Hi Folks,
A friend of mine has been through 15, yes, you're seeing right, 15 attempts of donor insemination.
Do any of you think this is odd, incidently, she has had no luck conceiving, has had all the checks eg: lap n' dye etc...
She has a son from a previous relationship, conceived naturally.
This has all been done semi-funded at an NHS hospital. They seem to be trying to put her off DI with IVF, regardless, they will have to fund this themselves as she has had a child already, her husband has no sperm whatsoever.
She recently called up the ARGC for some info and spoke at length with the receptionist and said she got more info and help from this woman than from anyone in her health board. This lady was shocked that she has had so many tries at DI, when it is clearly not working.
She is physically, emotionally and mentally knackered (as you can imagine), this has been going on for over 3 years now!
I would love to hear your views on this one.
Cheers,
Scorry x
Your views appreciated on this one!
Hi Scorry,
Am sorry to hear what your friend has been through and totally understand how she must be feeling i 15 wow that is a lot i would have thought they would have done divf but the thing were she has to pay cos she already has a child is unbelievable i have never heard this before is it because its donor? there is obviously not anything wrong with her as you said shes had all the tests and already has a child it seems strange that they should try so many di the amount they have done would have paid for at least one ivf cycle as well as some di. i think mayb she needs to visit other clinics and see what they say about nhs funded divf i'm currently on the waiting list for ivf with icsi my partner has 98% abnormal sperm and i have a child from a previous relationship. think i may have gone on a bit here hope some of it makes sense im still half asleep if i was her i would visit other clinics or get her gp to refer her to ones that may be able to help if they all say she has to pay i think this is totally unfair i am at kings college hospital so far they have been wondeful
sorry if i have gone on
Love Ang
Am sorry to hear what your friend has been through and totally understand how she must be feeling i 15 wow that is a lot i would have thought they would have done divf but the thing were she has to pay cos she already has a child is unbelievable i have never heard this before is it because its donor? there is obviously not anything wrong with her as you said shes had all the tests and already has a child it seems strange that they should try so many di the amount they have done would have paid for at least one ivf cycle as well as some di. i think mayb she needs to visit other clinics and see what they say about nhs funded divf i'm currently on the waiting list for ivf with icsi my partner has 98% abnormal sperm and i have a child from a previous relationship. think i may have gone on a bit here hope some of it makes sense im still half asleep if i was her i would visit other clinics or get her gp to refer her to ones that may be able to help if they all say she has to pay i think this is totally unfair i am at kings college hospital so far they have been wondeful
sorry if i have gone on
Love Ang
Hi Angela,
Thanks for that. She has no real alternative hospital due to distance involved(we are taking flights to the nearest ARU as it is).
I think she is going to have to save/take a loan out as she is getting pretty desperate and does not get a lot of support.
My DH and I are the only people that know.
Cheers,
Scorry
Thanks for that. She has no real alternative hospital due to distance involved(we are taking flights to the nearest ARU as it is).
I think she is going to have to save/take a loan out as she is getting pretty desperate and does not get a lot of support.
My DH and I are the only people that know.
Cheers,
Scorry
Hi Scorry,
I am gobsmacked at this one. Wow, the strength your friend must have to do that 15 times is something else. No wonder she is so drained - she's obviously not getting the support she needs and deserves, except from you and dh.
What I don't understand about the clinic, (and taking it from a completely clinical point of view) is that 15 'failure's' from the hospital must be seriously affecting their statistics so I can't understand why they would not offer alternatives... Is it an easy way for them to make money???
Is there a possibility of her phoning another clinic (ie Edinburgh) to ask for advice - what does her GP say about it all. Could he/she not do some enquiries at another clinic? If she was offered short protocal IVF could she stay in another city for a couple of weeks then? Taking out a loan after everything is shocking. Aberdeen need a serious word on this one...
Here's hoping a solution happens soon..All the best
Zoe x
I am gobsmacked at this one. Wow, the strength your friend must have to do that 15 times is something else. No wonder she is so drained - she's obviously not getting the support she needs and deserves, except from you and dh.
What I don't understand about the clinic, (and taking it from a completely clinical point of view) is that 15 'failure's' from the hospital must be seriously affecting their statistics so I can't understand why they would not offer alternatives... Is it an easy way for them to make money???
Is there a possibility of her phoning another clinic (ie Edinburgh) to ask for advice - what does her GP say about it all. Could he/she not do some enquiries at another clinic? If she was offered short protocal IVF could she stay in another city for a couple of weeks then? Taking out a loan after everything is shocking. Aberdeen need a serious word on this one...
Here's hoping a solution happens soon..All the best
Zoe x
Hi again scorry
Kings isn't my local hospital so i'v only been to the assisted conception unit
at so far they all seem lovely in that part,
you and your husband are wonderful people giving your friend so much support well done i hope she finds a solution soon my thoughts are with you all
good luck
Love Ang
xx
Kings isn't my local hospital so i'v only been to the assisted conception unit
at so far they all seem lovely in that part,
you and your husband are wonderful people giving your friend so much support well done i hope she finds a solution soon my thoughts are with you all
good luck
Love Ang
xx
hi scorry i had di myself and the doc told me that if it had not worked in 6 attempts it was unlikley to work so to have ivf
i am shocked that your friend has had so many
even on other web sites about di it says its unlikley to work after 6 trys
i feel sorry that your friend has been put through this
mine worked on 3rd attempt
love
di
i am shocked that your friend has had so many
even on other web sites about di it says its unlikley to work after 6 trys
i feel sorry that your friend has been put through this
mine worked on 3rd attempt
love
di
Hi Scorry,
You may remember me, I've been on this board for what seems like an age now! Sorry to hear about your friend, does she not have intenet access, as you know boards like this can be a lifesaver - Fertility Friends have a large circle of IUIers she may be able to find support from.
All our treatment has been private as we are not allowed NHS funding as my dh has (another natural miraculous conception) daughter with his ex-wife. Its the post-code lottery!!!
We had 7 unsucessful dIUIs (as you can see from my signature) before moving onto ICSI. I know that some clinics will allow 5 'natural' IUI cycles followed by 5 drug-supported IUI cycles before recommending IVF. Drug-supported cycles can differ too. My last 2 dIUI cycles had induction of ovulation (i.e stims only) but again, some clinics go straight into IUI with down-regging and stims.
One question that springs to mind is have they been monitoring her IUI cycle with scans? I only found out that I had 1 small follicle per cycle after having received 150ml of stims per induction of ovulation cycles, so God only knows what my 'natural' cycles were actually like since the clinic never did any monitoring.
Having had 7 IUI cycles myself (this was after the rather pointless cycles of clomid, of course) I started to question my own fertility - I had been pregnant previously with my ex (too long a story to go into here) and was told this would increase my chances of conception. Then, after I had my ectopic diagnosed, I visited a Chinese Dr - I was told that, in the same way I always had cold extremities (hands/feet/ears etc), this in turn applied to my uterus - the chances of my body accepting an embryo implantation was greatly reduced (in Chinese medicine terms). After the af which signified the end of my ectopic, (and having had approximately 8 acupuncture sessions and the same number of weeks of chinese herbs to sort out this problem) I found I had miraculously conceived. Although this was not meant to be, and after the initial distress, it gave me back my hope that one day I would be successful.
I'm not sure if this helps any, but I believe in my case acupuncture was my saving grace and may be helpful in the same way for others. If nothing else, it helped me mentally to accept all the failures I had been through (and mine add upto 13, so not far behind your friend). Perhaps your friend may think acupuncture is at least worth a try alongside a few more cycles if not able to afford IVF.
Sorry this has been a bit waffly. Good Luck to your friend and to you for your next cycle.
Lots of Love
Fiona xxx
You may remember me, I've been on this board for what seems like an age now! Sorry to hear about your friend, does she not have intenet access, as you know boards like this can be a lifesaver - Fertility Friends have a large circle of IUIers she may be able to find support from.
All our treatment has been private as we are not allowed NHS funding as my dh has (another natural miraculous conception) daughter with his ex-wife. Its the post-code lottery!!!
We had 7 unsucessful dIUIs (as you can see from my signature) before moving onto ICSI. I know that some clinics will allow 5 'natural' IUI cycles followed by 5 drug-supported IUI cycles before recommending IVF. Drug-supported cycles can differ too. My last 2 dIUI cycles had induction of ovulation (i.e stims only) but again, some clinics go straight into IUI with down-regging and stims.
One question that springs to mind is have they been monitoring her IUI cycle with scans? I only found out that I had 1 small follicle per cycle after having received 150ml of stims per induction of ovulation cycles, so God only knows what my 'natural' cycles were actually like since the clinic never did any monitoring.
Having had 7 IUI cycles myself (this was after the rather pointless cycles of clomid, of course) I started to question my own fertility - I had been pregnant previously with my ex (too long a story to go into here) and was told this would increase my chances of conception. Then, after I had my ectopic diagnosed, I visited a Chinese Dr - I was told that, in the same way I always had cold extremities (hands/feet/ears etc), this in turn applied to my uterus - the chances of my body accepting an embryo implantation was greatly reduced (in Chinese medicine terms). After the af which signified the end of my ectopic, (and having had approximately 8 acupuncture sessions and the same number of weeks of chinese herbs to sort out this problem) I found I had miraculously conceived. Although this was not meant to be, and after the initial distress, it gave me back my hope that one day I would be successful.
I'm not sure if this helps any, but I believe in my case acupuncture was my saving grace and may be helpful in the same way for others. If nothing else, it helped me mentally to accept all the failures I had been through (and mine add upto 13, so not far behind your friend). Perhaps your friend may think acupuncture is at least worth a try alongside a few more cycles if not able to afford IVF.
Sorry this has been a bit waffly. Good Luck to your friend and to you for your next cycle.
Lots of Love
Fiona xxx
Me:36 Dh:46, ttc 5+yrs, M/F (96% abnormal).
13 unsuccessful Txs From 2000 [4xClomid (NHS), 7xIUI(d)s & ICSI#1 (MFS), ICSI#2 (MFS) Oct 02 (ectopic)] Natural pg Jan 03 m/c 5.5wks
ICSI#3 (CARE) +ve boy (Xander) EDD 21/03/04 - so excited!!!!!!
13 unsuccessful Txs From 2000 [4xClomid (NHS), 7xIUI(d)s & ICSI#1 (MFS), ICSI#2 (MFS) Oct 02 (ectopic)] Natural pg Jan 03 m/c 5.5wks
ICSI#3 (CARE) +ve boy (Xander) EDD 21/03/04 - so excited!!!!!!