SWAG, I agree. If you can prove that you can look after a child (e.g. financially) the NHS should pay for it. After all, we pay for this system that isn't working for a lot of us!

Nhs won't do IVF in my area. I have to pay for it. Paid taxes and NI all my life to be told we have to pay, yet in other areas u can get 3 free tries. Disgusting how it varies.

Thank you for the information k2chick that's really useful ?

Gp I went to first .The whole ivf process went very quick my fault for not losing enough weight first time. I can remember the other doc from local hospital sending me for tests blood and tubes checked. Sent my husband for two samples as first came back low so wanted to re check! Know my tubes were checked nov 08 .Then the ivf hospital wanted to re check husbands sperm again this was twice before our first appointment which was April 10. If I'd lost weight it would have been 9 months wait.

K2chick was it in 2008 that you had your first gp appt or your first appt with the fertility specialist? Have our first appt with fertility specialist in 2 weeks. I've had BW and U/S and both came back OK. DH has just had his first (and hopefully last) SA, which we're getting results for on Monday. Not sure what to expect from here, sounds like it could be years before we get to ivf though. I'm 35 so not too much time left here!!

I went through my gp at first they sent me to a gynaecologist. Started in about 08. Had my first ivf appointment April 10 got called jan 11 treatment would have started in feb 11, but I was overweight they said they'd call me in 6 months but forgot. I rang in september they got me in ASAP started the pill dec 11 treatment jan 12 and a bfp march. So worth the 4 years of waiting games and tests!

Wow hides! That is a long time. I wasn't quite expecting it to take so long. I will brace myself! Glad you got your bfp x

I will def start making demands in may. I contacted the infertility network and was given a template letter to write to appeal to the PCT. Problem is I need the name of a doctor and haven't even spoken to him yet. That's the may appointment. All together, just to test me and partner has taken a year and we've seen 2 GPs, 1 gynaecologist, 1 urologist. Loads of people, and like you said, very little / slow communication. I feel in the dark about the whole process. I've learnt a lot from reading from this board and my own research.

Thank you for your reply hides. I've checked all the criteria and we meet this, subject to the results of the usual tests. We're just waiting for the results of his SA which are due any day, so I'm hopeful that IVF will be an option.

Have kind of resigned myself to the fact that we'll have to pay for IVF, if we want it done soonish. Just hope that we don't have to wait too long if we're paying for it ourselves.

I'm 35 and this will be our first, so not much time to hang around. Am hoping to have 2, but at this stage we'll be lucky to have 1.

The longest bit for us was the testing. I went for my first tests in June 2008 and didn't get referred for treatment until January 2010. I was given a first appointment date in may 2010 but had to delay it due to work do first appointment was in June 2010. We were approved for treatment and then had to wait until December 2010 to start first injections for ivf with icsi. Dud first round which ended in bfn. Then waited until April 2011 to start second round which ended in bfp. We had full nhs funding so only had to pay for prescriptions. Be aware that there are a lot of restrictions for nhs treatment so you might need to push them a bit. In our case I was getting close to 39 which is the cut off age for treatment so we really pushed to get all the tests done in time. Im in london if you have any other questions please ask and good luck with your treatment.

That's a long time to wait for the urologist appointment. Doesn't sound like the right professionals are communicating effectively.

Since they (the NHS) caused your partners issues in the first place, you could complain? Or maybe start making demands during your May appointment, since you've been waiting so long already? That's terrible that they've made you wait so long, when they knew that he was infertile all along, due to their incompetency. ?

Hi ladies, I'm new here!

I'm hoping to go through ICSI but it feels like I'm waiting forever. I'm confused about the process too. I was referred to a gynaecologist who was planning on putting me on clomid in feb/ march 2011. Before hand they had to test my partner. His samples came back as zero sperm. It has taken this long (almost 1 year) just to see a urologist!! And now he's said we need ICSI and has passed us on again(!). Been waiting since feb 2012 for the next step and our appointment is 25th May! It's like the NHS doesn't understand that biological clocks are ticking!!! Lol!! So frustrating. Plus I think all of this is a waste of time for us as we will probably have to pay anyway.

We already have one child together but I am pushing for our PCT to pay as they bodged up an operation of his, leaving him infertile! Urologist said it was the surgeons mistake as this is not a risk of the operation.

It's taking forever...:-(

Wow 2 years!! When you say that you self funded, did you put money towards it to get seen quicker, or did you have to go private and pay full private costs? And Congratulations on your BFP!! ??

It depends where you are in the uk. I'm in Scotland and would have had to wait 2 years once put on the waiting list after tests. I self funded and waited 4 months for my treatment to start. Ended in a bfp first time so so worth it!