Information prior to your first consultation
The following information is likely to be helpful prior to seeing Mr Lower for the first time.
How to make an appointment
You can make an appointment by telephone or email. Our lines are currently very busy so if you don’t get through quickly please send an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Most appointments are held at 9 Upper Wimpole St, in person. If we are very busy or if you live far away, it may be better for you to have an initial virtual consultation.
Telephone 02074862440
Email: secretary@adrianower.com
Do I need a referral from my GP?
It is often very helpful to have a referral from your GP who will often be able to supply information about your past medical history, family history and a summary of previous treatment or investigations you may have had where relevant.
It is usually helpful for your GP to know what treatment we are planning for you and they may be able to help with some medication or post operative care.
If we do receive a referral letter from your GP we will usually reply to them. Sometimes we will write directly to you and ask you to send a copy of the correspondence to your GP.
Correspondence about fertility investigations is a sensitive issue and the HFEA strictly controls what information we can discuss with your GP. For this reason we usually ask you to sign a consent to disclosure document if you are having licensed fertility treatment. In the absence of instructions to the contrary, Mr Lower usually writes directly to patients and ask them to forward on to their GP.
Where to find us
The office is situated in Upper Wimpole St, a short walk from the tube stations at Great Portland St, Bakers Street and Bond St. It is also very close to the mainline rail stations at Kings Cross, Paddington and Marylebone.
Mr Lower operates at The Princess Grace and Weymouth St Hospitals which are both just a short walk from the consulting rooms and his fertility patients mostly have their licensed procedures at Aria and Care London fertility centres, although a number of other centres do sometimes send patients to him for specialised procedures before proceeding with fertility treatment.
There is a map at the bottom of the home page here.
What to bring with you
If you have had investigations, fertility treatment or operations performed elsewhere, it is very helpful if you can bring copies of the notes and results with you. One gains a lot more information from a realtime ultrasound and so Mr Lower will often need to repeat this and if you have had an MRI scan performed elsewhere please bring an unencrypted disc containing the images with you.
Please also bring a list of all the medicines you are currently taking, or better still bring the medicines themselves with you.
There is no need to attend with a full bladder. Transvaginal ultrasound scans are usually done with an empty bladder, but sometimes we might need you to provide a urine sample. If in doubt ask on arrival before emptying your bladder.
If English is not your first language it is very helpful to attend with a friend who speaks good English or professional interpreter. Please let us know in good time if you would like us to book an interpreter
What to expect
Mr Lower will take a careful history from you exploring the quality and duration of all the symptoms you are experiencing. He will also ask about past operations and illnesses and any medical problems that run in your family.
Once he has a clear idea of the problem and what are your hopes and aspirations from the consultation he will examine you and usually perform a transvaginal ultrasound scan.
We will provide a chaperone for intimate examinations or scans if you wish. Please remind one of our secretaries or practice manager if you would like to have a chaperone.
How much will it cost
A full breakdown of our fees is available here. Please note this is an indicative price list and a firm quote for any surgery or fertility treatment will be provided before you need to commit. We will always allow you time to reflect before asking for payment unless you are proceeding directly to treatment.
Mr Lower is recognised by most major insurance providers with the exception of AXA and its subsidiary companies. Please be aware the fees reimbursed by the insurance companies have not kept pace with inflation and there may be a shortfall between the amount reimbursed by your insurers and Mr Lower’s fee.
We will take payment from you at the time of your appointment unless you have a treatment guarantee from your insurers, employers or embassy. We will do our best to help you recover as much of the medical fees as we can, but ultimately you are fully liable for the cost of treatment. The cost of hospital fees and investigations such as blood tests are usually fully reimbursed by medical insurers, depending on your policy.
What next
Mr Lower always tries to make sure there is a clear plan at the end of a consultation. In some cases you will need some further investigations and a follow up appointment before a clear management plan can be formulated. Rest assured you will be fully involved in the development of the plan to take account of your personal circumstances, professional commitments, financial resources and religious or moral beliefs. He will go through the proposed plan with you and write a letter detailing the steps afterwards. If anything is unclear we will gladly arrange a further follow up to explain things more clearly. Sometimes this can be done by a quick email, more complicated discussions will require a further consultation either in person or by video.