Anyone used Kings Fertility Clinic for an IUI?

[BigBillyButterBollocks]

I am trying to figure out if I am being too demanding or if anyone had the same experience.

I am on my first try doing IUI (privately, not NHS). The first Dr I saw (in Canary Wharf) was good and answered all my questions at the time. But since I moved to Denmark Hill, I have not been really impressed.

I am not gonna bore you with all the details but so far, on several occasions I have found them really unproffessional and generally uninterested. I just ignored my feeling thinking I had to be more proactive and that they are busy after all.

Today, I received an email telling me to call them on the first day of my next cycle so I can book a scan for day 10. I just had a day 10 scan this Monday so I panicked and wondered why they cancelled this month's IUI.

After a few calls, explaining again and again, a doctor finally called me back. I never met her and she just told me she misunderstood me because I sent a scan (I had to do it privately somewhere else in the evening as I couldn't take time off work) and used the word baseline scan instead of follicle tracking scan (fair enough, I did use the wrong word). She had no idea which day of my cycle I was or what had been done or what that scan was. I can't wrap my head around the fact a Dr whonis in charge of following my case emailed me having no idea what day of the cycle I am or what step of the IUI we were. She literally didn't look at my file (she told me).

It has been like that every step of the way. I feel like they don't care. I have to run after them, check everything, correct them. I can never get an answer from the Dr, or get a plan for the next steps. Once the Dr told me to ask the nurse during my appointment but my "appointment" was in the waiting room in front of everybody. I tried to be easy going so far but today is the straw that broke the camel's back.

I can't really go somewhere else now since I am days away from the IUI itself (wish me luck!) but I am really wondering if I should go somewhere else if this cycle doesn't work. It would be a pain to start somewhere new and transfer the sperm, etc tough... And I have mostly read people raving about Kings fertility Clinic so I am doubting myself.

I am ready to hear that I am just being hormonal and that it is like that everywhere (but kindly please, I am in my workplace's toilet, crying 🫣).

Hey there, I am a King's IVF patient, I am sorry you are having a tough time, it's very difficult having fertility treatment. In their defence, hey are extremely busy at the moment (they don't like to say no to patients), so it is a bit hectic.
I also wonder if they get many external scans in as all scans are done by a consultant with fixed prices for the treatment cycle (regardless of numbers of scans needed), so this could also be another factor?
I think the key thing that is different to other clinics is that with the confusion a consultant rang you to discuss. This doesn't seem to happen in other clinics.
Sometimes it isn't your consultant as they aren't free but it an actual doctor, rather than a nurse/administrator. This matters in fertility treatment.
In every clinic you have to advocate for yourself, but in King's you do get a quick response to queries and a consultant to discuss things with.
When my FET failed I got a follow up appointment 2 days later, which was amazing, most other clinics are weeks if not months.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have an questions and wishing you all the luck!

@BigBillyButterBollocks I'm at King's and have been doing banking rounds.

I also preferred going to the Canary Wharf site as it was the same consultant for every single appointment (probably the same one you saw) and I appreciated the continuity of care and her being very on top of my situation. But they stopped doing monitoring scans there and now only do consultations.

I find the Denmark Hill site very pleasant to spend time in but I don't love being assigned random doctors for scans when my usual consultant is unavailable. However I do greatly appreciate that it is a doctor as it does seem to be nurses at other clinics, even the most expensive. I treat each scan like a mini consultation appointment and squeeze in 1000 questions. When I've had queries I've often been called up a few hours later by my usual doctor to discuss. The communication from embryology if you ever have to deal with them in other cycles is very good.

Dealing with admin isn't always great but that is true of all clinics and is an inherently frustrating aspect given how much there already is to deal with regarding the medical side. Maybe unworkable but it would be great if every patient was assigned someone (maybe a nurse) to follow their progress through treatment, give a damn and generally help manage any hurdles.

I think you should share how you're feeling about the stress of handling everything yourself and see if they can offer more proactive support.

Please PM if you want to discuss particular staff or specifics in more detail.

@TheFanciestPants and @sirensong Thanks for your messages, it makes me feel a bit less bad. I get that they might not be used to have patients send scan results but I tried to call in the morning to explain to the receptionist that the Dr had asked me to send a scan before the meeting and could she make sure it was in my file but the receptionist got really patronising and told me that the consultant would read the emails in order of arrival and answer to everybody. The fact that I then received an email that would have made me lose 2 months if I listened to it (since they close end of December) is really upsetting.

But things might not be better elsewhere and they did come back to my fast so I guess it is worth considering.

If I decide to stay there (if this cycle doesn't work), I should probably ask to speak to someone and be clear on my expectations.

And I might reach to some support groups, I had NOT anticipated the stress I would feel going through it all. I started cool as a cucumber and it lasted about 2 weeks 😄

You should send feedback at some point. Because it's a common issue across clinics doesn't make it acceptable. Nobody needs the stress of firefighting to get basics fixed, leaving lower reserves of resilience to deal with the rest.

@BigBillyButterBollocks I am not sure whether you spoke to reception or the nursing team? You can ring and choose the nursing team option (another massive plus for King's in my opinion) and they are much better placed to help with anything technical. I think the clinic are keen to treat all patients fairly so that's probably behind how the reception worded their response as they may not have understood the nuance of your request.
I think it's also pretty standard (although clearly not ideal!) to need to ask many follow up questions and to advocate for yourself and that seems to be pretty universal across clinics looking at this infertility board. Similarly most clinics do the Christmas shutdown and want to keep reminding patients at all times (I had my own reminder earlier!), I think to avoid patients saying they weren't aware!
Absolutely leave feedback as it should be much smoother, fertility treatment is extremely stressful for everyone and definitely get some support in place. If there's anything I can help with, feel free to reach out.
Wishing you all the best x

@TheFanciestPants I did ask several time who should I send/adress my scan to and I was told repeatedly to send it to the the general email (info@..) which I thought was a bit weird (I'd rather my scan going straight to the right person) but I didn't want to be annoying so I just smiled and did as they ask. That is why called reception too, because I could see the problem coming. I realise now that you are now assigned anyone so I should have explained what the scan was, what it showed and what they should do with it in my email but I didn't know, since no one said nothing, just to send the scan.

I don't have a problem with them being closed during Christmas, everybody deserves a break. But they really can't mess this cycle then!

I am also fine with having to ask questions, and I do, but the Dr refuses to answer. He either says "we can deal with that later" or "ask the nurse" but then the nurse sees me in the waiting room...

Every time I try to talk to someone, it's like a random person walked in the room/picked up the phone and have no idea who I am. My cycles were over 40 days and they keep on acting like I have normal 28 days cycles. Even after I remind them.

I guess I have to put my foot down and say I need the answers when I ask questions, even if I come across as a pain in the knee.

A couple of the admin staff have a poor manner in writing and should be sacked but some of the others are better.

Ah yeah, sounds painful indeed. For future reference using "nurses@" would have been more appropriate, although the info team should have forwarded it on. It would have been helpful if they had told you that though!
So I understand at some clinics your consultant decides all your treatment and maybe you message them separately. At King's it's all agreed at the daily meeting so more of a collegiate approach and hence you never email your consultant directly. Or at least I have never had the opportunity 🤣
Definitely make sure you get your questions answered, follow up by email and ask for a call if you don't get one at your appointment.
Also never worry about being annoying, they have seen it all and it's most important to ensure you are feeling comfortable with the situation.

@TheFanciestPants people are specifically asked to send scans etc to the admin managed general inbox, not the nursing inbox.

Sorry to hear you've been having a tough time. My wife and I are with King’s (Denmark Hill) at the moment too, and while our clinical care has been great, we’ve also had moments where the communication wasn’t as joined-up as we expected. Fertility treatment feels fragile enough already — when you add disorganisation on top, it really can rattle you.

For what it’s worth, we had a similar turning point after our first failed IVF transfer. That’s when we started looking at private options, because we realised how much communication and trust actually matters in the process, not just the medicine.

If you do decide to explore other clinics after this cycle, I made a little tool called Seedling while we were doing the same (thanks to my job). It’s still early days, but it helps you compare all the HFEA clinics in the UK more clearly — success rates, costs, what they offer, and (eventually) what people with similar medical factors are choosing. It made the whole thing feel a bit less overwhelming for us, so it might help you feel more in control too.

But for right now, you’re doing your absolute best in a stressful situation, and your reaction is completely understandable. I really hope this IUI goes smoothly