First fertilty appointment

[Happilymarried155]

Hi,
We have our first fertilty appointment in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect? Will they run any tests then or will it be more of a discussion? Just abit anxious! Thank you

Hello,

Has your GP run any tests for you yet? Before our first gynae appointment I'd had bloods done and DH had had his semen tested; if you haven't already had those they will almost certainly take your bloods at the appointment and arrange a time for SA.

I also had a pelvic u/s at my first appointment to confirm PCO.

Other than that, they'll probably run through your health and sexual history (not in graphic detail for the latter! Don't worry) and talk about potential diagnoses and treatments.

Good luck - ours' was nothing to be nervous about and of course make sure if you have any questions you get them all asked!

Thanks, yes have had bloods done and dh had his SA. Will they book us in to have these redone? Thanks for the info, nice to know what to expect. Just really want to get the ball rolling now!! :)

I don't expect they'll redo the SA but I did have more bloods taken at the first appointment. Oh and they also did a swab for chlamydia...fortunately all clear!

Yes waiting for the first appointment was quite exasperating...and then I had to wait another month to actually get the clomid...now I'm just waiting for it to work (or not - so I can move onto the next stage of treatment!) I think patience (and very little sense of dignity, at least for the u/s) is a necessity for this game :)

I had an ultrasound, we both had blood tests for HIV/Hepatitis and they booked another SA for DH as it hadn't been done at that clinic. The registrar asked us about our medical history etc then discussed it with the consultant. They then told us they'd be going straight for IVF and gave us another appt for about 6 weeks time. I also had to have chlamydia/rubella blood test.

As an aside I didn't find the dildocam ultrasound too bad at all, about the same level of discomfort as a smear but without the dreaded scraping.

at the dildocam. For me it was a little less comfortable than a smear - though maybe because I've only had one smear and I wasn't too sure about where to put my legs (nurse's instructions were kind of vague) so I was chuckling away throughout...

I nearly laughed out loud when she put the condom on it

This is a very timely thread - thank you for starting it, and for those who have shared their experiences.

DH and I have our first appointment next week - I've had bloods done, and he's booked in for SA, so not sure what to expect form teh appointment itself. I am petrubed and intrigued in equal measure by 'dildocam' (someone should register that name asap ifit's not already been done!). What does it do? I know in my head I've accepted there will be a good degree of furtling about in my delicate parts as we proeed down this route, but I guess I'd not thought through what it might involve.

Yikes.

It's an internal ultrasound thingy . Unfortunately it looks rather like a dildo (but much thinner) and is ahem inserted so they can have a good look at your uterus and ovaries.

Crikey - none of that this time round, though the appointment is being arranged...

Spoke too soon. Appointment for an audience with 'The Camera' was waiting when I got home last night, along with very confusing instructions about the potenital state of my bladder for the scan, leading to much 'to pee or not to pee' internal debate.

Chair All of the internal dildocams I have had have been with an empty bladder but ring your clinic to double check if you're not sure, they'll be happy to answer any questions.

You soon get used to dildocam if you go with IVF, the key is to relaaaaaaaax on insertion. I found breathing out as they go in helpful. I've become very familiar with dildocam after my IVF as so far I've had to be internally scanned every two weeks of my pregnancy to keep an eye on a potentially naughty cervix (oh, the glamour, they are always 9am on a Monday as well!). Hopefully have my last one at 24 weeks next Monday and will get signed off, fingers crossed...

Good luck with your journey. If you end up going down the IVF road then there's a very supportive thread under "Assisted Conception Volume 10" on the AC board. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/a1494353-Assisted-Conception-and-the-bits-in-between-Volume-10