Intro and a question
MrsRedVelvet
member
Hi ladies, I'm a GP regular but I thought I'd peek in over here since DH and I have some IF issues we're dealing with. As some background, we just just celebrated 3 years (complete with side eyes of "Why no kids yet?") and I'm 30 and DH is 31. We just underwent IUI #2 and I get my beta drawn on Wednesday.
I POAS yesterday and it was stark white BFN at 11 dpIUI so I'm not super hopeful for this cycle. Ideally I'd like to do one more IUI cycle but not sure if the RE will have me do Clomid or injectables. He tends to be more conservative so he'll prob rec Clomid.
So now my question 
I hate that there's like 3 days to make a decision on a cycle between AF and CD3. I'm really struggling with "what's next" for us as I've used up almost half my IF coverage. IVF gives me the best chance but it's much more invasive...when do you decide to jump from IUI to IVF?
Unexplained IF || TTC #1 since July 2011 || IUI#1 = BFN || IUI#2 = BFN || IUI#3 = Cx, overstimulated || IUI#3.1 = Converted to IVF || IVF#1 = BFN || IVF#2 = Cancelled due to low E2 || Changed RE, IVF#2.1 March 2013
Re: Intro and a question
Hi and welcome to the board. From your signature, it looks as if your DH had a varicocele, but other than that you are possibly unexplained IF?
Personally, I wouldn't skip injectable and move to IVF right away. I understand your concern over your IF coverage being used, but IVF is so unbelievably invasive and I feel like it's a last resort for many of the ladies on this board (not sounding negative at all, but who wouldn't rather have an IUI/injectable over IVF? I think many people would if they could get pregnant). Is it a lifetime max, or per year max? Either way, I would personally ask your RE to move on to a cycle of injectable. They can get costly as well, so it won't be a waste (I know my RE office said they can be $4-5k a cycle). If you're asking opinion only, I would try at least a cycle or two of injectable before moving to IVF. However if you're concerned that you'd have to wait a year+ to start IVF if you blow through your IF coverage, then you and DH need to decide how patient you're going to be.....I know this is a difficult decision and a struggle between what you want and what makes sense financially. best of luck with your decision, and i'm looking forward to getting to know you on the board!
Hi and welcome to the board, sorry you have to be there though.
Just to give you a little different perspective, we have done 7 (I can't believe its really been that many myself) IUIs. And we are contemplating doing our 8th IUI after our second opinion appointment. We are just now really starting down the IVF road. Partially because one of our IUIs did work, it just ended in an ectopic, and partially because I was still holding on to hope that an IUI would work for us and I wasn't ready to give that picture up just yet. Now that we have exhausted out injectables limit with insurance, that is why we are moving on, its just come to the point where we don't think an IUI will work any more.
If I were in your shoes, I would potentially ask about Femara or Injects. Give it a try at least. There's so many variables with IVF and how invasive it is, I would want to exhaust all my options before proceeding.
Good luck.
8 IUIs - 3 Cancelled cycles - 1 Ectopic Pregnancy with Left tube removal = A broken heart
IVF #1 : Fall 2012
15R - 13M - 13F w/ICSI - Transferred 2 day 5 blasts = BFP!!!
8 Frosties!
Beta #1: 135, Beta #2: 312, Beta #3: 996
10/21: Saw one beautiful flickering heartbeat! EDD: 6/12/13
?S/PAIFW?
Thank you so much for your thoughts and experiences. Resorting to IVF really is just that I feel...a last resort.
I know some women go through multiple rounds of Clomid (I've been on 3, 2 with IUI and one with TI) before trying another medication but I may ask my RE about trying something else at this point. I do want to give injectables a try before IVF, the question is how many. I know with every IUI cycle, the chance of pregnancy decreases however injectables have a higher success rate than clomid.
Luckily my meds is covered under my pharmacy plan and not IF coverage so injectables should be feasible without eating into all my coverage. I'm thankful to have coverage but wow, it goes by fast!!
Personally, we moved to IVF because we had such low odds with IUI that we didn't see the value in it. We are 100% OOP. We were given an 8% chance of success with IUI if we had 5 million motile swimmers. We didn't even come close to that, so our odds were pathetic even though I responded perfectly.
If you're having a good response to Clomid, I don't see a reason to switch until after 3 rounds. If insurance covers injectibles without using your IF coverage, absolutely do 3 rounds of those before moving on. 3 rounds of Clomid + IUI, then 3 rounds of injects + IUI, then IVF is a pretty standard treatment pathway.
Im doing IVF and it sucks. Really sucks. I don't advocate it unless there really is no other option. You also have to consider the possibility that IVF fails and you have nothing frozen. How many IUIs could you have done for all the $ spent of IVF? IVF does have a better success rate, but you have to consider IUI success rate over many cycles to actually compare.
Good luck!
I think you should sit down with your RE and discuss a plan of when to jump to IVF. I think that making a decision in the CD1-CD3 timeframe is not only impractical, but you are rushing a decision you are making while just coming off a failed cycle.
A lot of the choice depends on your personal situation. Based off of what you've told us, I tend to personally think it is a bit early to jump to IVF and would probably do one or two more IUIs (maybe w/injects, since your insurance covers them.) You are fairly young, no real issues (from what I can see,) and you haven't even reached a year of trying. I think you should table IVF for a bit and see where IUIs get you. If you are going to have success, it will likely be in the first 3-4 attempts of a protocol. Then you should move on.
I haven't done IVF yet, but our plan is to discuss starting if 3 IUIs are a flop. From what I understood, though, an IVF cycle usually involves two cycles, so I don't think you would make a decision on CD3 that this cycle was IVF. I thought there was much more to it than that.
Antagonist IVF 7 retrieved, 4 fert w/ICSI&AH, 2 blasts transferred. Beta #1 9/20: 367 Beta #2 9/22: 841
Thanks so much for your post! Agree, the decision to go from IUI to IVF would require much more time than a mere 2 days and my RE would in no way require me to make that decision in an unrealistic timeframe. For changing meds though or dosages, this would be the timeframe for making that decision though.
Well, that's the frustrating part....we don't have any "real" issues except DH has borderline normal volume count but post wash numbers have always been great (~27 mil with normal motility and morph). I have a LPD but the progesterone supps have helped that.
We initially started trying in June of 2010 and then stopped after 4 cycles (all BFN) since I was getting laid off my job...so it wasn't a consecutive year of trying but was a year overall with no BFP which lead me to contact my RE.
Again, all you ladies have been so helpful. IVF is in the back of my mind (mainly for financial reasons, I know I kow! Not the right reasons!!) but I do want to at least try injectables. Whether or not that will be recommended next round by my RE, I do not know yet but I hope to have that conversation.