experience at fertility clinic?

[1nceUponATime]

Hi. I posted this in TTC forum, but no one answered...so I thought I would try this one.

So...long story short, my hubby and I have been trying a year for....I have not ovulated as far as I know, and each menstrual cycle has to be induced by a month of birth control (I've had like four cycles), and provera/clomid has not worked....and I've tried all the vitamins.

So, I made an appointment with a fertility clinic July 2nd.

I'm just curious what your first appointment was like? Was it just a consultation or did they schedule any testing? Or what was your experience in general...just looking for some positive vibes...or advice on what I should be prepared for in case I am not.

After trying all this time, and never even ovulating (although I fooled myself a couple times into thinking I had).....I am very discouraged.

 

[messica]

Who was prescribing you the clomid? Didn't they monitor those medicated cycles (via bloodwork or follicle studies) to know if it was helping you to produce follicles and how many? It sounds like you've waited an awful long time getting no legitimate guidance or help, I hate when docs who don't know what they're doing waste time, hard earned money and worst of all, hope

Our first visit with the RE there were a lot of questions from both sides. He wanted to know EVERYTHING. Medical history since birth, how long we'd been trying, who we had worked with previously and what interventions we'd tried - from there we talked about what he thought was going on with us, what tests he'd like to do to confirm and what he thought our treatment options would entail. We asked about his credentials, stats for the clinic (that can also be cross referenced with SART), how much treatments would cost, estimated time investment, our personal odds etc.

First visit was consult only. To proceed with testing they had to inquire about insurance coverage and gather records from our previous doc first.

 

[Holly ttc]

My first visit started with a consultation. I had to fill out what seemed to be a million papers beforehand (as usual) that gave all of the information they'd be looking at, basically what Messica said, to give them something to review prior to me being there. Once we had talked for a while I had a physical examination just to make sure nothing was wrong that I hadn't mentioned and then they took blood for every test under the sun. From there I scheduled my first actual appointment for a baseline scan, one for an hsg test, and one more for my mid cycle scan. They gave me a ton of information but made sure I was comfortable with all of it.

 

[tinadecember]

Our first visit was simply a long chat with the consultant to get a feel of both my O/H and my background and scheduling of tests to be carried out.

My story is different from yours as I knew that I was ovulating and that the problem was more than likely going to be with my husband. We had blood tests to confirm ovulation, SA tests (lots of them!) for my hubby, I had a HSG to check that my fallopian tubes were working as they should, I was prescribed clomid to hopefully produce more follicles.

After all of those tests and the problem pinpointed (my husband has a low sperm count and motility) he was given Tamoxifen to try and lift his levels. 3 months later they were still low so our next step is IVF. We already have a child so unfortunately we have to fund this ourselves.

Don't be afraid, you are making the right step! It's just frustrating that everything on the NHS takes so long to be diagnosed

Sending you good luck for your appointment x

 

[1nceUponATime]

Thank you ladies. My obgyn tried to help me as best as she could. She really is a wonderful person... I feel like most obgyn don't really want to deal with that. I had a bunch of issues when I got off birth control (basically just a constant infection) and we thought it was directly related to me being off bcp...so we tried clomid and provera (two cycles worth, that were followed up with 21 day labs) to show it didn't work. It's kind of obvious I don't ovulate anyway, I never get a period, and even provera won't make me bleed. Every time I need to get a period I have to do a months birth control! It's so frustrating! She told me after that, she would have to refer me to a specialist. My hubby and I decided to take it easy for a few months (still try, but no stressful aggressive treatments) and now here we are. I am looking forward to going to see the new doctor and all... But I know that this is still going to take time, battles with my insurance, and be stressful. I'm nervous that my referral won't go through and my appt will get moved back for some reason.

Thank you ladies for your support !

 

[Lues]

Hi.

I really do think it varies at different locations. Mine was LooOOoOoOong conversation with the main doctor at the clinic with me and the husband. Then we split up and did separate testing (I had blood work, a pelvic exam and ultrasound, he gave a sperm sample.) We then sat down with the doc again and looked at the results (other than blood work which took a day to come back)

I would suggest being prepared for a LOT of information, and a more aggressive approach than you're likely use to at the moment. Regular scans to monitor your cycle and see what you're REALLY doing naturally, and then a plan of what to do next.

Personally, I wish I had done that sooner. I had been trying for about 18 months before I saw a specialist. Once I found the right one, I felt SO much better. like I had a real plan, and was being proactive.

I also suggest not necessarily sticking with your first office. If you don't like it, don't feel stuck!! Sometimes drop-of-the-hat decisions will have to be made and trusting the people in the office will be HUGE.

Plus, they should trust YOU too. When I didn't agree with the plan, I always knew, that while they might give me a slight lecture on "Dr. Google", and they would reiterate WHY they suggested a certain path, the ultimate decisions were completely mine.

Even good doctors will often lecture on "Dr. Google" and I just smile and nod. But I'm a big advocate of Google intelligently, but Google often. The women on these sites are smart, and they often understand on a different level. While I believe I would have gotten pregnant eventually with the initial plan. I do not believe I would be pregnant right now if it was not for the advice and knowledge I got here.

Good luck! And hold on to your hat! The first fertility visit can be a bit of a whirlwind!!!

 

[1nceUponATime]

Thanks Lues! I am ready, but I am so nervous! A few more weeks!