Hi, newbie here w/ some questions...

mattswife91805

My DH and I have been TTC since 07. I have a feeling my ob is going to refer me to a specialist to go through IVF or IUI (my DH has low sperm count we were on a break when we got pregnant w/ DD) . So my question is what is the difference between IVF and IUI? He talked to his urologist and they can do sperm aspiration and freeze some sperm, now would I have to have IVF done or an IUI done? This is all new to me, I have my yearly pap in May so I will be talking to her then.

Thanks!

hillaree

How low is the count? I would guess it's not terribly low since you do have a DD (she is adorable, btw!), which would make me think you would be a good candidate for an IUI. IUI is a much less invasive and less expensive procedure...there's a lot to explain about the differences between IUI and IVF, and I'm sure you could find some helpful website that would explain it better than me. Good luck!!

liturgicalgirl

IUI is less invasive: they take a sperm sample, 'spin' it to get the strongest sperm, and then do an insemination process. ?You can take meds to increase the number of eggs you produce, but the eggs never leave your body. ?IUI is significantly cheaper than IVF. ?The chances of success are generally quite a bit lower, but it's great alternative when IVF is not required. ?IUI can be done with fresh or frozen sperm. ?Fresh tends to yield better success rates.

IVF: injectable medications cause you to produce far more eggs than normal; the eggs are removed from your body and fertilized, then a small number of embryos (1-3, usually) are placed back in. ?The chances of success are much higher than IUI, for the most part. ?It's also much more expensive and not often covered by insurance.

Good luck in your decision making.?

liturgicalgirl

Oh - and your daughter is completely adorable.