Wednesday, October 21, 2015

When IVF patients ignore good advice


As an IVF specialist , I'm happy to share my knowledge with patients , so that they can improve their odds of getting pregnant. Many patients will do IVF treatment at other clinics , and then send me the medical record so I can guide them as to whether they're on the right track , or whether they need to think of alternative options.

I'm happy to provide this information but it sometimes upsets me that in spite of the fact that I'm educating the patient with reliable information which is in black and white they ignore the advice which I send them and continue following the poor quality advice which their doctor has given them.

I can understand why some of them do this. After all, they have a personal relationship with their doctor. He's sitting in front of them. They're talking to him. I'm a faceless entity who just provides information on the website. Why would they necessarily trust me as compared to their personal doctor?

However, the very fact that they're asking me a question means they're not sure about their doctor's advice, which is why they are checking on it. Once I've provided them with an alternative perspective, the least they can do is some more homework , which will help them to ask their doctor more intelligent questions before deciding on their next plan of action.

It frustrates me when patients ask for advice and then ignore this. Not only is this a waste of my time , it's obviously a waste of their time as well. Why bother to ask questions if you're not going to do anything based on this ?

Need help in getting pregnant ? Please send me your medical details by filling in the form at www.drmalpani.com/free-second-opinion so that I can guide you !




3 comments:

  1. Dear doctor....I am presently 6dp3de transfer . I had been using alprazolam .25 for sleeping daily for the last few years. But post transfer I was strictly told not to take any medicine. Now I am not able to sleep at all. And the daily injections etc have become so laborious. I understand from the vast online literature that alprazolam being a class d drug certainly can not be used. Is there a medicine from other classes that I can use safely. It is difficult to convince my doctor on the phone about how much I long for a night of peaceful sleep but to no avail. Kindly help.

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    Replies
    1. It's safe to take any medicine you want during your 2 ww. It's only after your beta HCG is positive that we stop you from taking certain medicines. When women have sex in their bedroom, they continue taking medicines, don't they ? Your embryo has not established a blood supply from you as yet, so whatever meds you take will not harm it, don't worry.

      You also need to find a kinder doctor who does not give progesterone injections. Pessaries are far better, kinder and more effective

      Can you send me more details about your IVF cycle? What were the meds which were used for
      superovulation ? What was the dose used ? How many follicles did you grow ? How many eggs were collected ? What was the E2 ( estradiol) level in the blood ? What was the endometrial thickness ?
      How many embryos were transferred ?
      What was the embryo quality ? DO YOU HAVE PHOTOS OF YOUR EMBRYOS ? You can see what embryos should look like at http://www.drmalpani.com/knowledge-center/ivf/embryos
      Can you please send me the printed treatment summary from your IVF clinic ?We look forward to helping you to have a baby !

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  2. Anonymous4:02 PM

    Dear Dr malpani,
    I am an IvF patient in my waiting period and it was a reassuring to read your blog. I have myself tried telling the family regarding sensible advice with no effect. So I totally understand your frustration. The whole one week has been quite negative thinking week for me . reading your blog has helped me. I have an important question .I have travelled from UK its my 4 attempt. After 2 weeks waiting if the result is positive by God's grace what's your advice regarding travel.I look forward to your reply. I m in Chennai need to travel to Delhi - train or flight. When is it best to travel to Delhi and UK reg SP

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