Pretreatment Consultation - ICSI Journey So Far

[Bumble26]

Back at our appt at the beginning of April where they finally confirmed we'd need IVF/ICSI, the doc said we'd be back in for a pretreatment consultation within a few weeks (23rd April to be exact) we said wonderful and off we went.

Once I got home I realised I had no idea what a pretreatment appointment was, what to expect, what stage we were at etc. So I googled every variation of 'What happens at a pretreatment appt' but had no luck. So for the next person like me here's my experience and I hope it answers some questions.

Pretreatment Consultation:

Basically all this appt involved was a nurse talking you through the IVF/ICSI process in great detail, outlining the ideal cycle and discussing any issues that can occur along the way. There was also time to ask any questions and we received all the legal paperwork we need to review and complete before we can start treatment. in total it took about an hour and was really, really useful. I've noticed from reading others posts that the IVF treatment process can really vary depending on the clinic so it was great to clear things up, find out how they work, where we'll need to go for each appt, how many times they'd want us to come in during a cycle, 3 or 5 day transfers, short/long protocol etc. We left the appointment feeling really excited to take this next step.

So where we're up to...

After almost 5 years I am absolutely over the moon to say that, subject to final bloods and scans being fine through May, we'll be starting our first round of IVF/ICSI treatment in June!!!!!!! I am in shock! When we finally got referred to this clinic in Jan they'd warned us it could be up to a year before we even heard anything about a first appt and here we are about to start treatment within six months. The next round of waiting has officially kicked in!

How about everyone else - what has your process been like so far?

[jengi]

Hi Bumble 26 - great news! I've just had my pre-treatment consultation today and start IVF/ICSI around 16th of May. My process also seems to have been very quick, probably due to my age, I'm 38. I first went to my GP in Nov, had first appointment at fertility clinic in Jan, Hycosy in Feb, Consultant appoint in March, pre-treatment consultation in April and IVF/ICSI starting in mid-May. I don't know how this compares to other peoples experience but like you was I was expecting a year wait. Wishing you lots of luck in June Xx

[Bumble26 in reply to jengi]

Thank you best of luck to you too! It really is such a shock when things actually start happening. Keeping everything crossed!

[elle80]

Hi I just wanted to say Congratulations and Good Luck on your treatment xx

[DianeArnold Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

Hi Bumble26. It's enough to get you out of breath reading all that! Yes, it certainly is involved, but hey, you are on your way now, not too long to wait. Just wanted to wish you well with it all and of course for success. Thinking of you. Diane