New to this, ivf on nhs & the process

[DFJL]

Hi there,
Can anyone help answer several questions I have please... About to go down ivf route on nhs. Need to pick hospital (have 3 in Kent to choose from) I'm thinking canterbury but if anyone can share any experiences with that one, Orpington or tunbridge wells then great!
Got to wait up to 4 weeks for my consultant to get in touch but I'm not entirely sure of what to expect thereafter and how long before we could expect to start treatment and how long does a course take.... Thanks in advance!

 

[phonixgirl]

Hi

Sorry, I can't help with experiences there but if you Google the clinics the statistics should be on their websites... that might help!

The waiting list may depend on the clinic. Mine didn't have one so I could start whenever I wanted The course itself will depend on your protocol. You may be given medication prior to the actual cycle or might not (I did the short one and the whole thing started with my period). You will take medication up to ovulation to help boost the eggs and build up the lining. When they're ready, they will be removed, fertilised and put back a few days later. Around ten days later you should be ready to test!

I hope this sort of makes sense. Try to tell work what's going on if you haven't already. I was told I'd need at least two days off work after egg collection. As it happened, I had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic and actually needed a week. Work knew so they were fine with it. Feel free to join us on the IVF thread. X

 

[DFJL]

Really appreciate the response, makes absolute sense to me so thanks, I'll wait patiently and think positive,y for the next month

Thanks for the advice re work.... It was something I thought I should inform my boss of when things get going so thanks for the heads up! Not sure how I join the thread but I can view it I think, thank you - all the best 😃

 

[phonixgirl]

Positive thinking is a must and try to relax as much as possible. I had acupuncture (with a fertility specialist) which I can totally recommend or there is an app called Calm which will help to relax you as well (it's free).

Good luck, and keep us updated!

With the IVF thread, just post your comment on the bottom (as a reply) and we keep each other updated that way xx

 

[tashap]

Hey lovely, I am in Sussex and we didn't get a choice but I did see recently a post on fertility friends regarding the twells clinic. Can't remember what it said though. Can you visit each and see if you get a better "feel" from one? Also what are you nearest too as from reading the guidance for Ivf you may be going there pretty often.

Looking forward to seeing you on the ivf 2016 post xxx

 

[phonixgirl]

Tasha has a good point. You will be going there regularly for scans etc so definitely bear that in mind. X

 

[DFJL]

Thanks for the advice ladies, really appreciate it. X