You have to do the mandatory counselling first. at this session she will also explain the legal forms and you will sign all the documents regarding the procedures, what is to happen to any frozen embies if you die unexpectedly..all that guff...she will also witness those forms and give you copies. the accounts department will explain what fees you will need to pay depending on what type of cycle you have been put down for by the doctor. For example there is full stim, ICSI, PGD, Donor fees etc and they will explain and usually highlight which ones apply to your situation and when you will need to pay (which is currently day one of your active cycle). They also will get you sign forms so they can claim straight away from medicare through the electronic system, this way you also get your rebates quicker. Then you see the nurse who will explain the cycle to you and show you all the drugs, how to inject thm etc etc. The nurse will also work out when you will be likely to start your IVF cycle and pencil you in in the diary. They may also take bloods at this time to do standard pre conception tests e.g. rubella status etc etc. Once all that is done you then have to wait till day one of next cycle when you ring the nurses and get the green light to go ahead, they will tell you whento come in for a scan and pick up your drugs etc etc.. Also depending on who your doctor is you will be allocated to a team of nurses that work with that group of doctors so that you get some continuity of care. for example I see Lyndon Hale and he is part of the Green team so when I ring to speak to a nurse I ask for the green team. there is also a red team and I think a blue one now as well.
Thats a very brief description of what will happen...hope that helps answer some questions.
It seems overwhelming at first, once you have your appointments it will all fall into place. The nurses as MIVF are really nice, so if you ever want to ask questions, tell the receptionist, that you are seeing John, and they will tell you what colour team you are in, and you can talk to one of the nurses from that team. Its like in school, with school sports, how you have red/green/gold/blue.
I have heard great things about John, so all the best and welcome to BB
i knew i posted this thread at the wrong place but didn't know how to move it to the right place... Dusty, thanks for moving that...
Melbel and Wouldloveabubba, thanks for your reply.
my appointments will be on 4th and 6th Mar and my next period will come around 12th mar. does that mean my cycle can start from 12th mar? the doctor has chosen down regulation cycle for me. do i need to see doctor again before my next period comes?
If your doctor has written treatment orders no you wont have to see him again until your first scan which would be about halfway through your down reg cycle. It is possible you would be able to start as early as your March cycle unless they are really booked up..the nurses will let you know on that score!
Hi Greentea - I went to Dr McBain and thought he was great... he got us pregnant on our first FET (so second IVF cycle), so I think he rocks!
With the down reg, the first thing that will happen is they put you on the pill for a period of time. So I would think that you would likely be able to start that on your next cycle if all your appointments are done. Just be aware that the down reg cycle can seem really long because of the time spent on the pill to start with. This is a really good way however of the FS "turning off" your hormones so that they can fully control them with drugs.
The nurses at MIVF are very helpful also. I wish you heaps of luck!
Hi Greentea - Good luck with starting your first IVF cycle... I'm very glad you asked these questions as i'm back to my FS on the 2nd of March to find out about starting my first IVF cycle and the info that Melbel and wouldloveabub has given is brilliant... Maybe we'll go through this at the same time... I'll keep an eye out to see how you go..
I just made a time with Dr. Whitehead at MIVF for late March ... just wondering, would the doctor try to help us fix the problems or are we going straight to IVF?
I just don't feel mentally/psychologically/emotionally prepared to go straight to IVF yet ... my hubby just got his test back and he has a lot of problems with his little swimmers ... so would the FS try to fix that or MIVF is only doing IVF so the fact that we made a time to see them means we are going straight to IVF?
Secret: IMO it's a good idea that you are going to visit a FS. I hope your visit gives you some valuable information, that you can take away with you. You can discuss your hubbie's results with her and she will give you her opinion.
MIVF also does IUI and assisted conception without IVF, so you can discuss those options as well. I visited my FS about 10 months before I actually decided to go ahead with IVF. I might offer advice to see a Counsellor and the Nurses and Accounts Dept's as well, so you can walk away having all the info to take home, and sit with for a while...
One quick question: Where did hubbie have his SA ? My DH had to have his done at the RWH Andrology Dept, despite having it at Monash, it is the only one my FS at MIVF relies on ..
LilMiss - How did your appointment go today ? Who did you see if you dont mind me asking ?
Oh ... he had it at Monash inside Epworth!! ... I will tell hubby to do another one at RWH!
I asked the same question in another thread but thought I'd ask again here ... has anyone had experience with Dr. Whitehead at mivf? Just would like to know whether she had much experience with male factors ... it seems from her bio that she specialises in PCOS ...
Glad to hear that they would discuss some options as well ... does IUI require the self-injections phase?
Secret: Ring Julie and ask if they will accept your DH's SA from Monash, perhaps my FS only likes RWH Andrology, Julie may be different, even though they are in the same clinic.. I was dissapointed we had to get another one, only to show the same results.
IUI does require injections to stimulate your ovaries, it may be inconvienient for you, however a tip, if the injections are worrying you, I used to call into the Satelite Clinic, and the nurse would "supervise" to ensure I was on the right track, or they can do them for you..
When I was with Dr McBain he only wanted to have SA through RWH also. We had previously had one done through our Gyn. The one through the Gyn didn't show up any problems, but the one through RWH showed that my husband also had some morphology problems (I have PCOS which we thought was our only problem), FS then advised that we go straight to ICSI.
I think that I had Dr Whitehead once as a fill in for Dr McBain. Seemed really lovely, but I couldn't tell you of her particular experience with male factor as we were going through OI at the time.
When I first started with Dr McBain, we went through OI (ovulation induction). We did about 4-5 cycles of that before moving to IVF/ICSI. It worked in the fact that it got me ovulating, but obviously didn't get us pregnant. The really good thing though is it got me used to injecting etc. It was like "baby steps" towards the IVF.
I had my 1st IVF consultation yesterday at MIVF!
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