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 hi, I did a test on Tuesday morning at 8dp5dt and it was negative. I don’t think it necessarily means I’m 100% out but I don’t feel like it’s a good sign.. I did realise it was a 25 sensitivity test not a 10 as I thought which gave me a little bit of hope but still would have expected maybe a v faint line or something :( I had a tiny tiny amount of pink blood when I wiped last night but it has stopped now. No idea what to think about that, probably too late for implantation bleeding. Have decided not to test again now until my OTD Saturday so that we will have a definite answer then. Not feeling very hopeful but just have to be thankful for my frozen ones and go again. Think we were just so naive thinking it would work first time.

Have you had your transfer yet? Fingers crossed for good news for you!

@Sunshine180 I feel like that is still quite early,so I wouldn’t lose hope!
Hopefully the bleeding is a good sign though. If you are on progesterone and estrogen, do you get period if not pregnant, or do you have to wait to you stop the medication?
I had FET on Tuesday, as yet no symptoms whatsoever. I went from feeling positive after 5 day update, to now not so positive. This process is really a rollercoaster of emotions, and long waits! I guess whatever the outcome for us both this time , we have some frozen embryos, so it’s not the end.

@TTC12 I’m only on progesterone and my understanding is that it is meant to hold off your period until you stop taking it but it might not always work. I’ve read bleeding can just be from an irritated cervix from the pessaries also.

congratulations on your transfer! I would say no symptoms is totally normal especially at such an early stage! I have my fingers crossed for a good result for you!

Aw I know exactly what you mean of going from positive to negative thoughts, I feel like I want to be positive but also not so positive that if it doesn’t work it’ll just make it worse because you’ve convinced yourself it would! Yes I am currently feeling very thankful to have the frozen ones as well. Just really hope I don’t have to go back on the full wait if have to do a FET. Just always want everything done as soon quickly as possible!

@Sunshine180 this is another thing I hate about the process- so many signs and symptoms can have multiple causes, so you don’t know why things are happening!

Yeah totally get the wanting to be positive, but not too positive! And I’m trying to work out how quick I could afford another FET, and how long in between you need to wait etc! Such a mind field!

@TTC12 I know we really shouldn’t think like that but right now all I want to know is how quickly we can do a FET as well. I really hope it isn’t a long wait if we need it. Would just want to go again straight away! Lol

Wishing you the best of luck.
Did you use the test rfc supplier to you? I tested using it at 10dp5dt and it was negative so there's still hope

Hi everyone, new to the feed!
how are you all getting on with your fertility journeys?

We have been trying just over 2 years. starting our fertility treatment with TFP. Unfortunately we don’t qualify for NHS because my OTH had a vasectomy but has now been reversed.
I had the internal scan and apparently I have a lot of follicles however I don’t have any symptoms of PCOS. My AMH came back at 31.
Our next step is the consent forms to be sent out. Has anyone got an advice for this stage including lifestyle factors? X

hi @Sineadttc , sorry I realise it was a while ago now that you posted but how are you getting on with your journey?

not sure if you read above or not but we had our first cycle in March which unfortunately ended in a failed fresh transfer but thankfully we got 5 frozen embryos. I have just received consent forms through for our first FET so looking forward to getting going again

Hey im also with tfp currently on two week wait. This my 2nd cycle 1st was with nhs failed no frozen embyros and now just the 1 embyro made it to day 5 and transferred but just have a feeling hasn't stuck either but we'll see.
Not much advice really apart from it is a real rollercoaster of a journey but reading these forums so many ppl have had same experience so just have to have hope i think ❤️

@Snowdrop131 good luck for your test day, fingers crossed this will be the one for you ❤️

how have you found the process with tfp vs rfc? I have been very impressed with rfc so far but also don’t have anything to compare to so just interested to hear

TFP have been lovely although has been expensive. You got a room with toilet to urself for egg collection/transfer which was great.
My cycle with rfc failed start feb and our review appt is next Monday so 4 months after and no word since so didn't think thats great. We have no frozen so can't get any more treatment on nhs and thgh private rfc is cheaper is another 6 months wait and I'm 37 so didn't want wait.
Going by results is weird we're doing ICSI rfc I'd 11 eggs, 7 mature 4 fertilised, 2 lower grade transferred day 5 while other 2 didn't developed enough to freeze.
TFP 13 eggs, 11 mature but only 1 fertilised but it transferred day 5 but was grade A- 🤞

@Snowdrop131 yes we were about to go ahead with TFP before we started with RFC and it was going to be £7,500.

the private room for before and after egg collection would have been nice but I think I got lucky that there was only one other in the day I had mine and as I came out she went in but I didn’t mind too much with the curtains. Only thing I really didn’t like was that my husband couldn’t come in before and after.

yes after our failed fresh transfer I couldn’t believe it was going to be 4 months for a review appointment! We paid for a private review and then they put us back on the treatment waiting list so we only had to wait a month on the waiting list thankfully. Fingers crossed this will be the one for both of us 🤞🏼

@Sunshine180 thank you good luck with your transfer too 🤞
Did u find the review appt actually useful or was it more about next step and continuing treatment as because we can't continue nhs I don't know if pointless going and trying park in royal to not find out anything as to why 1st cycle didn't work?

@Snowdrop131 because it was our first cycle and we are male factor and got lots of embryos there was no real reason it didn’t work or anything that they would change next time for us so it was just an admin thing to get back on the treatment waiting list really.

don’t really think they’ll give you any info on why it didn’t work as if they haven’t did any additional tests I don’t really see how they would know? however I do always sort of think anything else they can add for free is worth while taking the opportunity to get just in case they do have some insight.

have heard the parking can be a nightmare though, we’ve always got lucky and never waited for than 5 mins in the queue. Who was your consultant?

@Sunshine180 yes exactly there is no way they know why things don't work sometimes without testing we are male factor too but due to my age I know egg quality starts to fall. Our consultant was Mr tang but only met him at first appt and now for this review so cant say much about him. One of the consultants also works in TFP he's lovely but I can't remember his name.

@Snowdrop131 what age are you if you don’t mind me asking? I haven’t really looked into egg quality and stuff too much I probably should have!

oh I haven’t met mr tang but I think it is dr agbaje That works in Tfp as well. He wasn’t our consultant but we seen him privately for our review and he did some of my monitoring scans and he seemed really good.

@Sunshine180 I'm 37 and think after 35 ur egg quality quickly declines we've been trying for 5 years now but I think the GP initially should have referred us straight to rfc instead of me to gynae for loads tests which took ages but hind sight is a wonderful thing. Ya don't know these things and ya always kept thinking maybe next month.. 😔

@Snowdrop131 yes the situation with the gps here is really terrible. My husband has his semen analysis done which showed we needed treatment but the gp still wouldn’t refer us to RFC until I had a scan with gynae which when I rang the hospital to ask when it would be they told me the waitlist was 3 years!! We ended up going private to get our referral and the private consultant couldn’t understand why the GP wouldn’t do it based on the SA.

im in the same boat as you wish we had of started treatment so much sooner but just kept thinking of it’ll happen soon. We’ve been trying for 3 years now

@Sunshine180 We have recently had a missed miscarraige from our fresh transfer with the RFC and we have 3 frozen embryos, we are devastated right now and the thought of waiting months for a review appointment is killing us. Can you PLEASE tell me how you paid for the private review and after the private review were you able to go back onto the NHS waiting list for treatment? Thank you☺️

@IVFGUY so sorry to hear about your missed miscarriage ❤️ I seen dr agbaje at his derryvolgie Avenue clinic, Belfast medical associates. I think it was £180 and we got an appointment within 3 weeks then he was able to put us on the nhs waiting list there and then and we actually had our first frozen transfer on Monday there. Hoping the next transfer will be the one for you 🤞🏼

@Sunshine180 Thanks for your reply and good luck with your results.
Can I just ask if Dr Agbaje was your consultant the whole way through? As our consultant was Dr Tang so I wonder would we need to book a review appointment with him privately instead of Dr Agbaje?

@IVFGUY no I hadn’t seen him before the review. As far as I’m aware they don’t all do private work. I think dr agbaje and dr Joanne McManus do just

Does anyone have any experience of referalls in NI for secondary infertility? My GP has referred us for investigations but I don't think I'll be entitled to any treatment on NHS but I'm more hoping to get tests SA, hycosy/HSG.

Hi everyone

Hope u don't mind me joining in. I am 40 and TTC my first with new husband. I have children from a previous relationship and he has none. TTC for over a year so thought it was about time to do some tests. We are booked with TFP but not sure whether I would stay on there for IVF if needed.
The distance is a pain, 2 hour drive although they seem to have an outreach clinic closer. From what I can see thought there isn't much done at it has anyone used the clinic in Ballykelly?
Could anyone talk me through the process? I have of course been googling and have some idea but I would love to know how many appts I need to attend for scans etc before transfer or does it completely depend on the person?
Ideally some of these scans could be done at the outreach clinic but I don't think its possible.
I am terrified by the whole thing but we want it more than anything. Realistically we have one shot which is stressing me out. I would say we could get together half the money and either lend or finance the other so another go isn't looking likely.
Any advice or experiences with TFP would be appreciated
Thanks

Hi ladies , was wondering if any of you could provide an update and your recommendations or experiences with in ovo or tfp