IVF Scotland - thread 6

[IVFlife]

That last thread filled up quickly without us noticing. So here is a new one for Scotland.

Just read back ur previous posts and saw you had a positive test! Congratulations 💞 praying for a happy healthy pregnancy.

sorry you never had anything to freeze from your cycles, can’t even imagine the pain that must have caused. I’m too scared to add the Facebook group as I’m not telling a soul about IVF unfortunately, I can’t cope with the added stress of everyone knowing and the reality that it might not be successful for me.

I understand that a lot @paulliee . Hopefully someone here will have an answer, or maybe put out a post on mumsnet in general asking as you might get people that arent/are no longer on this thread.

Hi all - another one with a Glasgow question, sorry 🙈

Our GP did all the various tests and has now referred us to fertility. Not a surprise, we knew we'd likely need IVF (Stage 3/4 endo + very mild adenomyosis). I spent ages researching everything but I'm still majorly confused about the timeline. Our GP has been great with the medical bits but I don't think they do a lot of referrals and they just don't seem to know the admin stuff all that well.

Now that we have been referred, I should apparently have an appointment in ~6 weeks time to decide if Fertility Services accept the referral or want more tests. Then, if they accept the referral, we'd join the waiting list, which seems to be 6-12 months.

Does that sound right? Also, does my BMI have to be below 30 for the first appointment where they decide to accept the referral? I only have a stone left to lose and figured 6+ months waiting time would be more than enough but the odds of losing the weight in a month aren't great - and it certainly wouldn't happen in a healthy way!

Also, the GP said we'd come under New Victoria but I never heard them being involved in any fertility stuff, I think it is just GRI? Again, very new to it all and it just seems needlessly difficult to get any local information on any of this!🙁

@Nosejug congratulations!!! That's amazing. How are you doing?

Sorry I'm of no use to those with GRI specific questions am afraid. Any dealings I had with them was ages ago, mainly pre covid.

Tonight's my 1st night without any cyclogest. Feels very odd. Am 16 weeks at the weekend! Although pregnancy after ivf and loss feels like just finding a new worry every day!

Aw @IVFlife thats absolutely lovely to read! 16 weeks is amazing!! I’m with you on the worry, I’ve had a couple of scary moments and I’m only 4 weeks hah, but getting repeat bloods on sunday to hopefully confirm first of all that it’s developing well for now (couple of ectopic scares 🙄) I’m not sure I believe I’ll ever see a heartbeat flicker but then I never believed I’d get pregnant so 🤞

@WhereWhatWhenHow hello, glad to hear you’re on the path to getting the help you need, sorry to hear you’re on the path at all. I don’t know how correct this is but I’ll give you my referral pathway. The timelines are way off because I had sudden severe illness that put a spanner in the works.

I went to doc’s, was referred to Crosshouse fertility unit (it took a few months for me so 6 weeks sounds quite good) where they did another couple of checks. They then recommended ivf with icsi at GRI. It took ages to get word from GRI but the waiting time is backdated to when you were referred to them. At the time is was ~6-8 months. I did get my initial consultation (telephone) during the latter months of that wait. Then you reach the top of the list, get a nurses appointment and some tests done with GRI where they decide protocol, and can start booking in treatment. Depending on your protocol (how long and how many drugs), sometimes it takes a couple of cycles to get booked in.

in terms of bmi, my guess is that it’s when you’re weighed at GRI in the first irl appointment (the nurses appointment) is when it counts, which would be a good few months down the line. I may be wrong of course but I think if you explained to your first fertility consultant before GRI that youre aware of the guidelines and plan to meet them then I can’t see why they’d delay a referral.

my own recommendation is to make sure you have in place your two proofs of MMR vaccine (my doctor had the records from when I was a baby) and make sure your smear is up to date/wont run out soon. My smear led to treatment led to haemorrhage led to 6 months extra waiting- torturous!!

best of luck :) (and sorry if my response was clunky hah)

@WhereWhatWhenHow as long as your BMI is at 30 by the time you join the waiting list you will be ok. If it’s not at 30 (or under) they won’t add you to the list. You also need to maintain that until you start your treatment as they weigh you every time you go until that first bit of medication is taken.

if you’ve not had any other tests done like a hycosy or that then they might want to do that too so you will probably have slightly longer than the 6weeks to lose that last stone.

personally I really struggled to lose the last stone but the consultant was understanding and was very much “we won’t add you to the list until you’re there but we have xyz to do meantime so can keep things moving while you get there”

good luck🤞🏻

Thanks @Nosejug and @KayEmmSquared , that is really helpful. I feared it would be the 6-week appointment, I guess April will be a lean month for me!

I don't think they'll ask for any more tests, we are a pretty clear-cut case. They may need to test MMR antibodies (I grew up in central Europe, my vaccination records are somewhere in my mum's attic) but the GP said that shouldn't be an issue. I might just ask for the initial appointment to be pushed back by a few weeks.

Best of luck with your own journeys, I hope it all works out for you!

@Nosejug I got a copy of my records today, I hope you have received yours by now too? And more importantly I hope you are doing well 🤞🏻

@KayEmmSquared they also arrived for me this afternoon too! I found out yesterday that despite early implantation and strong beginning bloods, they’ve plateaued so it’s another miscarriage for me. Still processing. Going for more bloods tomorrow, at this point I’m just praying it’s not ectopic.

Aww @Nosejug I’m so sorry to hear that, sending you lots of positive vibes. Here if you need to vent.

@nosejug sorry to hear this 😓 Hoping for you that it's not ectopic. Hopefully you will be able to get some answers soon and you are managing to take it easy x

So sorry to hear this 💔 hoping it’s ‘only’ a miscarriage instead of an ectopic… I know the feeling only too well 💐

@Nosejug I'm so sorry to read this. Sending lots of love your way. Take care x

Hello 👋🏼 hoping to join here. Not quite at IVF stages but working towards it

Brief bio
Glasgow based
Don't ovulate/have any cycle. Pre DC1 periods were 9mo apart, now non existent.
"Probably.pcos" but didn't meet criteria fully.
1 miscarriage at 12 wks
Prescribed letrozole by NHS
Took 3 years to have DC1
DC1 born may 23, not breastfed.
No period or ovulation since

Now being tested for premature ovarian failure Vs pcos. Bloods all inconclusive.

Interestingly now even provera and norethisterone aren't working - anyone experienced this and know why?

Hey has anyone had there tubes clipped before starting Ivf .

Just checking in :) Hope everyone is doing ok

@IVFlife congratulations!!!! How are you feeling? So pleased for you. Have you decided to find out the sex of your baby?

@Nosejug I’m sorry you’re going through another loss. Can they do any more tests to try to figure out what’s going on for you?

Can’t believe it but that’s our baby boy 6months now. We’ve been doing a lot of talking and decided that we are going to transfer our last frozen embryo 😲 possibly at the end of the year but still discussing timings. My wife is quite keen to know one way or another, and to be honest I’d also like to get on with transferring it sooner rather than later, as I feel in limbo now about whether this is our last baby. Thought I’d feel more ready to be done, but finding it hard to imagine this might be the last one. Feel like statistically though that last frozen embryo isn’t going to stick. Wish I could just look into a crystal ball and know.

Hi All,

Hoping to join this thread! I hope everyone is doing well on their journeys so far or are about to.
I'm with GRI ACS, 41 and first cycle. Started on short protocol in Feb/March with egg collection in March, only 1 egg which was devastating. They think I ovulated early (AMH is 13).
Was on track for fresh transfer however my blood pressure concerned them enough to cancel and freeze. Luckily my embryo got to day 5 and was frozen. Trying to get booked in for a FET is a nightmare. Will be going onto 3rd attempt to get booked in soon and they said there's still no guarantees! The more months that go by the more stressful it is when time isn't on your side! Anyone else at GRI had similar? Unsure how many months they can keep telling you there's no availability 🫣

hey @2mumlife thats exciting you're thinking about your second! I have fantasies sometimes that I'll get to that stage. We just had an egg collection on friday and I got 5 this time (which feels significantly more than my last two rounds). 2 are doing well as of day 3. Yeah that ectopic was rough, I'm pretty sure I'll process the last couple of years all in one go after I either become a parent or realise its too late. But I'm doing alright really, feeling level and carefully hopeful. We're banking over 3 cycles (not with NHS anymore) so will see whats next.

@TrulyMadlyDeeply123 the delays that feel completely avoidable are one of the worst things about IVF I think. Have you moved forward in your treatment? an AMH of 13 is amazing, mine has been around 2.6 since I was 37 (I got it tested recently but weirdly was never given the results). I was so nervous of early ovulation this cycle, every twinge before collection was analysed. I'm quite sure something like that may have happened in my GRI round in January. Even the doctor said she was very surprised to get only one.

oh and @IVFlife how are you getting on??

@Nosejug 5 eggs collected, that’s great news! Did you go with Create on the mild/natural ivf this time?

I ended up going with GCRM, had egg collection on Wednesday and got 3, I was so shocked, 2 made it to day 5 but one was low graded so they’re leaving that another day, should find out today if it’s made it to a high enough grade to be frozen 🤞🏻 the other was a Grade A and I had it transferred yesterday so currently scared to move or do anything incase I knock it off 🙈 irrational I know but the fear is real lol

ooOo! @KayEmmSquared that’s brilliant you got to transfer a top grade! Stuff of dreams :) I’ll be thinking encouraging thoughts to your wee embryo. Hope your other one makes it to day 6 ♥️

when the doctor told me 5 I was still somewhat sedated and couldn’t properly communicate my shock was positive hah. Tomorrow will be day 5 for mine. And yeah it’s create, they’re doing embryo testing but if I’m honest I wish we weren’t, but everyone (doctors and folks online) says it’s the right thing to do, but I’d just rather implant everything!

oooh good luck over the next two weeks. I really am rooting for you x

Aww thats great news for you both! Fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks for you! 🤞 its such a long wait!

We are currently waiting to have another egg retrieval hopefully in the next couple of months

Hello. Not been on for ages! I'm now 27 weeks preg with our wee miracle. Very surreal. I'm consultant led on red pathway for various things but all been going well so far. Got a low lying placenta so that's been monitored and my thyroid has been a bit off. But in general all been well.

Love feeling baby kick and move around. Unfortunately our house has had a flood so it's all a bit wild and we don't know where baby will.be coming home to!

Hope everyone is doing well and sending lots of luck for transfers xx

Aw wow I bet it’s amazing feeling your little person kicking and moving! From here I feel like I’d be swooning at every nudge, though I can imaging there’s lots to pregnancy that’s less than wonderful heh. Eek sorry about your flooding! I hope it’s easily resolved… and I’m glad to hear they’re being vigilant with all the flags, I hope they all remain background. You’re not far off now!