Too late for IVF?

[jessisinthegarden]

I'm new to all this, so please be kind!
I'm 42 and just discovered online that I can possibly claim one round of IVF on the NHS.
I had no idea - thought the threshold was 40 and I haven't the funds for going private.
I have been TTC for about 2 years and already have a DD aged almost 6.
Am I too late to see my GP about trying this?
I turn 43 in March - someone tell me I'm not too late...

The previous child will rule you out unfortunately - unless your PCT has unusually generous rules.

As regards age, I don't think 42 is too old but a consultant would be able to advise you properly given your particular circumstances.

Thanks- the website makes no mention if previous child as being an exclusion criteria though- wonder why?

Well maybe it isn't in your PCT? Or if it is a national site they won't go into the specific criteria for every PCT - you have to check yours. I think one of the newspapers did a round-up a while back - possibly the Guardian?

I am not optimistic if you have only 6 or 7 weeks to convince them but go to see your GP asap and get some proper advice (they may only refer you to a consultant though and round here the waiting list is up to a year to see a consultant - I hope you're not in London...)

Sorry if this sounds gloomy but in my experience there is quite a gap between NICE guidelines and what you can get local health services to actually do.

I think your best bet it to contact someone from the website and find out further details.

I hope that it's not a cut off though and you can be given the chance to have another child. :)

We didn't find out about the previous child rule (DH not me) until after we had waited a year to see the NHS consultant and he asked the question. Our referral GP wasn't aware of it either!

It is a cut off, at least according to the news reporting: 'up to 42' means until your 43rd birthday.

OP, we did IVF abroad, which while not cheap exactly, is certainly cheaper than in the UK and there are many less hoops to jump through so to speak. It was suggested by a UK consultant who we saw privately.

Here is some info from 2011 - there is a list of PCTs and their policies at that stage in one of the appendices. I think that you will find that the nominal age limit will have increased to 42 in some cases (it was only a recommendation to increase the age limit), however, due to the funding cuts I shouldn't think the true situation is much different to what the research found. It explains that the previous child thing is official NICE guidance, however (I didn't know that).

www.garethjohnsonmp.co.uk/uimages/File/appg_IVF_report.pdf

Imsorry it made me so annoyed that after we too had waited a year to see the NHS consultant that all they did was order some tests that could have been done a year previously! I find GPs very poorly informed on infertility (or possibly they choose not to be better informed, knowing that they can't do a lot about the lack of resources) - you'd think they could at least Google their own PCT guidelines.

Thank you so much for the advice - I shall be approaching my GP far better armed, thanks to you all!
I hope it isn't a wasted chance and that I get a shot at it...though am aware that the likelihood of positive outcomes is slim at my age.
Cannot believe some of you were not told about the no-child rule until you'd been in system a year- what scandalous waste of time for you and how bloody frustrating.

Phineyj can I ask where you had your treatment abroad?
If I'm told to bog off by GP, I may have to look at other options, if they are cheaper than private ivf over here...though depends how much cheaper.

Hello

My CCG fund 3 cycles, and they do if you have a child as long as it isn't with your current partner, I have been told no CCG will fund if your child is from your current relationship

Lauren x

Well, that's me then Lauren.
Shame
Thanks for the info.

Do you know you can get ivf for a fraction of the cost if you egg share? I think you will be over the age limit to do it but someone else could donate on your behalf, if you know anyone suitable? Then the other couple who need donor eggs pay for the majority of your cycle xx

Didn't know that Lauren- very clueless about most of this!

So was I at the start its a few years of research and fertility boards! X

With my PCT you have to have the treatment before your 43rd birthday. I'm 40 and it has taken me 5 years from trying to conceive till my one funded cycle of ivf. If this fails I'm thinking of doing mild ivf which is a lot cheaper but it depends on your infertility issues whether it's suitable or not.
Sorry x

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you are almost certainly too old to egg share in the uk. Every clinic I have looked at has an age restriction as well as AMH and other criteria.

To rewind a little, what makes you think you need ivf? There are other fertility treatments and tests that can precede this. Have you, for example had your bloods done and paid for an AMH test which will give you an idea of how many eggs (not quality) you have left. A DIY solution is to order DHEA from the states. It is recommended by many fertility clinics although it is not licensed in the uk. It is hypothesised that it improves egg quality so is useful for older women. That said, you need other diagnostic tests to too to rule out issues with tubes etc. diagnostic tests and some other fertility treatments are not 'rationed' in the same way as ivf is.

I suggested someone egg shared on her behalf I pointed out she was over the age limit so don't worry she knows

DHEA can make conditions like endometriosis worse so do your research on it if you were to consider it

Lauren

The OP doesn't say what she has already done if anything to explore the causes of her fertility issues. If she hasn't done anything and the conversation with the GP re: ivf is the first approach, then an entire medical case history will be needed followed by at least some diagnostic tests.

OP - if you are still around - you may find my timeline of treatment helpful to make a decision about whether to invest your physical and emotional energy in this. Of course experiences will vary by health authority, hospital and Amy conditions identified.

I approached my gp as I suspected due to opk (and no bfp obviously) that I wasn't ovulating. Gp booked me in for blood tests that confirmed I wasn't ovulating. This can take about a month as they are cycle dependent. I then got a referral letter and was able to book an appointment about two months later at the fertility centre. The first appointment was a basic case history with the next step identified as an hsg then clomid - I believe this is a fairly common route when there are no obvious comics ring gynaecological problems. To get an hsg took 2 months as it is cycle dependant and on my first month there was no availability. I then took clomid for I think 9 months (or was it 6?) to no avail. I had to do all this before being granted an audience with the actual consultant. So, with some rough maths you can see that about a year had drifted away. The consultant then put me on the wait list for ivf. The wait list in my pct was one year at the time. In the interim i paid for an amh test (nhs can do it but you need to pay) which put me at just above the infertile mark so worth having a go but low chance. Due to my age (39) I was accelerated and waited (I think) about 4 months then a bit more to fit in with my cycle. It failed. I then did three more cycles combining private and nhs treatment which you can do in parallel within certain rules. Happily my final cycle with 4 months of dhea preceding it (as recommended by two consultants) did work. Any typos are attributable to the result roaring on my knee. I was 41 when he arrived. I share this to give you an idea of what a route and timeline can look like.

Yes it absolutely takes a long time and a lot of hoops to jump through I have been there myself, I was lucky and started ICSI 5 months after a referral, and had 2 surgeries in that time, at that point they had already done the tests, I had AMH on the NHS they do it in my area. They decided not to bother with clomid and I went straight to ivf

I found the chat boards on www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/ invaluable and a great source of info as well as support.
Best of luck x