What to expect from a first appointment

[Mrsp86]

Hi everyone, I am new to this and feeling quiet anxious. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for nearly 3 years and after having a few tests we were told we had a low to no chance of conceiving naturally. Our first appointment following our GP referral was not a good experience and we were blind sided with results, we thought we had gone to find out how to proceed and what tests were next but this was not the case, as we discovered my husband has a low sperm count. We had multiple questions but were told the next hospital the consultant was referring us to would answer them. Ultimately, we have no idea what to expect from our appointment at the fertility hospital. We don't really know what we have been referred for, the consultant mentioned IVF but is this the natural next step for someone in our situation?  Can anyone share their experiences of the first appointment after referral?  Also looking for reassurance that the fertility hospital will be a more supportive place than we have experienced so far 😔

[Lucyloo81]

Hi there,

All I can say is put your doctors appointment behind you and look forward to your first appointment. This is your first step to hopefully achieving your goal " a baby". I'm not going to lie it is a lengthy experience but your finally on your way.

At my first appointment I had a list of questions written down so I didn't forget a thing ( which I did 🙈). You will both be asked about your sexual health, your cycle and health. You will have your height and weight checked and will look at your tests that have already been done.

Ask your consultant to be frank with you and if IVF is your best option and if so ask for the information leaflets. Then go home and discuss them with your husband. As I said the process is long so the quicker your on the waiting list (depending on your area) the quicker you can get started.

I'm waiting on my councilling session before starting and that's been 3 months of waiting.

Good luck xxxxxxx

[Mrsp86 in reply to Lucyloo81]

Thank you so much for your reply. I love the idea of writing questions down and taking them with me, i will do this! If im honest i dont know if I should be crying with joy at finally getting help or crying because we need help. There is so much going on in my head, i think writing it down might help relieve some of the stress. Thank you for letting me know what to expect at the appointment. Ive only just started looking into what our future holds but it's really comforting to know we aren't alone. I hope your appointment comes through soon and good luck with your journey xxx

[Lucyloo81 in reply to Mrsp86]

Aw please be assured that what your feeling is completely normal. Every month I go through the same emotionals tied into my hormones 🙈. For example the day my period arrives I'm down and grumpy and today when I at my peak I'm happy and focused. 

One thing I will admit too is that even although we're going for IVF there is not a day that goes by that I secretly hope I fall pregnant naturally. Again this is normal but if my period arrives next month I still have a little bit of hope knowing that my journey of IVF is getting closer.

Xx

[Hidden]

Hi Mrsp86

The most important thing is that you are finally on your way! Whoop! At our first consultation we were asked a lot of questions; how long we'd been together, how long ttc, medical histories etc. We each had blood tests taken, I had my height/weight taken. From our results the consultant said we would  be looking at ICSI so that was determined then. He advised no alcohol, cut back on caffeine and maintain a health weight. He also asked me to book my first scan (oh the joys!).

If I'm honest it wasn't particularly detailed at that stage but we knew we had been accepted (pending the masses of paperwork that needed to be complete!) so we were happy to go on our way. 

Just take it one step at a time, there are lots of appointments, blood tests, scans etc. It's easy to get carried away at the beginning but try not to let it get in the way of your life too much at this stage. Take it easy, take care of yourself and be comforted that someone is finally listening

Best of luck x o x o

[Mrsp86 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for replying, I really appreciate it. Im trying to loose weight my BMI isn't above 30 but it is higher than I'd like. It's helpful to know that its a slow starter with paperwork. I knew we wouldn't attend an appointment and leave pregnant but id be lying if I said I don't have expectations! I know you're right, we are heading in a direction now and not just wondering aimlessly, we should be pleased there is support out there and we need to relax and let people help. I really appreciate your comment, its a lonely time. Thank you xx

[Hidden in reply to Mrsp86]

Well it's easy for me to say this now because I've just started Buserelin injections but in the beginning I wanted all of the information yesterday! And it would drive me nuts when I had questions and didn't know the answers. If I could have told myself one thing at the start of all of this it would have been to relax. Your turn will come but keep yourself busy in the meantime. 

Getting your BMI down is a really good focus! I stopped running because I'd read some things about the stress it puts on your body so I walk at least 3 miles every evening with the dog. It takes about an hour but I feel so much better for getting out of the house and in the open air. It's an hour of not sitting scanning the internet for all the answers to my questions too! 

This site and the people in this community have been amazing - keep checking in when you need to x 

[rosy_l]

Hi, we were ttc for 2.5 years before our gp would test us, it came back me ok and my husband extremely low sperm count, the gp was quite harsh to us and said my husband would only ever father a child if we had ICSI. We were referred to consultant at a fertility hospital and thats when everything will be explained/answered. I had had blood tests and a hsg (they said had to do these to get on nhs) all came back ok and husband 3 separate sperm samples over 3 months.

The consultant asked us questions same as gp had trying to conceive, my periods etc and he said by looking at our tests it was due to my husbands sperm and they'd recommend us for ICSI and gave us information leaflets and explained it. Write any questions down and ask while your there. We had a nurses appointment 6 weeks later to go through protocols/meds and form filling and a month after that started the treatment which from start to finish took about 5 weeks. It was positive and im now 6 weeks pregnant :). It has been very stressful getting to this point but just take each day at a time. I found it really helpful by reading some ivf books before I went, (peoples experiences) they gave me an idea of questions to ask and how icsi/ivf works as I didn't really know what happened. At least everything is moving in the right direction for you now good luck x

[bibi_16]

Mrsp86, hello im also new to this. I just want to let you one thing isaid to the gynaecologist that my pwriods are regular but they are not so she sent me for a progesterone test on cycle day 21 which is wrong becu im irregular.  I phoned up a number of times and said im not reqular so should I not do for the progesterone test on day 26 rather than day 21 beduz my cycle length is 30-35 so I fall on day 26 for perogesterone test. I was told nope just go on day 21. I was unhappy so phoned again and was then told that dr at the hospital said just leave the test comepelety as if im irregular I should not go for test. But I still went for the progesterone test on day 26 it seems we ladies sometimes know more than the dr