Questions about going private - please share your experiences?

[silarose28]

Hi everyone

I am being treated on the NHS (short luteal phase - had a trigger shot last month and have further appointments scheduled in October).

I am so sick of waiting around for NHS appointments and feeling rushed at my NHS appointments I am thinking of going private. We are not at the point that we need ivf yet - but I probably will need medication to support ovualtaion (e.g. chlomid). I have had ultrasounds/hsg/semen analysis done already so these should not need to be repeated.

I would love to hear back from anyone who has gone private - is it really expensive? Is the service better? I suppose I am trying to weigh up if it is worth it or not.

Also - if it did get to the point that I needed ivf i probably could not afford to go private. Would the fact that I had some private appontments stop me meeting the criteria for ivf on the nhs (after 3 years of trying)?


Would love to hear your experiences!!


xxxxx

 

[jojoD]

Hi there,

I think private is def the way to go if you can afford it. My husband and I were TTC with no joy, we approached my husband's GP who wasn't very helpful at all. Told us to basically go away and keep trying... 'Oh some people just take years to get pregnant' were his words...

So we decided to go private. The attitude was caring and our consultant said why not get the reassurance we were hoping for. First appointment though was for fifteen minutes and was £150!! So yes, it is expensive. But, he did arrange blood tests and a semen analysis asap.

Within a couple of weeks we were back with him for results. So, privately initial tests and results were very quick and our consultant made us feel like he really cared. Although in NI the private NHS waiting list is longer than the standard NHS list!! So we are now going to a different private independent clinic. Where again the attitude, speed and standard of care has been first class. Personally I think it's money well spent!! XXX

PS Going for private appointments will not affect your NHS place/ choices. We are still on NHS lists. Only thing is obviously can't go for two treatments at once. We going for the one that comes up first!!
Good luck with the route you decide on

 

[silarose28]

Hi jojoD

Thanks ever so much for your reply. I also had an insensitive locum GP tell me to go away - he referred me on when I burst into tears but I shouldn't have to do that!!!!

I am thinking of going to the same consultant that I had with the NHS - he runs a private clinic at a private hospital. I gather I can have an appointment with him within a week if I pay - it sounds like a similar price to that you paid. But I am just so sick of waiting around it will be worth it. The secretary there said that she could request my notes from the NHS hospital which is what made me feel nervous about losing my NHS place. I feel reassured that you didn't lose your NHS place. Did the NHS know about your private appointments?

Im not really clear about private NHS and standard NHS? Does that mean that sometimes you can pay at an NHS hospital for treatment?

Thanks again - I think you have helped me to make up my mind and I'm going to ring the private hospital tomorrow.

Good luck with your treatments xxxx

 

[fluffyblue]

Hi im glad you posted this cus im stuck between the rock and the hard place right now, NHS seems to be taking ages with scan booked for next week and next consultant appointment in 6 weeks !. A first appointment private is £150.00 so I just dont know what to do - I too have short LP !

 

[silarose28]

Hi fluffyblue

I know exactly how you feel - the NHS just takes so long. I was referred to the fs in Dec and since then I have seen a nurse and 2 different doctors. I have had to go through my history each time and nobody if familiar with my notes. The scans and blood/semen tests have been months apart and now I have to wait again until Oct!! the more I write - the more I am convincing myself that to go private is the way forward. I know it's expensive but I have some savings so I will use that.

Have they got to the bottom of your short lp yet? I have had to persuade the fs that I have a short lp and have eventually managed to show him that this is an issue for me with follicle tracking last month. (He simply didn't believe me to start!) However, I still don't know why this is happening and haven't started proper treatment yet after all of these appointments!! All we have managed to do is confirm that I have what I thought I had from the start!! Whoopy Doo!!! I am 36 and am panicking that time is ticking away - it's awful!!

Let me know how you get on xxx

 

[fluffyblue]

Exactly ! Im 37 (38 in Jan) and feel times running out, ok I have two healthy children already but since my daughter was born 8 years ago we have been NTNP till 3 years ago and TTC number 3 since then with 3 Miscariages, all early and then a chemical which clearly represents short LP. I ovulate day 21 and then AF arrives day 30 so 9 days is not long enough. GP wont do anything till Gyne says and i had bloods then CD21 bloods done 16th August but have to wait till 12th October for results.


I am tempted to get a cycle monitoring done at the private hospital its about £400.00 but at least it will cut time out for the docs and put my mind at rest.

In the meantime I am taking Vitamin B100 complex to try and lengthen LP so we shall see. xx

 

[silarose28]

I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriages honey.

It's just so awful that you need to wait from Aug to Oct for results! The NHS just seems so underfunded!

I just phoned the NHS hospital to see if I could bring my appointment forward. the secretary told me my appointment had originally been in Dec and that she had kindly given me a cancellation in Oct already. Nice of her - but honestly Dec!!!! That would have been a 5 month wait!!! I am going to book at the private hospital today.

Let me know how you get onxxxx

 

[silarose28]

Right - I have booked an appointment for 21st Sep - feel much better!

 

[jojoD]

Hey Saliarose
I'm so pleased you booked an appointment!! Wahoo!! That will come about so soon. My next apt is on Thurs... it's like waiting for Christmas but better!!!

Our situation is similar, I went to the same consultant privately that I will see on the NHS - he runs private appointments at a nearby clinic. It was him that placed me on both the private and NHS lists, I too was worried about that. It seems like 'doing the double!' but he assured me it's ok. The NHS then were able to request my notes from him. So they now have me on list for a 'review appointment' because I've had all prelim tests etc done privately. So treatment can be a mixture of both. The secretary maybe didn't want you to have to repeat everything...

In NI there are few clinics that actually carry out IVF, so options are limited. Our main hospital offered standard NHS care or self-funded care (private) but both are carried out in the Regional Fertility Centre. Hope that makes sense XX

 

[silarose28]

Hi JojoD

Thanks so much for all of this info. Thur is not far away for you and I hope it goes well!

 

[fluffyblue]

Hi great news for your appointment - well I made a promise to hubby - I will wait for scan on 7th and appointment with gyne in October on NHS then if no joy or action from there he has said i can go private. I think its fair.

So hubby then decides he wants a new car and spends 2k of our savings on a new car !

Didnt know whether to kill him or love him lol.

 

[Farie]

Hey

We have gone private since emigrating, all I can say is that it is 100% better than the service we received in the UK, our consultant is awesome, the nurses are fab, I get blood tests results/scan results etc the same day

They are helpful, will talk everything through, don't dismiss concerns/worries/fears and understand that the is no such thing as 'just relax' when TTC isn't going well. Yes, relaxation is important, but they seem to understand how hard that can be.

Because there is only one f/s practice in the city where we live we do have to wait a bit for consultant appts, but thats all, bloods, scans HSG all happen pretty much immediately (cycle day dependent)

I found that with the NHS we got pushed from pillar to post, saw numerous different Dr's, all with different opinions. The only consistent thing we were told was 'you are young' and 'relax'

Its not cheap to go private, but you do get more time and IMHO things done quicker. Although in your case a lot of the 'hard work' has been done (testing HSG SA etc) so the NHS might move things along ok.

As far as I know getting some things done privately doesn't affect your eligibility for funding

 

[silarose28]

Hiya girls

Thanks for your info Farie. I feel reassured that I am doing the right thing now. I am prepared to pay extra as I am feeling very low at the moment and what are savings for if not for something like this?!

Fluffyblue - sounds like you also have a plan! Excellent news.

let me know how you get on girls.

xxxxxx

 

[fluffyblue]

Well good news here....

Rang my gynae secretary today and blarted my heart out and got an appointment for two weeks earlier, she said I can class my recent loss as a MC as I had a positive pregnancy test so he will see me in 3 weeks wahey xxx

 

[silarose28]

Excellent news Fluffyblue!!! I'me really pleased for you!!

You know we shouldn'y really have to cry and get so distressed to get timely treatment (I only gor referred to the fs in the first place because I burst into tears in front of my locum gp!!)You know the more that I speak to LTTC people the more I realise that you have to push and push for treatment on the NHS. There are kind people working for the NHS - but honestly treatment should be available for those that need it without all this hassle!!! I have paid into the NHS for years and rarely used it - it should be there for me now and I should not feel like they are 'doing me a favour' by providing the treatment I need!!!!!!

RANT RANT RANT!!!!!
Sorry - I feel better now!

 

[Mrs R]

Just wanted to let you know that I was seeing my FS on the NHS. I was told a review app. would take 9 months to come through (I could have got pregnant and given birth in that time frame!!)

We decided to book the review app. privately with the same consultant. His secretary did give me a bit of hassle about no longer being eligible for NHS treatment. But when I asked her to check this out, she was wrong. I had my app. and it cost £190, but it was worth every penny. I didn't loose my place with the NHS, just got myself 9 months ahead of schedule.

Hope this helps