How does referral to fertility clinic work?

[N2020]

How does a referral from your GP to a fertility clinic work?

So far, I've been doing my initial consultations privately, which the next step for me was to do a HyCoSy. Of which I had the results and one tube is scarred with adhesions so no dye went through. The other tube the dye went through but no spillage so again scarring and adhesions near the ovary part (from what I could see) I am yet to speak to consultant yet as we are waiting for hubby sperms analysis to come back do she can give us the bigger picture.

So in the meantime I've been trying to work what will happen next and what I can do as I think I will end up having IVF. How do I get a referral to a good clinic? how do I know the clinic is good? can I choose the clinic I want to be referred too? how do I find out what the waiting time is? could I be waiting a year before I'm seen? I just want to try and do as much prep work as I can to keep things moving...ideally I would like to do my first round via NHS ...

any advice from anybody would be really appreciated!!!!????

I'm also going to see a nutritionist too. Mak sure I'm taking in all the right vitamins and minerals and see if I am deficient of anything!

[Florencenightingale]

Hi. You would need to see your GP and ask for a referral to the fertility team. Theres usually a time frame that you need to have been TTC for, usually 2 or 3 years before they will refer you. They will refer you and you'll get a letter to book an appointment and you choose the hospital in your area (we had 2 choices and went with the shortest waiting time and closest). This might not be the case in your area as I obviously only know our protocol.

Then you'll get an appt (maybe a few months) and you can take your private results there and discuss the options. If you are a smoker I would prepare to stop because most places wont do treatment whilst either of you smoke. Also if your BMI is high they will expect you to lose weight before treatment.

Good luck with everything xxx

[EL7815]

Hello! It very much depends on where you live unfortunately. I’m in Oxfordshire and from first seeing my GP in October 2019, I’ve finished my first round of ICSI a couple of weeks ago. My GP organised testing (blood tests & sperm analysis). We had to have some repeated & were then referred to my NHS local hospital fertility team. This was the longest wait for us - about 3 months I think? They Went through out results and agreed we would need ICSI. They had a list of 4 or 5 private clinics which they are linked with which accept NHS funded patients. We chose the closest clinic to us as we didn’t want to travel too far and they had a good success rate. They sent off the funding paperwork & the clinic contacted us within about a week. I think we waited a few weeks for an initial appointment. There was no waiting list for treatment but unfortunately COVID struck! But once clinics reopened I had started treatment from my next period. From your post, it seems you’ve done a lot of the legwork already with the testing but it depends on where you live as to how quickly you will get your NHS round. Some on here have to wait up to a year if not longer, others are lucky like me in that their NHS hospital delegates to private clinics where there is little to no waiting list. Sorry I’m not of much help! But first step is get an appointment with your GP, they are your first port of call & hopefully should be able to answer some of your queries. Good luck!