NHS delay first IVF cycle

[mumma_in_the_making]

So, my period arrived today (meh). I was told by my NHS clinic that when this happened I needed to call up and book in for a AFC scan to get the treatment process started. Only when I did this today I was told the clinic was too full and I had to try again next month!! I mean, what the actual? This process is hard enough without having to deal with set-backs like this. Another month of my life on hold. Has anyone else experienced this in the past? It’s so disheartening.

[Hidden]

That is really disheartening, sorry to hear. My clinic has done double bookings previously when they were fully booked and even had patients on norethisterone to manage their bleed/numbers so that there wasn't a mad rush after the Xmas holidays. There are ways around it, I would complain tomorrow morning as you have til day 3 for the scan and meds that evening.

[Rollercoastersmiles]

I agree with above. We were doing treatment during covid so were regularly subject to cancellations ( which was understandable) but this is madness for you. I’d definitely call up and complain, and if that doesn’t achieve anything, I’d become a pest! I’d be calling at least daily (probably twice a day) for a cancellation. I found the admin staff quite helpful and let me know what times were best to call etc.

[Hidden]

Hi, my other suggestion is to go the clinic and complain/explain. Some patients may be running late and you could easily take their spot. The scan doesn't take too long, but the nurse follow-up can as they teach how to inject etc. I hope all goes well. I think you may get a good outcome if you visit the clinic. But also complain first thing tomorrow. All the best.

[ForABabyPanda in reply to Hidden]

it’s probably the slots for actual procedure that are full, not the scan clinic

[Hidden in reply to ForABabyPanda]

Hi there, it's for the baseline afc scan as mumma_in_the_making mentioned above.

[mumma_in_the_making]

Thank you for the advice. I’m definitely going to call the clinic again tomorrow morning to see if there have been any cancellations that I can take.

[Hopewhite]

sorry to hear you’ve had this experience!, it’s worth trying for any cancellations just in case. In our case they managed our expectations and said to ring to see if they could fit me in and if not they’d put me in priority for next month. Luckily they did see us first time , but I totally get your frustration as it took us over 1 year from contacting GP to actually starting the treatment, Keep strong 💪🏻 hopefully once you start everything will move swiftly xx

Best of luck in your journey xx

[HollyT7]

i had this whilst doing our iui rounds, lucky for us our local hospital didn’t do ivf so we could have this at a private clinic which was worlds away from the nhs service. All the best to you lovely, keep in mind what’s meant for you won’t pass you by and everything (as frustrating as it seems), is happening as it should be doing to get you that babe xxx

[mumma_in_the_making in reply to HollyT7]

Thank you that’s a really good point. Before all this I was a firm believer in fate and things happening “for a reason” so maybe I should think of it like that x

[HollyT7 in reply to mumma_in_the_making]

my friend got me to read the secret by Rhonda Byrne, game changer for my perspectives, it’s all about like attracting like etc, it’s on Netflix too ❤️

[skygreen]

Yep, this happened to me and I was accepted on my third cycle in the NHS. Their policy was if they are at capacity they can defer you twice but must accept your third cycle. Can you transfer your NHS treatment to a private clinic? From experience I wish I had done this.

[Hidden]

sadly, this was the norm for us as the clinic was so busy. We found that things change daily so do phone for a cancellation over the next few days. This worked out for us a few times. Good luck.x

[ForABabyPanda]

this happens in Northern Ireland as well

[Kismet_x]

Yep this is exactly what happened to me.. I tried for 5 months and told them I have my period like clockwork let me book it in advance. They said no I can't and agreed it is down to luck if I was able to get the appointment.

I decided to go private.

What you might want to do if they allow it is do that scan private elsewhere and continue with the NHS. I would check with NHS if that would get things moving.

[mumma_in_the_making in reply to Kismet_x]

OMG! This is exactly what I'm worried about happening. I've been trying to call the clinic all morning to see if there have been any cancellations or if I can book further ahead but I can't even get through on the phone. I don't know why they bother offering IVF on the NHS if they can't do it properly. It's not like I'm trying to book a table at a restaurant - this is a huge life event. The mental trauma this causes just makes it worse.

[Queg]

Sorry to hear this. Try to go private if you can afford to, we were going to go to the NHS hospital nearby paying private fees but when we were told it would be in the same queue as NHS patients we switched to private clinic much further away. Was a drama trying to get them to transfer notes etc and more driving on us but completely worth it. Have sadly had two postponements and one cancelled cycle (not the clinic's fault) and in between this mess always had a choice of medical appointments at least.