IVF what to expect??

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Hi.

Paid a visit to the GP today regarding IVF. She is referring me to a gynacologist. What should I be expecting to happen??

fsdss

depends on what stage you're at ?? have you had tests to confirm cause of infertility? have you had clomid (if appropriate)? etc

it totally depends on more information that you give as to what others can advise you on

Nicki

You can expect to start off with your gynaecologist to take a history from you, do a sperm test on your OH to ensure the problem isn't with him, and do some tests on you to determine the cause of the problem.

If IVF is indicated, you need to consider how this is going to be funded, and once that is sorted out, what generally happens is that from the time of your next period you will be given a drug to take over your cycle, which you will either sniff or take orally. You will be given a drug to stimulate your ovaries to produce a lot of eggs and will be monitored closely to ensure that this is going to plan (scans every few days). This drug is usually injected into a muscle by you at home. When the doctor feels the time is right, you will be told to give yourself another injection (this one is quite painful) and 24 hours later will go in to have your eggs harvested and fertilised by your OH's sperm under a light GA. About a week later, 1 or 2 fertilised embryos will be replaced in your womb. You can test for pregnancy about a week after this, I think but the gynaecologist will tell you when. Can't tell you what drugs will be used as these depend on your own medical history.

Hth and doesn't put you off!

Js_Other_Half

What fsdss said...

however, I will say not to get too worked up about the journey you're probably about to embark on. It'll probably be some time before anything concrete happens,

Good luck with it.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I already know the cause of my infertility, I had a tubal tie about 4 yrs ago mainly due to little contraceptive options (won't go into detail).

So, unless my partner and or I have other problems, I suspect I would be a good candidate.

The PCT where I live fund one cycle of IVF.

The GP was very vague today, she just said I needed to make an appointment with a gyne and she would write a letter it was all a bit bizarre and mind bending to be honest, I was in and out of the GP's in a couple of mins.

Js_Other_Half

OK, so your PCT funds one attempt - do you know how long the waiting list is? In this area it's 3 years...

We were told we needed IVF in October 2005, and we immediately said we'd go private due to the waiting list. We finally got onto a cycle in Feb 2006 - they had to slot us into a bigger hospital who did the egg retrieval and embryo implantation. The result of which is now over 5 months old...:D. It depends on where you are as to how much it'll cost privately. If you do a search on your hospital website it may well tell you the current costs - our hospital does.
(here is a link to exactly what happens in my clinic:http://www.cht.nhs.uk/fileadmin/departments/fertility/documents/BOOKLET.pdf)

For others in similar positions it might be worth having a look at this site for more information:
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Congrats :beer:


I never got the chance to inquire how long the waiting list was, GP just told me to telephone one of the local hospitals and make an appointment, and she would write a letter. Basically that's all that was said.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Ok made an appointment at the local hospital. From this appointment will i find out if I'm eligable for IVF or will I need further appointments??

Have been trying to get in touch with the infertility dept at the hospital to find out how long the waiting list is.

Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

Js_Other_Half

Once we'd had all the tests done to find out why we were having problems, the next appointment with a consultant after that gave us the news that we would have to go straight to IVF. He told us how long the waiting list was, and asked what we wanted to do...
He also suggested that if we were going private, that he'd suggest we budget for at least 3 attempts before calling it a day. We took out some equity from the house - the woman we dealt with at the bank where we have our mortgage said she sees on average 2 couples a month releasing money/remortgaging for the same reason. (In fact she has twins by IVF herself.)

Once we'd confirmed that we were going straight to private (am in my late 30s so no time to wait) he put us on his list of patients to be slotted in. We then started injections and stuff in the February, with egg collection in late March.

So it really depends on who you see at the hospital...what I will say is don't leave there without a firm plan of action with timescales. Always go to the important appointments as a couple - I have found that they do tend to take you more seriously...:rolleyes:

hth

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Oh my partner wouldn't let me go on my own thankfully.

Well I hope my first appointment goes ok anyway.

Thanks for all the replies

buxtonrabbitgreen

Pleased to hear you are getting somewhere with this at last.