Smear test IVF?

[Sydney1986x]

Hi

I am half way through our first IVF cycle (NHS funded) and received a letter for my smear test last week. I have msged my clinic for advice and the nurse stated we will probably need to pause to get my smear done and have a frozen embryo transfer. I will need to await the results before proceeding and I have 12 yrs ago had an abnormal smear. They have been clear since, I had specific symptoms before and none now.

I have been anxious all day waiting to speak to someone at the fertility clinic and they have advised I must have a smear and that they will not go any further than egg collection until they have seen my results. Surely, it is my choice as to whether I have a smear or not? I understand why they are being cautious and as someone who had cells removed I am well aware of the risks but I am devastated at the prospect of things being delayed when I have mentally and physically prepared myself for this process and our protocol. They never asked for this info about a smear before or verified if things were in date.

I’ve asked to speak to the consultant and was told they are short staffed and will need to wait a few days.. great! The next smear test I can get is in a month, then it’s another 2 weeks at least for results. I have no idea what a frozen transfer involves. Will I need to do medication again?

Our funding runs out in March and I’ve been told by the nurse potentially our funding will expire and we will need to pay for the transfer and whatever else they suggest!

Has anyone had experiences of this or can advise? Please don’t be harsh or think for a minute I am minimising the importance of smear tests. Thanks x

Just reschedule your smear no need to pause IVF

I recently had the same concern. I had an abnormal smear and then a colposcopy in March last year. It came back all clear. On my Dr IVF app she said I needed a clear smear before we could start but that it should be fine. I was to call my GP. I did and was told my next smear wasn't due til March, and that I simply couldn't have it earlier, but my IVF treatment starts February.

I got myself in a total flap. I called the nurse and my Dr called me back. She said we could go ahead without the clear smear but I was also to keep them updated as to if I went for one. I don't think they realised the panic it caused me until I had called and emailed. To them it obviously wasn't a big deal if it delayed my treatment but I was so so upset.

Definitely get a chat with your consultant and express your concerns and I hope that they can let you leave it if it's going to cause a big issue with your funding xx

@HJen22 thank you for sharing and your understanding. I too have been in a total flap and I suppose my msg above reflects that 😂. For some reason they are adamant I cannot have an embryo transfer without having a clear smear test result and seem stuck on this. I am on day 5/12 of stims.

I’m hoping the consultant might have a better telephone etiquette and some humility. I’m going to call my GP tomorrow for advice and find out exactly when my last smear was to check it’s under or over 3 years. They haven’t to date asked me anything about a smear or proof of one so it’s odd they are springing this upon me now! If this round fails then of course I will go get a smear. Fingers crossed i hear soon and funding will be ok x

I was also told I'd need a clear smear test result, but my clinic checked it was 'in date' prior to starting treatment - it seems a bit disorganised and a bit harsh to start then stop and to suggest you'd need to pay!

Hopefully the consultant can clarify things and provide some reassurance. If the clinic does end up expecting you to self-fund, then you might want to speak with PALS or your clinic's equivalent, as they really should have checked these things before starting treatment and it doesn't seem right for you to be financially penalised as well as potentially having to take additional meds, when they could have avoided this situation by checking the dates of your smear tests in advance.

@Sydney1986x I really feel your pain. I was so upset my parents came to calm me down! It was a friday as well so I had the whole weekend until I spoke to them again on the Monday.

I had no idea about it either until we finally had our Dr call. It's annoying cos it's the last thing you need to worry about or have hanging over you. When I was told I couldn't have mine early I started to try and find somewhere to have it done privately before I was due to start. The Dr called me and said they'd discussed it in their meeting and they'd go ahead. It's perhaps not something that happens often when it's right at the time of treatment but it's a confusion and upset for us when it does land at the inconvenient time!

I hope that your Consultant is much more understanding and yes, has a better etiquette. It's such an emotional time that it makes all the difference when they are nice and helpful! Xx

@Sydney1986x so sorry you’re going through this. I had a similar situation where my NHS funded clinic wanted to pause my cycle because my smear came back with “borderline cells” and HPV and I was referred for a colposcopy. That would mean that I would have to wait for egg collection by which time I would have been 40. Hope this doesn’t trigger anyone but I was devastated that my chances of a successful cycle would drastically go down at 40 so I literally researched borderline cells, spoke to cancer research and sent the longest email to my clinic citing all these links. They still tried to say no and I cried to the doctor on the phone and emailed again. I bumped into the doctor in the waiting room and she agreed to speak to the head colposcopy consultant to see if there was a risk to me. Thankfully the consultant agreed with me and I was allowed fo proceed with that cycle. Sorry for the waffle - point is that please don’t take no for an answer until you’ve exhausted every avenue so long that there isn’t any risk to your health. I really hope it works out for you

Thanks all for your replies and understanding. I really appreciate you sharing your experiences and had to take some time to think about the next steps. I’ve called my GP today they cannot speak to me until the 31st jan but the receptionist told me my smear doesn’t expire until 4th Feb by which point I was expecting to be close to embryo transfer. On that basis I feel I have an argument to say it’s not expired, it’s not mandatory and NO ONE has checked or asked for this information prior to starting the cycle (despite the million other tests and paperwork!!!!). I’ve sent an email today and missed a call from the consultant due to work but I have my baseline scan tomorrow so will follow up.

I am really pleased to read both @MeAndZig and @HJen22 you’ve been able to proceed thanks so much I feel reassured xx

@Scirocco thank you so much, I am doing to use your reply as the basis of my response to them if they get defensive - you’re so right they should have checked and quite honestly checking when mine was coming up just wasn’t on my agenda in November last year I was too preoccupied with IVF and processing that. Thanks again x