Anyone had tests on nhs??

[han17]

Sorry also gem, thanks for coming back to me about the scan... I'm a little override about it, how long does it last for? Do you get the results back straight away? I'm assuming you had this done and there wasn't anything wrong? Xx

 

[welshgem]

No problem. Don't be worried. If it's anything like the one I had then its a matter of 5-10 minutes tops. They told me there and then what they were looking for and what they could see. My scan showed that I had a dip in my uterus but everything else was fine.

I've had a few of these now as they gave me the same scan when I was on Clomid and they do them regularly when you're doing IUI.

 

[han17]

Thanks gem, back home now and you were totally right Nothing to be worried about at all... She said everything looks fine and that I have a nice big juicy egg ready to be fertilised so hopefully fingers crossed I won't need the fertility clinic in a few weeks!

 

[DBZ34]

Hi ladies, I thought I'd put my story forward as I'm also having treatment on the NHS.

We went to the Dr about our concerns back in 2011 and we're quickly referred to IVF Wales in Cardiff. I had Day3 & Day21 bloods done, hysteroscopy and HSG and OH had his SA. All came back great except that they discovered I had a minor bicornuate uterus. They don't think this is causing me my fertility problems but it's an increased risk of miscarriage if I ever do get a BFP.

Anyway it was determined that we had unexplained infertility and the FS prescribed 3 cycles of Clomid to see if this would work. It didn't and that was the last I heard from the clinic for over 2 years! Work stuff got in the way and we took a more relaxed approach with ttc whilst we were waiting for our turn on the waiting list. Then last month I had the call to say IVF Wales had amalgamated their services with another Clinic in West Wales and I had the option to stay on the local waiting list or be considered a priority patient with the W.Wales clinic. In the grand scheme of things, we figured an hours drive wasn't too bad so opted to get seen to ASAP.

So here we are now, just in the first steps of our first IUI cycle. OH had to give another SA sample which wasn't quite as good as the one a couple of years back but still ok. So now I'm having injections everyday before I go back in for two more scans next week to see how things are progressing!

DBZ34 - I'm surprised that you have to pay for your IUI if you're going through the NHS. I can only assume the difference being Wales/England clinics?

Welcome back on the ttc train, gem!

It is a new thing this year here. It's either an England/Wales thing or maybe, since you were on the waiting list for so long before the new guidelines, you were grandfathered in under the old ones and you'll get all your IUIs paid for. Which is great!

It does suck to know if we started a little bit earlier, like when I first went to my GP after a year of trying, we could have gotten free IUIs. (GP said we had to try for 2 years before she'd do a referral though).

Thanks gem it's always good to hear other peoples stories to see how they deal with things... So sorry to hear that it has taken so long, but it's such a relief when things are moving in the right direction! You must be pleased?

Am I right in thinking that you "have" to have iui before ivf?
I've just had a call from the fertility Clinic and I'm booked in for a scan today... Have you guys have this before? What should I expect?

I think that in certain cases, you can go straight to IVF, especially if you're willing to pay for it yourself. You can always go private and pay. The FS basically has to determine that IVF is the only way you're going to get pregnant because of something physical they've come across in you or your DH to go straight to IVF (funded).

But, if you want it funded by the NHS for unexplained, there are some hoops you've got to jump through first. I thought it was 6 cycles of IUI, but the NHS Choices website says if you're under 40, you have to do 12 cycles of IUI before they'll fund IVF...but they'll fund 3 cycles of IVF. (Really, by the time you've paid for 12 IUIs, you might as well have just paid for IVF yourself)

It does differ from PCT to PCT though, about what you need to do and how many tries you get.

i had a telephone appointment with the GP today but i did not receive any call.
when i called back, the lady said it was not telephone appointment and it is a face to face appointment. I cant believe it! i waited for a week for this appointment and i am 100% sure the lady who booked my telephone appointment asked me specifically what kind of appointment i prefer and i said telephone. anyways booked a telephone appointment for monday.

i have two questions. After the blood tests, i expected GP to carry out further tests like ultrasound and dye test without me having to ask for further tests. if the blood tests come back normal, do they not do dye test immediately?

Also if all my further tests come back normal, i am thinking of not taking medication or assistance till Dec 2014. if then i decide for IUI or IVF should i wait for years or will it be only a matter of couple of months i.e., lets say i decide i want IUI on Jan 2015, approx when can i have my first IUI? i am sure it varies from clinic to clinic, but just wanted to know if i should not wait till Dec 2014 to take that decision.

Sorry han17 if you felt i have hijacked your thread, i thought this thread is good for discussions on NHS tests.

I'm with everyone else. My GP did the blood tests and then referred me on to the fertility specialist. He's the one who made the bookings for the rest of the tests.

I think that if you go through all the testing with your FS and you come back unexplained, then you'll be told that IUI is the way to go for you. And after that, you can do the IUI whenever you want.

I finished all my testing at the end of August and we took some time to try naturally for a few months. We just got the IUI ball rolling again, but really, because we were in the system, we could have done the IUI at any time. The process has taken about a month so far. I called up to pay for the IUI and they sent my appointment time through in the mail. We had to delay because DH was in the US, but the appointment we got was only a couple of weeks after I called to make the payment. There's a 1-2 month waiting list at my clinic, but I'll know when my IUI will be after my appointment on the 8th.

I think if you want to do the IUI in January of 2015, I'd start the process at the end of November, but the process might be different for you and the waiting list might be different too. Ask what the wait is like when you speak to the FS (when you get referred) and go from there....

 

[welshgem]

Han - I'm glad the appointment went well. Fx you catch the egg!

DBZ - You might be right about the timing issue.
I notice you say you can't go onto IVF until a certain number of IUI's. Our clinic only offers 3 IUI treatments and then 2 IVF treatments. I feel like my chance is nearly up already. There's no way we could afford treatments privately as we're saving every last penny for our new home. I'm praying that these treatments work for us!

 

[Gkmk]

Thank you wonderful ladies for answering my questions in detail.

 

[han17]

Hey ladies! Agreed all the questions have been answered really detailed - thank u!!
I'm getting my blood results for day 1-3 on Monday so I'll let u know what they say!!
Hope ur all having a lovely weekend xxx

 

[DBZ34]

Han- How did your blood test go?


AFM- I had my appointment today. It was actually really straightforward. We met with one of the nurses, I guess there's two who do the patient intake appointments but only one does the IUIs. At my clinic, they schedule 2-3 women per week, depending on when your period starts.

For my appointment, she basically went over what the IUI would entail and showed me the little tube they insert to shoot the sperm through. She went over the meds I would be taking (Clomid, Menopur and Ovitrelle) and what they hoped would happen (grow 2-3 follicles to ovulate and hope for the best).

Then she told me about the monitoring scans. There's at least four. One initial, baseline scan to see what my lining and ovaries are like on any day CD2-5. They will give me the instructions for the injections then as well. DH has to come to that one because I want him to do the injections (so scared of needles). They gave me a nifty injection pen to use and so it should be pretty easy.

After that, we schedule the rest of the scans, one every other day for the next week or until my follicles look good. Then I trigger (at 10pm) when they tell me to and two days later I show up for my IUI. DH has to go in at 9am, give a sample, they 'wash' it and I pick it up 2 hours later. Then I take it down to the clinic and they shoot em up there. Seventeen days later I take a pregnancy test. If it's positive, I get a scan at 6 weeks to check on things (sweet!).

I could have gotten in for my next cycle, which should start next week, but the nurse is on holiday next week and the doctor who is covering is fully booked. So, I'm on for Feb.

If I had any advice, I'd say know about when your next two cycles will be, if everything stays the same. I thought I knew, but completely forgot the Feb cycle dates when I got there. The nurse guesstimated and was about a week off, so of course I'm now worried that I won't get to do it because the week will fill up. I've called and left a message so they can move me up....but I had a little panic when I looked at my FF calendar and saw the date was completely wrong. They should call me back tomorrow and tell me if it's fine. Though it should be because the week was pretty empty when I looked at the calendar with the nurse and we were the last appointment today. So, I guess we'll see. All in all, it was a good appointment.

 

[welshgem]

Ella, sounds like you had a good, comprehensive appointment.

Also good that they scan you so often. It wouldn't work for me because my clinic is an hours drive each way but so far I've had a CD1 and CD8 scan. Got another on Friday - CD11.

 

[DBZ34]

Yeah, lots of scans because this is my first time with any kind of fertility drugs. Unfortunately, I don't have a car and so it's a 10 pound taxi ride each way....but in the end, it's probably worth it. At the very least, I think if I respond well to the Clomid, I can beg my FS for some in lieu of an IUI while we save up again.

I'm so excited for you though! I'm so glad that things are finally going forward for you after having to wait for so long. How many follicles will they let you trigger?

 

[welshgem]

Oh wow, a tenner a go is no fun! Hopefully worth it in the end!!

Thank you, I'm excited after getting past yesterday's scan. We're allowed a max of 3 dominant follies. I initially thought this cycle was a bust after seeing about 12 follies on each side yesterday but thankfully only two were dominant at 13mm each so just need them to grow to at least 16mm by Friday. There were two other biggish follies at 8mm so I'm hoping they stay below the threshold (or at least one does)!

 

[DBZ34]

Oh I should mention...My nurse said that ASDA does fertility medications 'not for profit', so their meds are much cheaper than getting it at the hospital clinic or at Boots. The price for my meds shouldn't be more than 220 pounds there, which is less than the price we were quoted.

 

[han17]

Hey,
This sounds excellent I'm so happy things are moving forward for you! Are you excited and pleased? So are you next back there in feb then?

I have received my blood results everything I fine he said I'm a very fertile women (so why am I not pregnant then!!!!) so now it's just awaiting game for my next appointment at the fertility clinic in April (oh sorry forgot to say I've got to have my hsg in a few weeks).

This forum sounds really positive though so I'm praying for all of you xxxxx

 

[Gkmk]

Hey,
This sounds excellent I'm so happy things are moving forward for you! Are you excited and pleased? So are you next back there in feb then?

I have received my blood results everything I fine he said I'm a very fertile women (so why am I not pregnant then!!!!) so now it's just awaiting game for my next appointment at the fertility clinic in April (oh sorry forgot to say I've got to have my hsg in a few weeks).

This forum sounds really positive though so I'm praying for all of you xxxxx

Hi Han17 do you mind sharing your cd3 blood results? My results are already shared in my journal. Any idea on what basis he said very fertile, just curious. My GP hardly says anything except that everything is normal

 

[han17]

He didn't give me numbers just said that I was a very fertile women. It was the docs who told me this not the fertility specialist so next time I have an appointment I will ask and let you know what they say.

I guess it's all just a waiting game for us ladies... Wishing you all lots of luck xxx

 

[DBZ34]

Yep, I'm back in Feb. Got the call yesterday that they have fixed my dates in the calendar, so I just call when AF starts and they'll get the ball rolling. Hopefully, I can get in early enough that I can pick the times I want for my scans.

I'll take the Clomid on Day 2-7 and start the Menopur sometime after my first scan is all clear. Clomid +Menopur seems like a lot, since usually you get one or the other, but maybe that's why they have better than average rates at my clinic. I'm looking forward to it though.

 

[Jaybo]

Hi all, I'm starting out on this journey too. I'm sooo glad to come across this thread with so much useful info! I had hormonal test taken a couple of months back on the NHS which all seemed ok. Just trying to convince my husband now to go for test. We've been trying for around a year now and he still seems to think everything's fine, it just takes time! I'm sure we've got more tests and treatments ahead of us, so I'll be waiting this out with you!

Good luck, I hope we don't have to wait too long!

 

[welshgem]

Ella - great news. I've heard of Menopur but I'm not familiar with it. Is it a similar drug to Clomid or does it do something else?

Jaybo - good luck with your tests. Have you been referred to a fertility clinic or are you getting tests through your GP for now?

AFM - well I went to the clinic today for my CD11 scan and now have triple striped lining at 12mm and two mature follicles on both sides, both at 19mm. I also have one at 11mm but not sure if that will grow enough yet.
I've got my trigger on Saturday and IUI scheduled in for Monday morning

 

[Jaybo]

Thanks welshgem!

The tests I've had have been with my GP so far. He says that he cant refer us until my husbands SA tests are done. Did you get referred straight away? I'm starting to worry that there's going to be a long wait to see a specialist.

I'm getting so impatient, I can't wait to find out more we could be doing!

Good luck with your treatment over the w/e & Mon!

 

[welshgem]

Thanks Jaybo.

By the time I had gone to my GP, we were already at 2.5 years of TTC (this was mostly NTNP but I didn't tell the GP that in case he sent me away). So he referred us straight away with no tests. Then the FS got in touch and we had all tests done through the clinic.