Belfast Fertility Clinics

[Sunshine180]

does anyone here have any experience with fertility clinics in Belfast. For background my husband and I have been TTC for 2 years now and my dr has referred me to gynae but the waitlist is currently 3 years. My husband has booked for his semen analysis and if it comes back ok I assume the nhs will just tell us we have to wait on my gynae appointment so I was going to look into going private.

I have seen In Ovo do an IVF package for £5k has anyone with experience of them experienced are there many hidden costs on top of this please?

@TTC12 im also not too sure about side effects from the progesterone, I feel a bit bloated and crampy sometimes but nothing major so not sure if thats just from the egg collection still. Apart from that i would just say tiredness!! But again that could just be from thinking about everything 24/7! Will you be taking them for your FET?

@Sunshine180 yeah we actually thought the gp had referred us to RFC, and we rang initially to see where we were on waiting list, and they said we weren't on it! So that’s when we discovered it was Craigavon we were on!

I’m 31, how about you?

Yes we will be on TWW at same time! I keep changing my mind on testing early! Sometimes I’m like, I might as well test early so that I don’t give myself false hope, if I’m out early, then I can deal with it and start to try and move on. But also, scared of testing early, getting a positive, then something going wrong,I think I’d be so devastated. Although never had a BFP, so who knows what will happen! Have you decided what you will do?

Yeah so I think il get my transfer date after first scan on Tuesday (that is, if everything is ok, another worry waiting for this scan!) and I start taking the pessaries 5/6 days before transfer?

@TTC12 thats is so frustrating about your referral. Does Craigavon do all the tests but doesn’t do treatment?

I’m 28 so not too far apart.

i don’t plan on testing early but I do think I’ll find it hard to hold out when it comes to it!! I might do a day or 2 early but don’t think I’ll do any earlier than that. I’ve never had a BFP either. Won’t feel real when it finally happens!

Hopefully all will go well on a Tuesday! That makes sense it would be 5/6 days before as for a fresh transfer you start taking them after collection so about 5 days before transfer

@Sunshine180 yeah Craigavon does all the tests, and I think can do some treatments, but not ivf, so we got the referral to RFC.

1 more day!! Really exciting for you! Are you going in the morning or afternoon?

@TTC12 im really excited! But just know after tomorrow it’s onto the big wait!! lol.

its in the afternoon. I think during the week they have all the scans and collections in the morning then transfers in the afternoon

@Sunshine180 hey! How are you? How did it all go?

@TTC12 hey! It all went well thanks! One transfered and 5 frozen! They also said there were another couple still developing so have to ring in the morning for an update on those as well but absolutely delighted! Just onto the wait now! Good luck fr your scan tomorrow 😊

@Sunshine180 That’s brilliant news!! And 5 is brilliant to have frozen as well! Thank you, will let you know how it goes.

@TTC12 yes was delighted with the 5 before they even mentioned the possibility of day 6 as well!! Its just hard waiting now when you want it to work so much but only time will tell!!

@Sunshine180 all went well today and on track for early next week transfer, just have to wait for them to give me a date via portal.

Did you get any day 6? I assume it’s too early for symptoms, but did you have any side effects of progesterone?

@TTC12 thats great you’re all set for next week. Do you have to take anything for it or is it all just done with your natural cycle?

just feel totally normal but hopefully something is happening in there! None made it to day 6 but I am still happy with our 5 frozen. They said the one that was transferred yesterday was hatching so I think that’s a good sign! I think the progesterone has just made me really tired! Maybe some bloating also but hard to tell what is causing the bloating at this stage.

I have taken the whole time until test day off work and am really glad of it tbh. Just want to curl up on the sofa!

@Sunshine180 congrats on your ET and 5 frozen, that's fab! I'm currently also on the 2 week wait - it's an interesting time! Try and keep yourself distracted as much as possible and don't google symptoms 😅

@Patientlywaiting37 thats exciting you’re in your 2ww as well! When was your transfer? How are you feeling? Yes just trying to keep myself busy! I didn’t have any tests in the house so ordered some and they arrived today but now I think I may have to get my husband to hide them until test day haha!

@Sunshine180 I'm on estrogen tablets and start progesterone tomorrow. Good idea taking the time off work.

@Patientlywaiting37 hope it’s a BFP for you also at the end of this TWW!

@Sunshine180 I'm feeling OK, though getting more nervous as it approaches test day! Trying not to overanalyse symptoms etc, I think I can get carried away by things like that. How are you doing?

@TTC12 thank you! I hope your FET goes well too. So good you didn't have to wait too long!

@Patientlywaiting37 yes pretty much the same, just wanting the time to go until test day! Are you going to test early or wait until the day given by your clinic? Did they tell you to wait 12 days?

@Sunshine180 I debated testing early, but I don't think I'm going to. I wouldn't believe the result either way - my view is there's a reason there's a particular day they tell you to test so I'm going to trust them lol. I think mine is 11 days so it's coming up soon. Hoping and praying for good news!

@Patientlywaiting37 I’m the same, as tempting as it is it would be awful to get false hope. At least you know the result is what it is if you wait. How exciting it’s soon! Fingers crossed for a positive result!! I feel so nervous thinking about mine already

@Sunshine180 @Patientlywaiting37 did either of you have cramping with Utrogestan, If you are taking it? Can’t say I’m a massive fan of these pessaries lol!

@TryingTTC I am only taking Cyclogest pessaries which are progesterone. Will you have to take progesterone too? I haven’t had any cramping so far. The pessaries are a bit of a nightmare! I’ve been lying down for an hour after I take them to try and help with absorption

@Sunshine180 the Utrogestan is progesterone, so I assume similar to what you are taking then. Do you take them 12 hours apart?
The waiting around for the FET is so hard, never mind what the TWW is going to be like! Have you being doing exercise? I think I would like to, but google gives some differing answers as to weather you should or not!

@TTC12 ah ok it’s probably just a different brand name then. Yes one in the morning and one at night, the nurse told me it doesn’t really matter what time but I’ve been taking them 12hrs apart as surely that will be best. I did read that cramping could be a side effect. As exercised right through my stims but I’ve been scared to do too much since transfer so have mostly just been walking and stretching. What are your plans?

@Sunshine180 yeah I imagine same thing, different brand name!
I think il stick to walking, had thought about keeping up jogging, but for the sake of 2 weeks, I’ll edge on the side of caution.

@TTC12 yeah I’m sure it would be fine but I just didn’t want to have anything to overthink if the transfer didn’t work even though it probably wouldn’t have been the exercise anyway but as you say for the sake of two weeks. I’ll go back to my normal exercise next weekend whatever the result is

@Sunshine180 @Patientlywaiting37 hi both, how are you getting on?