Seeking help from a UK doctor

[Lily7]

Hi yes I was thinking the same thing to keep all options open. Yes he has suggested clomid, he will send for us once the results of the SA and my CD2 bloods are in. It will def be quicker with private and to be honest although we have to pay its not actually working out as pricey as we imagined, I was just worried about showing up with them for CD2 bloods when AF shows then with NHS GP on CD3 because they will see I have had blood taken the day previous and ask questions then I will have to tell them! The private one was really nice, we got a lot further with him in half an hour than we have done with the NHS GP in 8 months! He done a full history report and an internal scan, checked my cervix etc, I was a bit teary seeing the cysts on the screen on one of my ovaries but the other one and the womb are both clear.

Still happier now that we know and can start treating instead of waiting another 4 months until the year would be up before we would even get a referral and a further 9 weeks after that before the appt would come up on the NHS!! So in all it would be another 6 months + at least before we would have even been seen to get our diagnoses never mind treatment if we had of waited for NHS.

How are thing with you? X

 

[mk8]

Hey Lily, I am pleased that things are moving on for you and dear hubby. Hopefully they will help and you will get that BFP soon

Regarding your PCOS- do you know if you ovulate ordinarily? Have you done any OPK's in the past and temped? My understanding is that PCOS can hinder conception because it can stop ovulation. Is there another issue PCOS can cause? Also, would you mind sharing how much it costs for DH to have SA? I am worried that the NHS will turn my hubby away when he is ready to see the doc. I do not want to dictate DH to go - sensitive subject n all. But if he wants to, then that's great and I will stand by him to see what the results show.

 

[Want2bMum]

hello,
glad things worked out for you.
I agree, private is the way forward as the level of care is way better!
My GP told me that if I started fertility treatment and this includes clomid and pre blood tests I wouldn't be eligible for the NHS fertility treatment any more. This is fine until prevate care only consists of ultrasound and clomid prescription, but he told me when it comes to IVF then it's a lot of money.
This is the reason why I went abroad, because I still got private care but the UK NHS coulnd't know about it therefore not exclude me from free treatment.

I already done cd3 and cd21 blood tests and hubby did his SA test under the NHS and because they were fine I was referred to the assisted conception unit. The waiting list here is 4 months and of course I didn't want to wait that long.

So the private specialist gave me clomid, I hope I'll have a bump when the NHS appointment comes so that I can just tell them that I dont need it any more and still be eligible for next time.

I think you did the right thing going private, just dont tellyour gP and make sure they do not exchange notes. I would go to take cd3 and cd21 blood tests.
How would they know if you took blood the previous they? If you go to the hospital to take blood, there are only phlebotomists. they are not doctors, if they ask, just say that it was to check your blood sugar levels as it is good to check before pregnancy.

I wouldn't go to the GP to have the blood taken as they may ask more questions. They have to give you the paper to go to the hospital.

best of luck to you hun

 

[mk8]

Want2bmum... What kinda fertility treatment did you have abroad?

 

[Want2bMum]

at the moment, as we r ttc for just 4 months i only had a consultation and was prescribed clomid for 3 cycles. prior to that i had blood tests done at cd3 and cd21 here in the uk. i was able to do this under the nhs because i stated that we were ttc for over a year. ok, this isn't the most ethical thing to do, but i always had very long cycles with late O and we didnt want to wait over a year to check what was wrong. when blood tests and hubby SA test came back all normal, my gp told me he would refer us to a assisted conception unit, but the waiting time is over 4 months for a first consultation...
as we didnt want to wait this long but didnt want to loose free nhs treatment in the future (just in case we'll need ivf or similar) we went abroad. we got what we wanted and the uk gp doesnt know about it.
of course the specialist i saw abroad knew me since when i was a teenager as she is in my home country. she knew all my medical hystory so we both agreed it was time for me to take clomid. i ended up paying 30 euros and 15 euros for the clomid and she is a private specialist, the same in the uk would have costed much more and would have excluded me from further nhs treatment...

 

[Lily7]

Hey Lily, I am pleased that things are moving on for you and dear hubby. Hopefully they will help and you will get that BFP soon

Regarding your PCOS- do you know if you ovulate ordinarily? Have you done any OPK's in the past and temped? My understanding is that PCOS can hinder conception because it can stop ovulation. Is there another issue PCOS can cause? Also, would you mind sharing how much it costs for DH to have SA? I am worried that the NHS will turn my hubby away when he is ready to see the doc. I do not want to dictate DH to go - sensitive subject n all. But if he wants to, then that's great and I will stand by him to see what the results show.

Hey MK8, I don't temp but I did use OPK one cycle and got a positive smiley face on CD20 of a 33 day cycle which I though was normal although a little longer than the average, I didn't use OPK's the next cycle which is this one, we just BD every other day to try to cover all basis but as this cycle dragged on so long that's what made us go private, he said I do ovulate, just not regularly, he said a girl with a 28 day cycle will get 12 chances per year to conceive where I might only get 3 or 4 go's so he said the clomid will help me ovulate more regularly.

Oh and as this cycle dragged on I did pee on opk's recently more out of curiosity than anything else and got almost positives every day for 14 days! He said PCOS will always show up nearly positive so not to waste my time and money with them!

DH SA costs £95 in the clinic we have chosen, he is going tomorrow for it! And we only booked it the other day, where as our NHS GP booked him for one with them in April and the "earliest" he could get isn't until August! You should speak to your DH, he probably won't mind, mine doesn't he knows he is doing it for both of us, he is a little on edge as to what the results will show but genersally he is fine about it, like both our private Gyno and NHS GP said, its easy for the men, that is the only thing they have to do where as us women get poked and prodded at!

The only other thing I would have to mention is that my skin is terrible, lots of spots and greasy skin and hair

Hope this helps! X

 

[Lily7]

hello,
glad things worked out for you.
I agree, private is the way forward as the level of care is way better!
My GP told me that if I started fertility treatment and this includes clomid and pre blood tests I wouldn't be eligible for the NHS fertility treatment any more. This is fine until prevate care only consists of ultrasound and clomid prescription, but he told me when it comes to IVF then it's a lot of money.
This is the reason why I went abroad, because I still got private care but the UK NHS coulnd't know about it therefore not exclude me from free treatment.

I already done cd3 and cd21 blood tests and hubby did his SA test under the NHS and because they were fine I was referred to the assisted conception unit. The waiting list here is 4 months and of course I didn't want to wait that long.

So the private specialist gave me clomid, I hope I'll have a bump when the NHS appointment comes so that I can just tell them that I dont need it any more and still be eligible for next time.

I think you did the right thing going private, just dont tellyour gP and make sure they do not exchange notes. I would go to take cd3 and cd21 blood tests.
How would they know if you took blood the previous they? If you go to the hospital to take blood, there are only phlebotomists. they are not doctors, if they ask, just say that it was to check your blood sugar levels as it is good to check before pregnancy.

I wouldn't go to the GP to have the blood taken as they may ask more questions. They have to give you the paper to go to the hospital.

best of luck to you hun

Hey thankyou, I am so glad I went private, the reason I am scared is because the private one is wanting to do CD2 bloods and the GP NHS wants to do CD3 and CD21 bloods, my GP surgery don't send you to the hospital for this, the nurse does it in the surgery (you don't actually see your GP- just the nurse) but I know she will clearly be able to see I have had blood taken the day before and probably ask as she will know I wasn't there with her the day before lol, the only other thing is that our private doctor did say to us that at any point we wanted e.g. It we felt it was getting a bit pricey etc, he would just pass us back to NHS if we wanted that and we would go back with all the background he had done with us. I am worrying now as you have obviously been told differently and I don't want to forfit any NHS help we should be entitled to, like you say for example if it were to go further than the clomid stages.

Can I ask you, did you have a lap & dye before starting on clomid? This is the order he wants to do it to confirm my tubes are open as no point in trying the clomid if there is a problem with the sperm and egg meeting.

I am thinking of asking just to let us try the clomid first though....after all we are paying! Lol

What do you think? X

 

[Lily7]

P.S. Do you feel the clomid shortened your cycle and helped ovulation?

When are you due to test?

 

[Want2bMum]

hello,
what I have been told by my GP may not be correct or maybe regulations are different where you are, I live in london. I have heard here in bb that in some places of the uk you need to be ttc for 2 years before nhs referral whereas in london is only 1 year... i am not sure what to say...
you could speak with your gp and tell him that you were thinking on going private and how regulations would work, this is the same i have done... i actually told my gp i would have gong private for sure because it was nonsense waiting that long... and she still gave me advise.... quite amazed...

i decided to take clomid as i usually O on my own, just a bit late and have LP of 10-11 days which is ok but can be improved. in both cases the therapy is clomid.
i think it is wise to check the tubes before taking clomid as there is no point in taking it if tubes are blocked, but i also think that a lab&dye takes longer to be scheduled under NHS (private costs too much) so as clomid usually doesn't harm I would start with this for 3 months and see what happens...

i was put on 100mg of clomid, many people, especially in the uk are prescribed 50mg to start with but my specialist was sure 50mg wouldn't work for me.
i have to say it didn't anticipate O at least for this cycle, I think I am O today or did yesterday, still have to confirm with bbt but it is either day18 or 19 so no much earlier than usual. what i noticed is definitely stronger O pain in both sides so hopefully this mean 1 or 2 big eggs...
i couldn't do ultrasound to see how many follicles i produced as i didn't want to go back this month, so because i O on my own the specialist and i agreed not to check for the first month, i'll have to do ultrasound in the middle of my second clomid cycle, if i dont get my BFP this is...

overall i think going private has been a good choice as i had the treatment i wanted in the shortest time possible.... i actually booked the appointment when it was convenient for me and got the prescription there and then, this would have never been possible under the nhs.

i am due to test wednesday 15th but i am not sure i will resist so probably going to start on sunday 12th...

i wish you good luck for everything hun

let me know if you need anymore info


lab work can be taken up to day7 or 8 my specialist told me, just make sure you tell them. I had mine under the nhs at cd7 and of course the cd 21 wasnt possible as I o late so for me was just progesterone test post O but my gp was more than happy with it, he advised me to do this. so you could do day 2 private and then wait few days to do bloods at gp practice, just tell them you were not feeling well...

 

[mk8]

hey ladies

want2bmum- what exactly was your history for your doc in your home country to prescribe clomid just like that? long cycles?

lily- i think it is wise to try lap/dye test before going for clomid. of course it is up to you but i hear clomid has side effects and you may not want to put your ovaries through that if the tubes are blocked. have you ever had issues that could cause tube blockage? IUD? an STD? operation in that region?

Baby dust to all you lovely people!

 

[Want2bMum]

yes i always had long cycles, since when i can remember. lately, with my bbt chart i found out that i do O, just later. few times per year my O is very very delayed because i react to stress in this way, so in periods of high stress i dont get AF for a month or two but i always end up ovulating.
she has been my specialist since when i was a teenager, so now she prescribed clomid to help me speed up the process as i am in a rush for work reasons. of course we do not know if my tubes are blocked, this is just a trial. i will do ultrasounds next month to check if clomid caused cysts which is the only major side effect. as for the other ones, they are survivable, hot flashes or ovulation pain, but nothing special...
i hope clomid will help me, if it doesnt then i will follow all steps to see what's wrong but as for now i preferred this way...

i also think it would be better to check for any other infertility cause, but i don't think clomid is so dangerous if tried beforehand. ttc is stressful, we all know this so trying to speed up the process for me was a relief...

 

[Lily7]

Hi no, never any issues before and only just came across pcos since going for tests because we weren't conceiving. I think you are both right, just a bit scared cox it's under a general anasthetic and thinking we could maybe skip a step!

I think I will just run it past my gp and say we are thinking about private andsee what he says, at least then I will know for def where I stand.

How are you both doing ?

 

[mk8]

Hey ladies

I've been feeling a bit low the past couple of days. I guess it just kinda hit me that its been 6 months. I remember when I first started TTC and I never thought it would take longer than a couple of cycles. Sigh.

My docs appt is today and I am pretty nervous. I went to see him because of pelvic pain and he was a bit worried so prescribed various scans and tests. One of which is ovarian cancer and that obviously freaked me out. Will update you ladies later.

Want2b- absolutely, if you can speed up the process, go for it! Best of luck that the meds work out for you. How can they tell that it does help? Do scans reveal ovulation etc? Sorry but no idea how it all works.

Lily- I know it is scary but worth it. Just make sure you pick a place that you trust. It's a pretty common procedure so I am sure it will be OK. Have you had any surgery in that area before or suffered from any infections in that area? Likelihood is that your tubes will be fine!

 

[Want2bMum]

hello MK8
...just saw that you are 30 and on ttc cycle 4... exactly like me!!!!!

I'll find out if clomid helped when I have my long wanted BFP... 3 DPO today... FX!!!

Many UK NHS specialists will give clomid before doing any invasive procedure, it's usually the first step if the problem is anovulatory cycles. short LP or not mature eggs, they usually give 3 months and check the size of the follicles you are producing...
my therapy would have been the same here in the uk.
going private of course is different, they probably want to do things well and check everything before, this is good... just didn't want to loose time...

i am due to change job and i would like to have a baby before i start the new one... i am due to start in february, if i conceived this month the baby will be due in the end of february which is already a bit late, but i'm positive i can postpone the new job until the beginning of may next year so... I have this cycle and the next... then we'll have to put our baby plans pn hold for a while... so we hope we'll have a bfp soooooooooooooon!!!

have you seen a doc yet?

big hug

 

[babyboo1258]

we went after 6 months, where bloods were taken & other, everything came back normal, but my ovulation was 30, (apparently this is borderline) my OH then had a SA test after 1 year, again everything was normal. our Gp is very reluctant to help us, it now coming up to a year & half, and we've been told to go back, she only said that as i broke down in her office, telling her how hard it is. so who knows what they will be doing this time round, as im hell bent on getting things moving ive waited long enough for my baby

 

[Want2bMum]

we went after 6 months, where bloods were taken & other, everything came back normal, but my ovulation was 30, (apparently this is borderline) my OH then had a SA test after 1 year, again everything was normal. our Gp is very reluctant to help us, it now coming up to a year & half, and we've been told to go back, she only said that as i broke down in her office, telling her how hard it is. so who knows what they will be doing this time round, as im hell bent on getting things moving ive waited long enough for my baby

so sorry to hear this hun,

i am not sure how regulations are where you live, in london after a year of ttc GPs usually refer patients to a fertility centre... it depends on age too, people older than 35 get referred after 6 months...
how old r you hun if you dont mind me asking?

i think you should either change gp or go there and ask very firmly about regulations and that you want to be referred.

best of luck

 

[mk8]

hello MK8
...just saw that you are 30 and on ttc cycle 4... exactly like me!!!!!

I'll find out if clomid helped when I have my long wanted BFP... 3 DPO today... FX!!!

Many UK NHS specialists will give clomid before doing any invasive procedure, it's usually the first step if the problem is anovulatory cycles. short LP or not mature eggs, they usually give 3 months and check the size of the follicles you are producing...
my therapy would have been the same here in the uk.
going private of course is different, they probably want to do things well and check everything before, this is good... just didn't want to loose time...

i am due to change job and i would like to have a baby before i start the new one... i am due to start in february, if i conceived this month the baby will be due in the end of february which is already a bit late, but i'm positive i can postpone the new job until the beginning of may next year so... I have this cycle and the next... then we'll have to put our baby plans pn hold for a while... so we hope we'll have a bfp soooooooooooooon!!!

have you seen a doc yet?

big hug

Hi Want2bmum. I am actually on cycle 6 of TTC, so a bit longer than you. But here's hoping June's everybody's month for BFPs eh?

Went to docs and I don't have cancer! Woo Hoo! The doc said my "Free Androgen Index" (tests for PCOS) was slightly elevated but my internal ultrasound confirmed that I do not have ovarian cysts. So he gave me the all clear on that. He couldn't confirm if I am ovulating as I would need to do 2 sets of bloods for that- CD2 and CD14/15. He wouldn't test me for that for another 6 months (and he thinks we have been TTC for 1 yr!) Sigh. But I think I will just see what happens naturally for now. DH may go for sperm analysis but I will leave that up to him to decide. I do not want to add too much pressure to this for now.

I also asked the doc about the weird fishy discharge I had last week and he said it sounds like an infection that I fought on myself as the smell has gone now.

I asked him for "tips" also which made him laugh and he said to just lie in bed post BD. I already do I yelped!

How are doing today?

 

[mk8]

we went after 6 months, where bloods were taken & other, everything came back normal, but my ovulation was 30, (apparently this is borderline) my OH then had a SA test after 1 year, again everything was normal. our Gp is very reluctant to help us, it now coming up to a year & half, and we've been told to go back, she only said that as i broke down in her office, telling her how hard it is. so who knows what they will be doing this time round, as im hell bent on getting things moving ive waited long enough for my baby

Hey babyboo, I know the feeling about the nhs not helping. My doc wont even do bloods to see if I am ovulating. He did do bloods and scans to check my general lady bits for PCOS (which is good) but I think he would have done that even if I didnt tell him we were TTC. He told us to return in 6 months, by then it would be a year but our doc thinks we have been ttcing for 1 year already. So really, its an 18 months wait! I didn't push it. I just want to go with the flow for now. Also, I am in London but I think diff boroughs have different rules. Best of luck to you!

 

[Lily7]

Hi mk, I'm glad you appt went well x

 

[Lily7]

Sorry for the typos and short post, I'm on my phone lol