Fertility referral letter

[Whilstwewait]

hi

We got referred to fertility clinic at end of February. I also asked the doctor to refer me for a hsg test at the same time which she said she would try. I got a letter through from gynaecology but that's all. Is this the fertility referral? Ive seen a few posts whereby the doctor forgot to refer. I know it could possibly be a delay from covid restriction but don't want any further delays. Dont want to bother the doctors at this time. So basically wondering what department sends the letter xx

The GP does the referral then you should get an appointment letter with the fertility clinic and at that one they'll do some blood tests and arrange for additional tests like HSG to be done but you'll have to wait again for an appointment letter.

Unfortunately the wait time between referral and being ready to start is up to a year and most likely much longer at the moment

Thank you. So its usual to not have heard anything and not get confirmation that im on the list? Im considering going private ill be 35 in december dont think i want to wait another year. I definitely would if we had a known issue but so far we are unexplained xx

Hi

I'm in Scotland so this may be different to you. I had my video appointment 18th May where they confirmed they were putting us on the NHS waiting list.
I got my letter through the post today confirming I was officially on the list so a week and a half later. I also got a letter they sent my GP telling them they had referred me too.

I think different clinics may be different so don't stress too much if you are not the same as I am but definitely chase it up after

@willithappen thanks. Im definitely going to chase it up now. My first doctor who ordered tests was lovely but the 2nd who referred was dopey. I dont think we have wasted any time anyway with IVF being cancelled anyway but dont want to slip further down list.

Have they told you how long waiting list is? I know if different everywhere but good to get an idea xx

@Whilstwewait they told me that the usual wait list is 6 months, however they are now 4 months behind because of Covid and going through those first so it's likely to be a 10 month wait for me

Thank you. Ive messaged my doctors on their new online tool to check ive been referred and where ive been referred to. Have they said how long you have to wait for? Xx

sorry @willithappen I didn't think my first message had posted it wasnt showing. Thanks for your help. I was thinking covid would probably have caused about another 3 months xx

@Whilstwewait

Really depends on your area and the amount of clinics - once you've got confirmation Approval for the funding then you can take this to a private clinic as most accept NHS patients - you may find the waiting lists shorter there as they are opening much quicker as they aren't usually within hospital grounds and their staff weren't reassigned to covid wards

It's usually the fertility clinic that sorts the HSG test out - they'll go through that when you have your appointment at the clinic. Why do you want an HSG? I've had it done twice now and it can only tell if your tubes are blocked or not - it doesn't tell you if they actually work (my tests came back perfect twice and I still went on to lose both tubes to ectopic pregnancies)

I'm pretty sure we requested referral in the January and finally got an appointment around the April time - then had to wait for each separate appointment for sperm test / hsg / other scans and then it was autumn before we had a mandatory group presentation to then be able to start in the January (most NHS clinics don't work as much over xmas as private ones)

@ivfgottostaypositive thanks for all the information. So much to think about and weigh up. Hsg just felt like the next step although i have no reason to think there's an issue with my tubes. I think we will probably go private. Will start looking into clinics x

HSG tests done privately are horrendously expensive so i wouldn't ask for one via a private IVF clinic - they aren't really interested in your tubes anyway as the whole point of IVF is to bypass them x

@ivfgottostaypositive i meant private for IVF. That's a good point ,no point having it done if we do IVf. Xx

My experience is that it is really important to double check you've been referred correctly. My DH and I were referred incorrectly twice at different points in the process, adding months of delay. It's frustrating, because as patients we don't necessarily know what to be asking - and then suddenly you're in the waiting room for an incontinence clinic rather than a fertility specialist!

I was referrred from gp to gynae. They arranged follow up tests like hsg and hysteroscopy etc. I was discharged as we were unexplained and only TTC for 2 years, not the 3 my CCG requires. I need the gp to refer me back to the same gynae clinic in a few months so they can apply for my funding. So I wouldn't panic that you've been referred to gynae but may be worth following up just to give yourself some peace of mind. It will depend on your area and COVID re waiting times, I was about 3 months between gp referral and 1st apppointment and tests and follow up took another 5 or 6. Then there would be abother wait whilst funding obtained and getting on the list for IVF.

We have gone private in the end, and our experience is that things happen MUCH faster. We had our initial consultation end of Jan, had a fresh cycle and (unsuccessful) transfer before lockdown and already had an FET since them reopening earlier this month.

I had a pretty horrible experience at the nhs clinic though so tbh I don't think I'll end up going down the nhs route even when we do qualify.

@mayihavesomecakeplease oh my god that sounds awful. I have checked and we have been referred to correct place dor now. We are going to go private though x

@MorgenMuffel thanks for sharing.

I checked and we have been referred to gynaecology as that is the process here. Doctors told me to call and check waiting times but i feel terrible doing that during a pandemic as I was only referred on March 5th. We have decided on private treatment now. Are you still doing your treatment? Do u know how your private treatment will effect future nhs treatment? xx

To echo @mayihavesomecakeplease I was revered to Gynaecology, to a Gynaecologist who didn't do infertility so then had to wait 3 months from then to see the correct type of gynaecologist. They left a voicemail the day before original appointment that I had awaited patiently to say they had look at the list for the following day and Mr X doesn't do that specialism.
When I did get my appointment with the correct gynaecologist I had HSG less than 3 weeks later but not sure if that was the usual or because of the previous mix up.

@JeNeBaguetteRien oh god sounds a nightmare. I would be so annoyed. Thanks for sharing x

@Whilstwewait glad to hear you have been referred to the right place.

Whether private affects NHS entitlement really depends on your CCG. From what I could read, we would still be entitled. However, I doubt we will take it up as we have got a 3 cycle "package" via access fertility, which includes FET. We were lucky to get some in the freezer from our first fresh and if all those fail, plus two more fresh cycles (plus any fruther frozen) we will be pretty done I think!

@morganmuffel Thanks. We are currently unexplained unless something comes up on my follow scans.

I think we are set on private now. We are just weighing up which clinic and then will look at how we fund it. I am tempted to get a multi cycle package as I dont think Id feel comfortable paying out for just one go and it not working. Lots to weigh up though.Ive been looking into access x

Hi, as a GP and patient myself, I would say don't complicate things with separate gynae or HSG referrals. Get a fertility referral and they will do all the relevant tests like HSG or Hycosy. Too many cooks and all that...

We were 2 years TTC, unexplained infertility, I had an HSG and fell pregnant in that cycle. I am one of the lucky ones.

I was on the list for HSG on the NHS but after 4 months of not getting my period on the right day to line up with NHS HSG (at my hospital they only offered it on Mondays, and it’s got to be done on days 5-10 of your cycle) I called Nuffield and they were able to do it straightaway. It cost £450 (in 2018) and it’s the best money I’ve ever spent.

If I were you I would call to make sure they’ve got your referral / you’re on the list. Good luck.