got pregnant naturally, but sadly needed a surgical termination due to the baby having a heart defect so he wouldn’t have lived longer than a few days past birth. I thought this would mean we weren’t eligible but we still are. The stipulations are that you need to have a live birth/successful pregnancy to not qualify anymore. We live in Surrey, so had to wait 3 years to qualify for NhS IVF (might be less if you have diagnosed problem). I would be honest with them and I’m sure they will still give you the funding, don’t be afraid to ask them about the conditions as it’s a minefield!

Thankyou everybody for sharing your stories and advice. I agree that it is a complete minefield and you definitely have to be savvy with the system to get the most out of it. Today I received two conflicting pieces of advice from different nhs professionals - a hospital administrator told me that it's not a problem to have been pregnant before and that I'm still eligible to be in the ivf pathway; my gp then saying I'm not eligible due to having managed to conceive. Luckily I seem to have managed to end up on both the Recurrent Miscarriage pathway and the IVF pathway simultaneously - my gp referring me to the former. This is perfect for me as I'll get the Recurrent Miscarriage investigations while I wait for the ivf. I feel fortunate to be getting the most out of what the nhs offers in this case but it definitely all feels like a bit of a lottery!

I got referred to the recurrent miscarriage clinic after my second miscarriage as was over 35 and had a third miscarriage 3 months after my second. Be aware the wait may be very long due to covid I was referred in January 2020 initial appointment was supposed to be August 2020 got cancelled due to covid. Finally had tests April and consultant appointment June not found anything significant have a plan in place if I actually get pregnant but been trying since last miscarriage April 2020 with no luck including 3 rounds of clomid.
If you can go private do we can afford to now due to an inheritance but I'm in 2 minds whether to just give up as has been 5 years and is just making me miserable and we do have a 7 year old.