29 replies to this topic

Just wanted to say hello to anyone who is going to the Conceptia Clinic at the Goerges Dumont Hopistal. We just started going there last week and have no idea what to expect from here. We are now only in the process of runnign more blood tests and waiting. The waiting sucks!

Best of luck to everyone!

Any comments about the clinic, doctors, etc would be appreciated... Fee free to message me if you want to chat about ttc in Moncton!

Just wanted to say hello to anyone who is going to the Conceptia Clinic at the Goerges Dumont Hopistal. We just started going there last week and have no idea what to expect from here. We are now only in the process of runnign more blood tests and waiting. The waiting sucks!

Best of luck to everyone!

Any comments about the clinic, doctors, etc would be appreciated... Fee free to message me if you want to chat about ttc in Moncton!

Welcome to the world of waiting and anxiety! What b/w are you getting done? What have you done up til now to concieve? My problem is tubes..specifially rt...had them opened Mar'06..2 ectopic's later...have decided on IVF..after having both tubes removed Dec'07.
The staff there is amazing! you deal mostly with the nurses after inital consult...they are great at explaining every step...why it's being done..and what the results mean to you.
I've learned more about what's been going wrong over the past 3 yrs...and why nothing I was doing on my own was going to work...since I've been going there!
Good luck to you and your hubby

[Ready and waiting]

Hi Girls,
DH and I had our initial consultation with Conceptia on February 23rd and were completely impressed. We met with Dr. Robichaud and Lise (one of the nurses) and they were both fantastic. We have had blood tests and an SFA and are currently waiting for our appointment with the urologist on April 29th. After that appointment we were told to expect a test tese within 3 weeks and, provided that they find sperm, we can start cycling. From the sounds of it its looking like July...August. I can't wait!!! How about you girls?

[Sara33]

Good luck to you ladies starting to cycle at Conceptia. I have been going to them since May '06, & they were so thorough with us & pinpointed why i wasn't conceiving. My old ob/gyn had no interest, after clomid failed for me, in finding out why I couldn't conceive. Thank goodness for this clinic. I'm now pregnant after my 2nd IVF.

Wishing you all the best

Sara

[Ready and waiting]

Sara- Congrats on your BFP!! It gives me hope and its such a relief to hear that you have such a good opinion of them.

We just started going to Conceptia and are in the testing stages. Just running the blood work mostly. But I was told by my perinatologist NOT go to the clinc because I am too high risk if I end up pregnant with twins again (incompetent cervix). The only dissapointment so far with the clinic (and it's not their fault) is that they see that my thryroid function is not in a good range for fertility and don't want to treat me due to Grave's Disease. So I am fustrated with that cause the perinatologist, RE, and OBGYN do not want to risk touching it, but all told me that it will make it difficult to get pregnant. SO... here we are. No help at the moment. Lets wait and see what the blood test at the clinic have to say...

BTW, my husband has bad morphology, I have LP defect (fixed with prometrium) and thyroid problems (but no signs of grave's at this point). TTC since 2006 with a loss of identical twins at 22 weeks gestation.

I have been a patient at Conceptia for approx 4 1/2 years. We have done three ICSI with TESA and have two DS. Although it is a long journey with many ups and downs I would not have wanted to cycle with anybody else. They were there for us through everything and they made us feel at ease with everything we had to endure. Good luck to you ladies and I pray you have the same positive experience that we were blessed to have.

We just started going to Conceptia and are in the testing stages. Just running the blood work mostly. But I was told by my perinatologist NOT go to the clinc because I am too high risk if I end up pregnant with twins again (incompetent cervix). The only dissapointment so far with the clinic (and it's not their fault) is that they see that my thryroid function is not in a good range for fertility and don't want to treat me due to Grave's Disease. So I am fustrated with that cause the perinatologist, RE, and OBGYN do not want to risk touching it, but all told me that it will make it difficult to get pregnant. SO... here we are. No help at the moment. Lets wait and see what the blood test at the clinic have to say...

BTW, my husband has bad morphology, I have LP defect (fixed with prometrium) and thyroid problems (but no signs of grave's at this point). TTC since 2006 with a loss of identical twins at 22 weeks gestation.

you must be very frustrated!!! So sorry to hear about the loss of your twins.
Hopefully they will come up with a plan that works for you!
Nothing worse than feeling like you aren't moving forward and at least doing "something" to move 1 step closer to your dream!

[---]

We just started going to Conceptia and are in the testing stages. Just running the blood work mostly. But I was told by my perinatologist NOT go to the clinc because I am too high risk if I end up pregnant with twins again (incompetent cervix). The only dissapointment so far with the clinic (and it's not their fault) is that they see that my thryroid function is not in a good range for fertility and don't want to treat me due to Grave's Disease. So I am fustrated with that cause the perinatologist, RE, and OBGYN do not want to risk touching it, but all told me that it will make it difficult to get pregnant. SO... here we are. No help at the moment. Lets wait and see what the blood test at the clinic have to say...

BTW, my husband has bad morphology, I have LP defect (fixed with prometrium) and thyroid problems (but no signs of grave's at this point). TTC since 2006 with a loss of identical twins at 22 weeks gestation.

"The only dissapointment so far with the clinic (and it's not their fault) is that they see that my thryroid function is not in a good range for fertility and don't want to treat me due to Grave's Disease. "

JDKamp ! I just saw your post and thought I would add in my 2 cents worth !! I can relate to your "Graves Disease issue' as I was (am) in the same boat - all except One thing...the Clinic I was at Before Conceptia did NOT test me for Thyroid problems,.....I had PCO so they pegged my IF due to PCO and didn't look further (No DYE Test either but that's another issue !!) So..I was on clomid for a loooong time...the dose was cranked up to 150 clomid...turns out I had TSH of 0.01 while taking 150 clomid - You can imagine how CRAZY I was feeling !! When I thought I was going 'out of my mind crazy' (emotionally I mean) my GP sent me for a pile of test where we found out about the Graves. SO - Although it is a set-back that you have not yet cycled due to your TSH levels being off, it is a really good thing that Conceptia was thorough enough to check your thyroid and to make sure your hormones are all in balance to GET pregnant and secondly to MAINTAIN a pregnancy (If thyroid levels are off it can also effect baby after the BFP). SO, I hear you on being fustrated having to wait - But - thankfully your body will be 'all set' and ready to go once your thyroid levels are balanced !! What is your TSH now if you do not mind me asking ?? Mine also went out of wack during pregnancy but this is quite common..the meds usually have to be increased once pregnancy occurs. The Doctors did a great job monitoring this for me during the 9 months of pregnancy.

I wish you MUCH luck JDKamp !!! Things will get rolling for you soon...you are in really good hands at this Clinic and they are very thorough - you'll be back in the game before long and your body will be all set for a BFP !!
Are you still seeing an endocrinologist ?
If you have any questions ask away......
Good Luck !
Stacy

Right now (I think due to only 6 months post-partum) my TSH levels are 4.79 and they would like to see them at 3.5. Every time I am tested they tend to get higher, almost to the point of hypo. They reasure me that I have grave's disease (diagnosed when pregnant). So everyone is scared to help me, so we are not getting any help with the thyroid levels. THey just tell us "keep trying, it will happen eventually". Not what I want to hear.

What did they do to help you with your levels? Especially after they found out you have grave's?

The last time I saw an endocrinologist face to face was last June when pregnant. Since then she ran some blood tests up until January, then stopped and I have not heard from her since. So, I don't know what they are going to do... I don't know if I should be calling her to see if I can get it sorted out with her or not. My peri told me she was going to discuss my case with her, but you know how it is... you may never hear back what was discussed.

[---]

jd - How have they treated your Graves Disease ? If they diagnosed it while you were pregnant then no doubt you have not had radioactive iodine treatment.........I guess you were on some kind of med. for it ?? Now that you are not pregnant you may have other options...I think (my opinion) you need an endo asap ...- Are you in Moncton or outside ? I too think that closer to 3.5 is more ideal than higher but it sounds like you need an endo to get it stable.
...more later...dh is sick ...(UG.)
S

I have never been on any type of meds whatsoever for the thyroid problems. I was diagnosed with a blood test that was sent to the mayo clinic in the states. After over a month, it finally came back with the results - but I only recently found out. I am in Moncton, and have an Endocrinologist, but she never sees me. The last time I saw her was the first appointment with her back in June 2007. I do not really feel comfortable calling her office, since my perinatologist told me she would talk to her.

I have another fertility clinic blood test on Saturday (Day 8) and I have asked them to check the thyroid again. I will wait and see what my levels are at that time (since I see a partern of slow increase every time it is tested). If it is any higher whatsoever, I may have to consider calling the Endo or my OB/GYN. I just really REALLY hate to call any doctor whatsoever!

At this point, since the Grave's is not active, they do not want to do anything to treat me. Fair enough, but I would like them to forget that I have Grave's for a minute and bring my TSH levels to a better level. But, how much can you push? I have been told not to worry, it's in the range... 4.8 is a little high if you ask me if we are TTC.

[JanisG]

Hi there....I'm a newbie too heading to Conceptia for our initial consult next week. There is a lot of nervousness when you don't know what to expect but by the sounds of it the people we will be dealing with there are very kind and supportive. I hope we have a good experience as well.
I'm thankful to have found this site!
Janis

[Ready and waiting]

Hi Ladies,

Welcome Janis! I've only been for the initial consulation so far but I found them amazing. They answered all of our questions and completely made us feel more optimistic about our chances. And they are eager to get started which is great- I'm sure all of us could be described as eager...perhaps desperate...lol. Good luck!

[JanisG]

Hi Ladies,

Welcome Janis! I've only been for the initial consulation so far but I found them amazing. They answered all of our questions and completely made us feel more optimistic about our chances. And they are eager to get started which is great- I'm sure all of us could be described as eager...perhaps desperate...lol. Good luck!

I was wondering how long the first initital consult appointment will be? Is there a standard protocol for the first meeting perhaps? I really have no idea what to expect and am trying not to get too nervous (yeah right!)
J.

I think I waited longer in the waiting area than my appointment was.

I think our first appointment was about 45 minutes long. We talked with Dr. Robichaud, he went over our information and asked us questions and history. Then we went to one of his nurses in her office and she went over setting up blood tests and such.

I was able to get all my blood tests done within 2-3 weeks of my first appointment. Still waiting for some of the test results to come back from Toronto, then I wait for a call from them.

They are really nice there, patient, and very informative. You will relaxed after you go! At least someone is there to help...

[Ready and waiting]

Our experience was about the same. We waited about an hour in the waiting room...then about 40 minutes with Dr Robichaud and them we met with one of the nurses. I think her name was Lise. They were both really great. We felt so optimistic coming away from the appointment. The went over our test results and explained how ivf worked- big picture overview and gave us a ton of information to take with us that laid it all out in detail. We'd had all of our bloodwork done in Halifax so they didn't order any test for us. THey set up the appointment with the urologist right after our initial appointment so that was great. Didn't have to sit and wonder when the next step would happen. Try not to be nervous- its all good- every step is one step closer. Good luck with your appointment- let us know how you made out when you get a chance.

[Sara33]

Glad your sessions with the clinic went well. You'll find the doctors & especially the nurses very good. I remember having Lise during our initial consultation, & though wow she's amazing. i remember walking out of that appt feeling good & very positive. It was a long road, that's for sure, but we got there. Good luck to you & all the best on your IVF journey.

Sara

[JanisG]

Our first appointment was yesterday and it sounds like our experience was about the same...long wait in the waiting room and then met with Dr. Robichaud for a bit and then onto the nurse who gave us a ton of reading homework. I went into the appointment pretty much knowing what our options were and we weren't too far off. It was still very overwhelming and it sounds so "technical" (for lack of a better word), certainly not the most romantic way to make a baby! I am not sure how we are going to go about making a decision about whether to move forward with this or not. DH is a numbers guy so he has a hard time with the % of success for the $ that is spent. He also has children from his first marriage so his perspective is different than mine. There are just so many "what ifs" and I can't logic my way through this...
What if we do this and it fails - will DH resent the $ spent for nothing?!?
What if we don't do this at all - will I resent DH for not being able to have a baby?!?
I know finances really shouldn't be a reason not to do this but we aren't lucky enough to have unlimited funds...it would be a stretch to do it once let alone repeat cycles. Oh lordy...how do you figure it all out?

[Ready and waiting]

Hi Girls,

Janis, I know how you feel those are some big questions and no one but you and your DH can make them. If only there was some certainty, if we KNEW that there was going to be a baby at the end then it would be so much easier to not think about the money. Have you made a decision? If you do decide to do ahead when were they suggesting you start cycling?

[JanisG]

Hi Girls,

Janis, I know how you feel those are some big questions and no one but you and your DH can make them. If only there was some certainty, if we KNEW that there was going to be a baby at the end then it would be so much easier to not think about the money. Have you made a decision? If you do decide to do ahead when were they suggesting you start cycling?

Right now we have to go back to do some further analysis (DH's swimmers) and get our bloodwork done. We are headed in a week from tomorrow for the tests. I guess we'll decide from there. Not sure when we would start. I think they mentioned that the test results might take a few weeks...? I see you are headed to see a urologist...do you have a start date or are you in for more testing as well?
Janis

[Ready and waiting]

It sounds like testing in New Brunswick goes along a bit faster than Nova Scotia- so you are in luck there. We already had most of the testing done in Halifax before our initial consult with Conceptia. I got the impression that if we didn't have the wait for the urologist then we could have gotten started right away. But since, for us, its male factor we need that urologist appointment in order to determine whether DH has viable sperm. Dr Robichaud explained that it would take a couple months to see the urologist who would then likely to a test TESE within a few weeks of the initial consult which would put us in May sometime. Assuming that they find sperm we can start cycling right away. I'm hopeful that they will find some as there were two in his last semen analysis.

Do you have any idea what issues you and DH are dealing with?

[JanisG]

DH had a vasectomy reversal and his counts aren't high enough after the fact to get anything happening. He needs to have an analysis done at the clinic to see whether he will need TESA or whether he would have enough without going through that extra procedure. His numbers aren't very good but since we are doing ICSI I am not sure that they need oodles to begin with. The analysis that he had done here just looked at numbers and motility but didn't look at all of the other stuff like morphology and survival rates and all that. When we were at our appointment we really didn't push to find out about start dates because I was still so freaked out by the whole process. We were expecting to hear that we would have to do ICSI but not TESA...I think Dr Robichaud lost DH when he mentioned the word needle and testicle in the same sentence!

[do re mi]

HI Janis,

Just wanted to offer my experience for comparison. We started a few years ago at Conceptia and found out we were Male Factor. We decided to wait a while, save money and then go for IVF/ICSI. We were also told (based on his sperm analysis) that DH may have to undergo a TESA. Thankfully on the morning of our ER, the Urologist said that he wouldn't find more or better sperm than what was in the sample. Dr. Bing was able to find 10 viable sperm after a whole day of searching!!!

The first time we did a Detailed Sperm Analysis, I was crushed to hear the news...they had only found 4 sperm!! ....however, after asking a few questions, I was told that he probably had more sperm in this sample....the 4 they found were from a small section of the sample. So, they told me to multiply by 10.

40 vialble sperm when there are normally 50 million+ is not alot, but it's better than nothing. Remember, with ICSI, they only need as many sperm as there are eggs....and you only need one good embryo to stick!
Best of luck to you and DH! Stay positive and keep posting your thoughts and questions on this site....it was a Godsend for me!

Doremi

[Nicole28]

Hi ladies!!!
I just wanted to wish everyone the best of luck. DH and I are also cycling at Conceptia. We had our mock done last week. We will be starting BCP in a couple of weeks. The closer we get to start the more anxious I get. I have found the Dr and nurses at Conceptia to be great. Will anyone else being cycling in May??