New and looking for advice

[vix04]

I've been diagnosed with endometriosis and it has also been discovered I have a blocked tube. We have been told our chances are slim of conceiving and can be referred for ivf. I am in the early stages of this process but just wondered if anyway can tell me the process from the start? I have no idea what to expect and after reading posts on here there seems to be a lot to the ivf process. Any advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance x

[wanabmum]

Hi there.im sorry to hear about situation.when i had my first round of ivf i thought it was going to be straight forward and simple.its 1 of those things that seems to make time drag i think.first u'll probs have scans to c exactly whats going on with u.it all depends on how they decide to do your treatment but i had my periods shut down then they stimulate your ovarys to get lots of folicles.i had retrieved 10 eggs from my ovary(i only have 1 ovary)then they put your lil eggs in a dish so they fertilise.they then get put in an incubator over night.you then get a fon call the next morning to tell you how many have fertilised.all depending on your embryos they will eitha put them back in 3 to 5 days after your egg retrieval.then you have to do the 2 wk wait to c if it has all worked an do a pregnancey test.its very emotional time.i hope it all works out for u.good luck.x

[vix04 in reply to wanabmum]

Thanks for your info its really helpful. Just reading the posts i realised there's a lot more to it. As they already know i have Endo I'm not sure what scans and things I will need, I guess we can talk to the consultant about our situation. Are there a lot of tests in the first stages, I've seen posts of people having numerous blood tests etc? I hope all is going well with your treatment. Thank you, I can imagine it is hence all the questions im trying to be fully prepared! Thanks again for your info. Good luck to you too x

[Hollibob]

Hi.

It can sometimes depend on who it is referring you. I also have endo, so after a set time of TTC we went to the GP who then referred me back to the gyne who diagnosed the endo in 2010.

He suggested a laparoscopy first to remove any endo that was there which was done last September. At the same time he did a dye test which was clear.

We then did 6 months of clomid with no luck...

We too are now at the ivf referral stage and the gyne has requested theses tests be completed before the paperwork gets sent off for funding, but some will send the referral off and the clinic will do their own tests.

The difficulty is that some tests can only be performed at/on certain days and they are only valid for a strict amount of time:

Chlamydia swab

Cervical smear has to be up to date

Semen analysis (male partner)

Hycosy

Blood tests- AMH, FSH, LH and oestradiol, Rubella immunity, HIV1 (both partners), HIV2 (both partners), Hepatitis B - surface antigen (both partners), Hepatitis B - core antibodies (both partners), Hepatitis C (both partners)

We aren't any further along then preparing/having the above, but once they are all done we complete the paperwork, gather the results and it gets sent off for funding which should be advised within about two weeks.

It's good to do some research on the potential clinics you have the options of going to...try to find out what CCG your area is under and then google assisted conception for whichever it is and you might find the referral form that shows you the choices.

We were lucky enough to see an open evening advertised on the website of the clinic of our first choice, so popped along to get a feel of the place.

Have a look on the two websites below, lots of info which is very handy and you can find the clinic success statistics too...

hfea.gov.uk/fertility.html

Infertility UK

It sometimes feels like there are constant hurdles to jump, but we'll get there in the end

Good luck x

[vix04 in reply to Hollibob]

Hi thanks for your reply.

My dye test was what determined my blocked tube. I think Ill need some tests before we can start. Other members have said they had their tube blocked removed before IVF could start.

That is a lot of tests! So it can be quite a long process to start with.

Thank you that's great I will look into that more and an open day is a good idea.

Thanks for your help that gives me a good indication of what we're to expect next.

Good luck to you x

[Fanxcheeky]

Hi I was also diagnosed with endometriosis and blocked tubes a couple of years ago and told IVF was our only chance of conceiving! I found the whole process very straight forward and the clinic was great- are u NHS funded?

Our first appointment was to determine what fertility treatment was suitable for us- it was a quick 10min appointment! Our second appointment was with one of the fertility nurses who went through the mass of paperwork and blood tests required from both of us and breathilised us to ensure we were non smokers!! They phoned us with the results of our blood tests and as there was no waiting list could start our treatment on the start of my next period!

Once you start downregs you have a scan to check the ovaries don't contain any follicles and they give you a drug to stimulate them, I then had 3 scans over a week- 10 days to check they wasn't too many follicles before they gave you the trigger injection prior to egg collection!! Our fertility center does egg collection under a GA so it was a painless experience and the embryologist call you everyday until embryo transfer to let you know how many had fertilised and how they are doing and the quality!! As we were NHS funded we did half the eggs with ICSI and the other half with IVF. We had the embryo transfer 3 days later and it was straightforward too it's just like having a smear!! We had 2 embryos put back as we didn't have anything to freeze the 2 week wait is tough I went straight back to work to keep my mind occupied on other things as u tend to analyse every tummy cramp and ache but everyone is different I know lots of girls on here who have taken the time off work!! I was very fortunate as it was first time lucky and I'm now a very sleep deprived mum to 13week old twin girls but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Good luck on your journey, if you have any other questions just ask xx

[vix04 in reply to Fanxcheeky]

Hi

Thanks for your reply. Yeah we have been told we should be accepted on NHS.

Thanks for the info of the process. Ill look into the clinics in our area to see what is offered. I think I would return to work if I could, the waiting would be very stressful I can imagine.

Oh that's fantastic, glad you got a happy ending

[Hidden in reply to Fanxcheeky]

Hi Fanxcheeky,

I also got diagnosed with mild Endometriosis and blocked Fallopian Tubes. The Fertility Dr told me that we would get a straight forward IVF. We start in about 6 months time.

Now I hear from a lot of people that they have their blocked tubes removed before the IVF.

Did you get your tubes removed?

That's fantastic that you have 2 beautiful babies now and that it worked first time xx

[Fanxcheeky in reply to Hidden]

Hi, my endometriosis was also only mild and was found when I went for my lap and dye which they treated at the time. I have one completely blocked tube and one partially blocked but I still have both of them!! At no point did anyone say to have them removed before I started the treatment!! I think that they only remove them when they are filled with fluid which they would see on the ultrasound scan but don't quote me on that as I'm not a fertility doctor lol!! Leaving my tubes in situ certainly didn't affect my treatment!! I wish you all the luck for when your treatment starts in 6months I hope the time flies for you and you will be starting before you know it

[Fanxcheeky]

No probs, if you have any other questions or need any more info just ask!! Good luck with finding a clinic too xx