Infertility

Sperm vent

We have MFI as in I have zero sperm to work with so we have to use donor sperm. And omg a tiny vial is so $#+@ expensive.

Five years ago at our first IVF our clinic just scrapped a little of the vial off and use it for our IVF. They don't do this anymore for good reason. It allows them to pick the best sperm Theoretically increasing the chance for better embryos. I can believe this makes a difference at least most of the time but it does mean that if we have to do another IVF that we have to buy another vial again. This makes getting only a few embryos more frustrating although we didn't want a lot begin with.
***Loss and success mentioned***
Me:34, Wife: 32
IF reasoning = MFI: Zero Sperm Count using FairFax donor bank
IUI #1 - #3: 2011 = BFN
IVF: 2011 = BFN, lost all 10 embryos (with C/Ps)
Jan 2014 - OBGYN (not RE) found and removed wife's "field of" uterine polyps after failed IVF

Moving on to surrogacy (actually a planned adoption)
Surrogate IUI#1: 7.17.12 = BFP!! 15dpiui = 256, 17dpiui = 346
Oliver Zane born - 3/29/2013 on Good Friday!

IUI #4 - #6: 2014-2015 = BFN (with C/Ps)
Switch sperm donors, start ketosis diet to reduce inflammation late 2015
IVF 2: Jan and Feb 2016, 3 great looking, 8 cell 3 day embryos. Two ET, one frozen
2.18.2016 (8dp3dt) = BFFP!
2.22.2016 (12dp3dt) = 649!!

Started foster care experience in 2012. Now waiting to adopt our foster daughter, 7, who has lived with us for 3 years. 


"Wait for your God, and don't give up on Him - ever!" Hosea 12:6 (msg)

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Re: Sperm vent

  • That sucks.  Is the cost a concern or just another annoying aspect of this whole journey?  I wonder if a friend or family member would be willing and interested in donating.  (Is that weird?)

    I wish you guys good luck!
  • That sucks.  Is the cost a concern or just another annoying aspect of this whole journey?  I wonder if a friend or family member would be willing and interested in donating.  (Is that weird?)

    I wish you guys good luck!

    To have someone donate sperm and use at a fertility clinic, you have to do initial testing, the standard 6 month waiting period that is mandated for all donations, testing again. And you must pay for all of the testing. It ends up costlier than using a sperm bank, unfortunately.

    RE DX for me: Anovulatory cycles/Mild PCOS  RE DX for DW: Endometrioma on left Ovary.
    Reciprocal Ivf Feb 2016. DW eggs and I am carrying. EDD: 10/27/16

    Pregnancy Ticker
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  • @Cmartin6706
    We were also reviewing the possibility of donor sperm, I couldn't believe how much everything costs! Some of the sites I was on wanted a monthly subscription fee paid as well to get the photo matching...just insanely costly.

    May I ask what kind of MFI your husband has? 
    My husband has a good testosterone level but an extremely high FSH (29) which is causing his body to fail producing sperm, he's done about 10 semen specimens with zero and actually on the last one last week they found 1 live and moving sperm and 1 dead one (craziest thing for us...) there aren't any treatments to lower the FSH. We found an urologist specializing in MFI and he is going to perform a TESE to pull sperm out that way. Not knowing the cause of your husbands, could that be an option at all? 
    4/15/16: Beta 379, 4/18/16: Beta 1358! 
    5/2/16: 2 heartbeats  <3  <3
    5/11/16: Baby A hb180, Baby B hb166 

    Due 12/22/16 with two! 

  • @twomommiestobe, I agree that one vial of known donor sperm is more expensive than one vial of anonymous sperm bank sperm, but over time, it can become more affordable.

    We've used anonymous sperm for me, at just under $800 per vial, and have purchased 9 vials. I don't want to do the math, but it's not cheap.

    But we will use a known donor for my wife. It will run about $2k, not including shipping, for as many vials as he can produce (at 6 deposits, we're hoping for more than we need).

    At $2k, it's a whole lot cheaper than the over $7k we've spent on anonymous sperm. The six month wait is a pain, though. And to be honest, there will be another $750 for a lawyer to help with the legal side, so that should be considered.

    @Cmartin6706, clearly, I feel you on the expense.
    Me- 39 (turning 40 in April), TTC for the first time ever (since Jan 2015), low ovarian reserve
    Married 3/14/14 to my wonderful wife, but her sperm count is rather low
    TTC with frozen donor sperm and science

    7 IUIs, 7 BFNs.
    2 IVF attempts, both cancelled and converted to IUI, both BFNs.
    Decided that my tired old ovaries are ready to retire.
    Next step- reciprocal IVF, using my wife's eggs, my uterus!  
    fresh 5 day transfer (2 embryos) 4/17/17- BFP! 
    Identical twins "due" 1/2/17 (but anticipated arrival sometime December)

  • KLake42 said:

    @twomommiestobe, I agree that one vial of known donor sperm is more expensive than one vial of anonymous sperm bank sperm, but over time, it can become more affordable.

    We've used anonymous sperm for me, at just under $800 per vial, and have purchased 9 vials. I don't want to do the math, but it's not cheap.

    But we will use a known donor for my wife. It will run about $2k, not including shipping, for as many vials as he can produce (at 6 deposits, we're hoping for more than we need).

    At $2k, it's a whole lot cheaper than the over $7k we've spent on anonymous sperm. The six month wait is a pain, though. And to be honest, there will be another $750 for a lawyer to help with the legal side, so that should be considered.

    @Cmartin6706, clearly, I feel you on the expense.

    @KLake42 $750 is cheap for the legal part! Lol When we did our one try at home and used the known donor, it was about $1500 for the agreement.

    RE DX for me: Anovulatory cycles/Mild PCOS  RE DX for DW: Endometrioma on left Ovary.
    Reciprocal Ivf Feb 2016. DW eggs and I am carrying. EDD: 10/27/16

    Pregnancy Ticker
  • $1500! :#:/
    ***Loss and success mentioned***
    Me:34, Wife: 32
    IF reasoning = MFI: Zero Sperm Count using FairFax donor bank
    IUI #1 - #3: 2011 = BFN
    IVF: 2011 = BFN, lost all 10 embryos (with C/Ps)
    Jan 2014 - OBGYN (not RE) found and removed wife's "field of" uterine polyps after failed IVF

    Moving on to surrogacy (actually a planned adoption)
    Surrogate IUI#1: 7.17.12 = BFP!! 15dpiui = 256, 17dpiui = 346
    Oliver Zane born - 3/29/2013 on Good Friday!

    IUI #4 - #6: 2014-2015 = BFN (with C/Ps)
    Switch sperm donors, start ketosis diet to reduce inflammation late 2015
    IVF 2: Jan and Feb 2016, 3 great looking, 8 cell 3 day embryos. Two ET, one frozen
    2.18.2016 (8dp3dt) = BFFP!
    2.22.2016 (12dp3dt) = 649!!

    Started foster care experience in 2012. Now waiting to adopt our foster daughter, 7, who has lived with us for 3 years. 


    "Wait for your God, and don't give up on Him - ever!" Hosea 12:6 (msg)

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    image
  • @twomommiestobe, the lawyer does a deal with the agreement, knowing that we'll go back to her for the adoption.  Arguably, if we use anonymous sperm, we can get by without the adoption (since we're married), but with a known donor, we'll have to terminate the donor's rights and get a court determination that the non-genetic mom is a parent.  The adoption will be quite a bit more expensive than the agreement, which makes sense, since it's binding, and strictly speaking, the agreement is not.
    Me- 39 (turning 40 in April), TTC for the first time ever (since Jan 2015), low ovarian reserve
    Married 3/14/14 to my wonderful wife, but her sperm count is rather low
    TTC with frozen donor sperm and science

    7 IUIs, 7 BFNs.
    2 IVF attempts, both cancelled and converted to IUI, both BFNs.
    Decided that my tired old ovaries are ready to retire.
    Next step- reciprocal IVF, using my wife's eggs, my uterus!  
    fresh 5 day transfer (2 embryos) 4/17/17- BFP! 
    Identical twins "due" 1/2/17 (but anticipated arrival sometime December)

  • @mrsstarski86 Without going into much detail, I have a birth defect that does not allow me to ever produced sperm without a literal miracle or science that's still years away. It wasn't discovered until I was in college. I'm glad that some guys can be "fix" with the help of good doctors. Hopefully your husband can produce enough very soon.

    @TheLabyrinth It's mostly a cost issue. We just didn't want to have to buy yet another vial. Although we have very very little to complain about since we have incredible fertility insurance coverage: $50K lifetime, no copays for b/w or US just the med copay.
    ***Loss and success mentioned***
    Me:34, Wife: 32
    IF reasoning = MFI: Zero Sperm Count using FairFax donor bank
    IUI #1 - #3: 2011 = BFN
    IVF: 2011 = BFN, lost all 10 embryos (with C/Ps)
    Jan 2014 - OBGYN (not RE) found and removed wife's "field of" uterine polyps after failed IVF

    Moving on to surrogacy (actually a planned adoption)
    Surrogate IUI#1: 7.17.12 = BFP!! 15dpiui = 256, 17dpiui = 346
    Oliver Zane born - 3/29/2013 on Good Friday!

    IUI #4 - #6: 2014-2015 = BFN (with C/Ps)
    Switch sperm donors, start ketosis diet to reduce inflammation late 2015
    IVF 2: Jan and Feb 2016, 3 great looking, 8 cell 3 day embryos. Two ET, one frozen
    2.18.2016 (8dp3dt) = BFFP!
    2.22.2016 (12dp3dt) = 649!!

    Started foster care experience in 2012. Now waiting to adopt our foster daughter, 7, who has lived with us for 3 years. 


    "Wait for your God, and don't give up on Him - ever!" Hosea 12:6 (msg)

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

    image
  • @KLake42 yeah, we were going to have to do a second parent adoption as well. It is another reason we went with a bank: No paperwork! Lol

    RE DX for me: Anovulatory cycles/Mild PCOS  RE DX for DW: Endometrioma on left Ovary.
    Reciprocal Ivf Feb 2016. DW eggs and I am carrying. EDD: 10/27/16

    Pregnancy Ticker
  • This may be a silly question but have you inquired with your insurance company? My husband is infertile due to childhood cancer and our insurance covers most of the cost of our donor sperm. Because we are buying it because of a medical condition, it's covered. 

    Best of luck to you both.
  • @S&amp;H&C do you mind if I ask what kind of insurance you have?  My husband has the same issue, but we have no coverage for anything, including the sperm.
  • smdrodgers We have Harvard Pilgrim. We are in MA and from a quick look I only see it offered in New England but maybe I'm wrong.

    If I was, for example, in a lesbian relationship and needed to buy donor sperm, it wouldn't be covered but because our infertility issue is due to a medical condition (his previous cancer treatments), it's mostly covered.

    I hope this is at all helpful. If HP isn't available near you, maybe there's another company that covers this kind of "medical supply" (which is what I have to check off on our reimbursement form). ;)
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