Any ladies with IVF experience?
Hi ladies 😊
Just wondering if there’s anyone out there who can shed a little light on the IVF process for me. Myself and H2B have been trying for over 2 years now. We have had all tests and sadly I have been diagnosed with severe endometriosis which has also affected both tubes, after having lap & dye it shows they are both block which has been devastating to learn.
My doc is wanting to remove my tubes before we start IVF to reduce the risk of ectopic and also to give us the best chance which I’m prepared to embrace and crack on with! 💪🏼
We have our appointment next week with the gyno at the fertility clinic. My question is - even though I know that appointment is to plan my tube removal surgery, I just wondered (hope) will he also refer us for IVF funding at that appointment as well or is that after my surgery? The doc said IVF is our only way forward.
I understand this is going to be a long road ahead of us however I’m needing a little guidance on this as I’m a forward thinker and I feel a little left in the dark around the IVF referral process.
PMA needed!
Sending lots of baby dust to all of you xx
Replies
Hello,
I hope you are well!
I underwent IVF last year, failed my first cycle and was very very very lucky to get pregnant with twins on my second cycle. I am happy to answer any questions you have regarding the procedure.
I was refereed through my hospital after all, including my tube tests came up clear, our infertility was due to male factor as my husband had low count. It really does depend on the hospital, your borough (funding) and your situation. I'm sorry i cant be more specific but really do advise you to question question question.
I am currently trying to write a blog about my experiences, feel free to follow and have a read as it might provide insight..
www.thenonnaturalmum.wordpress.com
Best of luck to you!!
Hi Saarah1992 😊
Thanks so much for getting back to me - & May I start by saying how wonderful to be blessed with twins! You must be a busy bee now 😍
I had my appointment with my gyno a couple of weeks ago and he’s booked me in for my tube removal in November.
So I guess, where I’m at at the moment, when I had my surgery booked, my gyno gave me a form to fill in for funding. So my question would be, what happens next after we have our funding (hopefully) approved? I know I’ll need to heal from my surgery to start ivf which I’ll gladly take at my pace as when I had similar laparoscopy surgery last time it took me a good month to feel back to normal. I am currently on injections to stop af to help with my endometreosis and my gyno said I won’t have anymore injections after my next one next week so that I can have a period and he doesn’t want to put me on any birth control either just wants my body to get back to normal.
There is no waiting list for ivf where I am, however my gyno didn’t give me much guidance on the process regarding timescales or how long the process takes he just said “ill refer you after surgery” And that they’ll answer all my questions at the ivf unit.
if you have any info on what the ivf clinics like you to of had done test wise, how many af’s I should’ve had etc that’d be so helpful. I feel a little in limbo at the moment.
Thank you 😊
Hi hopingforababy. Did you know you had endometriosis before getting tubes checked?
Hi Oj19
My consultant suspected endometriosis as I had all the classic symptoms along with an endometrium cyst on my ovary so he performed a laparoscopy and checked my tubes at the same time with the dye. When I came round from surgery my doc informed me of the endo and that it had caused my tubes to block (both tubes are hydrosalpinx) he said he thought they would find that was the case because of the pain I was getting.
How are you getting on?
I am just at the stage of getting bloods done and dh getting sperm analysis. Just a bit fearful of next stages.X
Oj19 bless you I can completely relate. How long have you been trying for?
Its strange because all the tests have passed in a huge blur or maybe I’ve just mentally blocked them out 😄 but I started with my day 3-5 and day 21 bloods, they did my smear and a chlamydia and ghonorreah (excuse spellings lol) then they sent me for a scan which showed up a 7cm endometrium cyst on my right ovary so they booked me in for a lap and dye test, hubby had SA done and he was okay he had to do 2 of these. If my endo cyst didn’t show up the next plan would’ve still been a laparoscopy and dye test, I was so anxious for the surgery as it was the unknown but it wasnt half as bad as I anticipated. From my diagnosis of tubal factor infertility the ball has rolled really quickly, in due to have my tubes removed on Friday so we can start IVF not long after. Any questions please feel free to PM me, you’re not alone I know how daunting it all is and I have felt so alone but found huge comfort in talking to ladies on this board who are in similar situations x
Hi hopingforababy. Just wondering how getting tubes removed went x hope you are well x
Hi Oj19 it went well, I’m a little sore this morning but I’m feeling okay thank you 😊
How are you doing? X
I’m good. Was it under anaesthetic? Got our fertility appointment on 10th December.
Bless you, is that for your bloods etc? I was under general taking it easy now as I am very sore today. Glad it’s all over and done with tho x
Got bloods on 22nd Nov, sperm Test 7th dec and fertility appointment 10th dec. take it easy x
I wish you all the luck, I know how daunting it is. Does your doc suspect endo with you/do you have endo? Keep strong lovely x
Not suspecting anything. I don’t have endo or any symptoms as far as I know. So just trying to see why it’s not happening. If you don’t mind what age are you?
@HopingforbabyD, I would suggest you visit a few doctors if you are not sure if your doc is really professional. When I've started IVF I've used recommendations of people who went through it, I was lucky because I've totally liked the first doctor I've met and everything went well
Hope, you are ok and everything is going fine! Stay positive and relax, a body is really feeling every stress and do not like it, so help him to make its best
Thanks bettyflower for all your advice, I decided to phone the ivf clinic just to clear up my queries and they said after my follow up appointment post surgery (had surgery on Friday) I’ll be referred and then should get a consultation appointment a couple of weeks after and start early next year so it has given me a little hope 😊
Going to book myself in for some massages soon to take away some stress but I feel relieved now knowing there’s a time line not too far away.
I’m so glad everything went well with you, have you had a successful ivf if you don’t mind me asking?
@HopingforbabyD, I'm glad to hear that
Yes, I've undergone an IVF procedure at the international medical center “Mother & Child” a couple of years ago. I was really lucky to become pregnant during the first attempt of fertilizing my egg. Prior to choosing this place, I had been searching for the right clinic for more than a year. Coming across this clinic I knew right away that it totally correlated to my overall expectations and my somewhat limited financial capacity back then. Two years have passed since, and now I am a proud mother of two beautiful girls! Thank all of them! They performed a miracle! Here is clinic website https://ivf-international.com, maybe it will help someone.
Hi ladies
I've been trying to find a thread too chat to people about situations similar to above..
We have been trying for over a year now and my gp was happy to do some bloods in August. Sadly she was adamant I should have them done on day 14 despite having a 30/32 day cycle. So naturally they came up low.
I had another one done before this but she didn't test for the right thing so it was another wasted effort. We changed GP after this..
New gp referred me to a specialist based on trying a year, hubbys SA was fine and the mix ups with the bloods causing an almost 3 month delay.
So went to specialist had an internal scan she said womb looked great, ovaries looked great and she suspected I would ov from left side because of the size of a follicle she could see. She said next step was something else I believe I needed anaesthetic for but can't recall the name, it was to see if any blockages in my tubes.
I then went for day 21s but on day 22 because of longer cycle. Doc called me and no sign of ovulation. However, I had been doing ovulation predictor kits and didn't get a positive reading until day 23 this month. I'm now confused because if I didn't ovulated until day 23/24 then it's a given my progesterone wasn't showing ovulation levels at day 21/22.
I have regular cycles, work out, eat well, don't drink often etc so a fairly healthy life style. Just so confused by it all...
Thinking I might call gp tomorrow and see if it's possible to get bloods done again this week since they should be done after ovulation which I think happened late this month.
That aside, does anyone know what this checking the tubes is actually called? There's a 5 month waiting list for it and so I would prefer to do this privately to get peace of mind at the minute.
I know I'm not the only one but it truly is the most isolating thing isn't it.
Xx
Hi JA13
Firstly welcome! The ladies on these boards have been so helpful & always there if you need to chat so always feel free to ask away or pm if you need to 😊
I really do feel your frustration. It can feel like such a lonely journey. Just remember you’re never alone and while these times feel so frustrating, once you get referred to a specialist things do move pretty fast.
A little story about my journey just so you have an idea of what happens with testing etc...I don’t want to worry you as mine is quite a sad one and is quite rare to have the full shebang of infertility but the tests I’ve had have been very in-depth so hope this can shed some hope that when you’re referred they do everything they can to find out why it’s not happening - it has a hope of a positive ending yet to happen 😊💪🏼 I’ve never had the chance to find anyone who had a similar journey so putting this out there for you and anyone else who might find this useful and also to hopefully raise a bit more awareness of infertility. I spent months and months browsing the internet never really finding what I was looking for and I never found anyone’s full journey so I hope this helps a little...
Myself and DH started ttc in September 2016, after a year passed and nothing happened I went to my gp who ran routine tests which were day 21 bloods (showed I ovulated that cycle) bloods for overall hormones, they did an sti test, smear test and sent me for a scan all of which came back okay. DH did a sperm sample all okay. My gp suspected I had endometriosis due to my complaints of painful periods and spotting in between cycles and I was angry and in denial about this because I didn’t want to believe anything was wrong seeing as everything had come back as text book perfect - this was all performed in the September/October of 2017.
In the February 2018 I went back to my gp and complained again of my pains and she referred me to a fertility specialist at the hospital for the dye test and my appointment was not long after in the March. I was asked to repeat my tests by the hospital before the dye test which were bloods day 3-5, day 21 (showed I did not ovulate this cycle) rubella bloods, overall blood check, DH to do 2 more SA, another scan - this time my scan showed up a 7cm endometrium cyst on my right ovary which my consultant expected to be endometriosis. He then booked me in for a laparoscopy in the July 2018 to remove my cyst and to do the dye test at the same time. Even without the endo cyst the next step would’ve been lap & dye to rule things out.
Sometimes the dye test can be performed on its own without general anaesthetic but I think most specialist like to do it while you’re under and do the lap at the same time. If you are sent for a lap and dye this was my experience - The laparoscopy is perfomed under general anestetic, they put a small camera in your belly button which they also pump with air and two further insicions are made either side of your bikini line (like a triangle) so they can use other devices to have a look around. I absolutely freaked out about the lap & dye I was so frightened, I suffer badly with anxiety and it’s all I could think about - it’s easy to say, but once it was all done it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated at all it’s day surgery and the only pain I experienced was from the gas they pumped in my tummy it gets trapped in your shoulders which can be uncomfortable.
During the laparoscopy they performed the dye test where they use a catheter through the cervix to check if the liquid spills up and out of the tubes. Sometimes if there is a little blockage the dye can flush the tubes. If I’m honest I held onto hope this would happen for me and I’d fall naturally however sadly they discovered I had severe endometriosis which they burnt away and that both my tubes were blocked by a condition called hydrosalpinx which was caused by my endo.
The only option for me was to have IVF but my consultant recommended to have my tubes removed first to give me the best chance as the hydrosalpinx carries toxic fluid which could be bad for the embryo or cause an ectopic pregnancy. I had my tubes removed a couple of weeks ago and I’m due to be referred for ivf in just over a week ready to start in the new year.
It all seems very daunting when it starts becoming intrusive and surgeries are on the agenda but keep positive as it’s all to give you the answers you need. I truly hope your tubes are okay and everything runs so smoothly for you.
Keep faith & do let me know how you get on.
I hope this has given you a little more of an idea as to what happens but honestly, any more questions please feel free to ask as I didn’t dare write on a board until after I had my first laparoscopy but so glad I did now.
Lots of love xx
Welcome JA13. Sorry you are having to join us on this journey but everyone on here is great. Think I would have went crazy without this chat.
Hopingforababy thanks so much for sharing your story again. You seem to positive about everything and it’s inspiring.
JA13 little bit on my story. Ttc for over a year and went to doctors last month. I am phoning up on Tuesday for my day 21 bloods but doctor told me not to worry if show not ovulating because not a great indicator. Dh has sperm analysis on 7th and we have meeting with fertility specialist on 10th.
It really is the most isolating thing I’ve ever experienced. Dh is briliant but quite private so doesn’t want to tell anyone unless tests come back with problems. Some days im in tears that I’ll never have a baby but dh always says even if not biologically ours we will adopt one day. Other days im very positive that it will happen and that I’ll appreciate it even more for the wait. It is an emotional mindfield and that’s not even us been told anything is wrong. Im finding the lack of control very hard and feel like my life is on hold .
you are not alone in this xxx
Oj19 it is a lovely board isn’t it, so glad I have you lovely ladies to chat to otherwise I think I’d go insane.
It really is such a horribly heartbreaking journey to be on, while dh’s are in it with us I just don’t think they fully understand that yearning for wanting to be pregnant so that can feel so isolating even though they don’t mean to.
I spent so much time crying and being so angry at my body for not working the way it should. It makes you feel like a failure as a woman and it really can get you so down. It is so emotionally draining.
I feel much more positive now only because I feel like I have an answer, even though it’s not the one I’d dream of - I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. But it’s given me a little closure, like a closure on grief it’s hard to explain but I really do feel a weights been lifted a little and that finally there will be a bit of control coming my way - I like to have control and all the tests made me feel so isolated and lost. I longed to feel back to “normal” but this is my new normal now & I hope soon you ladies will get some answers so you can too be back to your new normal ❤️
I spent so long looking for answers for things on google and it was chucking up forums from 2005 so it’s great to find ladies who are going through things now at all different stages & hopeflly we can all keep each other positive through our journeys.
We will all get there and we all have so much love to give. This is just our journey & those little babes will be so loved when they’re finally here, however they choose to get here - we’ve got this girls 💪🏼xx