Review Appointment Tomorrow - Eeek! Preparation help needed!

[MonkAK]

Hi All,

So, 8 weeks after our first and only NHS-funded go at IVF ended with a chemical pregnancy, we have our Review Appointment tomorrow (Tuesday). My other half can't make it due to work commitments - he started a new job just before we began our last cycle and, as he took so much time off then and no doubt also will with the next cycle, he needs to be really careful, so I have told him not to worry about coming to this appointment. However, I'm really worried that I'm going to panic without him there and forget everything I want to ask and that they tell me! We have 2 good quality frosties, so I am assuming that the next step will be a (hopefully) straightforward FET, but now that we have to start paying and we unfortunately don't have an unlimited pot of money, I want to make sure that I am covering every base possible. I have written a list of questions (thanks Diane for the advice!) and was hoping that you lovely ladies might be able to have a quick look and tell me if there's anything I've left out, forgotten or overlooked. I've copied and pasted this from a word document so the formatting is a bit odd; apologies of it's difficult to read:

Last treatment

•Why do you think it didn’t work?

•I was on long protocol. What are the benefits of this and should it change? If so, why?

•What are my FSH/AMH (egg reserve) levels?

•Is my lining OK?

•Do I have / Is it possible to test for, the following:

oNatural Killer cells?

oAny blood clotting disorders?

oAny other form of implant failure testing?

•Can we have the embryologist report/other paperwork?

Next Treatment

•What are the benefits of what you’re proposing / why is it the best option for me?

•What are the success rates of this treatment?

•What are the alternatives and why aren’t they suitable for me?

•What are the risks involved with defrosting embryos and what are the success rates of the defrosting process?

•How much of a factor is my age?

•When can we start again?

•What drugs will I be taking? What are the side effects and are there any alternatives?

•Would an embryonic scratch / embryo glue be beneficial?

•Should I take Aspirin/Heparin/DHEA?

•How often will I need to visit the clinic (impact on work – stress)

•Is it possible to arrange to have scans/tests anywhere closer to home/work?

•If this treatment doesn’t work, what next and how soon?

Costs

•Can we have a breakdown of all the costs of the next treatment?

•What further costs could arise?

•Can they be reduced in any way?

•Do we have to buy all the drugs from you or can we buy them elsewhere?

•What is the policy on reimbursement if any aspect of the treatment has to be abandoned?

Thank you all so much for any help you can give. Xxx

[Maria-Louisa]

Hi MonkAk,

That all sounds very thorough. At our next appointment I'll be asking what our actual percentage chance of it working is rather than just for my age group. I also want to know about any individual genetic testing on DH and me because we've had multiple failures and you could ask if they think PGS is worth a go.

Remember you're paying them lots of money and it's important for you to get all the info for peace of mind that you're doing what's right for you both as much as anything else.

I always make notes because it's hard to remember everything.

Good luck!

Mx

[MonkAK in reply to Maria-Louisa]

Thanks Maria-Louisa. I have a pen and notebook ready to go! Sorry to hear that you have suffered multiple failures, I hope your time comes soon. Excuse my ignorance, but what is PGS? Xx

[Maria-Louisa in reply to MonkAK]

It's genetic testing of the embryos before implantation, but I do t know any more than that xxxx

[Kell27]

Hi

Why do you have to pay for FET? I live in Northern Ireland and we get one go but that included fresh and FET of all embryos until they are finished ?

[MonkAK in reply to Kell27]

Hi Kell27,

All areas are different in terms of what is offered. We were under the impression that we were entitled to one round of IVF and then one FET of any frozen embryos that were recovered at the first go, but when we discussed how many embryos we wanted put back in at the first round with the clinic, we were informed that this was only the case if we put only one back. Because we went with a two-embryo transfer, it meant that we were not entitled to our following round of FET. For us, it was two embryos rather than two goes. Hope that makes sense!

[Kell27 in reply to MonkAK]

Oh my word 😕 It's so annoying that it's different all over

Hope review goes well ♥️

[DC13]

A very comprehensive list. Regarding the medication you might want to ask if there is a cost for a prescription as I asked that question recently to a private clinic and there was a cost of £50. You could maybe ask them to give you a list of the medication and amounts needed so that you could go to a pharmacist to check out the costs.

Just work through your list and make notes as you go. You will be fine.

Good luck

[MonkAK]

Thank you DC13, good advice - £50 for a prescription seems ludicrous! Xx

[MommaBear16]

Hi Monk - I hope everything has gone/is going well today x x x