What to do after a BFP result?

Hi all you wonderful ladies,

After 8 years of ttc, 1 failed round of IVF, we have finally got our BFP!! following IVF treatment abroad. I’m now 4 weeks pregnant. The next logical thing to do is contact your GP or midwife at your local surgery, or so I thought, apparently not. I was told I had to do a self referral to my local hospital. Further to doing this, I received an email, saying I would be given an appointment for my “booking in” appointment in 6 to 8 weeks time. My concern is who do I contact, or see if I have any issues in the meantime? I’ve not been asked to have a blood test to confirm pregnancy. I just don’t know where or what I should be doing. I have booked a private early scan in 4 weeks time. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Tugsgirl]

Congratulations! I’m not sure how it works with treatment abroad but with my clinic you call them on otd with bfp (or bfn) and they book you a 6 week (ish) scan. Both times I had two scans at my clinic (around 6 and 8 weeks) and then you are signed off and that’s when I contacted my gp, but in the meantime my clinic always writes to my surgery with the outcome of our treatment xx

[Hidden in reply to Tugsgirl]

Hi Tugsfirl,

Thank you! My fertility clinic asked me to complete a survey and fill in the result of the pregnancy test. They said they would be in contact again, once I had a ultrasound scan. Unfortunately, they’ve not given me the option to travel back to Czech to have a scan, not that I would want to. I wouldn’t want to risk anything atm. When I started my treatment with the fertility clinic abroad, I decided to keep it private, so they haven’t had any contact with my GP. I’ll contact my clinic and see what they suggest.

[elle80]

Congratulations!! Hmm, strange that they won't let you book in to see the gp. I was discharged from my fertility clinic after my first scan at 7 weeks, then made a midwife appointment at my doctors for the following week and remembered thinking, who do I speak to in that week if I have a problem... Once I had the midwife app, she said if I had any issues, that I was to either phone the doctors or ring NHS direct. I never had bloods to confirm pregnancy either.

Hopefully someone else will have more advice!

Good luck xx

[Hidden in reply to elle80]

Hi Michelle,

Thank you!! Feel better knowing you didn’t have bloods to confirm pregnancy. From what you’ve said, I think I’ll be booked in for a NHS scan around the 8 weeks mark and be allocated a Midwife app. Either way. I’ll be having a scan and should check everything is okay. I don’t know why I thought once you found out you were pregnant, you needed to be seen straight away. I’ll just go with the flow and see what comes through. Thanks for the advice. X

[Hidden]

Congratulations. You don’t need to see a GP to confirm your pregnancy or a blood test normally.

You can still see your GP about any concerns you may have about your health/pregnancy (it would be good to share the information from your clinic with your GP) but many areas now have a maternity self referral scheme.

I have not seen my GP at all and am now 9 weeks. I had a viability scan done by my clinic- which sounds like you are arranging privately which is great. After that, you normally get discharged from the clinic. After my scan confirmed a heart beat then I self referred to my choice of hospital and a midwife contacted me a few days later and I am seeing her next week and a scan at 12 weeks.

So short answer is, still see your GP if you have any bleeding or symptoms but your story is very similar to what goes on in parts of the country.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Zoe,

Congratulations to you as well. You advice is appreciated. Feel rest assured knowing it’s not just my GP surgery who doesn’t see you first. Thanks for the advice. X