At which point you move on to have Ivf and tests by the NHS?

[Preety1983]

Hi all, after recurrent mcs I have now seen my gp and been referred to the hospital. I am waiting for hospital to get in touch now. My gp said that they will do some tests to check why I miscarried but I wondered at which point they decide that Ivf is the solution?

I am 37 and feel time is ticking and I am thinking should I go private rather than wait for nhs. Thoughts please?

Also which tests do nhs do? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

[AuroraXen]

I'm sorry you've been through so much 😔 I don't have advice on this particular situation as I'm afraid I never qualified for NHS help so I don't know what their approach is. I didn't want to 'readvand run' though. Hopefully someone else can come back to you with more answers xx

[CassieJ]

Hello, so as I’m sure you know recurrent miscarriage is a bit complex…and opinion is divided about whether or not IVF helps at all. It also depends which recurrent clinic your GP referred you to-your individual circs. Did you have clinical miscarriages (3 in a row?). I know a little about St George’s and St Marys in London - but as I was 38 in December I also felt like time was ticking so we decided to do private tests as well and help. I’m my situation was complicated by a few other things too though. The NHS will do a standard blood panel to check for causes of recurrent loss and I think a standard scan for structural- but I’m not sure if they will always check thyroid or more complex structural stuff or NK cells unless you are under a doctor who thinks that is useful. It’s a bit of a minefield from what I’ve heard/learnt. It can be great care on the NHS though. A friend was under one of the best specialists in Epsom on the NHS and they did do immune stuff so it’s not black and white I don’t think. Sorry not to be more specific - if it helps PM me.X

[Hidden]

I am 45 (yesterday!) and we started this journey when I was 36/37. My NHS area meant we had to go private but we went to the GP to get a referral and all she said was ‘you can call them yourselves don’t beat yourself up about leaving it so late’.

I met my other half later in life so I have no regrets but personally I would crack on asap. If it’s financially viable then just get going, and also that means you are freeing up a space for someone that can’t afford it

Heaps of luck xx

[Bramble_]

IVF isn’t always a solution for recurrent miscarriages unfortunately, you ideally need to figure out why you are having them. Otherwise you will just pay thousands for another one if you know what I mean. Depending on where you are, the general bloods just check for blood disorders and hormonal imbalances I think. Nothing overly useful. You could pay for a private karyotype which would tell you if you have a genetic reason, in which case IVF might be the only option. Basically it’s a minefield and really hard to get answers. I think most people don’t get answers but vast vast majority of Recurrent MC patients go on to have a baby so do try to remember that! You’ll get higher dose folic acid and progesterone as a minimum though, some give blood thinners. Lesley Regan’s book is really informative on the basics but slightly out of date as the guidance around progesterone changed recently. I had 5 early losses and now the mum of a crazy 20 month old. It does happen!! Xx

[Koala365]

Privately I had the Emma/Alice test, the thrombotic risk profile test and they tested my thyroid function, vitamin d levels and progesterone levels after IVF egg transfer to check they were high enough. I had to really push for these tests though as although I had had an MMC and 6 embryos fail to implant over 3 embryo transfers (so possible implantation issues) they were fixated on my age as I was 43 to 45 from MMC to last IVF and they kept telling me that was the reason...even when the thrombotic risk profile test showed that I had the gene mutation which means I don't absorb normal folic acid properly! If you are getting an NHS referral you can asked to be referred to Tommy's which is meant to be the place to go for recurrent miscarriage tests I am told. I would try to see if you can get some of these tests done privately if you can though although they are expensive.

[JordHavo]

Hiya, do you have children already? The only reason i ask is that there are so many guidelines to qualify for NHS fertility treatment. (I’m currently under the NHS) you have to be under 40, with no previous children (you or your partner) BMI has to be under a certain number too. It’s a really long process and if you’re worried about your age i would personally go private. I’ve been under fertility at my local hospital for almost 3 years and only just been referred for IVF after having both my tubes removed. I wish i went private sooner as this has been the bain of my life constantly ringing and chasing appointments or doctors. Good luck with everything xx