Unexpected appointment, please help!

[Mrs R]

Hi girls,

Well I have a very short notice appointment with my consultant in the morning - got a cancellation!

After 5 cycles of clomid, they've decided it's not giving satisfactory results and my appointment is to discuss the next step It's a 'review after treatment' appointment.

I only found out about it on Friday last week after my clomid scan so haven't had time to panic/stress/google anything!

I've been told I'll prob need a hsg but this will be conformed tomorrow. Can anybody who's done clomid (unsuccessfully!) enlighten me about this app, and is there anything I should be asking?

Is it likely I'll get another scan even though I just had one on Friday? Im about CD18ish

 

[CurlySue]

To be honest, if Clomid fails they normally don't discuss why. They just discuss the next step. Their policy is most likely "no point dwelling on what didn't work, lets just discuss what MIGHT work in the future."

Clomid did feck all for me. Absolutely diddly squat. Having said that, it really does baffle me why it's prescribed at all to people before a HSG. One question you should ask is "Why did you prescribe Clomid to me when you didn't check to see if my tubes were clear?" since there is no point in taking Clomid if the egg cannot get through the tubes in order to reach its desired destination. I was made to have tests done BEFORE Clomid for this very reason.

 

[maz]

Good luck for tomorrow hun.

I don't really know what to suggest to you. The only treatment reviews I've been for have been post-IVF failure. They'll probably discuss the HSG procedure and explain what will happen after that.

 

[maz]

To be honest, if Clomid fails they normally don't discuss why. They just discuss the next step. Their policy is most likely "no point dwelling on what didn't work, lets just discuss what MIGHT work in the future."

Clomid did feck all for me. Absolutely diddly squat. Having said that, it really does baffle me why it's prescribed at all to people before a HSG. One question you should ask is "Why did you prescribe Clomid to me when you didn't check to see if my tubes were clear?" since there is no point in taking Clomid if the egg cannot get through the tubes in order to reach its desired destination. I was made to have tests done BEFORE Clomid for this very reason.

I made this very point in a previous thread ... seems strange to me too. And me and Mrs R live in the same fecking country!!!

 

[Mrs R]

As far as I can make out, I wasn't offered a hsg because I was told everything in that area looked very healthy when I was told I had PCOS. I assume they just thought if everything else looked good, the tubes would be ok.

Not that it matters coz clomid did feck all for me aswell! They 'think' I ovulated twice, but don't know for sure as I only had scans before ov, and nothing to confirm it after.

Do you think it matters if my DH doesn't come with me? We're off on holidays on Thursday and he's working all the hours God sends to get everything done and so can't take the time off (I'm a bit gutted about this actually!) Will they mind?

 

[CurlySue]

To be honest, if Clomid fails they normally don't discuss why. They just discuss the next step. Their policy is most likely "no point dwelling on what didn't work, lets just discuss what MIGHT work in the future."

Clomid did feck all for me. Absolutely diddly squat. Having said that, it really does baffle me why it's prescribed at all to people before a HSG. One question you should ask is "Why did you prescribe Clomid to me when you didn't check to see if my tubes were clear?" since there is no point in taking Clomid if the egg cannot get through the tubes in order to reach its desired destination. I was made to have tests done BEFORE Clomid for this very reason.

I made this very point in a previous thread ... seems strange to me too. And me and Mrs R live in the same fecking country!!!

It's the Drug of Choice for fertility experts but seriously, is it worth taking if your tubes are blocked? What's the point in producing 2 or 3 eggs a month if they get stuck before they can be fertilised? It's shitty side effects with no chance of an end product and it drives me mad that they do it.

 

[CurlySue]

I assume they just thought if everything else looked good, the tubes would be ok.

The thing is, though, they couldn't possibly know this unless they checked. Tis like a woman with cancer symptoms going for a smear, them finding nothing there then saying "Well, it's not in the cervix. Why bother looking at the ovaries?"

Nah OH didn't come with me to that appointment either.

 

[Steph63]

To be honest, if Clomid fails they normally don't discuss why. They just discuss the next step. Their policy is most likely "no point dwelling on what didn't work, lets just discuss what MIGHT work in the future."

Clomid did feck all for me. Absolutely diddly squat. Having said that, it really does baffle me why it's prescribed at all to people before a HSG. One question you should ask is "Why did you prescribe Clomid to me when you didn't check to see if my tubes were clear?" since there is no point in taking Clomid if the egg cannot get through the tubes in order to reach its desired destination. I was made to have tests done BEFORE Clomid for this very reason.

I made this very point in a previous thread ... seems strange to me too. And me and Mrs R live in the same fecking country!!!

I queried this with the Royal as I haven't had an HSG yet either and was told it's because it's an "invasive procedure" they like to try Clomid (or in my case Tamoxifen) for a few months and only if you don't have an BFP in that time will they refer you for an HSG.

I have my HSG on Friday afternoon (quite nervous as am a real wuss when it comes to pain) and was only referred for it after 2 months on Clomid where I didn't respond properly and 6 months on Tamoxifen, on which I have had "perfect" cycles every month and still diddly squat!!

I have been told that the RFC will offer me IUI after another 6 months on the tamoxifen (unless the HSG shows a problem) because of my age - they said if I was ten years older they wouldn't because the success rates are so low, but as "time is on my side" (I fecking hate hearing that ) they think it is worth a try.....so I would say they will refer you for the HSG, then dependant on your age etc it will be IUI or IVF chick. The only other thing is, they might change you to Tamoxifen, as Clomid failed for me too, and I have responded to the Tamoxifen, might be worth asking about if you don't want to go straight to IVF.....

Good luck for tomorrow, I'll be thinking about you, will keep my FX you are satisfied with the outcome

 

[maz]

Hi Steph

I got my GP to refer my to Dundonald for my initial fertility tests as the waiting time was a lot lower than at the RFC. They insisted on a HSG and US scan before doing anything else. Strange that there is such a variation in advice from hospitals only what? 10 miles away from each other ...

Good luck for your HSG on Friday - don't worry about it, it isn't that bad.

 

[Mrs R]

Thanks for the info Steph, always helps to be armed lol

Can't believe they would keep you on something with really low success rates, what's the point? Just sounds like laziness!

As I'm only 24, they'll probably keep me on various versions of the same thing for about 10 years before they consider something that actually works.

DH and I have decided that if the injections don't work we're going to go private due to the length of waiting lists. We can't afford it, but we'll scrimp and save and get it from somewhere. It's been two looooooooong years now and I'm bored with it all.

I'll let you know how I get on this evening

And good luck on Friday, you can fill me in on that too

 

[Jan34]

I'm also really surprised they would give you clomid before an hsg. As curly sue says, no point in forcing you to OV if the eggs can't get down the fallopian tubes! I had an hsg before any treatment. At my latest review appt (after 3 months of clomid) I asked the consultant if I should have a laproscopy to check if anything else was going on in there, and he seemed surprised that I hadn't been offered one, in fact, he told me I should have been offered a choice of the hsg or the lap all those months ago and he put me on the waiting list there and then. So I wonder if it is worth discussing that with him? They can check your tubes out and check for anything else that might be going on in there at the same time.

As for further treatment, he told us we should complete 3 more months of Clomid, and that we then had a choice of a further 6 months of clomid or undergoing IUI or IVF privately. He said that the greatest chance of falling pg with clomid was in the first 6 months but that we could try up to a year, and sent us away to research clinics and costs for IUI and IVF. Happily we got a bfp that very evening and didn't have to go down that path. Hope the above info helps, and good luck for your appt.

 

[Mrs R]

Well girls, just wanted to give up a quick update on my appointment today.

It went terribly! (surprise surprise)

The consultant didn't have any record of my scan last week, and so thought clomid was working. WTF??

I had to tell him that actually it's not working at all, stupid man.

Then he basically progressed to telling me that I am too fat to have any further treatment at the minute! Now I'm a size 14-16 and know I could be doing with loosing a few pounds, but I would hardly say I'm clinically obese!

He told me I would have to loose a 'substantial amount of weight' before my next review appointment at the end of September and then he would consider FSH injections. So I have 3 months with no medication, which means I'm back to where I started. I would rather be on clomid til then even if it doesn't work, but now I just have to sit and do nothing for nearly 3 months. I'm gutted

He also told me he wasn't a fan of HSG's when I asked why I hadn't had one. He told me my problem was ovulation, and not my tubes so there was no point because it wasn't very pleasant.

Yet on Friday when I seen a different consultant, she said HSG, then onto injections. No mention of weight. Weight has never been mentioned to me before and up until today I was quite happy with myself. Now I just feel like a big fat failure

 

[maz]

How frustrating is that? Not only does practice vary from one hospital to another, but it varies from one consultant to another in the same bloody place!!! What are you going to do?

I heard from a friend at the weekend that the NHS is likely to refuse fertility treatment to anyone that smokes, or is overweight, come next year. She had been told that it is because smoking and being overweight, can reduce fertility therefore, if patients are not prepared to help themselves then they aren't going to provide treatment - or something like that.

What I would want to know though, is what is the guideline? Surely it needs to be provided in writing, and every consultant needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet. I'm currently the heaviest I've ever been, and have probably put over 7lbs on since my appointment last year. I'd better get losing some weight in case they tell me I'm too heavy in a couple of months time.

Go and enjoy your holiday, forget about the stupid doctor, and when you come back then you can start focussing on your review appointment in September.

 

[Jan34]

That's terrible! So sorry it went badly, especially when that other doctor had told you something different. Can you see another doctor?

 

[Blue12]

My friend just got prescribed clomid. I heard that you can only have it 6 months in a row max - is that true does anyone know?

Thanks

 

[Mrs R]

Well I'm off on my holidays to try not to think about how fat and infertile I am lol
Talk soon girls

 

[maz]

You're not fat or infertile ....

Enjoy your holiday. Where you off to?

 

[Steph63]

Well girls, just wanted to give up a quick update on my appointment today.

It went terribly! (surprise surprise)

The consultant didn't have any record of my scan last week, and so thought clomid was working. WTF??

I had to tell him that actually it's not working at all, stupid man.

Then he basically progressed to telling me that I am too fat to have any further treatment at the minute! Now I'm a size 14-16 and know I could be doing with loosing a few pounds, but I would hardly say I'm clinically obese!

He told me I would have to loose a 'substantial amount of weight' before my next review appointment at the end of September and then he would consider FSH injections. So I have 3 months with no medication, which means I'm back to where I started. I would rather be on clomid til then even if it doesn't work, but now I just have to sit and do nothing for nearly 3 months. I'm gutted

He also told me he wasn't a fan of HSG's when I asked why I hadn't had one. He told me my problem was ovulation, and not my tubes so there was no point because it wasn't very pleasant.

Yet on Friday when I seen a different consultant, she said HSG, then onto injections. No mention of weight. Weight has never been mentioned to me before and up until today I was quite happy with myself. Now I just feel like a big fat failure

I am so shocked at this....As far as I remember we have the same consultant and I had my review apt about 6 weeks ago. He wasn't particularily friendly, but never really is! However I am alot bigger than you (size 18 ) and he has referred me for an HSG (he did give me a choice of a lap instead but actualoly said he would recommend the HSG) and gave me another 6 months of treatment. My problem is supposed to be ovulation too, but I was told you still need an HSG to check tubes are clear so can meet the egg and all the rest.....

He did mention my weight, which has gone down slightly but not very much, and just said it was important to loose weight, but didn't say he would stop my treatment because of it. He is a numpty...

You are definitely not a fat failure, I would kill to be as slim as you, go off and enjoy your hols and forget about the weedly wee creep for now and challenge it when you get back.

Have a fab holiday, massive