IVF at Guy's & St. Thomas' & general process/timeline

[Lill02]

Hi all,

This is my first ever post, but I've been following for a while. :)

After having all the usual tests, including a hycosy and hysteroscopy, we were diagnosed with unexplained infertility a while ago. We have now finally waited long enough to be eligible for IVF on the NHS. We've got an appointment back at Guy's & St. Thomas' tomorrow (we had to see the GP and ask to be referred back as we've now waited the required time frame).
I'm not 100% sure what will happen tomorrow, but I'm basically hoping they will agree we've waited the required time and suggest we get the ball rolling for IVF, i.e. fill in our funding application, etc. I'm really hoping this will happen, I can't face being sent away again after we've waited so long...
What have your experiences been? Does that sound like realistic next steps? Has anyone been at Guy's & St. Thomas' and can share their timeline?

Thank you!

Hey ladies ! I’ve missed so many messages! we’ve started building work on the house so i’ve been massively distracted!
I’m now 7 weeks into my 2-3 month wait! and i haven’t heard anything yet - i keep thinking i’m bound to get the phone call soon to start but nothing! i’ve emailed today to see if i’m even close to getting a phone call so i think the wait is nearer 3 months than the 2 ! I am so ready to just get started. I told work that it’s gonna be starting soon and they were great - said i could take any time i needed ! Glad your initial appointments went well and that some of you have started treatment ! This has got to be our year hasn’t it !

@Welshpea hey 👋🏾 good to still see you're here! Nice to have a distraction! Hope it's all going well 😊
Ooh they should be calling soon then! Let's hope June is the month for everyone!

I have question about the vaccine please. What do we all think about the effect of the Covid vaccine on sperm...? Dh has been called up for his and he was gonna go Sunday but this is before egg collection. Have seen ppl saying it can affect sperm, so want him to do it afterwards but he's eager to get vaxxed which is fair enough! Thoughts?? Anecdotal or otherwise!

@Welshpea The house sounds exciting, hope it’s all going well! Gah, I guess I’ll reset my sights on July or Aug in that case. Let us know if they get back to you!
Glad work are being good about it too.

@Etonmess20 Yeah I find it really good for stress actually, it’s weirdly relaxing.

@notyetamumbuttrying I saw something recently (and to be honest I don’t even know if I believe it!) that covid itself can have an impact on sperm but I’ve not heard anything about the jab. The doc at the ACU said to go ahead if offered and my DP has already had his first. If you’re conscious though, I’m sure he can put it back a few days to be extra sure?

We haven’t had our jabs yet but both had Covid in November and DH did a SA when we went in in March and there wasn’t a difference in his numbers since the year before so hopefully it hasn’t affected it. Not sure about the vaccine. I’m scared to get it as people keep saying it messed their cycle up and mines irregular anyway!

So guys emailed back - i didn’t even consider this but even though i had my appointment 29th March they didn’t add me to the waiting list until 10th april! 2 weeks later so now i’m technically only 5 weeks into my wait time! May be something to query ladies ! i’m gonna email back and ask why I wasn’t added on the day of my appointment! Il keep you updated ! xx

@Welshpea oh you're joking 😬 why would it take so long to add you to the list 🤦🏼‍♀️ hope your house renovation is going well - must be nice to have something else to think about! Is it a big project you're doing?

@notyetamumbuttrying lol I'm the same, currently munching my way through a pack of maltesers (after boot camp though which makes me feel slightly better) 😂 I am hugely craving rubbish as I am due on later this week! That's actually a really good idea about drinks btw, definitely one I'm going to do.

On the vaccine I'm thinking that hopefully we can do it before we start treatment or delay until after we've had it, I just want to avoid having it immediately before or during treatment I think. Though I'm possibly a little way off the vaccine yet anyway!

@Welshpea Oh what fresh nonsense is this?! I can understand (sort of) a day or so but two weeks!
I just don’t think there’s any rhyme or reason to their organisation, or lack thereof, sometimes. 🤦🏻‍♀️

@RiverRiot thank you. EC won't likely be until end of May and he's got the jab booked for this Sunday. He's worried about pushing it back and them thinking he's not serious. I'm gonna email the ivf nurses today and see what they think.
@GJW2018 yeah it is a bit worrying isn't it. I don't fancy doing mine mid ivf cycle but I doubt I'll be called up just yet. He'll have roughly two weeks to recover from it before his swimmers are needed, so hopefully it won't mess anything up.
@Welshpea god how bloody annoying! They do worry me sometimes, like surely that's just standard practice to add straight afterwards. So sorry 😣
@Etonmess20 you're defo allowed maltesers if you've done boot camp, I'm pretty sure it's the law 😜 I'm due on tomorrow so my cravings have started too. I thought the injections might mess with my cycle, but seems not.
Tough call with the whole vaccine thing. I'm not too worried about myself as I reckon I'll be a few more months yet and hopefully pregnant and will decline it tbh. It's just Dh before he supplies the goods, but I'll see what the nurses say and report bk.

@notyetamumbuttrying it deffo is the law, maltesers are full of air anyway so practically calorie free!
Glad to hear the injections haven't messed with your cycle! Do you need to call them when AF arrives to get booked in for a scan etc?
Yeah I'd be concerned about it directly before but it's a difficult call isn't it!

@Etonmess20 couldn't agree more 😉
No, scan is already booked in for next Monday. I'll prob need another one weds as well as that'll be two weeks down regulating by then and hopefully the ovaries will be dormant and lining how they want in order to switch over to the stimming injections.
I didn't get to email the nurses today as went into the office so couldn't really send a stealth email so will do it tomorrow now.
MN has been mad today, loads of msgs posting multiple times and it being really glitchy. Hope it sorts itself out!

@notyetamumbuttrying oh exciting - the wait is almost over for you!!
Yeah that makes sense, you get used to being able to do all your life admin whenever you want being at home all the time don't you 😂 my DP needs to start going back in the office 1 day a week & I'm going to be so lost on my own all day 😂
Yeah it has been weird hasn't it, I've noticed it's struggled to load at points too & duplicated stuff!!

@Etonmess20 well sort of 😂 defo coming up to half way there tho!
God yeah totally 😆
Yeah that's all I'm doing too. Dh gave me a big hug when I got in, think he's missed me 😝
Yeah the loading and duplicating. One lady's msg posted 6 times on another thread I'm on lol!

@Etonmess20 thanks! I still feel silly but I need to remember no one will care apart from me about the meltdown, probably. And I definitely do not want to see that woman again!

We didn't have the greatest sex life before all this tbh, I feel like my sex drive had already gone to hell before we even started so it's really hard to do it so much when you're just having to get it done and fit it in to the day. I guess we'll start again on the ttc tomorrow, since it's that time of the month.

@GJW2018 good to hear you don't have bad symptoms! What was your AMH by the way? I know when I get there I'll be at OHSS risk.

Sorry you're not having the best time with the drugs @notyetamumbuttrying

I need to speak to the GP tomorrow, I'm bricking it in a way, can't deal with going over all of last week again. But I'm going to pursue private too because I can't wait anymore.

Was speaking to a colleague who had IVF today, but she had egg donation which was very cool to hear about.

@thislittlebird that's ok hun, I can stand a headache for a couple weeks if the end result is a bfp! Hope you get on ok in FW and good luck speaking to the GP tomorrow 🤞🏾

@thislittlebird I think my AMH was 56 at my last draw. If you can push for a freeze all I would as the success rates seem to be much better for PCOS. I know it’s a slightly longer process but hopefully will be worth it. Good luck with the GP! I wouldn’t take no for an answer, get that referral! @notyetamumbuttrying I’m sorry your meds are giving you headaches, when you switch to menopur it’s going to feel so much better. I said I wouldn’t mind being on these all the time they’ve made me feel really good. Not looking forward to the progesterone as I don’t think it will have the same effect! I’ve added fyremadel the last few days in the mornings which has been fine. I was expecting to feel bloated and all full of frog sporn with all my eggs but feel the least bloated I’ve felt. I suppose we will see tomorrow at my scan and she said hopefully EC Monday or early next week 🤞🏻 Will let you all know how we get on xx

@GJW2018 ah that's sweet but that's ok. It's a small inconvenience for hopefully a great gain!! I can't wait for the menopur 🥳😂 I also think the progesterone will have a bad effect on me. It does anyway so dreading having it artificially as well! Glad you don't feel bloated at the mo, that's great! Whoop, all coming round so soon now. Best of luck and do keep us posted x

@thislittlebird I know it's easier said than done but you need to put that horrible experience out of your head. It's completely wrong she not only gave you incorrect information but also made you feel so belittled & not listened to.
Hopefully your GP will be able to refer you somewhere else today, maybe ask to see what choices there are (if any). Really got my fingers crossed it goes well for you because you deserve to be treated just the same as the rest of us ladies xx

So I definitely did not get on ok with GP. Having told me I could have an appointment today, as suspected, I cannot have an appointment today. “That’s the system”. You f*cking told me I could have an appointment next Thursday!!!! The receptionist is my nemesis. Awful. I cried some more, then decided I’m changing surgeries. I can’t handle this, they’ve made me so ill over the last year, not treating me for things has led to so much cost on my part and huge stress. I’m very exhausted.

@GJW2018 mine was 36, so less than yours but I’m still at OHSS risk so I would like to freeze and not transfer fresh. But the Access package I’m looking at says there’s an extra charge to freeze all. Of course there is, even if you’re at risk for not doing it, there’s an extra charge .

My estrogen is high already (day 9) for my clear blue OPKs (which is not unusual for me), and my progesterone is low when I’ve been tested. I hope IVF can work around this because no one seems interested in looking into for me.

@thislittlebird oh god how awful ☹️ I really do feel for you because it seems everywhere you turn they're unhelpful/useless

What's your next steps do you think?

Sending love x

@thislittlebird so sorry you're having a shit time of it! Changing gp's sounds sensible to me!!

@Etonmess20 @notyetamumbuttrying
I’m going to sign up to a new surgery today. I’m scared in a way because I’m going to have to start these fights with a new doctor all over again over all my skin medications (before I even get to fertility and anxiety meds) and that makes me anxious but I have very recent letters from the dermatologist to say to give me them. But I can’t go on like this, it can’t be worse elsewhere, surely?

The stupid surgery manager sent me a text saying the doctor was on leave yesterday evening and to call Monday for someone else. The whole point of waiting a week was to speak to her. It’s ridiculous.

Next steps are sign up to the new surgery and chase Lister for a private appointment. I’m tempted to fill in the guys self referral form, not sure if it’s only for self funding through guys?

@thislittlebird I would definitely fill it out, there’s no harm in trying. I think it needs to be signed off by a GP but you could just get an appointment with a private GP and get them to sign it off? I bought an at home progesterone test during the first lockdown and then made an appointment with an online private GP to prescribe me progesterone and was fine. It’s worth asking or even just giving guys a call and explaining the situation as they were the ones that pointed me in the direction of the self referral form. They might have some good advice?

@thislittlebird it's definitely worth seeing if you can get hold of them to ask if it's only for private funded patients.
Definitely get signed up with a new GP, you shouldn't have to be fighting even for medication prescribed by a dermatologist 🤦🏼‍♀️ like you say - can they really be worse?!

Hey ladies just an update. Had my day 12 scan this morning she said I broke the records with 30 follicles on my left ovary and 31 on my right. Slightly terrifying! They’re not mature enough for EC on Monday so back for another scan Monday with hopefully EC Wednesday/Thursday which is exciting except that the doctor had told me it’s sedation for EC which I’ve had before where you’re awake but a bit dazed but the nurse said today I’ll definitely be put to sleep which I’m quite scared about but needs must I suppose 😥

@GJW2018 wow!!! Those numbers are amazing!! Bet you're over the moon & fingers crossed the extra couple of days will help get as many mature as possible 🙏🏼

I was scared the other way with the sedation, I had a colonoscopy before & I was sedated but most definitely knew all about what was going on & it was a bit uncomfortable so was a bit concerned I wouldn't be asleep enough. When I was having my internal scan I think the doctor said it being to do with them needing to be fairly rough to collect everything. Hopefully it'll just feel like a small snooze because it doesn't actually take long does it? The staff all seem friendly too so I'm sure they'll be really supportive.
Did they say whether your DP would be able to be with you while they sedate you?