Infertility investigations/IVF in Scotland - thread 2

[Kitekat81]

A thread for those who are undergoing infertility investigations / IVF in Scotland 🙂

@florafoxtrot ah so you have been through IVF before?
@pixelflower aw I'm glad your mum was able to support, I don't think it's bad she took you to appointment, i also had my brother come round to do my last injection. Just small things we need to do isn't it

@Applejuju that's great! Will this be your first time going to them? Happy to help with any questions if you have them. I know I had a tooon when I was waiting for appointments

@willithappen Thanks for saying that, I had to stop myself putting in a million justifications 🤦

@Applejuju hi there. Is your appointment actually at the clinic?

@willithappen yes first appointment!

@pixelflower no it’s a video consult. I think then We’d go to a hub for weight etc? Not sure! I’ve perused the thread but it seems different people have different appointments!

Hi @Applejuju. That’s funny it’s the same day! Ours is a video consultation too. They might just do the 100s of questions in your first appointment and then give you appointments for bloods, scan, SA etc. I’m guessing you’ve not had all that done before?

@willithappen - DD was conceived through intended super ovulation and IUI. But never quite got to the IUI stage as I was overstimulated. That experience also makes me think I potentially have PCOS as there were so many follicles.

@florafoxtrot my partner is a woman, so no SA 😊 we both had 21 day bloods with GP prior to referral. I have endometriosis (2 previous surgeries for this). Our ideal plan is her egg and I carry, but I wonder if they might want us to do it the other way. I’m assuming more blood and they’ll scan us both.

God I’m so sorry, that was incredibly presumptuous of me and I should know better. Were your 21 day bloods ok? Sorry to hear you have endo, know that can be extremely painful. Hopefully the clinic will be able to give you some helpful advice on how best to proceed in your circumstances, I do have really good things to say about them both times we’ve been under their care. 🙂

@pixelflower no need to justify. Not to me anyway :) it's not like you are flounting rules left right and centre and I think it's safer being taken in by your mum than taking public transport and being exposed to lots of strangers'

@florafoxtrot oh wow, I didn't know that was an option. Great that it worked for you! Did they say anything else to you about PCOS from that?

@Applejuju did your GP refer you? As you have had your bloods I assume they will put you straight to IVF waiting list - they might want you to go to a hub for the weight/smoke tests that can't be done by video call. It will be a conversation about your history and them being able to decide a plan going forward for you.

It was self funded last time too, we’d had a spate of crap news and we were still a few months off 2 years TTC so just decided to do a cycle while we waited and we were extremely fortunate with how it turned out. I think they might have been a bit more in agreement with a PCOS diagnosis then as I was never getting a clear conclusive result on my 21 day bloods. Think I had them done about 6 times. But this time around that test was ok! So who knows what’s going on with me!

@florafoxtrot ha no worries! Only 1% of women are lesbians so it’s totally reasonable of you to assume 😂 I actually didn’t ask if bloods where ok! I was referred because of the endo. Is that where they test AMH? This is what I was curious about for us, since she is two years older.

@willithappen yes GP referred us, we did bloods, swabs, proof of vaccination, etc. I wasn’t sure if that means they already did AMH? But yes hopping the IVF ball rolls as soon as possible!

I’ve never actually had my AMH checked. They seem to go by AFC instead - in my case anyway but perhaps some of the other ladies might have more insight. Hopefully the GP will have passed your blood results onto the clinic so they can interpret them. I didn’t find the GP really knew what they were talking about - both for my bloods and hubby SA! Glad you don’t have too long to wait either, although know somedays it can feel like a lifetime.

I dont believe I had my AMH tested either. I don't know if they looked it at with blood tests and didn't tell me or if it wasn't looked at

At the clinic I was referred for a HyCoSy prior to going on waiting list

As far as I am aware I’ve never had my AMH tested either, thyroid test but don’t think AMH but then bloods are taken for some many things 🤣

Hi @Applejuju welcome, things are so different since COVID, usually your bloods are done at GP so is weight before referral then you get your weight done at your first appointment at AFC, we had our bloods for airborne etc and weight. We then had to sign the final forms over video with the doctor then appointment with nurse when got prescription to start pills. Have my baseline scan in the next week was told I would be weighed again but others have said they didn’t get weighed so again everyone is different 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh interesting! I am also a bit hyperthyroid (seems to be autoimmune, just discovered in the fall) and I am worried they won’t want me to carry because of all this, which is why I was wondering about our egg quality. I don’t know anything about AFC. Will have to read up.

Hi @Applejuju AFC is Aberdeen fertility clinic 😃

Haha well it also saves for Antal Follicle Count so now this is confusing 😂

Haha yeah I say AFC for antral folicile count

Basically each month you have follicles on your ovary and one grows large enough to release the egg. So whatever your AFC is will be the amount you will have and stims can make them big enough to release eggs

Sorry I meant the clinic in this context 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

@LabradorMum was there a long wait between the video consult and then starting? Does the baseline scan mean you’re starting IVF? Or is that just a generic baseline, and then you’ll start another month?

Hi @Applejuju, we were already on the waiting list then COVID struck we should have started July last year so had already had our face to face consultation the video call we had we to sign consent forms. The latest on the website is or was around 3 months.

We have already started I’m on norethisterone then have a baseline scan this week that will be to determine folicles then start injections the day after, egg collection should be around 10 days after that all going well.

@Applejuju after consent signing it will depend on when you get your nurses appointment (usually a couple days later) and then it will depend on when your next period starts. If you are on your period when the call happens then it will extend it as you might have to wait for the next one, then you wait until 21 days into that to start norethisterone.
If you get your baseline then that's the start of IVF. Northeristerone is used to delay the start of period so they can time things. In this instance it's the 'start' but technically your baseline then stims the next day is the start

@LabradorMum oh I’m sorry covid threw such a wrench in the things! Glad you’re getting started now.

@willithappen this will be interesting because while our cycles are exactly synced right now they sometimes get thrown off so I’m assuming then they’d force sync us 🤔 so many questions to ask!

So much going on! Excited to hear how it all goes for everyone. Not got anything to contribute that hasn't already been said 🤣

Has anyone listened to the Big Fat Negative podcast? Since listening I can't say "journey" and also can't think of an alternative 🤣

Hi everybody!
I've been lurking here for a while but I finally joined! I'm currently living in Glasgow, we are a lesbian couple TTC. We are having treatment at the GCRM and will be egg sharing!
We have the consents appointment (finally! it's been a bit of a wait for different reasons for us) the 5th of April, does anybody know what happens there, and how long to start treatment after?
I know I will be on the short protocol as I have a high-ish AMH and an ok-high antral follicle (nothing has been said re-PCOS so I'm assuming I don't, as I don't have symptoms).
Can't wait to start! Nice to meet you all and to join this forum! :)

@pixelflower no I haven’t listened, will have to!

@GemmTryTTC are you egg sharing with another couple or do you mean like reciprocal IVF? Good luck! So exciting!

@Applejuju we are donating eggs while undergoing IVF - We keep half and we donate half to an unknown couple that needs them :) For us it was a get and give - we need a donor ouselves (sperm) so we thought it was beautiful to donate to people that needs it, eggs specially are in short supply! Thanks :) It is exciting!