"Fertility Treatment"

For the last 3 years, me and my partner has been going through IVF treatment at another hospital. At referral, we both complete pre-fertility screening tests. We then completed 2 x rounds of IVF cycles (egg collection), 1x cancelled embryo transfer and 3x failed embryo transplantations. We were not told at the start, that we could only access 2 cycles of IVF under medicare. As such, we received a referral to another hospital. Again, we complete the pre-screening tests with our new fertility specialist who has advised us to my partner has genetic translocation, which can impact on implantation success and could increase risk of miscarriage and birth defects. I was also suspected of hydrosalspinx, which may also impact on implantation success, and the new specialist therefore recommended surgery before doing any further IVF. We have also been referred to a genetic team to be informed how this diagnosis may impact our fertility journey.

I feel extremely let down by the public system in a time which is already physically, emotionally and psychologically painful and distressing. I am saddened by being told that the only options we have for genetic translocation is to have pre-genetic screening of embryos which is only available at the Royal Hospital for Women (under medicare), or through private clinics. This would help in identifying unbalanced embryos. 

My hope is that sharing my story, to enhance other's people awareness of knowledge of something we had never heard of, and was never given the opportunity to make a decision about, as it was either missed, or never tested for. I hope no one has to go through what we went through, and wish that the public hospitals providing fertility treatments significantly improves to minimize the suffering of other couples' in their fertility journey.