What to do if you don't have the $$ for IUI or IVF? Vent.

flbeachcouple · February 2009

We have decided that we really should not spend the money on IUI. We are on cycle 27 and have been DX as unexplained. We are both 34 but we really wanted 2 kids by the time we were 35. Dh is on the verge of being laid off (again) as am I . We have a nice cushion in our savings but if we are both are out of a job it would go so fast. We are in the airline industry (DH is a pilot) and there are not any jobs to be had. He is looking overseas but that is about a year long process. So I guess we are going to try and let nature take its course and hope for the best. I know our chances are better than most but this has been a long draining process as you all know. I am so bummed. And no, my insurance pays only for diagnostic, no meds, no tests, no nothing.

Anyone else just not willing to spend that kind of money in this economy?

dusk42 · February 2009

I'm sorry. ?:( ?I do think you are being logical, but it stinks.?

In terms of another strategy, have either of your thought of trying to switch jobs/careers to a company that covers more in terms of IF? ?That is pretty much the only reason my husband wants to stay at his job - it has branches/HQs in states that mandate IF coverage. ?It's worth a look, especially if your current field is not doing so well. ?

https://www.conceiveonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=147?

firsttogo · February 2009

I am not sure what I would do, but I do have a cousin who got pg on cycle 33 with unexplained. I am not sure what the difference was that cycle. Have you looked in to clomid or femara at all? It has been known to help with unexp. and is minimal as far as cost is concerned.

flbeachcouple · February 2009

dusk42:

I'm sorry. I do think you are being logical, but it stinks.

In terms of another strategy, have either of your thought of trying to switch jobs/careers to a company that covers more in terms of IF? That is pretty much the only reason my husband wants to stay at his job - it has branches/HQs in states that mandate IF coverage. It's worth a look, especially if your current field is not doing so well.

https://www.conceiveonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=202&Itemid=147

As much as I would LOVE to change jobs or move to a state that requires IF coverage we just can't sell our home. The Florida real estate market is in the toliet right now ( our apparisal just came back and it was worse that we thought). I can't imagine DH changing careers he has wanted to be a pilot since he was 6 years old. I have looked over that list of companies with envy several times. Confused

flbeachcouple · February 2009

firsttogo:
I am not sure what I would do, but I do have a cousin who got pg on cycle 33 with unexplained. I am not sure what the difference was that cycle. Have you looked in to clomid or femara at all? It has been known to help with unexp. and is minimal as far as cost is concerned.

I am on my 4th Clomid cycle, no mention of femara yet from RE. What is femara used for?

MaybeBabyTime · February 2009

dusk helped me out earlier about Femara...here is what she said:

Femara is not an anti-estrogen. Femara is an aromatase inhbitor and blocks one of the last steps in the formation of estrogen, lowering the estrogen levels. Clomid is an anti-estrogen, which means it binds to the estrogen receptor and blocks estrogen from binding (and can also have its own effects on the receptor, I think). This is why they have different side effects, like Clomid thins your uterine lining and Femara (supposedly) does not.

Two completely different animals. There is more information online, but I wanted to correct that basic misinformation first.

I'm not sure if ovulations rates differ (I'm sure you can google it), but since Clomid can thin your lining, it can negatively impact implantation, depending on the person and how many times they have taken Clomid. Therefore, you may ovulate but can't get pregnant. They also think the odds of twins with Femara is lower, but I don't know the numbers.

Thanks Dusk!

Dusk..do you happen to know how much Femara can be OOP?

*Willis* · February 2009

I don't have fertility coverage, but my insurance covers Femara. ?It is coded as a breast cancer drug, not infertility. ?I also know that Ovidrel is fairly inexpensive and can help with timing. ?I pay $44.25 for the shot from Freedom Pharmacy.

As far as IUI, my RE said since we don't have sperm issues, he recommended TI. ?I am sorry you are faced with these questions now, but maybe there will be less expensive options that will do the trick. ?Good luck!

MaybeBabyTime · February 2009

*Willis*:

I don't have fertility coverage, but my insurance covers Femara. It is coded as a breast cancer drug, not infertility. I also know that Ovidrel is fairly inexpensive and can help with timing. I pay $44.25 for the shot from Freedom Pharmacy.

As far as IUI, my RE said since we don't have sperm issues, he recommended TI. I am sorry you are faced with these questions now, but maybe there will be less expensive options that will do the trick. Good luck!

Hmm..that is interesting about the coding for Femara. Regardless, I have a $100 deductible for pharmacy so I will be paying no matter what..at least the first cycle Is Freedom Pharmacy a mail-order?

*Willis* · February 2009

Femara is widely used as an alternative to Clomid, but is not FDA approved for infertility treatment (at least based upon my google research). ?Freedom is a mail order company that my RE recommended. ?They are super easy to work with and can get meds to you overnight. ?I have used them for both Ovidrel and Gonal-F.

dusk42 · February 2009

I have used destinationrx.com to look up prices for Femara - right now I am doing 5 days at 5mg/day. ?You can call pharmacies and ask, and ask your doctor if you are any more likely to ovulate with Femara than Clomid - most of the statistics I see says it varies from person to person but there is no indication that Femara works better overall for ovulation (it has fewer/different side effects). ?

I don't know about how insurance companies cover it if you don't have breast cancer. ?

I'm sorry you are in such a difficult situation with your house too. ?:(?

dusk42 · February 2009

Femara is not FDA approved for infertility, and probably never will be (according to my RE) because Novartis does not need to spend the millions on FDA approval since REs use it off-label anyway. ?In clinical studies, it looksl like the efficacy is similar to Clomid, as well as the risk of twins and birth defects. ?There is also no generic version of Femara (chemical name is letrozole) currently, so it is much more spendy than Clomid. ??

pifees · February 2009

I was reading on this board, about a couple of months ago, about someone doing an IVF clinical trial. Maybe you can do some deep research and find one.

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What to do if you don't have the $$ for IUI or IVF? Vent.

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