Been referred to the hospital - scared & worried can anyone tell me what to expect?

[Confuzzled09]

I've been diagnosed with PCOS and so have been referred to the hospital. DH has to do his 'sample' too & then wait for an appt in 18 weeks time.
GP mentioned potentially going on Clomid, having dye in my tubes or a camera in my tummy.

Any help/tips on how to handle first appt would be great as have no idea what questions to ask . Plus if anyone knows of a good private consultant in the surrey/London area would be great as 18 weeks is so long

Thanks

Hi

I was diagnosed with PCOS some years back and am a parent following treatment.

Read as much about PCOS as you can as knowledge = power. Its also helpful when it comes to making treatment decisions.

Verity's website is helpful www.verity-pcos.org.uk

Do NOT attend the initial appt on your own; this can be very nerve wracking and your DH can also give you moral support and ask questions. They should see you both first visit. It is vital that the unit and yourselves can openly communicate and work as a team otherwise you'd be better off going somewhere else.

Write down any question you want to ask well ahead of time and take notes. You do not want to leave there thinking, "oh I should have asked x".

It is vitally important that you fully understand why each test is being done and for what purpose. Never be afraid to ask!.

Not all PCOSers are suitable candidates for clomid as clomid resistance can occur. If you're offered this ensure you are monitored throughout the course (usually clomid is given for six months after which other treatments are tried).

Any other questions just ask

Hi. I just wanted to tell you about my experience. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 18, told by an horrible gynae that I might need IVF etc etc. I have conceived four times first cycle and are truly blessed with three children. Please know that it is not all doom and gloom. May I suggest that you read EVERYTHING you can lay your hands on like another poster said? I wish you all good wishes.

THank you ladies

I've already had the internal scan and showed one of my ovaries is quite bad - the other one not so much.

Luckily I've been keeping a note of my periods since coming off the pill. Trouble is I go for ages without anything and then have one every 2 weeks for a couple of months (hence my GP investigating the PCOS). Also hard to get your progesterone and prolactin done on day 21 when you don't have a cycle.
I guess now it's just waiting to see when I get an NHS appt - GP said it could be upt o 18 weeks which is such a long time, so we might end up spending the had saved deposit on private.

What treatment did you ladies have - if Clomid doesn't work what is the next route? Also what happens when you're given clomid?

Thank you

Hi, I have been waiting for my first appointment after a lengthy time getting initial blood tests done, Semen Analysis done in advance before gp would refer. Anyway on referral I found that the waiting list max is meant to be 18 weeks, for all referrals, and my actual referral was for 8 weeks. Why not look up the hospital you may be sent to and see if they announce their wait times, that is what I did - and through choose and book system you don't have to go to the nearest one. You could also ask to be considered for any cancellations if you are able to go at shorter notice (that is what I did and instead of 8week wait, got 2 day wait ) - but it did take 12weeks for gp to refer!!