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!

@RiverRiot 🤣🤣 I have clearly got that wrong then, it’s so much to take in and process I get so confused with it all 🤣

Ahh okay understood with the contraceptive pills, I have a regular cycle so I guess I won’t need them

And congratulations so happy for you 😘

@Vparisi @Etonmess20 no idea why they telling me 4 weeks when you have been waiting the time you have, maybe they say that to get our hopes up, but I do hope you ladies start soon, please keep me posted.

@RiverRiot Congraaaats! So happy for you! ,🥳

@Sarah2328 great that it went well! I am surprised they said 4 weeks, but hopefully that means the waiting list is shorten now.

@Vparisi @Etonmess20 this should be good news for us as well. I will send them an email on Mon too. Not sure if it will help but just sit and wait feels terrible.

@HereToLearnAndShare must be awful how long you have all had to wait. Keep me posted, but I would send them an email and see how much longer you have to wait, hopefully you get a response ☺️

Got this v unhelpful response from them...

Thanks for your email enquiry.

I can confirm you are still on our waiting list and someone from our nursing team will be in contact, as soon as we get to your slot on the waiting list.

@Vparisi

That’s awful they should be giving a time frame. I feel for you girls and I’ve now got this all the come x

@Vparisi oh how very pleasant of them, bet you're glad you waited days for that response 🤦🏼‍♀️

Eeeeekk @RiverRiot congratulationssss! This is soo exciting! God pressures on for me! Hopefully my frosty is headed home in just under a month.
Ladies in waiting again I so understand where you are right now! My advice is to just be number 1 pest!

Thank you so much everyone, it still feels completely unreal!

@becarefuloutthere Just the one embryo, not sure my 5’0” frame could take twins! 😳😂 Scan booked for the 19th July. Omg I can’t believe that after three and a half years little old me is actually having a scan! So weird.
How are you getting on?

@Sarah2328 You should get plenty of eggos though with all of those follicles! 🤗

@Vparisi FFS That’s so annoying! Weren’t you told 8 weeks, like 8 bloody weeks ago?! I think you all need to start some kind of class action pestering now or something! 🤨

@GJW2018 Yay for July! 🥳. I meant to reply to your frozen emby question earlier. They will most likely start with the highest grade first but I’m not sure how many they defrost at a time though. Let us know what you find out. And all the very best of luck to you.

@RiverRiot they emailed back listing all the grades of our embryos and said they’ll like my defrost a 5AA and a 4AA and decide which looks better on the day so that was helpful. Eeeek how exciting for your scan! I might see you in there around the same time for my transfer! Xxx

@GJW2018 Oh yay, that would be awesome! 🤗

Glad you got your info from the embryology team, excellent grades there! What happens to the remaining embryo after transfer, do they refreeze it?

@RiverRiot She said they will ask the clinical team on the day how many embryos are being transferred and if it’s one they defrost the 5AA one and if it survives the dethawing they just keep that one? Not 100% sure she said ‘5AA and/or 4AA’? It wouldn’t be great to keep defrosting and freezing them poor little things! How are you feeling? What grade was your embryo? I’m knee deep in success rates at the mo, I’m not good at waiting! Keep going through waves of chilled and crazy impatience! 😵‍💫

@RiverRiot ooh we're only a week apart with scans!! I feel the same but it's only been 21 months for me. I'm fine thanks, feel less sick which is nice but also scary as constantly second guessing what's going on in there!
@GJW2018 great you have the grades and they'll look at both. They put a 5aa in me which resulted in my bfp! Best of luck my love 😍

@GJW2018 Yeah, I know they can be refrozen at least once (say if you’re doing genetic testing) but wasn’t sure how many times they’d put the little things through it.

They’re both great grades and the 4AA would probably continue to expand and start to hatch (and therefore turn into a 5AA).
I think 5AAs have about a 65% chance of success, then you’re having a FET as well and that’s also slightly better odds than fresh so you’re in with an excellent chance. 👍🏼
Would you do a double transfer if they offered do you think?

Not long for you now. Eeek. 🤗 When do you start your next lot of meds? It’s tablets for you this time isn’t it?

I feel absolutely fine thanks (apart from some spotting which the clinic say is super common) if I hadn’t just have had IVF, I wouldn’t know any different.

@becarefuloutthere I think it’s normal for symptoms to come and go so try not to worry. Easier said than done though I know, I’m trying to tell myself the same thing re spotting. I think IVF puts you on high alert. 🙈 Hopefully we’ve got another 18 years of worry to come yet though! 😂

@RiverRiot haha yes hopefully 🙏🏾 😆
Spotting is defo common, but it's just so hard not to worry isn't it. Ivf has defo driven us mad! 🤪

@becarefuloutthere eeek hope mine does the same!
@RiverRiot of course yea I didn’t think about the testing god they do put them through it. Yes I think spotting is supper common where they’re just getting snuggled in 🥰.
So I’m due on next Sunday but we’ve had an absolute mare today. Went for a walk and when we went to go back to where our car was the gate was locked I tried to jump the fence and impailed my hand on the gate. Cut to the fire brigade having to come and cut me out and cut my enegagement and wedding rings off ☹️. Went to hospital and they wanted to give me a tetanus so I googled if that was ok with immune suppressant drugs I’m on and it said noooo they interact with each other and can cause death. Then I freaked out stuck between a rock and shed place - get the tetanus and die because of the meds I’m taking orrrrr don’t get a tetanus and risk getting serious infection. Anyway then I broke down to the nurse and said about how long we’ve waiting for this IVF and it’s literally starting next week and now this has happened. She looked it up and agreed that she can’t give the tetanus. She soaked the wound in iodine and has given me some antibiotics. What a day! Mare!

The short answer was yes I’m due to start my next cycle me t Sunday/Monday and that’s when I start taking the estrogen and book in for a scan to check my lining

@GJW2018 OMG that sounds so stressful! 😱 I hope you’re feeling ok today and not too sore and traumatised after yesterday?!

Ooh yay for next week. 🤗 Looking forward to hearing how you go and wishing you the absolute, very best of luck! ❤️

Omg @GJW2018 what an insane day!!! Glad you ended up avoiding the tetanus shot. Hope you're feeling better

@GJW2018 omg that sounds absolutely horrrrrrendous 😬 glad to hear you're ok x

@Etonmess20 @HereToLearnAndShare just letting you know that I called up this morning and was told it should be 2 weeks. So hopefully we all don't have much longer to wait

@GJW2018 omg what a day you had! Glad you avoided it!
@Vparisi good to hear it's not too much longer now.

Girls the thread will end at 1k msgs. Does someone want to set a new one up and post the link before the thread closes?

Hey all,

I have created a new thread to continue our conversations. I couldn't tag anyone though. So here is a link to it: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/4282806-IVF-at-Guys-St-Thomas-general-process-timeline-part-2?watched=1

I hope you will be able to access it from the link.

@Vparisi @Etonmess20 that sounds great. If they follow the order means they need to call me this week and you both next week. Let's see :) I am so inpatient now

So our first FET got pushed to July. Happened on 2nd at Guys. Positive test today (4 tests and counting so far) as instructed. all a bit surreal. I hope, as this is baby #2, that this means our journey has a sequel.

@WNorwoodJess good luck! This thread is full now so click the link from @HereToLearnAndShare and join us at part 2!