What is the IVF process?

[dressagediva79]

To cut a long story short, we are looking into IVF locally through NHS or seeing if we can raise the funds to go privately but wouldn't be as local. Can anyone tell me what the process is i.e. how often do you need to go to the clinic, how did you get on with the injections (I'm a bit on the squeamish side when it comes to needles) and how did the whole process affect you physically, were you more tired than you thought etc? I just want to know whether looking further afield is a realistic thing to do and we're only looking into it as I have zero trust in the local doctors etc. TIA

Hiya. Personally if you have a choice, I would pick a clinic which is convenient. But you also have to trust your doctor. My clinic is about 20minutes from home, but 90 minutes from work. So it can be a rushed day and a bit awkward leaving work (especially as I didn't want to tell them). When they are monitoring you for EC then you have to visit the clinic regularly - every 2-3 days. The medication is ok, the nurses gave me tutorials on how to do the injections. They are mostly 'pen' injections, so they are really easy. One of them I had to mix the solution and draw it back into the syringe. You get used to it though so don't worry. Physically, I was ok, a little achy (like period pains) and tired towards the end. After the EC I needed time off work due to a high number of eggs collected, they gave me some medicine to prevent OHSS and that made me feel very lethargic and extremely exhausted. So I listened to my body and rested for a few days. Because of this I wasn't well enough for a fresh transfer so our embryos were frozen and we are in the middle of a FET! Good Luck! x

Similarly to Jimjam, I found the injections ok - you get trained to do them so it's not too bad. Re monitoring - some clinics don't do it much, while others do it as often as every day so it can be tricky for work. You'll also need blood tests on those days - they'll need to be done in the morning so the results can be reviewed and meds adjusted by the end of the day if needed.

Also similarly to JimJam, I had too many eggs collected so was put on meds and couldn't have a fresh transfer. I found it horrible - I felt awful and had side effects including hallucinations. No way would I have been able to work for a week after egg collection. Having said that, most women are quite ok and don't need many days off.

When you're choosing a clinic, I'd be careful to check that it's a quality place with good doctors and success rates. I decided to go further afield as my local clinic has abyssal results.

I found a clinic quite far from where I live (with excellent results), but had all scans and bloods done locally and emailed to the clinic.

The main priority for us was a clinic that is open 7 days a week, so you can have egg collection and embryo transfer on the days that suit your cycle, not just when it's convenient for the clinic. Few NHS clinics will offer this, so that would lean me towards private in your shoes...

I'll be honest and say that I didn't find it too bad at all...first cycle was successful and in the middle of a frozen cycle to try for a sibling. OHSS is relatively rare, but because it's so horrible, people are more inclined to talk about it so it seems more common than it actually is IMO.

My dull story of an uneventful cycle, with almost no time off work or adverse side effects is much less newsworthy, so I'm less likely to share it IYSWIM?

Thank you guys, that really helps. Google couldn't seem to give me the patient's side of the story, just what the basic medical process is. I thought I was being a bit oversensitive about not trusting the local docs as it was to do with smear tests years ago and the private guy I insisted on being referred to in London back then basically saved the situation before it got out of hand. Then out of the blue a girl who started working for me in October started talking about how she'd tried IVF in the locally and even though she went back to them in agony and feeling absolutely awful they told her to take a paracetamol and go home. She ended up in ICU for 5 days. It really set me off again and I just don't know that I can trust what I'm being told down here and feel that the extra stress of that won't help the situation. My GP has been great and is going to apply to see if I can apply for funding in a different area. Don't think it's been done before but I'm happy to be the first! Thanks again