Hi I am new to post on this sight but have been reading your stories for last few month's, I have been given some news I wasn't expecting at all yesterday and feel incredibly lost.
A little bit of history
We started ttc in 2008 and suffered a miscarriage at 6 weeks in 2009 than again a miscarriage in 2010, our third pregnancy made it to 18 weeks before my world literally stopped and I gave birth to our baby girl (at the time no reason for early labour) we conceived again but history repeated itself and at 18 weeks I gave birth to our son, I was then diagnosed with incompetent cervix. I known I do not need to explain to you all the daily pain and devastation I battled so I could continue and achieve a successful pregnancy but it did not happen quickly we were referred to the fertility clinic and all test for both of us normal and the biggest miracle happened we had a beautiful boy he is amazing my whole world and the reason for living however we never wanted an only child but with no luck naturally I went to see the GP I was expecting my bloods to come back abnormal as I have ridiculously long cycles from 48 to 72 days I do ovulation tests daily and my last positive was September 2014 but no they are normal my husbands sperm is only 2% good quality. He has said IVF only option natural conception unlikely and has referred us to our local clinic I have so may questions but I just cant think straight.
can anyone help with few questions:
will the initial appointments be free until I get told what if any or options are or do we pay from first apt?
can I change the clinic, I didn't like this one last time I was referred not very helpful or sympathetic?
or do I go to this clinic as it is NHS to complete diagnosis then choose where I have the treatment if it's an option will they transfer all the information or will it all be repeated hence more time?
Can I get any idea of cost from somewhere for IVF for example as I don't know how we will manage ?
dose cost vary massively between clinics ?
Anything else you could help me with
Thank you in advance I know its a long post and I know how blessed I am to have my son but also how much I will be missing by not trying for another child.
Hi mystie121, i also have a son who is amazing and i feel very fortunate to have him but like youself never really imagined having an only child so feel i would do anything i could to change that more for his sake than my own tbh
Im not sure how private clinics work but having treatment in a nhs hospital self funding your IVF all your appointments would be free... The average cost of IVF is around £5000 slightly more if you use ISCI aswel, from my experience because we took a break after all the investigations of over a year we had to be re-refered by our GP and repeat most of the tests again, Im not sure how ud go about choosing the clinic of your choice tho...maybe you have a look around and when you have decided inform your GP so you can be refered to that 1 as you will be self funding anyway hope this helps a little at least xx
Thank you hope_faith for your reply it's a mind field and much of it I don't understand, and prob won't until we get going and speak to people, the information I have so far is only from GP and he said my only option was IVF so a little part of me hopes it won't be so bad when we get seen and maybe there will be more choice. Can I ask how long your referral and initial appointments took until they gave you your options? Thanks again
Hi I was just reading your response n I have had all my tests n a diathermy but I am overweight I am having to refer back to my gp once my weight comes down do you know how long it's roughly taking second time round on the nhs like once you asked the gp to refer you again how long till you got your first appointment xx
Sorry Kaykhan I don't know as I have to pay I am looking at a private clinic who will except BMI of upto 35 I phoned them today and they said if I wanted to go ahead can schedule IVF for Nov x
Hi kayekhan i also was self funding and from my understanding it seems to make a lot of difference with waiting times...was only 4 weeks for me to get 1st appointment privately after re-referal by my GP x
I wouldnt worry to much about trying to understand everything as it seems to be alot easier to handle when u take each step as it comes...and like u sed ur not even completely sure if ull need to know all there is to know about IVF/ICSI.
My referal was in febuary and my first appointment was in april.... my hubbys sperm count was low so at our next appointment in june we were told ICSI was for us
We signed the paperwork in august and will be starting next week x
Wow that was not too long compared to some stories ive read, I'm a control freak and want to know the next three steps ahead so I can be prepared for each apt as last time I was totally unsure of what or why things were happening. I wish u a smooth journey with positive outcomes mainly 2 blue lines x
Thanks, and yh it really wernt too long at all, i actually delayed things by 6 weeks for opting for another operation to tie my tubes but later changed my mind...if it wernt for this id have been starting last month.
Im a complete control freak aswel and its been hard for me to take each step as i comes but it really does help when you try your best to just go with the flow, i never thought that would be possible for me but it has been surprisingly. But if it helps this is a few steps to come.
The 1st step for you im guessing would be to do a scan checking ur ovaries and uterus also doing another sperm count, because you have history of getting pregnant i doubt they will do a dye test to check your tubes but they might just to rule that out, i had it done and was shocked to hear i had blockages as i had concieved and had my son previously i just presumed my hubby was the problem!
Next step if you are all fine would be disgussing ur options... because ur partner has a low count that would most likely mean using ICSI... (injecting an individual sperm into an egg) at this point you would be given the chance to go away and think about if you want to go ahead or not...if youve already decided like we had done you can say at that appointment and a further appointment should be made to do the paperwork where you will make your 1st payment, for us it was £3900 we still have at least another £1000- £1500 to pay but that will be invoiced as an when the extra costs come in.
Depending on which protocol you will be using short/long you would start your treatment on day 1or day21 of the cycle you wish to start...that could be the very next cycle or if like some you have plans inbetween you could wait till a later date.
Every clinic seems to have different procedures and ways of doing things but this was my experience so just to give you a rough idea of what to expect i thought it might help just to break it down that little bit...most people seem to be the same though, only if other problems are revealed during investigations the process changes x
Fertility Treatments and procedures available, usually noninvasive procedures are used at first. The best Fertility Treatment Options are:
Clomid treatments: usually the initial fertility treatment used, this treatment is for women whose infertility is caused by ovulation problems. Clomid treatments are designed to help stimulate and induce ovulation. The prescription medication called clomiphene citrate is typically given in pill form, and it's successful in about 80% of women who experienced ovulation difficulties, although it may be less effective in older or heavy women.
Ovulation Induction (OI): is utilized when intrauterine adhesions, or scar tissue is located inside the uterus, and it causes menstrual difficulties and may cause different degrees of fertility problems for many women. In many cases, removing the adhesions helps to increase chances of becoming pregnant, but in others it won't. These Women who suffer from fertility issues during the ovulation process or those that result in follicle development and ovulation are often good candidates for Ovulation Induction. In this treatment, follicle-stimulating hormones are prescribed that help to stimulate follicle development and eggs within the ovary.
Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is typically tried during the next stage of the female fertility treatment. During this process, which is more known as Artificial Insemination, the individuals dealing with male factor infertility as well as women with fallopian tube damage or poor egg quality or quantity may use this method. During this fertility treatment abroad or locally, the doctor will give the female patient medication in order to stimulate multiple egg development. The timing of the insemination process will coincide with a woman's ovulation cycle. Insemination, or insertion of sperm from the male partner, into the uterus usually increases chances of fertilization.
In vitro fertilization is the next method to be utilized when looking for a successful pregnancy. Also Knowns as IVF, it's performed by fertility specialists that assists reproduction through the combination of a woman's egg and a man's sperm in a laboratory. After fertilization has occurred and the cell division started, the embryo is transferred to the woman's uterus for implantation and development of a normal pregnancy process. In vitro fertilization is not for everyone, but it's certainly effective for women who have no fallopian tubes or tubes that are severely blocked or damaged, women suffering from endometriosis or women whose male partners have a low sperm count.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI): this particular fertility treatment that has been used since the early 1990s. It is commonly used when the infertility problems are caused by the male partner, who has a low sperm count or poor sperm quality. During the ICSI, the sperm is injected directly into a mature egg. This fertility treatment is commonly recommended for men who have obstructions of the male reproductive tract or very low numbers of sperm. In addition, ICSI is recommended for those who have tried in vitro fertilization without success, and those who experience sperm unable to penetrate an egg.
Other Fertility Treatments Available
There are other types of comprehensive fertility treatments options you can have abroad with the same quality and experienced doctors (or even better) than in your own country, these are:
Surrogacy,
Semen freezing,
Sperm donation,
PESA (Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration),
TESA ( Testicular Sperm Aspiration),
Assisted laser hatching.
Some fertility treatment methods require cycles or multiple attempts throughout the process. For example, intrauterine insemination in the United States may cost between $300- $800 per attempt. Multiple attempts may be necessary for success. The most successful fertilization process in the United States, in vitro fertilization, is also one of the most expensive, and may cost between $8,000-$10,000 per attempt, in addition to medication, which may cost over $2,000. You may want to check our Pricing section in order to see Fertility Treatments Costs. More details placidway.com/treatment-lan...
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First Cycle of IVF 
42 thinking about IVF with donor eggs abroad
Day 2 embryo - cell division 
First time post IVF advice needed
