# NHS age limit



## Angel_Delight (Jan 23, 2011)

Hi there,

I posted this on the POF section last week and someone suggested I post here, so here goes 

I have been diagnosed as having POF for approx a year, seems a life time ago!  I had an appointment with a fertility specialist in November but she said that as my FSH was very high (appox 80), she could only recommend donor eggs.  A couple of months ago I had another FSH test and it came back as 10.6 and I've been referred back to the same fertility specialist.  I am 40 in May and I've been running about in circles trying to get this sorted with the NHS, although I think now that my time has run out.

I just wondered if anyone could give me advice on what I should be asking from the fertility specialist.  Is there any treatment I should be asking for?  Am I too old for treatment on the NHS?  I first went to my Dr when I was 38 with irregular periods and feeling a bit cheated by all the waiting time which has caused me to panic at turning the big 40!

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## Ellie.st (Mar 11, 2005)

Dear Tra17

I'm sure people with experience of donor egg IVF will be able to give you more advice than me but as far as being eligible for NHS funding is concerned, this will depend on the funding rules of your local PCT (or Health Board if you are in Scotland). There are national guidelines in place now but I think that there is still a bit of a postcode lottery.  In my case, the cut-off for fertility treatment was 38 (although that was quite some time ago now!) so we had to self-fund but each PCT seems to be different, and as well as taking age into consideration, some do not fund treatment for people whose partners already have children, etc.

Great news that your FSH has come down!  The specialist might also want to do a AMH test which gives an indication of ovarian reserve, although I am not sure how this ties in with POF. One thing to bear in mind with FSH is that it can jump about quite a bit and some clinics will stick with higher readings in assessing how you might respond to IVF drugs/what dosage you are likely to need (which, as you probably know, is what FSH results are used for).  However, there are also some very inspiring stories on this site from people who had high FSH readings which then fell and who went on to have a baby. (Some people seem to have had a lot of success in getting and keeping their FSH down with acupuncture and/or Chinese medicine.)

I'm not sure from your post how long you have been ttc or if you have other issues  apart from POF but it might be useful to look at Daisyg's post of useful tests on the "Starting Out and Investigations" board - some of these are tests which your GP could arrange, others would need to be done through a fertility clinic.  Have you also had a test to ensure that your fallopian tubes are clear - not relevant if you go down the IVF route but does matter if Clomid or IUI is suggested.

With IVF, your chances of success are going to be higher with donor eggs but only you can know if you are ready to try that or if you want to try with your own eggs first.

Hopefully you are still eligible for NHS treatment but if you find that you have to self-fund/go private (and if this is affordable for you), one advantage is that you can "shop around" clinics and perhaps look for one with good success rates for older women.

Wishing you lots of good luck.

Ellie


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## urbangirl (Jul 28, 2010)

Hi, you should be eligible for NHS ivf up until 39 so ask for it now if you want to do that.  At the very least you will get your cycle monitoring done for free and other investigative tests, but because you're 38 you might want to do some stuff privately as well because the NHS moves at a snail's pace which is fine if you're 32 but not when 40 is looming in the not so far distance...


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## pmc (Nov 15, 2010)

I started my first IVF treatment at the age of 40, only because heels were dragged a little with the NHS, and so now I am self funded.
I was told I have a very low egg store because of my age, and because of that, each IVF cycle is a short 2 week protocol.
I am on Gonal F, a very high dose that stimulates your ovarys to produce alot of folicles. (they wouldnt give you that if your egg store is high) Take that for a few days then you are given another injection to take which is called Cetrotide.
I the 3 attempts I have had, I produced 7-10 follicles, and got 6 eggs from each cycle and 3 fertilised.
About the cost, it all depends which CRM you use and like Ellie has said previous, its all a postcode lottery.

Dont think you are getting too old, as The clinic I go to in the west midlands, treat women over the age of 43, depending on your health of course.

Good luck, and dont lose faith. x


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## shortbutsosweet (Feb 14, 2011)

hi
pmc i found your post interesting as i am 40 and following an amh i have been told my egg store is probably low.  Your post has given me an idea potentially of my treatment, thanks so much.
I will be self funding as i know my pct is not funding ivf at all for anyone due to cuts.  My gp did refer me to a private consultant as i asked so that was useful other than that nothing from NHS, i am not bitter or surprised as i have worked for them in the past and appreciate they is not a never ever ending pot of money.
good luck ladies lets hope as 40+ women we can be successful in this at times nightmare journey


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## pmc (Nov 15, 2010)

Hi Shortbutsweet, I have sent you a message with a bit more info about the short protocol and prices.


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## Angel_Delight (Jan 23, 2011)

Thanks for your comments, sorry for the delay, I've not been on here for a few weeks.  I've just had a scan to look at my follicles (on 7th day of cycle) and he said I only had two on one side and three on the other, so I was quite emotional after that.  Reading your comments though has given me some hope.  I also had an amh test but not had the results back yet


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## JDG1 (Jun 30, 2010)

Hi 

the cut off for funding is that you must be referred for secondary treament no later than 18 weeks before your 40th birthday - the reason I know this is that my 
doctor messed up and referred me a day late - so not sure if i'll get funding (we will fight it) but your local PCT will also have a criteria that you have to meet 
which includes your level of FSH - for assisted conception it is 14 and for IVF/ICSI it's 12 (thats for the PCT i come under) so you will need to check that too.

it is frustrating and i know exactly how you are feeling as I have been badgering my doctor since I was 38.

I hope things work out for you.

J xx


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