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!

@Vparisi funny you should ask!! Attached is my response so kind of a response but also no response at the same time!
I had my jab done on Friday as my GP text to invite me to book, I was glad to get it out of the day before starting tbh

Not the reply I was hoping for but it's an answer I guess 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Vparisi my DP had his jab at Guys, if you are vaccination centre 3 then go to the main reception, the other two are sign posted outside (we walked around in the pouring rain for ages trying to follow the non existent signs for centre 3 😂)

@Etonmess20 I would try it yeah but depends on timeline really. Will see how it all goes.

Not an ideal email but at least they answered I guess? Better than nothing.

Finally spoke to the complaints woman today and she’s going to put my private doc letters into the complaint and once it’s sent it will be 40 days before they respond. Fingers crossed they don’t tell me to get lost again 🤪

@Etonmess20 Gah that’s a bit of a bummer! Don’t forget though, once they do call there may not be much lead up time and before you know it you’ll be stimming and egg collecting. But I know this part is so hard, especially trying to plan your life around the ‘what if and when’.

@Etonmess20 they responded the same to me when I was asking about the waiting list. The nurses came back to me to say that it takes up to 8 weeks from the day they added you. Which is better that 4 months as they told us initially, but still is not very clear. So keep us posted

@RiverRiot that's true, just feeling really impatient about it all the past few days 😔 really do feel like time has stood still!

Thanks @Etonmess20 ! I totally know how you feel and I have a feeling we will only be waiting a couple more weeks..fingers crossed. Thanks also for the directions! I definitely would have been lost haha.

Very excited and grateful to get my jab. In November we moved here from Australia so that we could access NHS IVF as my partner is from here and I have an Italian passport so I could get in before Brexit. We have free healthcare at home in Australia but definitely not for IVF. It was soo hard to move here with masks and lockdown and the cold weather and not knowing anyone etc, but now I am feeling so lucky to be in the country a few months and so close to free IVF and my vaccine, when they are moving sooo slowly back home. The NHS really is so extraordinary. If I had stayed I would be facing a huge bill for IVF, even after a lifetime of surgery after surgery and no possibly way of pregnancy. ..so very very happy to now be British!

@Vparisi I really hope we won't be waiting too much longer. Just feels like every stage is another wait doesn't it? Hopefully they'll call before the end of June to get started in July but my main concern was not finding out in enough time to start in July the way my cycles line up (if that makes sense) but guess it is what it is!

Oh wow I didn't realise you'd moved here so recently, had you visited the UK before you moved here? The NHS really is amazing on the whole & we're very lucky to have it!
Btw the weather must have been quite a shock for you 😂 are you planning to stay here longer term or will you be looking to move back?

@Vparisi am I also clutching at straws the way she said "a couple of weeks" rather than something else more vague hinting at it possibly taking upto the 3 months we've been quoted?

@Etonmess20 I think I got the call at about six weeks so you never know. It sounds from @HereToLearnAndShare that it shouldn’t be more than the eight week mark though. 🤞🏼Have everything crossed for you it’s sooner rather than later.

@Vparisi That is absolutely bonkers they wouldn’t give you IVF, especially in your situation! 😡 We’re glad to have you in any case! Hope this weather is more to your liking now. 😉😎

Soo... I had my egg collection today. They got 18! No wonder I felt like I was dragging two sacks of rocks around with me! 😂
Don’t know how you did it @GJW2018 with nearly double that!

Couldn’t believe how quick it was and I’m feeling totally fine so far. Except, of course, for my irrational fear that all my eggs are going to be sh*t quality. 🙈

Hope everyone got to enjoy some of the glorious sunshine today.

@RiverRiot that’s amazing! I honestly felt the least bloated I’ve ever felt, was weird! Wow 18 is a really good number. I also thought mine would be shit quality but they were mostly all ok! How exciting! Not long now till they’re back with you. Are you freeze all as well? 🥶
It feels so strange being in limbo between EC and ET. We opted to not have them back in for another month as I’m having my immune system treated privately 🤫. So ours probably won’t go back in till mid/end of July. I want them back nowww!
Have been listening to the BFN podcast, the two ladies both got pregnant through IVF it was so nice to listen to them get their BFP and how they got through TWW etc. How are you finding it @notyetamumbuttrying?

@RiverRiot 18 is a great number! it's so exciting hearing you guys talking about your experience! i'm now so eager to know how many eggs i will have for collection day

@Etonmess20 You should definitely hear by 9 weeks! I got my call and have my base line scan 5th July. So you will probably do the August cycle @HereToLearnAndShare

My medication arrives Friday this week !! eekkk

xxx

@GJW2018 It’s great you felt so well, I’ve heard a few people say the same.
I think I got off pretty lightly overall, some bloating and then just the giant ovaries at the end. 😂

It sounds like a really good idea to get your immune system treated before transfer but I can totally understand the impatience to get on with it too.

Fingers crossed for fresh transfer, which would be Monday, if all goes well.

@Welshpea Oh yay that’s awesome news! Just over three weeks to go. 🥳

@RiverRiot wow how fantastic! Good luck for the morning. Should get a fair few fertilised with that number 👍🏾 glad you're feeling alright as well!

@GJW2018 interesting about the immune system. Do you suffer from inflammation? I've listened to that bfn episode as well, lovely wasn't it! I'm doing ok, cramping in the evenings. Really hoping it means implantation rather than anything else! Been up and down over when test but feel settled on Tuesday now which is two days before otd.

@RiverRiot that's really encouraging to hear 🙏🏼 keeping my fingers crossed for only another two weeks or so! So pleased for you to get such a good number today & glad you're feeling decent!

@Welshpea ooooh so exciting, when was your original appointment?

@GJW2018 can I be nosey and ask what you’re having done? I have immune issues and I’m concerned my body will reject whatever it comes into contact with in there, when we get there.

@RiverRiot great number, fingers crossed for them!

Oh, and can you guys recommend any BFN episodes in particular? I’ve heard about this podcast but not listened before.

Woohoo @Welshpea that’s so exciting!

@notyetamumbuttrying eeek Tuesday seems so close! Sending so many implanting thoughts! Must be them snuggling in!

So while we were waiting an age for the NHS to come through with treatment we had every possible test done privately because I felt there must be something that’s causing it to not happen naturally although I have PCOS have regular ovulation/normal levels etc. so was technically unexplained. I suffer with IBS which they thought was IBD and the tests for that showed high inflammation. Anyway my cousin and a couple of friends had immune issues which affected their fertility and once they got it treated they all have healthy babies now and of course from all the tests we had that was what showed up to be the issue! We had a long chat with Dr Chowdury about it. Immuno issues in fertility are widely discredited by the NHS so they don’t recognise it but after my friends experiences and the test results we decided to do it alongside NHS IVF. So I’m having intralipids and will have Clexane with ET. Just wanted to make sure in my head we’d covered everything. Whether it works or not who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️ @thislittlebird
(Sorry for the essay!)

@RiverRiot great number! Sending fertilization thoughts to you. Hope you will have more good news in the next couple of days!
@Welshpea are you long or short protocol? And how long it took for you to receive the call?

@GJW2018 I truly hope so and it's not just my period!! 😩
Interesting with your treatments for inflammation. I always thought I had those issues as I too suffer with ibs but mine was endometriosis in the end, although saying that, not everything is "normal" after the lap so perhaps those issues aren't all attributed to endo. Be interested to hear how you get on with it. X

@notyetamumbuttrying defo too early to be period cramps so 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 It’s implantation! I’ve just had one intralipid so far and am taking a pill twice a day. Not looking forward to the clexane injections but know if I don’t do it and it doesn’t work I’ll blame it on not doing it so I feel like it’s more for my peace of mind than anything!

@RiverRiot sending so many fertilising thoughts for tomorrow! Let us know how you get on xx

@thislittlebird I feel like they’re all pretty good but I loved the ones when they documented their TWWs and BFPs sort of made it real that it can actually happen! 💖

@Etonmess20 @HereToLearnAndShare
first app 29th march and added to the list 10th april as my doctor was on holiday for a week

i'm short - the gonal f- my period is next week so i'm going onto the pill for 14days to be able to start treatment earlier
then 5th july hopefully my base says i can start the injections that evening

xxx

@GJW2018 absolutely, makes sense to me! Best of luck with it 🤞🏾

@Welshpea ah that's helpful to know, hopefully can't be too far off the late April/early May people now then 🙏🏼 also interesting to know that they don't necessarily make you start in time with your cycle & there's options to start you earlier if they need to

@RiverRiot everything crossed for some really good news for you today