NHS IVF Glasgow Royal Infirmary

[heatherandhares]

Hi

Does anyone have experience of the NHS IVF service in Glasgow and specifically how long it took from their first consultation to start of treatment cycle?

We are on the waiting list for NHS funded IVF via NHSGGC Assisted Conception Service at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. We have had two semen analyses (one private, one NHS) and I have had an antral follicle count and AMH privately. We had a private consultation after these results (via GCRM) which diagnosed MFI and recommended ICSI.

We were referred in October and have a consultant appointment in April but are unsure whether we should just go for the self funded option instead, as I'm in my late thirties and concerned about success rates declining. Apparently there's a 3 month wait for start of cycles in the Glasgow Royal self funded service just now, so am a bit concerned it will be ages before we start if going via NHS route. Equally, as things are in train with NHS, would rather not pay thousands of pounds if don't have to!

When I rang the NHS waiting list coordinator and was given the April appointment, I asked about rough timescales for starting treatment, she said something about a six months target but it depends when the doctor decided when the clock had started - which was all a bit confusing.

Would be grateful if anyone has any recent experience of their timescales between referral - consultant appointment - starting treatment.

Thanks

@Virgo24 they just took mine once, it was at the virology appointment I'm sure.

Thank you for this! They hadn't taken my weight yet so are going to take it ar my first face to face appointment

@Virgo24 yeah they should do, then they'll take it again just as you start treatment. No problem, if you have any more questions I'm happy to try to answer them 😊

I wanted to update this thread in case anyone else is waiting on their appointment and looking for more info. Ahead of my appointment I was looking for any thread/post/info I could find! So as I said before we were referred after only a 21 day blood test and semen analysis. I have very irregular cycles. Phone appointment about 5 months after referral (I think very much delayed due to the wait for a semen analysis in Glasgow currently - booked in October and earliest we could get was Jan!) Consultant said he suspected PCOS (and seemed annoyed my GP hadn’t done any investigations for PCOS!) so wanted me to have further bloods and a scan - all done through GRI which is great cause I was worried I’d be punted back to the GP. Also being given letrozole to see if that helps. However, he also talked us through my husbands SE which is not great. So he said the letrozole will help with my PCOS but we will still have difficulty due to the poor semen and so he was putting us on the waitlist for IVF. 7 month waiting time at the moment but we’ve been backdated to the date of the SE in Jan so hopefully only 5! Overall it was a really helpful appointment. I knew I had issues due to irregular cycles but we weren’t expecting the male factor - but I feel a million times better now there is a plan and we’re on the list. And you never know, maybe with the letrozole giving us more chances we might even conceive naturally while we wait. The consultant was very lovely. So I hope this reassures anyone going through the same!

Thank you so much for the reply. I was hoping to hear some news so that’s really nice of you!
it looks like we’re in the same boat- I’ve PCOS and SE wasn’t great. So privately recommended ICSI. Just unsure whether to wait for an nhs consult. Your 7 (5 month) wait- will that be straight into treatment then?
does anyone know if going privately for one round ruins your nhs chance? Mixed comments on that.

@Cocoogam yes, we’re now on the waitlist for IVF treatment so when I get the call it will be straight in. I understand from other peoples stories though that it can take a while between getting the initial appointment and actually starting your meds for the first cycle - I think 2/3 months. As far as I know a private cycle won’t impact your NHS eligibility but I’m only 29 so we’re happy to wait on the NHS for now and haven’t looked in to going private.

Yeh you’ve age on your side, unfortunately we don’t! Keep us updated of any changes, if that’s ok! Thank you and finger crossed for you!

A private cycle won't effect your NHS entitlement but you do need to use any frozen embryos before you can start your private cycle.

Also just to say that there is a little wait for a private cycle too. So we were around 4 weeks for the initial tests, then 3 weeks for a consultation for the results. You also still need to go through the same process as NHS to actually get started, so that consultation is effectively the same as reaching the top of the waiting list. You still need a few further appointments for more tests before you can actually physically start the medication.

A private cycle won't effect your NHS entitlement but you do need to use any frozen embryos before you can start your NHS cycle.

@Cocoogam sorry that should have said: a private cycle won't effect your NHS entitlement but you do need to use any frozen embryos before you can start your NHS cycle.
So say you pay for a private cycle and have one unsuccessful fresh transfer and end up with 2 embryos to freeze. In that time, your NHS appointment comes up. They won't see you until you've used those 2 embryos through your private clinic.

That's really interesting. I thought if you had a private cycle that would take away from your NHS entitlement but I'm not sure why I thought that? I think I might try a private cycle whilst waiting

@Ros456 you could stick with GRI private side to save time with your NHS cycle because you won't need to repeat your initial tests. I'm sure they last for 1 year before they need redone, but double check with the clinic. It can be difficult to get in contact with them at first but they have been great since. They were fantastic during our NHS cycles, no complaints. They are also considerably cheaper than GCRM.

I wanted to go with GRI however I spent months trying to get in touch with them so in the end went with GCRM . Still haven't had a response to my calls or emails from last year 😞

@heatherandhares hello! Just wondering if you’ve had your nhs consult yet with GGC and how you got on?

Hi - yes, had meant to update, thanks for the nudge.

Told that we were eligible for ICSI but that current wait is around 8-9 months from that appointment to screening (but could be up to a year), then a couple of months from then to start of first cycle. The doctor we spoke to was very insistent that the waiting period was from our first fertility service consultation once investigations complete (i.e. that telephone appointment this month) not from initial referral (October) or semen analysis (January - again delayed due to waiting list), which seems a bit inconsistent with someone else's experience above - but when I asked they were insistent this was the policy.

Policy on private cycles is as stated online and in info leaflets - you can have them and they don't count towards your allowance (as long as NHS consultant still thinks reasonable chance of success) but you do need to use any frozen embryos before you start your NHS cycle and obviously the age limits still apply. We asked about Edinburgh or Dundee as we were willing to travel but apparently their lists are even longer at the moment (which is interesting as in the last batch of Public Health Scotland IVF waiting time figures they seemed much better).

It's disappointing that timescales are so long as we don't have time on our side but not surprising given pressures NHS is under at the moment. We're currently deciding whether we want to try a private cycle.

Hope that's helpful to others. Good luck everyone.

@heatherandhares we were added to the waiting list from the date of he consultation like you have said and not from when the tests were completed.
Timescales for private treatment at GRI is only slightly better. I contacted them at the beginning of February to begin the process and have been told I'm looking at July for egg collection, although it might be quicker for you if you've had the initial tests already. Ours were out of date so needed repeated.

@heatherandhares thank you so much for replying super speedy. I actually got a letter through today for my first telephone consult so that’s why it prompted me to ask you.

that message was super useful, so much info, all mostly bad for us all unfortunately.

can I ask what is a screening apt?

your timeline is much slower than previous messages also, do you think it’s because it’s ICSI rather than ivf?

it’s very odd some people are getting backdated and you are not, it has to be a fair system. I also had read the nhs Scotland recent report and i agree Glasgow was worse by far.

thanks

Thanks @itsmschanandlerbong, that's useful to know re private route.

@Cocoogam screening apt is the term I think they use in the waiting list stats, my understanding is that it's a nurse led appointment to get things rolling for your first cycle, but the actual start of cycle in terms of medications etc is currently around 2-3 months later.

I'm not sure why the timelines we were given are much worse, I don't think ICSI would make much difference.

Good luck for your upcoming appointment. I will say that unfortunately the communication during ours was not great and there was lots of jargon used, lots of assumptions made about our knowledge, nothing about asking about our preferences, so definitely go prepared to advocate for yourselves with a list of questions; be willing to ask for more clarification/explanation if they're rushing through things or using jargon etc; and have given some thought yourselves beforehand about how you feel about different options etc.

I had a private round at GRI in December 2021. 1 thing to be aware of - make sure you have evidence of having had MMR immunisations - I had mine done as a child but had no vaccine record to show it (we moved surgery when I was 7 and my current doctor’s surgery records didn’t include MMR). As a result, I had to have 2 doses of MMR done (a month apart and then wait 4 weeks) before starting IVF (actually ICSI).

Overall that added an extra 2-3 months to our process, so it’s worth finding out ASAP if this applies to you and if so, you can make progress with that while you are waiting.

We're currently with GRFC via the self-funded route as we have a child. My advice would be to stick with NHS if you're already so far along as you'll get two rounds. It's a lot of money with low success rates so it's worth it for maybe a few extra months. We've just paid for a second round and this will be our last due to finances. One other piece of advice given you're in your late 30s is to ask about supplements that might help from your side with good quality eggs. I only got advice after our first round failed. Good luck.

Hi All, I'm in similar position and having to look at private due to my age... how have people ground GRI/GRFC in comparison to GCRM if you have went down the self funded route?

Hello, I’m new here. Wasn’t sure how to post on the thread, so I’m popping myself in here- hope that’s ok :)
I was ‘officially’ put on the Ivf waiting list, for icsi, end nov 22, after concluding just one blood test for me, semen analysis x2 and a hycosi scan and a couple of telephone consults with the GRI nurse- she is very lovely! (We have MF, as reason for referral). We were told 6-8 month wait time. The waiting- it’s torture! I wanted to find something that would tell me how long til the cycle actually starts but there’s not much out there, and I guess everyone’s journey is individual. i phoned the waiting list line, twice. The second time (march23) I was given a cancellation for end April! I was thrilled but still no idea what that meant in terms of when I would start my actual cycle. I had my appt in April where they did some other tests- (vaginal swabs, weight and bloods for AMH) and given a return appt for June. That’s where they will discuss my results & protocol and then I’ll be able to book in with my next period. 😅
There are a bunch of consent forms to sigh in the mean time. I hope this helps anyone looking for timescales- keep in mind that each person’s timeline might be different :) good luck to all on this mad ride x

Thanks very much , really helpful!! Good luck xx

Hello, just wondering anyone who is with nhs GGC, did they have genetic testing? My husband has been asked to have that done.

Hi, just wondered if anyone has any updates in terms of starting treatment and how it's going?