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!

@Kit82 oh right I see. And can see why that would upset and worry you! Really hope it all works out for you. Thanks, hope so too x

Yes, sadly it's not like we can go private either as it's about £20k per round of PGD then IVF costs on top of that so Guys are our only hope!!

Kit82 Thank you for your generous words. People do not realise how hard it is to go through fertility treatment. It takes a lot of courage and bravery.

Hi All ,

I hope you are all looking forward to the break.

I am very scared of the needles . Does it sting and is it very painful? It looks very dreadful.

You can get numbing cream (EMLA). Makes it much more manageable for a needlephobe!

@MadameMiggeldy

You can get numbing cream (EMLA). Makes it much more manageable for a needlephobe!

Thank you for your advice.

Hi everyone, hope you don’t mind me joining, this is my first post

I have my first appointment with guys tomorrow but it is with the reproductive medicine clinic? Wondering if this is the same as ACU

I’m 25, hub 24, we have been trying for nearly 3 years with pcos/unexplained from my side- feeling very down and alone

Best of luck everyone :)

Hi @Naz95!

If it’s your very first appointment at Guy’s and it’s not on the 11th floor, it isn’t the ACU. Our first appointment was with reproductive medicine/gynecology and it was more of an exploratory conversation going over our history and basically figuring out if there were any other tests that could be done before we needed fertility treatment at the ACU.
That first appointment was about two years ago for us though, so their processes may well have changed.
Hope tomorrow goes well for you! It’s one step closer to building your family, so well done for getting this far! 💪🏼

Hi, I haven’t started yet. I am really worried because Ivf has a lot of risks and it is very painful. I don’t think I am physically and mentally strong as many of you here. We have appointments booked but I think this will be delayed due to COVID cases increasing. Please remember us in your thoughts.

Having been through IVF this year I wouldn’t describe it as very painful. The bit after egg collection wasn’t pleasant but only lasted a few days. I would say that pregnancy and childbirth probably carry more risks than IVF. I think the emotional side was hardest for me but at the same time IVF felt like at least I was being proactive.

I’m sure everyone’s experience is different but if you think you’ll struggle it might be worth looking into the counselling options.

Hi @Muslim82 !

I agree with @Westnorwood ‘s post, the whole IVF process physically wasn’t as bad as I thought at all and I finally felt like I was being productive and doing something that would bring us closer to having a baby.
I found the waiting the hardest between all the different steps, scans, test results... But I promise you’ll absolutely be able to get through it and you’ll be so proud of yourself and your body! Thinking of you!

Thank you i will try to take your advice.

Hi ladies!

It’s my first time writing on a forum like this, I find them so helpful.

We were referred to Guys in May (2 years after being initially referred, tested, told we were having IVF and then lost in the system!). We had our initial consultation over the phone in August and as we’d had all the tests done were put on the waiting list for IVF. We filled out the paperwork for funding and have had this approved. We now have Our initial appointment to go through everything for the IVF on 1st Feb which I’m very excited about (I’ll take any hope at this point!). How long are people roughly waiting between this initial consultation (after funding has been approved) and actually starting their first cycle.
Also this will be our first IVF cycle. Any words of wisdom/advice would be greatly appreciated!
I also have polycystic ovaries and the last time they checked my AMH was 55! Has anyone else had this? I’m slightly worried about my ovaries exploding when they try to stimulate them as they’re pretty full already!
Thanks again for all of the help and support :)

Morning, @GJW2018 ! That’s great news you’ve finally got your appointment through and funding agreed.
Between that appointment and starting treatment it took just under 4 months for us. It didn’t feel too long really, as at the time they told us it would be about 6 months so we prepared for that sort of wait. I did email them once every 6 weeks or so to check on our place in the waiting list though. It just helped me feel updated and at some point they asked me for my last and upcoming period dates, so I think that helps them monitor who might be ready to start a new cycle and when.
I also have polycystic ovaries (although not PCOS!) and because of the large number of eggs my ovaries produced and the risk of OHSS from that, we had to freeze all and transfer a month later rather than have a fresh transfer right after IVF. I thought I would be upset about the delay, but actually I could tell my body really needed a break and was in a much better place when we did transfer - and it worked! 😊
I‘ve got my fingers crossed for you!

Hey @WaitingToExpect20!
This has made me so excited and congratulations!
I was preparing for 6 months or more so if it’s shorter even better!
I also have polycystic ovaries and not PCOS so it’s super helpful to hear from someone who’s had experience with this. I’m definitely open to having a frozen transfer as from what I read they’re more successful and this has been the case with you so amazing!
Thank you and congratulations again!

@WaitingToExpect20 I didn't realise funding took that long to be approved. 😬 I was led to believe by Dh urologist that we'd start a month or so after that initial appointment at the ACU. Wasn't prepared for it to be 4-6 months more...need to break this to my Dh now too 😕

Hi @notyetamumbuttrying,

I think we only had to wait so long because of Covid, the waiting lists were longer between applying for funding in August and our appointment in February as she said they were fitting in all of the treatments/appointments that had to be cancelled when they shut in the first lockdown. They must all be done now which is why we’ve got ours so hopefully yours shouldn’t be as long as they won’t have these to catch up on. I also gave them a call/dropped them an email every 4-6 weeks to check where we were on the list.
The last time I called, early December, she said we were looking at 6 months to a year then I got a call the following week with our appointment date so I wouldn’t take these timescales as set in stone.

@GJW2018 ok thank you. I've been calling to see if I can get my feb appointment any earlier lol, so I'll defo be doing the same after that appointment too. I've got no time to lose with turning 35 in March! Good luck for your feb appointment, please let us know what it's like x

I first had my first appointment age 36/7 now I am almost 39 please don’t rush when the time is right it will happen. Have faith in God

Hi @notyetamumbuttrying , wishing you good luck for your appointment in Feb. Can I ask when they scheduled this appointment and when you were referred? I was referred in early Dec and they said referral was accepted but I haven't received a call about an appointment yet and just trying to gauge when I will! Thank you

@Vparisi thank you! We were first referred in September and things started moving once Dh saw the urologist. Once those results were back she sent the referral off again and we got the appointment date within about a month. This was late oct/early November and we got the appointment through on the 9th December. It was via post rather than a call. Best of luck with receiving yours!

Hi ,

I hope you are all well and safe and HNY

Has anyone’s appointment been cancelled due to lockdown and cases rising...

Thanks

Hi all

I just received this email.... absolutely gutted, we have been waiting years and our referral got 'lost' twice along the way so we have been set back so many times. Im 39 in July I appreciate Covid is beyond their control and they absolutely must redeploy staff to help but selfishly I can't help feel anxious, angry and upset. Before I got his email I was going to write a letter of complaint about the mess ups with our referrals but now worry this looks unreasonable given the current circumstances. We were originally told it was a 3-4 month wait to start treatment from our initial consultation which was 10th Dec 2020, then when we had the consultation the consultant said 6-8 months to start so now who know what it will be. Hope those who have already started treatment can carry on without too many delays. Sorry to rant just so upset, anyone else had this email?

Dear Patients

Friday 8th January 2021

Guy’s Assisted Conception Unit is planning to continue with offering assisted conception treatment. However, due to the current COVID-19 situation we are having to scale back on the number of patients that we treat in the next few weeks. This means that unfortunately there may be some delays with certain treatments and appointments. If you have treatment booked we will contact you by phone with updates.
Due to the circumstances in our hospitals and the NHS as a whole some of our staff are being redeployed as the need arises. We ask that you look to our websites Private Healthcaree NHS and Self-Fundedd for ongoing updates in the first instance before trying to contact us. We are here for you and will aim to return your calls and emails as soon as possible depending on urgency.
Your safety and that of our staff is our priority.
Please bear with us during this difficult time as we are not able to give you specific dates when our service will be back to normal.

With Kind Regards

ACU Senior Management Team

Hi,

No I have not had this email. I have asked them if our appointment can be cancelled as we could not start treatment due to unforeseen circumstances.

I am still waiting for a response from them.

Hopefully they won’t be cancelling it just rescheduling it at an appropriate time.

I would rather they treated and helped COVID-19 patients and I hope they can start using the Nightingale hospital at Excel .

Stay home and be safe x

Kit82 , I know how you feel. God will get us through it. May the journey be easy for you. Take care

I am so sorry :( gutted to read that also. I didn't receive that email but I also haven't received my letter for my first consultation yet and now I am guessing I won't for some time. Sorry it's been such a long journey for you Kit82 and I hope you can start soon.