[Mookie]

Here are some ideas about things to ask at follow up consultations.
If anyone can think of anymore to add please post them.

1. How were the quality of my eggs?

2. Did I d/reg or stimm for too long?

3. How do you feel I responded to drugs?

4. Could changing dosages /type of drugs improve egg quality?

5. Did coasting for a few days effect egg quality?

6. What is your opinion of having clinic open every day or waiting a few days to have eggs collected?

7. Would more monitoring on a daily basis - scans and taking E2 levels improve the quality of eggs?

8. What do you feel the link is between fertilisation rate, embryo quality and live baby rate?

9. What part do quality of eggs, sperm, culture medium and embryology lab play?

10. What is your percentage on average for fertilisation rate (i.e. 70% of embies fertilise - % rate of good clinics).

11. Does male factor infertility play a role in the fertilisation rate?

12. What would be the point of having a hysterscopy after a failed cycle? If your clinic doesn't do this, why?

13. Would you test my FSH levels to see if they are to high to do another cycle?

14. When can I cycle again? Why?

15. What is your success rate for ICSI treatment within my age category?

16. Please provide me with a list of diagnosis within that group?

17. Does your clinic do reseach into the outcome of diff diagnosis and keep stats?

i.e. out of the average 30% ICSI success rate.... what is that group made up of i.e. - unexplained fertility, Failed IUI's that move on to ICSI, Failed IVF's that move on to ICSI, Severe male infertility (very low counts, no sperm - SSR) and donor and combined male/female infertility

18. Sperm - what is your opinion on using fresh, frozen or SSR?

19. What are your techniques used to freeze the sperm?

20. What do you feel can be done to improve sperm quality?

21. What urologist can you recommend?

22. Embies - from clinical reseach it has been shown that Day 2 or Day 3 transfer has no significant effect - what is your opinion on this?

23. What is your opinion on blasts - by what % do they increase the live baby rate?

24. Does your clinic only do blasts after 3 bfn?

25. Would assisted hatching have helped?

26. Did the embie not take - 1 in 4 rejected by our body?

27. Would there be any point to do PGD?

28. How many embies to you need for this?

29. What are the risks involved?

30. Is one embie tested for one genetic disease or 9 of the listed diseases?

31. What is the policy with regard to freezing embies?

32. How do you grade them/what is your opinion of grading vs live baby rate?

33. Can the embryologist remove the fragmentation in the embies?

34. What was the sperm count and quality like this time?

(Thanks to all that have contributed to this thread particularly Deb10)

 

[kazwhelo]

Hi Mookie!!

Thanks so much for this!! we have our follow up appointment next week, and now I am feeling more human after the horror of our BFN, I am ready to start asking questions so we can learn from our first attempt!

Big congrats on your BFP!! It made me feel so happy to see that it does work! and a lovely scan photo to prove it!!!

Karen x

 

[Mookie]

Karen - glad these helped. I can't take the credit though - these questions were put together by some of the ladies on the ICSI thread. Sorry to hear of your BFN, I know after our first ICSI the follow up consultation helped us move forward from the BFN - stay positive and best of luck with your next cycle

 

[SBB]

Hi Mookie
Have you had your wee girl? Encouraging to hear that it does work. Just had Mon 14th Nov. The questions above are great and will help with F/U appointment. Feel  right now and finding it hard to get motivated but I guess I just have to give myself time.

Love SBB

 

[Mookie]

SBB - so sorry to hear of your recent BFN. Glad that the questions will be helpful to you at your follow up. I felt like you after our first cycle resulted in a BFN and I know having the follow up really helped both me a dh move forward and feel a little better. I hope this proves to be the case for you too. You do need to give yourself time and let your emotions/feelings do what they need to do. Hoping that your next cycle brings you a positive result  - sending you  .
Thank you for asking about Mini Mookie- she isn't here yet. I'm glad you have found it encouraging to know it does work - I remember feeling like it never would after our BFN too - hang in there

 

[SBB]

Hi Mookie
Thanks am feeling more positive today. I will find out tom how case conference went and hopefully when F/U appt will be. Good luck with the big push. 
Love SBB

 

[Jess75]

Hi

i was just wondering how long I should expect to wait for my follow up app.  I just got a bfn on my 1st icsi on 5th Nov - the hospital (Ninewells @ Dundee) say it will be next year before they can see me.  Finding it hard to put closure on things until I have had my follow up.  The questions are a great help.

Thanks

 

[jess p]

That's appalling - you poor thing, a year? Are you sure that's right?

Jess xxx

 

[pinkpear]

hi question for mookie.
have first appointment soon but cannot find the the head where you listed first appointment questions anywhere ,can u guide me back to them as need to get over this first hurdle. many thanks and  good luck to everyone out there

 

[LiziBee]

Will go and have a look for it Pinkbear!
Lizi.x

 

[pinkpear]

thanks  for looking for the questions have also posted under isci-lister girls and secondary infertility site-new and low just in case anyone else knowa where the First appointment questions are
pinkpear xxx

 

[LiziBee]

Hi Pinkpear!
Sorry for the delay - I've been looking but it seems my mind was playing tricks on me and there isn't a 'first-timers questions thread'. Do you think one would be useful/popular?
Many apologies,
Lizi.x

 

[pinkpear]

dear liz

i think my mind must have been playing tricks because i was sure i saw one and it looked similar to the follow up consultation thread by mookie months ago but i have searched too. i think it would be useful to set up a thread of questions to ask at first consultation for first timers with view to either iui ivf or isci.
how do we start it.?
love pinkpear

 

[Harps]

Hi Pinkpear and Lizi
I think this is a great idea.  I've been looking for ages for an initial appointment list of questions.  In the end I've done my own as my appointment is tomorrow.  I thought I'd post them here for you, just in case they are useful, feel free to edit/add/delete, etc, anything you think might help!  Harps x 

What our schedule likely to be?
(day 1 -3 bloods, mid cycle scan, bloods, d/reg day 21, d/reg scan, bloods, stimulation, daily bloods, ec, et, 2ww)

When will down regulating start and how long is it likely to take?

When does d/reg end, do you have a period; is that when you know you are ready?

Do you have to sniff/inject at exactly the same time every day?

Are there alternatives to injections?

Can we have an injection machine? 

What happens if I don’t respond to the drugs/over respond?

What are you looking for to decide it is time for EC?

Do you do EC under aesthetic?

At what stage will I need to be monitored on a daily basis?

Are there any vitamins/supplements, lifestyle factors you would recommend during treatment? (including; alcohol, OTC drugs etc)

What is the usual ratio of follicles to eggs to fertilisation rate?

What is the success rate for ladies who reach the stage of egg transfer?

Is miscarriage more likely if you have IVF? 

Is ICSI the best treatment option for us?

If we fail when can we cycle again?

Are there any things I can do to improve the quality of eggs?

Do you recommend the long or short protocol and why?

What do you think are our chances of success?  What is the success rate of the treatment you are suggesting for ladies of my age?

What is your opinion on the best stage to transfer embryos back?  What are your views on blasts?

What do you do if there are extra embryos, can they be frozen?

How do you grade embryos?

Estimate of costs?

 

[pinkpear]

thank you so much Harps, you have done all my work for me!!!. the list is really useful. if anyone can think of any more questions for first timers then can add them here or maybe we can put them on a first timers thread. let us know how your first appointment went today harps-am thinking of u. expect u will be sitting in arcg office now firing all the questions.
i will need a list and trying to get hubby to understand what goes on too as expect will blub when i get to mine-i am hopeless going to the doctors/consultants/dentist etc even when happy and well!!!! i am not used to being a patient-prefer to sit in the other chair in control of everything.

anyway sending u lots of luck and keep the tips coming. hope your head isn't spinning to much tonight by it all
love pinkpear

 

[LiziBee]

OK, job for Friday (day off from work!) is to set up a new list of questions for first time cyclers.
Harps - hope you wont mind if I use your list!
Lizi.x

 

[Harps]

Lizi, no probs

Pinkpear, glad it helped.  Our appointment went well and I didn't actually get out the list.  But, by the time I'd written it and read it on the train it was in my head anyway.  Started our monitoring cycle and hopefully will start d/reg later this month.  I was ok really, I felt a bit emotional when we first went into the consultant's office, but it's all very business like so I found that easy to cope with!

Harps

 

[LiziBee]

I've locked this one temporarily so I can do some work on it and a new 'first-timers' questions over the weekend!
Lizi.x

 

[LiziBee]

This thread now has a new home! Please go to:
http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,49609.0.html
Lizi.x