Fertility department's incompetence/careless attitude stressing me out!

Bumblebeee

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My fertility specialist and her staff are useless and it is stressing me out! I know of course I am not their only patient but they don't seem to understand what they're putting me through and it's driving me mental! Ltttc with PCOS #2 since April 2015 and in June they prescribed me 6 months of Clomid. It's gone like this:
1st cycle - did not ovulate
2nd cycle - ovulated, BFP but not sure how as was negative 2 days before AF and then positive the week after, took Clomid days 2-6 AF - chemical/miscarriage, spent most of sept losing so no cycle.
3rd cycle - did not ovulate
4th cycle, did not ovulate.
On 5th cycle, CD17 now but no signs of ovulation so highly likely no ovulation this month either.
When I didn't ovulate in June, they sent me a letter ELEVEN days after my period finished to tell me to take 2 tablets a day instead of 1 but obviously it was far too late so I rang them to tell them and they told me to discount that month and take 2 in August, but I told them I was pretty confident I ovulated so wanted the blood test check so they sent me the form and I was right, I had ovulated. Got a BFP but after AF and was spotting so knew something was wrong, rang the office with no answer or reply to my messages for 4 days and I finally got through, only to be told that the specialist had a month off and that she was the only one who could advise me so basically I was on my own, not knowing what the hell was going on, bleeding, and even my EPAU refused to see me because I was under the care of a specialist. I then get a letter through saying as I ovulated on the 1 tablet of Clomid to only take 1 the next cycle which I did, that was October as that was my first AF after my loss, test showed I didn't ovulate, got a letter through 6 days AFTER my last Clomid to tell me to take 2, rang them up again and they said to continue with 1 on my next cycle as it had worked in July/August, did that, next cycle did not ovulate, had a letter through 4 days after my last Clomid pill this cycle to tell me to take 2 tablets a day and that after my prescription is up, they cant continue with my care on the NHS due to me already having a child and being with the same partner and if it wasn't succesful by the time the prescription runs out, nI will need to be seen in the private sector, even though at my first appointment she had reassured me that if Clomid didn't work for me, there were other options that she could try and now she's just basically washing her hands of me, no mention of switching to femara or anything even though she knows I only ovulated 1 cycle out of 5 on clomid. I rang up and told them it was too late and she said to take 2 next cycle. I told them I can't as I only have 5 tablets left of my prescription and that I need a new blood form and she said she would see if the specialist would write me up a new prescription and she would send me a new blood form but that was over a week ago and I haven't hesrd anything from them and my bloods are due on Wednesday.
I am sorry this is so long but I am so frustrated by how this is going, I can't help but feel hard done by as their cock ups have cost me at least 2 cycles and not only that but now they are going back on their word as they told me they could explore other treatments and now they are saying they can't. Sorry for the rant but I am just wondering where I stand, and if you think it would be worth explaining all this to them so maybe they continue my care for a bit longer and maybe get them to switch to femara or some other method. I am not expecting IVF of course but something else would be nice, they know I am annovulatory and the one time I did ovulate I got a BFP so I only need help ovulating! So upset and disappointed by the whole situation and I don't think the stress of it all is helping with the TTC
Am I being unreasonable to expect better?
 
Hi Bumblebee, I've no idea where you are in the UK (and things are quite different in the 4 different countries) but I would say that you might be best to contact the clinic manager and make a formal complaint about the quality, or lack of, of you treatment. It would also be worth looking up any patient forums relating to that particular clinic to see how others have got on and what they did if things weren't as they'd expected. Good luck
 
Hi Rags, thanks so much for reading all of that, I am near Cardiff in S.Wales. I am cautious of making formal complaints incase it comes back to bite me in the butt, I don't want to be burning bridges but at the same time I am certain that I am not just sensitive and that I shouldn't have been treated this way. I have given it a Google but haven't found any mention of the clinic, it is a NHS clinic based in a local hospital though, maybe that's why. I am also confused as to why I was prescribed Clomid and not femara having read in so many different articles that femara has much better success rates is PCOS sufferers. I am interested to see if they send me a new prescription this week x
 
Let me know if they send you the new prescription.
Speaking to the clinic manager doesn't need to be a formal complaint, phrase it more as a question about NHS treatment availability at that trust and casually mention the confusion about doses leading to missed cycles and wondering if those cycles can really be counted as part of your allocation of attempts in the circumstances - keep a smile on your face as you speak (even if it's on the phone) strangely enough you can hear a smile. It's worth a try and at the very least you'll know what the policy is. After I had my Ds I arranged an appointment to see about another try, I saw a different Dr who was all smiles and loveliness, she explained to me that the policy was that as I'd already had a success I wasn't entitled to try for another. I thanked her and left. A few weeks later I decided to call the clinic manager to ask if I could buy sperm from my sons donor to try privately - she was confused and asked why I wasn't coming back to them to try again, I explained what I'd been told by the Dr and heard the sharp intake of breath, by the end of the call I had another appointment - by the time that arrived the Dr no longer worked for that clinic (no one said it to my directly but it was implied that she didn't approve of treating single women)
 
Sorry it's taken so long, I've been tied up with a poorly daughter and Christmas preparations, I did get a prescription after, she's given me 15 100mg Clomid so she's obviously had a change of heart and decided to treat me for another 3 months which I am so grateful for. Just waiting on AF now to try the 100mg as no ovulation again last month, progesterone was at 2 x
 
I'm so pleased to hear the Clomid arrived - if only your ovulation were more predictable!
I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful Christmas and that Santa, the universe and whatever god you may believe in, hear your wishes and send you a bundle of joy early in the new year, I'll keep checking in to see how it all goes. Xx
 

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