After years of battling and trying to get someone to listen to us we have finally made it to the top of the IVF waiting list. After my laparotomy in 2008 it took until December 2010 to eventually get a doctor to write the referral letter we needed to be placed on the NHS IVF waiting list.
Our initial consultation was April 18th 2011 which gives you your official start date for the wait to begin treatment. At this appointment we were told it would be 12-18 months. On August 20th, after 16 months os waiting, we received a phone call from our clinic giving us the option to transfer to another clinic where we wouldn't have such a long wait. If we decided to stay with the current clinic we would not be seen until April 2013 or maybe even later. If we decided to go ahead and transfer we would have an appointment in 6-8 weeks.
Under normal circumstances I would have just said yes straight away. Who wants to stay on a list where you could be waiting for lord knows how long as no one could really give any straight answers. Or transfer to a clinic albeit further away but where there is no waiting time. I said we would think about it and come back to her at which point I was told they needed to know by Friday just four days away.
After taking with J and researching all the info I could about both clinics my decision was easy. J said that the final decision was up to me but he would support whatever decision it might be. The wait time for clinic A was a lot longer than clinic B. I also found a website where success rates and clinic details are listed. Clinic B was having much better success rates and overall everything I read was just so much better all round. Plus clinic B was in the top 10 in the UK. Our decision was made and on Thursday August 23rd I phoned and said that yes, please go ahead and transfer us.
You would think with my research done I would have been happy with my decision, and don't get me wrong I was. With all things fertility related you always, or at least I do, second guess yourself. I was lucky as a week later we went to Antigua and had two weeks of pure blissful relaxation. I don't think I thought about IVF while we were there and if I did it must have been very short lived as I don't remember it.
I spoke with clinic A when we returned home to ensure my latest lap results were in my file to go over to clinic B. They weren't but I was told that they would be before the file was sent across. So once again it was just time to wait. True to there word we received out appointment 6 weeks after our notes were sent over with my lap results included. So this is where the fun starts we are two appointments down and planning appointment is next. I will finally have dates of when it will all be starting.
So far we had appointment for:
October 31st - Bloods and SA
November 5th - Met with doctor filled out lots of paperwork and had an ultrasound
December 13th - Planning appointment is booked
January - Likely start for treatment
