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Original poster

IVF Process - Bart’s Clinic

27 replies

JesHope345 · 22/02/2021 15:14

Hello,

I’ve just found out that I’m going to start IVF with Bart’s subject to COVID in April. I’ve been told that a nurse will call me to book in a video consultation. This will be my first round of IVF so I don’t know what to expect, please could someone share their IVF experience with me. What is the timeline from video consultation to egg transfer. Excited and nervous as the same time. I also have to drop a few kg as my BMI is currently 31 and it need to be below 30 by April

OP posts:
beachbum85 · 22/02/2021 17:33

Hi there!
Happy for you that it's your turn :)

So, I just started treatment with Bart's today... We had a call with the consultant (not video) mid December to go over our test results, and needed one more test (that was sorted early January).
Then, I got a call about a month ago to say it's our turn and ask when my next cycle would start.
We had the video consultation with the nurse a couple of weeks ago to go over our consent forms and learn how do inject the medication.
I'm on a long protocol so I started with the medication today and egg collection is planned for the week of 22 March, with transfer approx. 5 days after that.

I hope that helps.... This is my first round too and I'm super excited and nervous too!

Good luck :)

Original poster
JesHope345 · 22/02/2021 19:59

@beachbum85 thank you so much that was very helpful and good luck I hope it all goes well for you Smile.

I hear long and short protocol mentioned a lot on forums. What is the difference and how do they decide what protocol you go on?

OP posts:
beachbum85 · 22/02/2021 21:34

Thank you @JesHope345

Excuse the terrible explanation, but I'll say what I understood the difference to be:
With long protocol, you start earlier (for me it's Day 21 of the previous cycle) with a couple of weeks of down regulation which puts you in a state almost like menopause before stimulation, whereas short protocol starts at the beginning of the cycle, so effectively you have a couple of weeks less medication.

When I asked Bart's the reason for being put on the long protocol, they said it depends on the individual results but it's their standard approach unless there's a risk of OHSS (I have a low ovarian reserve so that's unlikely).

I know there are some people who have tried both, so I'm sure you can get better info than that on here. I hope someone else will jump in and help :)

Jkjellyhead · 25/07/2021 18:17

@beachbum85 and @JesHope345 I’m also with BARTS and due to start on Saturday on the long protocol… any tips?

beachbum85 · 25/07/2021 20:19

Hi @Jkjellyhead how are you feeling about starting?
I also start this week (Wednesday) on the long protocol again for our second cycle, so we're really close! Cycle buddies :)
Hmmm, not sure where to start with the tips but a few things that come to mind:

  • be ready to take notes and ask questions at your appointments because they seem to fly by really quickly
  • don't worry if things seem slow at your first scan/s... things can move pretty quickly in even just a few days
  • there may be days when you get side effects from the meds or just feel very tired so if you're working and your work allows it, it might be good to find someone you can give a heads up to and ask to cover for you if you need some time
  • switch from a high protein diet during stimulation to a high fibre diet when you're taking progesterone... I really suffered from constipation
  • the days between egg collection and transfer can be pretty stressful as you wait for updates... I found yoga and meditation very helpful
  • the tww after transfer can feel quite lonely as you go frm being in the hospital every couple of days to no contact with the clinic at all... for me it was the worst bit and this time I'll be thinking of some activites to keep me occupied
  • it's probably impossible, but try not to have expectations and be prepared for a series of waiting games

That makes it sund a bit negative but I thought it was easier than I expected overall (minus the tww and negative test, of course). Happy to try and answer any particular questions you might have if I can help :)

Jkjellyhead · 25/07/2021 23:26

@beachbum85 I can’t thank you enough for this, you’re amazing! Can we stay in touch pls? Can’t believe how close we are 🥰

beachbum85 · 26/07/2021 00:23

@Jkjellyhead you're very welcome - I'm glad that helped. We can definitely stay in touch, who knows we might even be at the clinic at the same time :) I'll send you a message

KK251289 · 13/01/2022 12:13

Hello everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has any experiences they could share? I've been referred for IVF at St Barts from Whipps Cross Hospital and not sure what to expect?

Everythingcrossed89 · 23/02/2022 16:25

Hi all - I am currently under Homerton but looking to transfer to barts as my start date keeps getting pushed back at Homerton. Any idea of waiting times at Barts? Thank you!

Everythingcrossed89 · 14/03/2022 16:16

I have now been referred by my GP to Barts - any idea how long you waited for your initial appointment @KK251289

Eliash · 04/10/2022 23:13

Hi all, does anybody have any recent experience they could share on Bart’s waiting times? I have an initial appointment early November but I’m curious to how soon they offer treatment to start.

My husband and I had already gone through all the relevant tests.

thanks in advance!

KK251289 · 05/10/2022 09:55

Hi Eliash,

I hope you're doing OK. I had an appointment in Feb 2022 and pretty much started treatment when my next period arrived. I had an egg retrieval in March but had a frozen transfer in July due to OHSS. I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant. Wishing you so much luck. The staff are amazing at Barts. I'd say that the phone lines get busy if you need to call so always email and they get back quicker.

Eliash · 05/10/2022 10:44

Thank-you so much, I was so worried the wait timers would be very long so I’m hopeful we can get started as soon as you were able to - that is so great to hear and congratulations on the pregnancy!!

Wishing you all the best.

Everythingcrossed89 · 05/10/2022 11:12

I had my initial in June 2022 and then first cycle started early September. Sadly my first fresh transfer didn’t work, but I’m due to start an FET in November. Barts have been great overall. Definitely email over call!

Eliash · 05/10/2022 12:03

Hi Everythingcrossed89, thanks for letting me know - glad to have some reassurance that wait times are not extremely long.

I wish you all the very best for your FET!

maggie227 · 28/10/2022 12:18

Hi,
We have our first appointment with Bart's on November 15th. We did our initial scans, bloods and semen analysis last year in October but I imagine they'll need to start over. Do you know how long that process is if you're starting from scratch? I was told over the phone by a receptionist at Bart's that it typically takes 18 weeks from the first appointment to treatment, but all your recent experiences seem sooner. We have all our test results from this year as we did a fertility test privately but I doubt they'll accept them. Any insight from those that are starting from the beginning would be great. Thanks and good luck to everyone!

Eliash · 05/11/2022 18:27

Hi @maggie227 we had our first appointment with Barts this week - it was a meant to be face to face but they changed to virtual last minute.

My husband and I have done all the tests needed and were told we could start treatment end of January which is not a long wait at all! I do have to do another blood test and scan though as mine were done last year.

My advice to you if your appointment is virtual is to ensure you send all your results in advance and mention this straight away on the call.

Wishing you all the best on your journey!

maggie227 · 11/11/2022 17:52

Thank you so much @Eliash! It seems we may be starting close together. They called this week and left a voicemail to say ours would also not be in person, but I can’t remember if it’s virtual or phone. Do you have an email where I can send everything in advance? Is it the email on the letter they sent us about the appointment? Thanks!

maggie227 · 11/11/2022 17:54

One more question @Eliash : Did you get your appointments yet for the blood and scan? I’m probably in the same boat as mine were from last year too. It’d be interesting to know when those will happen before treatment end of Jan. Thanks!

Eliash · 11/11/2022 19:45

@maggie227 I emailed all of our documents to [email protected]. My advice is at the start of your phone call to confirm with the consultant that they have seen you’re results otherwise they will start talking to you about going for tests that you have already been for.

I went for bloods today, it had to be taken on a certain day of my cycle so you can book yourself (lots of availability). My scan is booked for end of November - call up and ask them to get it booked in to avoid delays (that’s what I did!).

Wish you all the best - if you’re journey was anything like ours it feels like a long time coming but we are almost there!

KK251289 · 11/11/2022 21:05

@Eliash Thank you and I'm so glad you'll be starting in January. I'm so sorry you've had to go down the fertility route, it's a tough old road and you're very strong. The months ahead will be difficult, tiring and hectic but you will get through. Always here (and the same for other ladies) if you have any questions about IVF and Barts. Sending all my love x

maggie227 · 12/11/2022 11:31

You're amazing, @Eliash ! Thank you so much and good luck on your journey!!

Eliash · 12/11/2022 11:36

@KK251289 thank-you so much, I really appreciate that. I’m sure I will have some questions along the way so I know where to come if I do 😊

Eliash · 11/12/2022 13:38

@maggie227 how did your appointment go?

maggie227 · 14/12/2022 13:07

Hi @Eliash! Thank you for asking. The appointment did not go as well as I had hoped. We supplied them from our fertility check results that we did privately in April and my amh, fsh, and antral follicle count were too low for NHS funding. We had no idea there were minimum requirements of an amh of 4, fsh below 8 and at least 4 antral follicles. I was able to prove that most of those things had improved by September with more recent tests but they were still below the threshold. Since there were improvements we were asked to do tests again, so last week we both went in and redid our blood tests, scans and semen analysis. Now we're waiting on the results but I do know my scan was above the threshold (thank goodness).

How about you? I wanted to ask if you've been contacted about the results of your tests by now and what the next steps are? I hope it's going well for you!