Infertility
StumpyG
member
Into (newbie/oldie)
StumpyG
member
in Infertility
Hi, figured I'd say hello after lurking on this board for a while! I used to be really active on a few Bump boards years ago before everything split off onto FB groups, but now all my communities have moved on in life and I'm left alone in the world of IVF! :P So I hope it's ok if I come here with questions as we go through this.
DH and I have signed on to do our first cycle in March. We've been TTC for 5 years (I'm 30, DH is 32), diagnosed MFI, several unsuccessful IUIs. We're also currently actively pursuing adoption and have been in circulation with our agency for 8 months. Since it could potentially be years before our family grows that way, we're going "all in" with IVF too.
We're OOP for everything (adoption and IVF, hold me while I cry...), so I'm sure most of my questions will be about med costs and financial aspects and such. I appreciate all the wisdom shared by everyone here!
Wishing everyone all the best in your efforts!
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Re: Into (newbie/oldie)
***SIGGY WARNING***
Our Story
Me- 35, mild hypothyroidism
DH- 29, low count due to a chromosomal abnormality, only option is IVF/ICSI with PGD.
Married 5/13
TTC since 8/13
IVF/ICSI #1 ER 9/14 - 14R, 6M, 6F, 5 blasts off to PGD- 1 normal female, 2 balanced males
FET 12/8 of 2 frosties - 1 male/1 female - stick babies stick!
Beta #1 10dp5dt 444! Beta #2 14dp5dt 2,340! U/S 1/5-- TWINS!!! EDD 8/26/15
"You'll never see the rainbow if you can't survive the storm"
Official diagnosis: Unexplained IF. I am 32. I have low ovarian reserve (low AMH), and poor egg quality. I've also been diagnosed with mild glandular developmental arrest (lining problems, detected with EFT).
We are using open ID donor sperm. IUIs #1-7=BFN. IVF September 2014 antagonist protocol, 8R,5M,3F, 5 day transfer of 1 morula = BFN. IVF#2 planned for January 2015 (antagonist protocol + HGH).
MFI, 50k sperm frozen, RE requires weight loss before our first cycle of IVF so now we wait.
(+20 = total loss)
Me: 41, DH: 45
DD, 6/15/2013
TTC #2 beginning January 2014
AMH 1.05; FSH range 7-11
July 2014: IUI #1. Follistim + Pregnyl. 2 follicles--BFN
September 2014: IUI #2. Follistim + Pregnyl + Ganirelix + Crinone. 4(?) follicles--BFN
October 2014: IUI #3. More Follistim + More Ganirelix + Pregnyl + Crinone. 4 follicles--BFP! Beta #1=10 Beta #2=33 Beta #3=97 Beta #4=158. M/C 11/1/14
December 2014: IVF #1. Microdose Lupron protocol. 9R, 9M, 9F. 3 5-day blasts transferred 12/15. BFFN.
August 2015: IVF #3. 14R, 13M, 11F. Froze 5 blasts for CCS testing. 3 normals. FET planned for 10/2015.
My Ovulation Chart
Welcome! We are doing a FET in January which will be our 6th OOP IVF/FET cycle.
The biggest place you can save money is with meds. I have learned several tips and tricks over the last almost year and a half of IVF treatments. Find out which meds you will be needing and look into discount programs such as Compassionate Care and First Steps. They will give you a discount on the OOP price of some common IVF meds ( CC is for Gonal-f, cetrotide, and ovidrel and FS is for follistim, ganirelix, and pregnyl). Also shop around for the best prices, you do not have to order meds from the pharmacy your clinic recommends. My clinic usually uses Avella since there is a local Avella pharmacy right down the street. I ended up getting my meds a few hundred dollars cheaper through an out of state pharmacy (Alexander's Twin in NJ) and having them shipped overnight. Different pharmacies have better prices on different meds so do your homework.
Another big tip is using the overfill in follistim cartridges. Most are overfilled by about 75 units. You can get more bang for your buck by ordering all 300 IU cartridges, instead of larger cartridges since the more vials you order, the more overfill you have. I have even pulled the overfill out of leftover vials with an insulin syringe to combine all of the overfill into one vial to avoid multiple injections where I can.
Also you can ask your clinic about free samples or if they have a med donation program. I have received donated meds from friends that has saved me thousands of dollars.
ETA: I also use my FSA to pay for meds, which has helped you at least don't have to pay taxes on the money you put in your FSA. Also save all of your receipts for tax time. You can deduct any medical expenses over 10% of your taxable income.
TTC #1 since August 2011
My Blog
September 2012: Start IF testing
DH (32): SA is ok, slightly low morph, normal SCSA Me (32): Slightly low progesterone, hostile CM, carrier for CF, Moderately high NKC, High TNFa, heterozyogous mutated Factor XIII, and +APA
October 2012-May 2014: 4 failed IUIs, 3 failed IVFs, and 1 failed FETw/donor embryos
November 2014: IVF w/ICSI #4 Agonist/Antagonist with EPP and Prednisone, Baby Aspirin, Lovenox, and IVIG for immune issues. Converted to freeze all due to lining issues. 2 blasts frozen on day 6!
January 2015: FET #2 Cancelled due to lining issues
April 2015: FET #2.1
PAIF/SAIF Welcome!
DX: Adenomyosis, Compounded MTHFR, PAI-1 4G variant
DH: 34
MFI due to Testicular Cancer
Married March 2012
IVF w/ICSI #1
10 little polar bears
FET #1 with 2 polar bears ~Nov 6, 2013 BFN
FET # 2 with 2 more polar bears ~March 19, 2014 BFP!!!
Beta 1= 276
Beta 2= 662
4/19/14 ~ baby A became an angel
5/02/14 ~ baby B became an angel
5/3/14 ~ D&C
FET #3 with 1 male polar bear ~October 3, 2014
October 13, 2014 ~ BFN
Fur Children: Memphis 3y, Dutch 3y, Marcel 2y, Meadow 1y
January 2015 Siggy Challenge TTCAL
Animals Interacting with Snow