Today I thought I would talk a little about the process of finding information when it became clear that our treatment for infertility would be IVF.
The NHS at the GP level/referral point is not great for information for IVF or other treatments for unexplained infertility.
There is the standard conversation – where the GP takes one through the various options:
IVF, IUI, or the donor route should either of the couple not be viable.
One of the sites I found most useful was the NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Infertility/Pages/Treatment.aspx .
The site provides a toplevel “this is what we offer” information when one begins searching fo information on the referral process.
It also quotes the following statistics for pregnancy rates. For every 100 couples trying to conceive naturally:
- 20 will conceive within one month
- 70 will conceive within six months
- 85 will conceive within one year
- 90 will conceive within 18 months
- 95 will conceive within two years
That means if in two years one ttc is not pregnant, then one is infertile.
Of the 5{75ba8d714eabb0b6c64c04669e25dea528a47d63aa2e14b9610bfa32cc9964fa} who are now confirmed infertile, 25 to 30{75ba8d714eabb0b6c64c04669e25dea528a47d63aa2e14b9610bfa32cc9964fa} of them will be diagnosed with unexplained infertility.
The NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Infertility/Pages/Treatment.aspx does not map infertility cause with the treatment.
Where the course of the infertility is known, a corresponding treatment is prescribed.
The available treatment options are generally:
- medicines to assist fertility including the most common ones Clomifene and Tamoxifen (yes Tamoxifen is used to treat cancer as well). Tamoxifen is used where there are ovulation issues as well.
- surgical procedures
- assisted conception
- IUI – intrauterine insemination – sperm placed directly into the womb.
- IVF – in vitro fertilization – fertilization of the egg outside the womb/body
- donor option – this depends where the cause of the infertility lies, and whether it is applicable. This option might not be suitable for everyone as it means a different DNA to one’s DNA.
IVF is generally the treatment of choice by consultants for unexplained infertility.
Tomorrow, I hope to collate and share information on the differences in a few of PCTs and the number of cycles they fund and how difficult or easy it is for users/patients to find information.
As you go through your own referral process, one thing that cannot be over-emphasized is the volume of information that you will need – you will find yourself constantly hungry for more – so make the most of the information that is out there and of course always confirm with your GP or consultant.
End of day three on four sniffs a day and I am still me 🙂
Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow.
xx