How long have you been waiting for IUI on NHS?

[Imaan]

Hi ladies,

well... as the title reads, I was wondering how long everyone else has been waiting to begin IUI treatment on the NHS. We have been ttc for 7 years and I thought once I got referred it would be a few months before getting started BUT it's been a whole year and we are still waiting to begin. Well, we did start this month but the cycle got cancelled due to under stimulation the doctor told me to call them when I get my period (which means I won't be starting on the next cycle either since she is being so lax about it!)

I'd appreciate knowning how long everyone else has been waiting as I'm thinking to talk with my GP about being re-referred to a different clinic.

Thank you

 

[gemini87]

didnt want to rnr it s v gud question + one i myself was wondering bt i am a step behind u have jst had my hsg + xtra bloods dun. + i was wondering if they r gona draw this process out 2 long as we have been ttc almost 4 yrs already
so sorry i cant help bt thanks 4 askin the question hopefully sum1 can put an imput in
x

 

[x0xjacquix0x]

Hey i got put on the waiting list in Sept after my lap and dye and recieved a letter last week saying we were at the top of the list for IUI, i need to get some bloods re run and another semen analysis for my hubby so i dont suspect we will actually start until Jan/ Feb. HTH

 

[cooch]

I'm Glasgow and they count from the date of your very first GP referral letter- which I think is excellent. Our letter was April 2011 and we were due to start IUI August 2012. They now won't give it to us as I have one blocked tube!!!

 

[Imaan]

Thanks so much for your responses ladies

didnt want to rnr it s v gud question + one i myself was wondering bt i am a step behind u have jst had my hsg + xtra bloods dun. + i was wondering if they r gona draw this process out 2 long as we have been ttc almost 4 yrs already
so sorry i cant help bt thanks 4 askin the question hopefully sum1 can put an imput in
x

Thanks for your response gemini. I also hope that they don't draw it out too much for you... 4 years feels like a century. For them, it's nothing and waiting an extra month doesn't mean very much at all

Hey i got put on the waiting list in Sept after my lap and dye and recieved a letter last week saying we were at the top of the list for IUI, i need to get some bloods re run and another semen analysis for my hubby so i dont suspect we will actually start until Jan/ Feb. HTH

I also hope you don't have to wait too long. I used to be like you, thinking... ok we have 1 set of bloods and then semen analysis and then we can start and then there would be something else. But like I say... hopefully you will be able to begin in Jan/Feb like expected

I'm Glasgow and they count from the date of your very first GP referral letter- which I think is excellent. Our letter was April 2011 and we were due to start IUI August 2012. They now won't give it to us as I have one blocked tube!!!

Wow that's great that they count it from the day of the referral letter. I am really sorry to hear about the blocked tube though. Will that mean that you are set to go for IVF? if so, how long will you have to wait?

 

[cooch]

Yeah it means only IVF. However we were always in line for 2 goes, it doesn't increase just because we're not allowed IUI. and we still need to wait til April 2013 for it too. So we're more disadvantaged ;(

However, we'll be preggo before then

 

[Imaan]

Yeah it means only IVF. However we were always in line for 2 goes, it doesn't increase just because we're not allowed IUI. and we still need to wait til April 2013 for it too. So we're more disadvantaged ;(

However, we'll be preggo before then

I hope it goes fast for you. Good thing is that you do get 2 goes!!

And love you PMA

 

[cooch]

Yeah it means only IVF. However we were always in line for 2 goes, it doesn't increase just because we're not allowed IUI. and we still need to wait til April 2013 for it too. So we're more disadvantaged ;(

However, we'll be preggo before then

I hope it goes fast for you. Good thing is that you do get 2 goes!!

And love you PMA

First PMA in weeks, lol xx

 

[MariaF]

Hi honey, well we had a bit of a saga with our NHS referral. We got referred in May to the same hospital where we used to get private treatment. That clinic was ready to start IUI in July so just 2 months later. But then we found out that we weren't allowed to go there and had to be referrred again to London.
Because I had a bit of a stink to it to the Head of our PCT for fertility I think she expedited our referral to London so again they saw us in early october ready to start the next cycle.
Again I felt they were a bit wishy-washy about it all....no injections training, no schedule given to us - nothing! I was just told to call on CD1 to come in for a scan on CD2 and to pick up the drugs...It was all very different when we had our private IUI...we were hand held throughout...not this time

Why do you feel she was being lax about it? May be she meant to call her when af arrives to go in for a scan and to pick up drugs?

 

[Imaan]

Hi honey, well we had a bit of a saga with our NHS referral. We got referred in May to the same hospital where we used to get private treatment. That clinic was ready to start IUI in July so just 2 months later. But then we found out that we weren't allowed to go there and had to be referrred again to London.
Because I had a bit of a stink to it to the Head of our PCT for fertility I think she expedited our referral to London so again they saw us in early october ready to start the next cycle.
Again I felt they were a bit wishy-washy about it all....no injections training, no schedule given to us - nothing! I was just told to call on CD1 to come in for a scan on CD2 and to pick up the drugs...It was all very different when we had our private IUI...we were hand held throughout...not this time

Why do you feel she was being lax about it? May be she meant to call her when af arrives to go in for a scan and to pick up drugs?

Thanks hun, I hope you are doing well and it's a good thing you never needed to get your IUI done with the NHS after all.

Well, as my clinic only does inseminations on Mondays and Thursdays, it means I have to start taking my drugs on a Tuesday or Saturday. If I wait till my period comes, then I would have missed the chance to have IUI that cycle. Because for example, if my period starts on a Friday... there would be no time to pick up the medicine and start it on Saturday. Or what if it starts on Saturday, then I don't have the medicine.... so she is meant to meet me before my period starts! also, she has to up my dose and discuss that with me, so I guess she doesn't really think much about me missing another month of it. I am so, so close to getting it done privately.

 

[MariaF]

Can you get in touch with Dr's secretary and confirm what's going on?

I was told on the NHS I'd be starting injections on CD5...so even if your period started on Friday you should be OK to start injections on Tuesday. It was all very different on the NHS

 

[Imaan]

It's really weired how they work it out. If you start your period between (and including) the Wednesday and Saturday, you start taking them on Saturday but if you start your period between (and including) Sunday and Tuesday, you start taking the meds on Tuesday. If you don't take them the right day, it messes up the whole cycle since they only do inseminations on Mondays and Thursdays.

I will contact the FS tomorrow... I was actually thinking to put off this cycle as I attended a fertility show a few weekends ago and they recommended getting my AMH tested and having an ovarian scan, to check for egg reserve. They said FSH is not a good indicator of egg reserve and said it's vital to get it tested because if it's low it's best to go straight for IVF and skip IUI.

I've got a free-15min consultation with a private clinic tomorrow evening to ask about getting these tests done. The problem is, they have to be done while you are not under the influence of drugs, which means I won't be able to do IUI this coming month. What really irritates me though, is the way the doctors in the NHS have dealt with me. It could just be that particular hospital, but I am so frustrated with them.

 

[MariaF]

Oh AMH was a real headache for me. Basically when we had our first appointment at The Bridge centre (like an introduction one) the consultant said that before any fertility treatment we should have AMH tested - makes sense! Why would I want to start stimulation if I have a low ovarian reserve?!
This was before she realised that we were actually going through the NHS (no idea how this could have been, but never mind!). Anyway, as soon as she heard we are through the NHS she said our Trust doesn't cover the cost of AMH testing so we can't have it

I then said we'd like to do it privately but she said it's impossible to mix private and NHS care in one treatment cycle! I was livid! Why was I allowed to put my body through 3 cycles of IUI and then at least one cycle of IVF before they would realise I have low egg reserve?! Just because our PCT didn't want to spend £50 on a simple blood test?! Grrr!

So I think its a good idea to have these things checked out privately!

 

[Imaan]

Oh AMH was a real headache for me. Basically when we had our first appointment at The Bridge centre (like an introduction one) the consultant said that before any fertility treatment we should have AMH tested - makes sense! Why would I want to start stimulation if I have a low ovarian reserve?!
This was before she realised that we were actually going through the NHS (no idea how this could have been, but never mind!). Anyway, as soon as she heard we are through the NHS she said our Trust doesn't cover the cost of AMH testing so we can't have it

I then said we'd like to do it privately but she said it's impossible to mix private and NHS care in one treatment cycle! I was livid! Why was I allowed to put my body through 3 cycles of IUI and then at least one cycle of IVF before they would realise I have low egg reserve?! Just because our PCT didn't want to spend £50 on a simple blood test?! Grrr!

So I think its a good idea to have these things checked out privately!

Gosh Maria! these people are absolutely mental!! they seem to be stuck in some kind of strange system of weired rules and regulations. It's madness!

Did you eventually end up getting your AMH tested in another clinic?
If knew before what I know now... I would not have waited around to begin treatment with the NHS... they have no sense of professionalism whatsoever!

 

[MariaF]

No hun, I got the BFP a week after that. But I was looking for other private clinics to have the AMH tested. I think its £55.

I'm really pleased we started our treatment privately. I know it cost us A LOT of money and I'm forever grateful that we could afford it...but I do believe if we waited for the NHS I wouldn't even have had the OD done yet! So if you can afford to do some tests privately, I would certainly recommend it!

 

[LizMcD]

Hi imaan just dropping by as we had IUI last week, it was our first one and we were lucky enough to get it almost straight away as there was no wait list. It was our 1st cycle - we had an info session and I was given the drugs Inc northisterone which controlled my period starting on a fri-sun so my scan/IUI days fell on a week day!

We were v lucky to have no waiting list, we are with cov and warks hospital and staff have been excellent so I cant complain. Just got to wait and see now!

Hope you get started v soon.

 

[Imaan]

Hi imaan just dropping by as we had IUI last week, it was our first one and we were lucky enough to get it almost straight away as there was no wait list. It was our 1st cycle - we had an info session and I was given the drugs Inc northisterone which controlled my period starting on a fri-sun so my scan/IUI days fell on a week day!

We were v lucky to have no waiting list, we are with cov and warks hospital and staff have been excellent so I cant complain. Just got to wait and see now!

Hope you get started v soon.

Wow Liz that's wonderful! I am so glad that you didn't have to wait! I hope and pray that it's a BFP for you, and if not at least you know you can have the next one back-to-back. I'm with Solihull Hospital as my PCT is in North Birmingham and I think for IVF Solihull refers their patients straight to Coventry as they are not that advanced to offer IVF. Sooo, you never know, are bellies might bump into each other some time

 

[LizMcD]

Hi imaan just dropping by as we had IUI last week, it was our first one and we were lucky enough to get it almost straight away as there was no wait list. It was our 1st cycle - we had an info session and I was given the drugs Inc northisterone which controlled my period starting on a fri-sun so my scan/IUI days fell on a week day!

We were v lucky to have no waiting list, we are with cov and warks hospital and staff have been excellent so I cant complain. Just got to wait and see now!

Hope you get started v soon.

Wow Liz that's wonderful! I am so glad that you didn't have to wait! I hope and pray that it's a BFP for you, and if not at least you know you can have the next one back-to-back. I'm with Solihull Hospital as my PCT is in North Birmingham and I think for IVF Solihull refers their patients straight to Coventry as they are not that advanced to offer IVF. Sooo, you never know, are bellies might bump into each other some time

Brilliant! Lets hope you get referred to cov as the staff are so good. Of course im hoping neither of us with need ivf though!

If you end up in cov give me a shout, we could meet up if you fancy xx

 

[purplesparkle]

Hi imaan just dropping by as we had IUI last week, it was our first one and we were lucky enough to get it almost straight away as there was no wait list. It was our 1st cycle - we had an info session and I was given the drugs Inc northisterone which controlled my period starting on a fri-sun so my scan/IUI days fell on a week day!

We were v lucky to have no waiting list, we are with cov and warks hospital and staff have been excellent so I cant complain. Just got to wait and see now!

Hope you get started v soon.

thats good to hear as im with cov and warks hospital too forgot to ask at my last appointment if there was a waiting list. hopefully we will be starting our first IUI soon got the info. session next week!

 

[Imaan]

Hi imaan just dropping by as we had IUI last week, it was our first one and we were lucky enough to get it almost straight away as there was no wait list. It was our 1st cycle - we had an info session and I was given the drugs Inc northisterone which controlled my period starting on a fri-sun so my scan/IUI days fell on a week day!

We were v lucky to have no waiting list, we are with cov and warks hospital and staff have been excellent so I cant complain. Just got to wait and see now!

Hope you get started v soon.

Wow Liz that's wonderful! I am so glad that you didn't have to wait! I hope and pray that it's a BFP for you, and if not at least you know you can have the next one back-to-back. I'm with Solihull Hospital as my PCT is in North Birmingham and I think for IVF Solihull refers their patients straight to Coventry as they are not that advanced to offer IVF. Sooo, you never know, are bellies might bump into each other some time

Brilliant! Lets hope you get referred to cov as the staff are so good. Of course im hoping neither of us with need ivf though!

If you end up in cov give me a shout, we could meet up if you fancy xx

That would be lovely... I will let you know