back! + ivf advice?

madasm0530

hi all. some of you may know me/remember me, some may not but i'm back and i need some help. as you can see in my signature, we've been 'taking a mental break' since december 2016. while that's accurate, it's not 100% accurate. in december 2016 i had an mri due to high prolactin levels - like really high. normal range is 0-25 - mine was 50. the mri was normal, but clearly my levels are not. i have spent ALL of 2017 taking and adjusting medication with little movement. it has been super frustrating and i am done taking the long route to getting pregnant - so that's why i'm back; IVF. 

i am sure this all exists in the posts on the board but what are your pieces of advice in starting this process? what should i look for in a clinic? what can i do to prepare myself? 

you all are so wonderful and i'm happy, anxious and excited to get back on the horse!

cheers, madas.

ReesaAnne16

Hey @madasm0530 I remember you
We switched clinics after our failed IUI's, mostly because we wanted to pursue Mini IVF and our clinic didn't offer it.
If you can find out prices for an IVF package at the clinics you're considering, DO THAT, it can vary a lot. Look at reviews for the doctors (fertility IQ .com is an option for that, plus google). Schedule an initial visit with a clinic you're considering and see if they review your records, if they have a good plan in place, how you feel about the doctor and their communication style, ect. How available is the doctor? can you email them? 
I know there are ways to find out a clinic's success rates, but you can't put too much stock into those because they are only for fresh transfers, and most clinics have a higher success rate with frozen transfers. Additionally, Mini IVF has a lower success rate overall, and can artificially lower a clinic's overall rate if they offer that. YOU should ask, at your initially visit, what the doctor thinks YOUR odds are based on other patient's they have had in similar situations. I think clinic's that have their own embryologist tend to be better too; thats my opinion. 

At our new clinic, I immediately felt reassured that the doctor had reviewed my records and had a plan in place for us, she was also very available (she gave me her phone number to text questions to if needed, and personally called back to answer questions when I called the clinic). 

In preparation, I would read it starts with the egg (if you haven't already) or at least read the IVF portion at the end. I followed the supplement protocol for diminished ovarian reserve after our first failed IVF (early ovulation) and after only 2 months, I had WAY more follicles than before on the same med protocol (and excellent eggs retrieved) My doctor actually recommended a higher CoQ10 dose than the book did ( I was on 600mg ubiquinol I think). Start the supplements now, so you're egg quality will be at it best by the time you get to retrieval. 

I hope this helps, Its so scary to start the IVF process, and can feel very overwhelming at times, but the odds are so, so much better, and I'm thankful we did it. Good luck!!

efavell02

Hi @madasm0530. I recently went to a workshop/summit put on by Resolve (a national organization that supports women during the infertility, adoption and family building process). I asked a panel of REs what I can do to prep for IVF in January, if I am already somewhat active and a mostly healthy eater. They said if I am already moderately healthy, to just focus on keeping my stress level down. One literally said "If you want to have a glass of wine leading up to IVF, have the darn glass of wine!" I found it comforting to know that I didn't need to feel like I had to go to extremes to prep for it. I don't know if that helps, but I felt like it took some pressure off.

ndz2018

My gyno recommended me to mine. She gave me two of them. They both had the same reviews online.. saying how it’s like factory line, don’t waste your $, the nurses are rude, etc I just Kinda figured I would be bitter as hell if I spent 10s of thousands of dollars and didn’t get what I wanted. So I went with the one closest to me, and honestly I couldnt be happier. Love all the doctors, my nurse is awesome, I have has zero issues with my financial coordinator ( probably Bc my insurance covers 4 IVF cycles) and every one at all the offices I have Been to have been nothing but pleasant. Take online reviews with a grain of salt. 
This is my first IVF cycle coming up so zero advice on what to expect. 
Hope you find a clinic you like!

efavell02

I agree with you @ndz2018. The reviews for my clinic said the same thing because they are a large clinic. To choose my clinic I looked at the success rates of clinics in the area. They were all pretty similar but my clinic was closest to my home and had the highest frozen transfer success rates.

madasm0530

such great information. THANK YOU. I bought the book and am almost finished. so much information that I hadn't thought about!