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!

@notyetamumbuttrying Lolz! 😂😂 Aww that’s lovely. 😍

OMG @notyetamumbuttrying just about teared up. So amazing. Congratulations xxxxxx

@notyetamumbuttrying congraaats! So happy for you and baby Romeo 😅I imagine your Dh and you should be over the moon now! 🥳Congats again 😊

Are you guys are so sweet, thank you so much!! Dh is annoyed he might have to share his birthday...his is 13th feb 😂 @HereToLearnAndShare baby Romeo haha, we'll end up calling it that now you just wait 😆 Dh would never allow that btw 🤪

Hello ladies and thanks for replying @GJW2018 @HereToLearnAndShare @RiverRiot

So apart from two all my other 14-15 follicles are small from 5mm to 12mm and yes they did my blood test and apparently my estrogen levels were high inspite of having only 17 follicles.

To be honest I don't have any symptoms and I don't feel sick either, I just feel bec I am nhs funded, they don't want to take a chance even if that means I will hardly have any mature eggs and my chances of having embroys are too low !

@GJW2018 - can I know if your IVF is private or nhs fund

@Rj1988 They mentioned there is a cahnce for stimulation cancelation if your body doesnt react well, but as far as I understood this would mean to restart in the next month, not to lose your chance for a NHS funded cycle. Correct me if Iam wrong.

How long did it take for you from the first app to starting the treatment?

@HereToLearnAndShare - I think my ovaries are reacting well but my estrogen levels are very high so because of that they asked me to stop taking injections after 8 days which is different to be @GJW2018 who also had high follicles but was asked to continue injections till day 15

Also bec I am nhs funded if my cycle fails for whatever reason they are not going to do it again on me

@Rj1988 Have they said they’re not going to go again? Because it was my understanding that if they cancel before egg collection they will go again. It’s only if it fails after that point they they don’t (probably because that’s the most expensive bit).

Also, if your oestrogen levels are very high, you do not want OHSS, it’s absolutely horrible apparently and in some circumstances can be life threatening.

I think they should do another cycle and will tailor your protocol/drugs to try and stop this from happening again and hopefully get more follicles too.

@RiverRiot

They asked me to take trigger injection after 8 days of GONAL -F so they can do my egg collection on day 14 of my cycle.

I wish they had said it's better to cancel this cycle and try a new one. atleast I would have hold on to some hope

Other private clinics have ways to control ohss and still get some very good embroys made

But here I feel they don't want to repeat my cycle again and happy to proceed with egg collection even when they know I will hardly get any mature eggs.

I waited for more than a year for this and very disappointed

@RiverRiot - are you paying for your treatement?

@Rj1988 Ah I see, I didn’t realise they were still going ahead with EC. I’m also NHS.

I had a fair few smaller ones on trigger day 12mm and under. I think the smallest was around 6mm or so and most of them must have caught up because they got 18 eggs and 16 mature so you could end up with more than two.

However, that being said, I think you have a right to cancel if you want to.

If you’re really not happy call them and ask to speak to a Dr about your situation and for them to explain why they want to go ahead and if you have a choice in the matter. Make sure they know you’re not happy and don’t let an admin bod fob you off.

@RiverRiot - well they have already booked my egg collection for Thursdays so not sure if its too late to cancel that.

And even if I call them I feel they won't have anything to add because they only read out what is mentioned in the notes.
And they prefer prefer to play with a straight bat

Not sure about you but I haven't been allowed to meet or speak to a doctor. It's always a new nurses.

So happy to hear that they let you go till day 15 which is amazing.

By the way do they mention the embryo grading here?

While I was waiting for my nhs funding I got one cycle of IVF done abroad which wasn't very successful and I had same ohss ( high oestrogen) problem
but they let my follicle grow till the correct size and only then triggered me, I got 20 eggs, 16 fertilise, 2 made it to blastocyst on day 5 but they were not expanded and rest were all morula and early blastocyst. Everything was frozen and unfortunately I couldn't go back since then for any transfer due to travel ban

@Rj1988 we’re NHS funded IVF. I think I had 2 follicles that were the right size on day 9 came back on day 11 and had 11 that were the right size and had EC two days later. They never took any blood throughout the stims process for me, why did they want to test your estrogen? Sounds like you’ve got a good chance for Thursday they’ve still got lots of time to grow!

@GJW2018 ,

Were you taking your gonal f from day 9-11? They asked me to stop anymore gonal f after they scanned me on day 9 morning. They took my blood day 5 & day 9 both maybe because I was told I high AMH have PCOS

@Rj1988 I think between scan and trigger loads mature. I had 11 on the scan and they got 37 at EC so you should have a good number

@Rj1988 that’s so weird because I have super high AMH and always have lots of follicles and they didn’t take my blood at all. I was on short protocol, menopur from days 4-14 and fyremadel 9-15 then a busereline trigger on day 15 and EC day 17. I did think they’d want to do bloods as I had so many follicles but they never even mentioned it. Strange they’d treat two people so similar differently

Fingers crossed xx

@GJW2018 how many made it to blastocysts? And do they actually give grading here or any pictures? ( probably it's too much to expect)

Do they let it grow till day 6 too?

@RiverRiot - wow! Maybe they wanted me to do blood bec I have PCO but honestly I don't have that many follicles.

Before starting the injections the nurse said I had 26 follicles in total

I had gonal F day 3-13 frydemal - 6-14
Buserlin trigger day 14 which is today

Were you seen by any of the doctors? I had a new nurse every time they called me for blood or scan

@RiverRiot - sorry gonal f from day 3-8 only

@Rj1988 I also have PCO so we had 37 eggs, 29 fertilised and now have 17 frozen embryos, 13 were frozen on day 5 and 4 on day 6. They do tell you the gradings as they’ve told the others on here but they called my husband and he didn’t really ask he just said they said ‘some of them are the top top grade’ and they don’t freeze any that they don’t think will make babies. Haven’t had any pictures but maybe they might give you one when you go for ET? The others might know that have had it, I think @notyetamumbuttrying got a picture of where they put her embaby in! I wasn’t seen by any doctors apart from our initial consultation and procedure, all other appointments were all with different nurses.

@GJW2018 thanks for sharing the details! Keeping my fingers crossed for ER day after!!

@GJW2018 yeah that's right, I got pic when I asked for it. I don't think it's a standard thing tho @Rj1988 but doesn't hurt to ask!

Changed my username btw 😊

@becarefuloutthere Aww I love that you’ve changed your name now you’re preggers. 😍

Had a call not long ago from the embryologist (was slightly losing the plot by the time the call came in) and it turns out they froze 3 yesterday and a further 2 today! All good quality as well apparently. 🥳
Had to have a happy cry before posting!

Oh that’s so lovely @becarefuloutthere love that you changed it 💖 should’ve been ‘nowamumnottrying’ 😂

@RiverRiot woohoo that’s amazing! Frozen happy dance for you 💃🏼

@RiverRiot I was due a name change, might change it again when I come up with something better 😆
Omg that is amazing mate!! 👏🏾 you happy cry all you like! Outstanding result! 👍🏾
@GJW2018 haha that's a good one for when I am actually am a mum. That's banked in the memory now 😉

Congrats @riverriot