Where do I start for IVF??!

klm2010

Hi there,
I've recently found out that I'll never conceive naturally so my only route to having a baby will be IVF. I want to find out more and make an appointment to see someone about what it involves etc but I really don't know where to start and hoping maybe someone can point me in the right direction?! Is it even worth my while looking at clinics in Ireland or is a better idea to go abroad?
I'm also type 1 diabetic so if anyone has a story to share on going through ivf with diabetes I'd love to hear it!
Any information at all would be much appreciated,
K

bubbaloo

Hi KLM2010,
Sorry to hear you've been given such devastating news. You don't give details so I'm not sure if my advice will be appropriate but for what it's worth I have a little boy who is now 2 years old and was conceived throught NaPro (www.fertilitycare.ie). It's natural conception with the help of drugs and the focus on the woman as an individual. It involves charting your cycle and having blood tests done. There's a lot more to it but you can read up on the website if you're interested. All I can say is that many people who have failed with IVF have succeeded with NaPro.
Otherwise, I know several people who have had success with IVF in Irish clinics - the Sims Clinic in Dublin seems to have a high success rate - my niece is a product of IVF from Sims. Your first point of call would be to ring them and arrange for a consulatation appointment - no commitment involved - it's just a meeting to find out about the process and how it would suit you.
As for the diabetes, I don't know much about it except to say that my mother was diabetic all her life and she had 3 of us!!
Best of luck on your journey and feel free to PM me with questions.

tomtum06

Hi klm
I am not long finished my first cycle of ivf at the hari unit at rotunda hospital. When I needed to go there, I was referred by my gynacologist who diagnosed my fertility problems. They were very informative at hari. When u get referred you go for an initial consultation where the doctor will exain everything to u. Then u get invited for an open meeting which will have a hall full of couples who are also considering ivf. After this meeting you will be fully informed and have to sign a consent form for treatment.
I first attended for my consultation at beginning of November 2010 and started my first cycle in feb 2011, bit of a delay cos of the clinic closures over Christmas. If u phone rotunda and ask to be put through to the hari unit, the receptionist will answer any queries u have. Hope that helps. There is also a great ivf thread on the irish health website.

klm2010

Thank you so much for both replies.
As pointed out by buballoo I didn't give much info - Both my fallopian tubes are closed up so that's the reason I can't concieve. For this reason I don't think the naPro would be suitable for me but thanks for your suggestion, it's great that you found it successful!
I've been looking into the different clinics in Ireland and they all seem so expensive and I hear that it's a lot cheaper abroad - seems to me like it would be a long drawn out process to do it abroad without the support of being able to visit the clinic easily if needed unplannned at some stage, Has anyone opted for ivf abroad??
K

easychair

klm2010 wrote: »

I've been looking into the different clinics in Ireland and they all seem so expensive and I hear that it's a lot cheaper abroad - seems to me like it would be a long drawn out process to do it abroad without the support of being able to visit the clinic easily if needed unplannned at some stage, Has anyone opted for ivf abroad??
K

My understanding of IVF is that it requires regular attendances over a time, which can obviously cause difficulties if you have to attend abroad, and are living in Ireland. There is also an expense involved, and the stress of travelling so often, which also have to be taken into account.

The chances of conceiving first time are surprisingly low, and if then you have to proceed for further cycles, this will also increase both the cost, and the stress.

If I were you, I'd talk to your GP about it, and perhaps follow up with a meeting with someone at the HARI unit in the Rotunda, and perhaps at another Irish clinic too, and ask them what they can do compared to a clinic abroad.

You may well be surprised at what you learn from them. I'd be nervous seeking advice from others whose experience and problems, while they might superficially sound like yours, may well be very different, and you may well be put off from taking advice here which is well meaning, but incorrect for your personal situation. Even if someone here has had the same 'problem', the soultions or outcome for both of you might be entirely different in a clinical situation.

tomtum06

Easychair I am a bit offended by what u have said in your last paragraph there. Sometimes people like to hear what others have to say about something they are experiencing. Kim was looking for a starting point, I know how that feels cos when I discovered I needed ivf I had no idea where to start either. I remember how I felt and that feeling of loss. If my experience can make something a little easier for someone else, then I am glad to share.
Kim with regards the regular attendances at the clinic - you may have to go daily at times during your treatment. But each cycle will last approx 2 weeks. I am not an expert on ivf, but I have lived through it. I am happy to answer any questions u have, if I can

easychair

tomtum06 wrote: »

Easychair I am a bit offended by what u have said in your last paragraph there. Sometimes people like to hear what others have to say about something they are experiencing. Kim was looking for a starting point, I know how that feels cos when I discovered I needed ivf I had no idea where to start either. I remember how I felt and that feeling of loss. If my experience can make something a little easier for someone else, then I am glad to share.
Kim with regards the regular attendances at the clinic - you may have to go daily at times during your treatment. But each cycle will last approx 2 weeks. I am not an expert on ivf, but I have lived through it. I am happy to answer any questions u have, if I can

I'm afraid you are taking offence where none is intended.

It's fine to talk of our own experiences, and I encourage that. However, I'm sure we all understand what worked for you may not work for me, and the solution for you may not be the soultion for me, and the problem for you may well be a different problem for me. Even if we both have blocked tubes, the cause and /or solutions may be very different.

If the op assumes the soultions for someone else are the same for her, then she may well be mistaken. The only way to find out is to find out.

tomtum06

I'm not going backwards and forwards with u. A question and asked and answered, that's what people do here. If u have advice to offer, then don't reply.

bubbaloo

easychair wrote: »

I'm afraid you are taking offence where none is intended.

It's fine to talk of our own experiences, and I encourage that. However, I'm sure we all understand what worked for you may not work for me, and the solution for you may not be the soultion for me, and the problem for you may well be a different problem for me. Even if we both have blocked tubes, the cause and /or solutions may be very different.

If the op assumes the soultions for someone else are the same for her, then she may well be mistaken. The only way to find out is to find out.

I must agree with Tomtum here. As you pointed out easychair, surely we are all aware that different methods and procedures will work for different people, so anyone that would take advice from a public forum and use it as the one and only method for them would be a bit silly. The whole point of a public forum is that we can come on here, ask for advice and take it as it is intended - a support from those who have similar experiences. The OP simply asked for guidance in starting the extremely tough journey through IVF. It is a lonely daunting place to begin with and she was given the guidance she asked for. In fact Tomtum suggested she should call the clinic with questions and I suggested she arrange a personal consultation. I'm confused as to where you thought anyone was offering concrete information on what procedure she should undertake.

Orion

tomtum06 wrote: »

I'm not going backwards and forwards with u. A question and asked and answered, that's what people do here. If u have advice to offer, then don't reply.

That's quite enough of that thank you. Leave modding to the mods.

Just because you don't agree with a post doesn't mean it's an invalid post.

Now back on topic please