1. Waiting for the Nurse Consultation

2. The IVF Pathway Waiting for the Nurse Consultation
Maximise your health
Stop smoking completely
Reduce alcohol intake, ideally stop altogether
Aim for a normal body weight
Ensure any existing medical conditions are well-controlled
Make sure all your tests are up to date
Cervical smear test
Confirmed rubella immunity
Folic acid supplementation
Before and during treatment and for first 3 months of pregnancy
Over the counter “folic acid for pregnancy” or “multivitamins for pregnancy”
Many couples hearing this presentation for the first time will be at this stage in their treatment as we like you to have informed yourselves fully, by the time of the Nurse Consultation appointment.
There are some things you can do to maximise your chances of the treatment proceeding without a hitch and to give you the result you are hoping for-
There is no safe limit for alcohol consumption so stopping altogether is advised
Ideally BMI should be <25; absolutely must be <30 for NHS funding

3. The IVF Pathway Waiting for the Nurse Consultation
CONSENT FORMS
Consent to fresh IVF treatment
Fate of spare embryos
Consent to freeze embryos
Consent to embryo research
Consent to training of embryology scientists at LCRM
Consent to humane discarding of spare embryos
Consent to use of embryos after death (Posthumous use)
Requires specific implication counselling
You will be given a wallet of consent forms to read and complete for the Nurse Consultation appointment
We will ask you to read through all of these consent forms in detail, and sign those you feel comfortable doing so…….
Please go to the web link for the guidance on completion
When you attend for your nurse consultation we will register you to the confidential HFEA register
We will confirm that your communication consent and Welfare of the Future Child consents are signed
You will then need to complete the IVF-specific consent forms which you should have read through…..
There is an option to consent to the use, in the future, of frozen embryos created from your eggs and sperm in the unlikely event that one of you has died. Because this has significant implications for the surviving partner and the potential child, we will not allow you to agree to this until you have discussed it with one of our counsellors.
You can understand that, over the years that IVF has been available, new situations come about which mean that unusual and perhaps extreme circumstances need to be considered in order to have the wishes if each individual recorded for future reference. Absence of legally binding consent has meant that eggs, sperm and embryos have had to be discarded in the past.

4. The IVF Pathway Waiting for the Nurse Consultation
SUPPORT NETWORKS
LCRM counselling service
Dealing with social and emotional aspects of fertility problems
Free service
Arrange an appointment:
Directly call
Request a referral from doctor or nurse
Essential counselling
Implications counselling
Posthumous use counselling
Social Media and internet
Private LCRM Facebook page
Twitter
We try to offer a holistic service and you should already be aware of the team of specialist counsellors who work alongside us with expertise in helping to manage the stresses and strains of infertility, its treatment and the aftermath. They help patients to become familiar, and give due consideration to the psychological and social implications of some of our treatments. They provide valuable support in decision making and coping with the ups and downs that all patients experience.
There are times when we will refer as a requirement of our HFEA-license.
There are times when we may recommend a referral.
You may request a referral, or refer yourself, at any time.
What you discuss with the counsellor is confidential, unless there are issues raised that have implications for the welfare of the potential child. These will be shared with your consultant in order to determine whether / when treatment should proceed