Tubes blocked, IVF referral - experiences?

[Ponypatter]

Bit of a broadside today. Had a laparoscopy this morning for suspected endometriosis - that's all fine, none found, but turns out the dye test failed and my tubes are 'not functioning'. Zero percent chance of natural conception, so the suggestion is for IVF referral.

I always said I didn't want it if I couldn't conceive naturally but now I really have no choice I guess that changes things. Am seeing my GP next week to talk it through, but could do with hearing some real life experiences if people are prepared to share. At 38, with no other children or previous pregnancies, am I even eligible on the NHS? And what's the process like? People describe it as 'emotional' and 'traumatic', but any advice on how to get through it would be appreciated.

My life got turned on its head today - still can't quite take it in...

[maamalady]

I had stage IV endo (discovered and treated during laparoscopy to investigate ovarian cyst) and one blocked tube. Tube was removed, then we were waiting for IVF post-recovery.

For a long time I had said that I didn't want IVF, but DH pointed out that I wouldn't refuse medical treatment for anything else, so why was reproduction so different? That conversation happened about a year before we had IVF, so long enough to get my head round it and accept it.

We were very much of the opinion that it would be a maximum of three cycles - gives it a good try but doesn't keep you at it forever.

We both felt that although IVF was physically difficult (and mentally - accepting this hugely invasive procedure to try to conceive was hard), it was wonderful to feel that we were having a "real" attempt, after over 3.5 years of fruitlessness. We were very lucky, and conceived DD1 on our first cycle, despite having a crop of ropey embryos. DD2 was conceived naturally a year after she was born (despite the one fallopian tube and endo). We are very very lucky and I wish the same for you :)

[moggle]

It's a lot to take in. I also thought in my youth that if I couldn't get pregnant naturally I wouldn't have IVF but once it was a reality we were clamouring for it. There is a minimum 'trying' period for IVF on the NHS, and the rules are set by each trust. Where we are it is 3 years, we started investigations at 1 yr TTC and decided to go private, started our IVF cycle just over 2 years from starting TTC. (I was 33 when we did the cycle). With my SIL she was 39 and was referred after just 6m of trying. I believe they got started on an NHS cycle pretty quickly. (I think in some trusts the upper age limit is 40). Although you probably are entitled to NHS treatment, you may find you don't want to wait as long as they want you to.

We have 'unexplained infertility', we know it's not DH as all his tests were great, so presumably a problem my end. Our consultant says there's a spectrum of fertility in women without diagnosed problems, and I am just at the bum end of it.

We too were very lucky, IVF was fairly smooth ride for us, I had few side effects bar tiredness and occasional nausea. Our first cycle worked and DD was born in 2014. We/the clinic managed to produce lots of good embryos to freeze which means hopefully we won't have to have another fresh cycle. We've just done a frozen cycle and while it did work I unfortunately started bleeding a week after the BFP and lost the pregnancy. We're hoping to start another frozen cycle ASAP and I'm fairly confident that we'll at least get a BFP this time and hopefully this time it will stick around too.

As a previous poster says, if the tubes are the only problem you've got a very good chance of IVF working. I know when you look at the stats for your age group you may feel a little downhearted as yes they do decrease with age, but many of those women have more complex issues than you do. Also remember that those stats are for all women who embark on a course of IVF. Every hoop you jump through on the course of IVF means your chance of success goes up a little bit. By the time we got to implanting our 5 day embryo our consultant put our chances of success at 60% - much higher than the 25% success rate our clinic had for us at the start. Having said all that you do need to consider it a course of treatment. Even with a good success rate, the first cycle may not work just due to chance, so most consultants seem to consider 3 cycles a standard course that should result in a baby for most couples. of course the NHS doesn't fund multiple cycles everywhere. I presume after your appointment, your GP will refer you to a clinic and they will be able to answer all of your questions (Your GP may not be... I found them well meaning and sympathetic but they are not specialists).

Good luck with it all. xxx

[lynn09]

@ Ponypatter
don't be frustrated, everything is gonna be fine. you should check more details about the diseases first, in some cases, the many other issues might cause the infertility.

[StripeyMonkey1]

Yes, and a positive story from me. I had partially blocked tubes and on that basis opted for ivf.

For me, ivf was ok - but I quite liked the feeling of being a bit more in control of what was going on and knowing how my cycle was progressing. Much better than trying and failing to conceive naturally. Best of all I got pregnant with twins from just one cycle and now have two gorgeous girls. Of course, I was lucky and ivf is not successful for everyone but my understanding is that if it is just your tubes that are the issue then your chance of getting pregnant with ivf are high.

We went for private ivf as there were long waiting lists for the nhs version in my area at the time. You might want to think about that too if it is realistically an option? Also different clinics have vastly different success rates. It is worth checking them out.

Good luck and I hope there is also a happy ending to this for you!