Fertility MOT Recommendations

[Lebe14]

Hey all 👋

I'm on cycle #11 TTC #1, but giving this month a miss as it's all getting a bit too much (and obsessive) resulting in AF arriving every month.

Can anyone recommend a good clinic in London for Fertility MOTs? I'd like to go private for this as my GP is awful and think it will take ages, but would rather get some recommendations from you guys on here!

If anyone has any experience of having a fertility MOT and can recommend somewhere in London I'd be really grateful!

Thanks so much x

@Lebe14 Hi.

I know exactly how you feel. I'm on cycle 11 after a MMC TTC number 2 and it feels endless. This cycle I went to a private fertility in Beaconsfield clinic, as they have many consultants there, but there is a specialist for both female and male. It makes it easier for partners to be seen together and results shared between consultants.

Below is the link to the one I'm attending and the care and service you get is amazing. It's put my mind at rest and big plus is you get answers quickly:
thebeaconsfieldclinic.co.uk/

For female, go with Dr Lynne Chapman. She's absolutely lovely and gives the best advice. For males, go with Dr J Ramsay. With private, they make you take the amh blood test to check your folicles and then followed by a transvaginal scan. Unlike NHS, they do not do this and often delays the woman's ttc process.

Hope this helps in some kind of way.

I wish you all the best 😊 Take care 😊

We had fertility tests and subsequent IVF at Kings Fertility. They were great and are competitive price wise. It's worth considering if you are going down the private route, whether you would pursue private treatment if there are any issues. If so, I would choose your clinic with this in mind to avoid having to change and repeat consultations, tests etc.

How old are you? If you are under 35 your GP should complete basic bloods and refer to fertility clinic after 12 months. If you are over 35 they should do this after 6 months TTC. You might just have to push for it unfortunately, some are more willing than others! Good luck.

Thanks so much @MGee123 - that's a really good point which I hadn't considered at all! I'm 33 but came off the pill previously for a year and thought 'if it happens, it happens'.... but it never did. I've now been trying properly for 11 cycles with OPKs etc and still nothing. My GP is so bad and I can't emotionally face someone turning me away or having to fight for an appointment.

@EveryMumDay thanks for the recommendation. I'm actually not far from beaconsfield and would prefer going there than central London, so it's a perfect location! Will check them out. I'm feeling quite anxious about the tests, but it's something I need to do as I can't keep going on without knowing what's wrong, so at least I can try to do something about it.

Thanks so much both xx

No problem. We were in a similar scenario to you, just slightly younger at 31. Had been actively TTC for 14 months or so with no joy and had preliminary tests at Kings privately as the NHS wait was going to be a while in our area, partly due to impact of Covid. Psychologically I found it really helpful to be doing something proactive and we were lucky that financially we could afford the tests and one subsequent round of IVF, with which we were again very lucky as the first transfer of our only viable embryo was successful.

It is worth playing out the longer term plan financially ie would you go down the private route for treatment, as once you start tests etc I think most people feel they then want to keep going if you do need treatment for any reason. Also worth bearing in mind having IVF privately can in some areas make you ineligible for NHS treatment - you will be able to find the guidance for your area/CCG online. Also that some NHS services won't use results from private clinics so you still have to wait on re-doing tests if you go down the NHS route anyway. I would try to get the NHS ball rolling as well if you can as it can all take a while - could you request an appt with a different GP? Sounds like yours isn't overly helpful, I am sorry.

You welcome @Lebe14. Wish you all the best for the next steps, as you'll be taken care of and assure you will be less stressed/anxious 😘

@MGee123 that all makes complete sense and not something I had considered. You're right, I need to work out whether I can afford any ongoing costs first as if there is an issue and we need to go down the IVF route, we will want to get going with that and not be on the NHS waiting list... interesting that NHS might not use any private test results too. I believe that I can only get 1 round of IVF through the NHS in my area (I looked this up before we were TTC as I just had a gut feeling it would be us that would struggle). I think I'll give my GP a call and just see what they say, and see if I can get the ball rolling, and then alongside that I can look at the private fertility MOT so I feel like I'm moving things along. Then at least if my GP isn't very helpful I at least feel like I'm doing something, as I'm not getting any younger! I can also check with them about whether they'd consider private test results etc. I've also heard that sometimes you can't get IVF on NHS if you're over 35 so need to double check that. I know I'm 2 years off that, but still feel like time isn't on my side really. The OH is 38, but don't think that affects anything.

I can't thank you both enough for the info you've given me. It's really daunting and hard to know where to start, but you've given me some really good stuff to consider which I would never have thought of. Thank you! Xxx

It is all a bit of a minefield but try to just take it step by step. We just focused on one thing at a time and coped okay with it all. Similar to you I just had a gut feeling something was wrong and it was almost a relief to be told there was (strange as that might sound)!

Yes you're right some places have a cut off for NHS IVF cycles so worth checking, and yes I don't think the males age is a factor. We were also only able to have 1 round on the NHS so figured we wouldn't lose a huge amount going privately to start with, and it certainly sped things up.

Very best of luck, hope things move along for you soon.