IVF at Guy's & St. Thomas' & general process/timeline part 2

[HereToLearnAndShare]

This is a continuation from IVF at Guy's & St. Thomas' & general process/timeline discussion

@HereToLearnAndShare thanks for making a new thread! Really hoping we're not waiting too much longer. I assume this means we'll be starting in August rather than July?

@Vparisi I feel like they told me 2 weeks, 3 weeks ago 🤦🏼‍♀️ I despair honestly! Did they give an indication on when we start after they call? So awful our lives being on hold like this!

Thanks for making the thread and thanks for noticing @becarefuloutthere !

@Etonmess20 yeah I am taking it with a grain of salt as the commentary is just so inconsistent. I really want to start in July. My cycle starts the 12th so I don't think it is going to happen. It is super frustrating honestly. @HereToLearnAndShare I am so impatient as well. Did you end up sending an email today? If so I would love to see if we get different responses! Hopefully you get the call next week!

@Etonmess20 I assume depends on your period dates. My next one is about to start in 2 weeks so for me the chances to start the treatment in July are very low 🙄 unless they give me the prescription straight alaway.

Does anyone know how long it takes to receive the medications? Is it straight forward or they have to order them?

@Vparisi I did send them an email but haven't heared from them yet. Will keep you posted!

@HereToLearnAndShare @Vparisi mines due on 6th so I'm out for July for sure! Unless they can start outside of your normal cycle (think someone on the old thread mentioned it but can't remember who). I suppose 2 weeks would only give me a few weeks before my August cycle anyway as I'd be due to start very early August. I'll be soooooo annoyed if I don't start until September!! That would leave me starting at the top end of their 2-3 month estimate 😢

They should hopefully get the ball rolling now ladies once you get the call they go through your meds and order them to be delivered to your house. For me from phone call they were ready to go as soon as I started my next cycle, which I think was about 10 days after the call so it can be quicker 100% xx

@Etonmess20 @HereToLearnAndShare at least one positive thing to keep in mind is last month when @RiverRiot emailed they said 10-12 weeks from appointment (I think it has been around 5 weeks, can't remember) and then they called her like 30 mins or an hour later and said she could start next week. So potentially that could happen again...I think the trick is to keep pushing.

@Vparisi yeah I don't disagree, just feel like you shouldn't have to! I feel terrible emailing as they're so busy but otherwise you seem to just languish on the list. Hopefully 2 weeks was a worst case & it'll be before that

Thanks @HereToLearnAndShare and @becarefuloutthere.

@Vparisi is right. They’d been fobbing me off about various things/I’d had other issues with them that I won’t go into again but when I challenged them they rang about 30mins later asking when my next cycle was and I started the following week. Basically, persistence seems to be key with them, although I agree with @Etonmess20 that it shouldn’t need to be the case.

In terms of meds mine were ordered and arrived within 5 days so it can be quick if it needs to be.

Really hoping they pull their finger out for you!

Ladies, I’ve just noticed this thread is now in Conception. Should we ask the admins to move it to Infertility? How do we do that if so?

@RiverRiot ah I didnt pay attention to that. I will send an email to the platform support and see if they can move it

Sounds promising that they sent the meds in days. So hopefully we all could start in July then!

Hi lovely bunch! I cannot believe I have only discovered this thread today, in the middle of my IVF cycle! It would have saved me so many moments of craziness, but better late than never :)

A bit of back up story that may be useful for who is starting now : so, me and MrGrumpy (I know right) have been TCC for 2 years (33 & 35 y.o.). At the beginning our TCC mainly consisted in "yeah, don't mind if we do get pregnant, but let's know pay too much attention to it" and then month after month was more and more puzzling not to have our BFP. We started investigations in Summer 2020, GP took for ever with the two Sperm sample exams and long story short, my GP finally referred us in September 2020. Semen analysis spotted high count, but poor motility and morphology.
We had our first appointment at Guys on 4th November 2020, where they took our medical history, checked my BMI, age etc. They then applied for funding on our behalf (we qualified for NHS funding) for IVF/ICSI and told us waiting time were about 6 months. Waiting for the call was excruciating, but we have focused on diet and being healthier meanwhile. We got a call confirming we got the funding on the 1st of March and scheduling our first ACU Appointment for the 29th of March. During this appointment, they went through the whole paperwork (be prepared to sign a large amount of paperwork), checked my womb, ovaries and decided which protocol to go for (short one for me). They took blood from both me and G., urine exam for me and all medical history (all of it!). They also refereed us for counselling.
Once you get funding, you should start within 3 months (again, we were so impatient to get on with it, we could barely wait), I called them when it was approaching the 3rd month (on Monday 17/05), but they told me to wait for their call. I have lived with my smartphone firmly in my hands for the whole time and obviously, when they called me on that Saturday, I missed it, but they emailed me. A lovely nurse called back on Saturday the 22nd of May, telling us they were ready for us to start. Unfortunately as my period was only 2 days away and they have not ordered medications yet, we agreed to start in June. (If you are waiting for them in the 3 months from funding confirmed date, I would recommend to email them with your predicted period on month 2).

Medications arrived on 26/05 and I started my short protocol on the 22nd of June, with 225ml Menopur at night and from last Sunday, 0.25 Fyremadel in the morning.
I am on day 7 day, with scan on Friday, so 11 days in!

Any of you feeling like a caged hen or crocodile mama laying eggs right now? Asking for a friend

so happy to have found this forum, have a lovely day everyone!

also this video (although old) was super useful for me it is the Guy's & St Thomas' IVF seminar from 2013, but it is so clear and goes step by step.
Leaflet is also a must read and they will give you a copy at your first appointment guysandstthomasprivatehealthcare.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Invitro-Fertilisation-treatment-PP.pdf

Hey @morganablue welcome to the thread! It is such a wonderful place to discuss all the frustrating news as well as the very happy news! I love this place as no one else in my life (including DP tbh) understands how much this takes over my brain so it's amazing to have the wonderful ladies here to talk to.

Thanks for all the info. So it took about 7 weeks from your appointment to the call to start then which is a positive sign (a few of us above are 8 and 9 weeks after appointments). Thanks for the advice on period, I will do that for sure! You must be very excited for your scan on Friday. Will be wishing you good vibes throughout the week!

@morganablue welcome! Glad you've found us, it's always handy to hear from people going through the process ahead of us! Have you got any idea when your EC is likely to be or are you hoping they'll confirm at your scan?

@Vparisi are you going to email your period dates across? I feel like it's pointless cus I'm out for July anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Vparisi aw thanks! I feel me chasing them made a difference, who knows, as they conctacted me on Sat 22/05 with the go ahead, after I called on the 17/05 asking for a timeline?
So I started treatment 12 weeks and a bit after my last appointment, but got the "go ahead" call after 8 weeks.

I am so excited but so very scared too! Was told usually scan happens on day 9-10 and on Friday for me will be already 11 days, so hoping that it won't be too late to adjust treatement by then, in case I am in under/over stimulating. I wonder if they cut scan appointments in beetwen for lack of funding. It is so hard not to know how follicles are doing and just have a bit of faith.

Absoley agreed, definetley infertility it's not a subject people get unless they have dealt with it (even close friends and family), so I am so very happy to have found you conrades!

ps: Autocorrect was somehow off, so apologies for the million typos! LOL

Etonmess20 thank you! I feel so very welcome already!
Nurse mentioned it can be as early as Monday 5th, if Friday confirms it is all good. On the phone during my "go ahead call" before starting treatment, they gave me a slighlty different timeline (Start 22/06, which was true. First scan on 30/06, which instead is now 2/07. Predicted egg collection 2/07, which instead is now from week commencing 5/07. ).
Generally speaking they are lovely once you are there, but as for email/call, they are a disaster and waiting times are for ever. Unless is urgent, if in doubt, I now know I am better off making myself an herbal tea and try to chill

@Etonmess20 I think you should definitely email and just say hi just emailing as I am 8 weeks past my appointment and my cycle starts early next week so just emailing to let you know those dates in case I am due for a call next week. You may feel annoying but I really think best case scenario they say oh ok since she is a couple weeks away we will get the meds sorted now, and you get them in 5 days ready to start. Worst case you are front of mind for August, so I think nothing to lose and a lot to potentially gain/.

@morganablue on the scan, they seem a bit all over the place at the moment so likely it is understaffing

@Vparisi I think so too, which is a real shame, as with more scans you have better change to monitor and adjust drugs. I guess it is what it is and I need to hope my follicles are doing well and not to have surprised on Friday

@Etonmess20 I would absolutely email with predicted period date. When i got my call on the 22/05, my predicted period was on 24/05 and even though they were ready to go, they did not have materially enough time (Including the weekend) to order meds. On website I read that they expect patients to email 1 month before they want to start with predicted period (I had no idea, neither staff told me at my appointment). Keeping my fingers extra crossed for you! When meds arrive it really feels so real.

@morganablue they were lovely at my appointment in fairness & I fully get how busy they are - it's just so horrendous when you're waiting though isn't it? Ps- very interesting they phoned you in a Saturday, I wouldn't have expected that!
Fingers crossed everything is all good at your scan, bet it's mad you're in the middle of treatment after waiting for so long isn't it?

@Vparisi I have relented & emailed them as it's 3 weeks since they replied to my email saying "a couple of weeks" I've basically said I'm concerned that if I'm due an imminent call I'll miss the dates by a few days then have to wait a month. I really hate to be that person but needs must!!

@HereToLearnAndShare am I right in thinking you're waiting for a lap before your IVF can begin? (Apologies if I've made that up 😂)

@morganablue welcome! Its great to have you here. I felt so reliefed when I found this group too. The feeling of having people to speak with is just amaizing as we are all going through the same process.
Hope all goes well on Fri! Keep us posted

@Etonmess20 In Dec they put me on the waiting list for lap, but the estimated waiting time was 1 year. So I decided to do it in my country as it was straight forward. Did it in March and when we had our first app we informed the doctor that my tubes have been removed. They didnt remove me from the waiting list though so they called me last week to book the surgery. It seems these 2 department s are not exchanging info. So I am ready for the IVF
Another thing is that they advised to have the surgery before the IVF but it was not a requirement, so I was supposed to receive the treatment with or without the tube removal.

@Etonmess20 they are! But the wait in between and communication is a bit poor form their side, however they are so busy, room was full of couples last week! It is a bit shit that they keep on telling you "two weeks" and you have to chase. I feel it is very unpredictable and suddenly they call out of the blue to start (yes, on a Saturday too!).
When I missed my call, I got this email:
"Dear x We will likely be able to schedule your treatment within your next 1-2 menstrual cycles.
If happy to proceed, please could we have details of the following:
· Your last menstrual period
· Your next predicted period
· Whether you are taking the oral contraceptive pill; if so the date you started the most recent pill packet
COVID information:
· Please avoid travel to areas that require 14 day quarantine in the lead up to your treatment, to avoid your treatment being delayed. You will not be able to start treatment if you have recently travelled to any of these areas. Please note that the list of countries where quarantine is required on return to the UK is changing daily and could change at late notice.
General information:
· Due to COVID-19 the hospital is restricting visitors to all departments. You will need to attend all appointments alone.
· Please remember to bring photo ID to every appointment

As soon as I emailed back, they called me again and pencilled in the appointment (you still have to email "Urgent First Day" on your first day of period (appointment can be day 2-3 or 4).

As for treatment, it is generally a bit crazy on day 7 as I have introduced the second injection yesterday and this one I can definitely feel on my body, compared to the 1st one.
Also, having to go to all appointments (aside from EC) it is not great. I got a bit anxious when they called me for first scan and to teach me how to do injection and my partner could not come with me. (do not worry, they give you a printed schedule for meds and an A3 paper with step by step).
I am even more anxious for Friday, as it is the day I know if this is working or not and would make such a difference to have G with me.
I so much wish they could let partners in, during such a stressful and difficult process!

@HereToLearnAndShare thank you so much! I already feel much better now. First time IVF and everything feels a bit much sometimes. Will defo keep you posted for Friday!

Welcome @morganablue, always nice to meet new ladies!

I think for Guys NHS patients it’s normal to have the scan around day 9ish depending on your circumstances. Mine was on day 10 and they triggered me that night. So if you’re already starting to feel uncomfortable be prepared that may happen to you too. I was fully expecting to stim for a few more days so it came as I bit of a surprise.

I’m totally with you about partners not being there. It made me really cross that 1000s of people are allowed at football matches etc. yet mine couldn’t even come to the bloody transfer! I’m hoping the rules on that change very soon though.

Good luck for Friday!

@Etonmess20 I know it’s awkward but don’t feel bad, if you don’t ask you don’t get!

@RiverRiot thank you for your message. Yas, football stadium full made me raging and I hope soon couples will be allow to live this journey together rather than texting each others from waiting room!
I was totally expecting scan on day 9th (which would have been Wed), and it was the predicted date thet gave me in May, so it was very weird when they scheduled me for Friday which is day 11. I have asked but they did not have an answer, so I am hoping it makes sense not to scan me beforeahand.