IVF - where to start

[coffeewithmilk]

Hi all,

I'm currently just getting over surgery to remove my remaining tube due to a ruptured ectopic.
I had my left tube removed earlier this year.

The only option for myself and husband would be IVF as it would be impossible to conceive naturally now with no tubes.

The hospital have referred me to the ivf clinic closeby, but honestly I don't even know where to start. They told me it can be a lengthy process.

Can you please tell me your experiences - there just seems to be so many confusing things online.

We have age on our side : I'm 29, husband is 34. Got pregnant first time each time we have tried (all resulting in ectopics)

Thank you

Are you eligible for nhs help? I can explain the process in great detail as have gone through it myself

I lost both tubes to ectopics and am now pregnant with twins. The first thing to do is check your eligibility for NHS IVF - age wise you are fine, you need to be within a certain BMI and neither of you can have children already

Then it's a case of requesting referral by your GP to a fertility clinic. This could take several week/months. Then you'll have an appointment with both of you and various extra tests will be arranged. Bear in mind due to covid wait times are between 1-2 years

Going private speeds the process up considerably- I specifically chose a short protocol mild IVF clinic so started within a month (pre covid)

Not going to lie it's a tough process - took us 5 rounds and £35k (already had a DD so had to go private)

Hello! So sorry to hear what you've gone through. Agree with others to check your eligibility for NHS funding in your area but be aware you may be in for a wait especially post covid. Worth seeing your GP for baseline blood tests and also semen analysis will be needed for your partner which your GP can refer for.
If you can afford/want to go private, it is likely to be quicker.
The actual IVF process/regime will depend somewhat on your clinic and the results of the above tests.
I have just failed my first cycle and still relatively new to the IVF world compared to others who have gone through multiple cycles, it can be an emotionally and physically challenging process. I keep telling myself it will be worth it.
Good luck with whatever you decide xx

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm not in the UK, so will be going privately in Ireland. I think my health insurance covers some of the cost, but we are happy to pay as it is not covered by the Irish health service.

I suppose my questions to anyone that has been through it is how lengthy is the process - the medications/ egg retrieval etc - I understand this probably varies widely from person to person but I just don't want to go to an appointment like a deer in headlights and be completely overwhelmed by it all. It's all just very new to me

Thank you again for replying x

Again it depends on the protocol - long protocol can be 6-8 weeks on drugs. I did short protocol and then natural modified IVF and they took less than 2 weeks from starting drugs to egg collection - as little as 9 days in some instances

My long protocol was about 5 weeks of drugs-3 weeks of one and then 2 weeks of 2 drugs as @ivfbeenbusy mentioned short protocol and natural modified is a lot shorter! The clinic will make a recommendation depending on how they feel you may respond to the drugs from the tests mentioned above.