# receiving aftercare at home after treatment abroad



## aruck (Jan 24, 2007)

hello , 

I just wondered if any of you  can help me with some information. 

I am planning my first ever  donor IVF treatment in Czech Republic in May and after a long 2 year wait ,I can't believe it's only a few months away. ..

I have read widely on ff during my time ' in waiting' , especially the Czech and treatemnt abroad threads. 

One of the things I remember reading about is that some women have written about undergoing blood tests back in the UK. They had to be carried out  within only  2-4 days of their embryo transfer( abroad)  , to measure something in their blood that starts wit H I think, or maybe it's progesterone ? - t okeep a close eye on levels  - when levels don't rise, this  then usually  indicates that a chemical pregnancy/ miscarriage will  result  ? ( if this occurs, can something be  done at this stage to reverse it ? ). 

The  'standard 'advice from clinics  seems to be  that they ask you to carry out a pregnancy test  a fortnight after the embryo transfer . However, some clinics have high miscarriage rates  and some women who this has (sadly) happened to have written that they wish they had had these  tests done with hindsight very early on  . 

I thought if I find out now,  I can ask my GP the next time I see her about whether  I could get these blood tests done privately anywhere. I have had a previous miscarriage and obviously want to do anything I can  to minimise the risk of having another one and  Iwant to be well informed in advance . 

D oes anyone know what I'm talking about and if yes, please could you shed some light ?

Many thanks !

Andrea


----------



## ElleJay (Sep 4, 2005)

Hi Andrea - I wonder if your confusing the final pregnancy hormone measuring blood test that is done 10 or 12 days after embryo transfer, as that it measuring the HCG in your blood?  This is the one that, if it doesn't double every 2-3 days, means that there is a chemical pg happening.

The blood test I had to have done 4 days after embryo transfer was to measure Oestrogen and Progesterone levels as the clinic would have adjusted my supporting meds during the two week wait if they were not happy with these levels.

Hope this is helpful - and really good luck to you

Lesleyj xx


----------



## Yogs (Sep 6, 2007)

Dear aruck/Andrea

As Lesley says, if your period doesn't come within (usually) 14 after embryo transfer, your clinic will advise you to do a home pregnancy test (pee stick) or go to a doctor and have the level of 'HcG' (I think the proper term is human chorionic gonadotrophin) in your blood measured.  If the HcG level is high (as at something way over 60), it usually means you are showing signs of early pregnancy.  The pee stick will pick up a raised HcG level if you are pregnant, but it wont tell you what that HcG level is, and you may then want to go on and have a blood test to know what it is, so that you can inform your clinic.

If you have a good GP (as I do), instead of going to a private clinic in the UK, he or she may do your test for you free of charge (you could 'plead poverty' as I did   - the cost of treatment wiped me out!), but there are no guarantees with that, and indeed some GPs can be a bit 'sniffy' about it.

The very best of luck to you...

Yogs x


----------



## aruck (Jan 24, 2007)

dear lesley and Yogs. 

sorry for delayed reply. Your replies are invaluable really.

Lesley, your information was J u s t the information that I was after . I knew some women went for blood tests back in the UK just a few days post transfer and this must have been for progesterone/oestrogen testing .
I will ask the doctor at the clinic about it at our first appointment( coming up beginning of March) , and then, following treatemnt , go and pester the GPs in the local healthCentre to see if I can have it tested, or have it done priovately, to rule out anything going wrong with progesterone levels. It seems that what is happening is that some clinics who offer fertility treatment recommend this to the women (and subsequently are willing to fine -tune protocols according to the Progesterone levels), whereas other clinics prescribe standard drugs ( a kind of 'one size fits all approach ' ) and just ask the women to test HCG levels after a fortnight . When women who had miscarriages later on found out about the Progesterone testing (which their clinics hadn't told them about_ they naturally felt aggrieved which is understandable. Iwil lfind out more from docor to get as much info as I can -in this case, better the devil you know !
Itake it the Progesterone/ Oestrogen fine adjustments also have something to do with making a preganncy more viable ?/making a miscarriage less likely ? Also lesley ,who tested your progesterone/ Oestrogen levels was it your GP ?

And Yogs ,

thanks for clarifying . I can now print off the info black on white, making sure I won't forget it again.

I will think about your tip for 'pleading poverty' , too - who knows the way things are going I might *indeed* be that skinned at that stage that I might see myself revert to the trick ! However, I probably prefer to leave my GP out of the hoop altogether - mine is not very sympathetic _ I was thinking perhaps she is a strict Catholoc ?- she never said 'good luck for your treatment ' or anything but just sits there and doesn't say anything and by doing so, I am picking up the signal that she doesn't want to concern herself with treatment abroad .. however, perhaps I will try and see another GP in the clinic when I renew my HRT prescription , to 'test out the waters' ...

Thanks again to both of you. I feel    a lot more knowledgeable and reassured now that you have helped me to 'reaasembe' the jigsaw !!! 
Andrea


----------



## ElleJay (Sep 4, 2005)

Hi Andrea!  Yes, the levels being at their optimum gives you the best womb environment for a pregnancy and a good progesterone reading means less chance of miscarriage - but there are no guarantees - my levels were good in my Sept 07 BFP, but I miscarried at 8 weeks.  At least I know that I did everything that I physically could to make the outcome different......

Although my GP is mega supportive (I have completely lucked out with him), NHS blood tests take an age for the results to come back - so I got my blood tests done privately (at the local Nuffield Hospital).  I just called up, explained the situation, and they said that they'd do them for me - expensive but worth it for getting the result to the clinic and for the peace of mind you get when they say everything is ok.  

One other tip - my clinic likes you to take antioxidant pills for three months before treatment, and also wants you to have a 6 day course of antibiotics (amoxycillin 500mg) just before you arrive so that your lining is good, bacteria free and inviting for your little embie(s) to nestle in.

Positive vibes for your trip in May - it will be here before you know it!

Lesleyj  xx


----------

