Clinic aftercare

Am I wrong to expect some kind of aftercare from my clinic. I have done 3 rounds and had no success. After my last failure I have heard nothing from my clinic. I feel like they have taken our money and simply don’t care of the outcome. Am I expecting too much??

[JA-fnuk Partner Nurse Fertility Network UK]

They should really offer you some counselling as this is in the HFEA guide lines that all fertility clinics [ private and NHS ] must have in place Hope you have people around you for support

Take care

Janet-Partner

[Krystal_43]

Expecting aftercare is entirely reasonable and it should be provided. You may be entitled to a free session or two with a counsellor in your clinic, but I really don’t think this adequate. It’s one of my biggest peeves with the journey tbh - very little attention is paid by clinics to the emotional & physical effects of the process

[Babytocome]

welll… my experience, if it is in UK, kind of rubbish! I had to call and ask for a consultation ( it was free, maybe because I complaint in the lack of interest)

Then I changed clinics, still in UK and they offered me a free consultation and even counselling (as it was negative ), which I think it is the standard.

[Hopewhite]

Hi I hope you’re well and keeping strong xx

They need to give you a free review appointment and offer counselling. I’m with NHS they did offer us the review appointment to which we said yes at end of June, I heard nothing from them and called them to follow up at the end of July, it turned out they had made an admin mistake and never reached out to us! , as a result I ended up having the review until beginning of September ! They also offered counselling but we didn’t use this.

Maybe try calling back and asking for this , all the best of luck !!

[Kitkat10]

No, not expecting too much, you should be offered a follow up consultation and counselling too if you would like. The clinic may have made an admin error, worth contacting them. Sorry for your unsuccessful rounds, I had three failed transfers before success, please don’t lose hope x

[Koala365]

Sadly in my experience the counselling offered is just a tick box thing they do as the HFEA requires them to do it. At my clinic the counsellor only worked specific hours to fit around childcare- personally after unsuccessful IVF and no children I don't feel like someone with children would actually properly get my situation even if they are a trained counsellor. But then this is the same clinic where I had to wait in a waiting room with a woman who was there with her partner and baby and who kept lifting the baby in the air and saying "mummy loves you to the moon and back" and smothering the baby in kisses while I sat there looking at the floor and the receptionists did nothing so perhaps it was never going to be the best example of a place that provided aftercare!

[Skittles11 in reply to Koala365]

I know opinions will be divided on this but I find it really hard when I go to my clinic and people have brought their babies into the clinic (sometimes with both parents). Maybe because I am childless not by choice I don't get it and perhaps it is me who is out of step but I just feel it is massively triggering and somewhat unexpected in the environment xx

[Koala365 in reply to Skittles11]

Yes, it's pretty tone deaf if you ask me to bring your baby to a fertility clinic. Even more so to be acting like this woman was in front of people who are clearly at a fertility clinic because they can't have children easily or possibly even at all. I get that there may be situations where you have no choice but to bring your baby with you but when you are both there with the baby that says to me that there is an option because you could have left the baby with your partner. But just say it was an important appointment for both of you, sit there quietly and be mindful of the setting you are in and the people you are around. It really upset me so much!

[Ivfgotadream in reply to Koala365]

This was the reason why I didn’t take up counselling too. I felt that unless they had very specific lives experience similar to mine (multiple miscarriages multiple failed IVF, 2 ruptured ectopics losing both tubes) that how could they possibly understand what I was going through

I would chase the clinic though - they are so busy is possible that you’ve just slipped through the net

[Skittles11]

Have you at least been offered a debrief consultation with your doctor? Xx