Advice on Practitioners in Melbourne

Hi, I'm hoping that someone can help me find a new fertility specialist in the Melbourne area. I really like my present specialist, but it's a minimum of 6 weeks to see her unless it's an emergency and then it's a minimum of a week! The wait time in the waiting room has been a minimum of 1hr 15 minutes every time and I'm really tired of it.

Furthermore, I've just been diagnosed with a "likely partially collapsed haemorrhagic cyst" and, with a family history of ovarian cancer, am going to be worrying for yet another week before I can see her (and probably longer since she'll likely not perform surgery for awhile). The doctor who ordered the tests feels that it's important to drain the cycst and test the contents for cancer. To add to the frustration it's quite painful all of the time.

Is this sort of wait time to see a specialist usual for Australia? In the US I was always able to see a doctor (specialist or not) within 2 days.

BTW - we're ttc 14 months. I'm a lean PCOS. Many rounds of Clomid with 2 pregnancies each ending in a visit to hospital for emergency surgery. Just decided to go IVF and this happens! At 38.5 yrs I'm so frustrated I don't know what to do. I alternate between feeling unreasonable and selfish because we have a 2.5-yr-old daughter from a miracle pregnancy (doctors can't explain how I managed it) and feeling like I should move back to the US to get better care with my old gyno :mad: !

Extremely Frustrated with Australian Medical System

Who are you currently seeing?

Kate Stern is my doc but it may take a while to get in to see her.

anyone else see her. I have only just started seeing her but she has done so much for me already

My previous doctor was Professor David Healy and he was good too just a little too preoccupied with my weight issues to do anything else to help me.
He's at Monash

good luck

Hi there, sorry to hear about your frustrations with your current doc. The onyl time I had to wait for that time frame was our initial appointment. There has only been a couple of occasions where we have had to wit for longer than 15 minutes in the waiting room, that was because our doc got caught up elsewhere, which does happen with doctors :)

I'm with Melbourne IVF, located at the Freemasons and I will generally see Andrew Speirs, who I can't recommend high enough. If Andrew is unavailable, for example he is off on a conference atm, they will arrange that I see another specialist, usually David Wilkonson, if he isn't available then they will arrange for me to see someone else within MIVF.

HTH

Jo

Hi,
I think youwould be lucky to get into any specialist in 2 days in Australia. Certainly 4 weeks is more like it. But I would have thought that if you are being treated by someone and it is an emergency, then you should not have to wait one week.
I am guessing you are seeing this lady for IVF as well as the haemorrhagic cyst. Maybe you could go to someone to get the cyst sorted and then go back to her for the IVF?? I have a good gynae in the eastern suburbs. He lists fertility issues amongst his specialties but he is not with an IVF facility.
I just rang today to make a first appt. with an IVF specialist at Monash and had to wait 8 weeks so maybe the waiting time is not that unusual.

Hey sweetie, im so sorry you're having so much trouble, getting in to see someone, the only spealialist I know of is Dr Mac Talbot in Richmond, who is afertility specialist, who also deals with endometriosis and other problem areas,hope this helps.

Try to keep your chin up angel, I know it's frustrating but we're all here for you.xx :hug: 4 u

Hi BdOZ2,

(Hope I got that nickname right). Where in the US are you from? DH is from California.

Sorry you have had problems with your current specialist. I go to MIVF as well (like Jo). I see Lyndon Hale and he is very good.

As the other girls have said, a long waiting time for an appointment is only usual if it is a first appointment, not for subsequent ones. As for waiting a long time in the waiting room ... not sure what is going on there but I can imagine that in the world of reproductive medicine, unexpected things do happen from time to time. Maybe you have just had a run of bad luck.

You do not have to wait to have essential surgery done. Go to the doctor who did the tests and get a referral to someone who can do something about it straight away. It really is not necessary for you to put up with that situation. The medical system here is actually very good ... the doctors are excellent and with Medicare rebates, treatment of all kinds is affordable for almost everyone. This is particularly the case with IVF which I gather is very expensive in the US.

Good luck with your appointments and I hope you get that emergency operation sorted out soon.

Hi,

I echo the comments of all others. I booked in to see a fertility specialist (also IVF dr) after my second miscarraige. From memory, the waiting for the initial appt took about 3 months, but have to admit that the time spanned the Xmas/NY period. Like Mel and Jo, this appt was with Melb IVF (Freemasons). Appts after that were a mutually decided thing and were booked when needed. Sometimes the waiting in the waiting room was a bit lengthy - about 20 - 30 minutes, but usually no more than 10 mins. At MIVF I saw Lyndon Hale (like Mel)

I left MIVF for a second opinion and went to Monash. I got an initial appt within 3 weeks of ringing them up and whenever I have needed to contact my specialist, I have generally always got a phone call form him within the hour. I see Nick Lolatgis (he is also the OB specialist on this website - his details are listed on here, but if you want, can post them again). Again, subsequent visits are made to suit a mutual time and are booked because of something specific.

Your "emergency" stuff doesn't sound right though - I have even gotten into see the GPs on the same day when it has been an emergency.

I would hunt down someone else.

Hayseed

Jacinta I do remember you.
glad to see you again.

Cazz

Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for the support and advice. I managed to get into see another doctor, but only after the pain finally started to subside as the cyst collapsed. I think that wait times to see specialists (or anyone) in the US are less because there is no limit on the # of doctors who can practice, as there is here. There's something to be said for allowing market forces to work. And, all of my doctors in the US had a policy whereby their receptionist phoned any patients if the wait was getting over 1/2 hour. Otherwise, their patients would simply go to another doctor. I don't think that actual medical care (or quality of doctor) is any different between the 2 countries.

Thanks again, I'll try to log in again to keep a watch on you all.