LGBT Parenting
leapgirl8
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Going straight to IVF - what is this business?
leapgirl8
member
(Hi, by the way - haven't been around forever, but I am back now 
)
We're starting our TTC process in the spring, so I'm finally emerging from my cocoon of ignorance. I've been diligently reading my Lesbian Conception book, but a slow afternoon at work led to some ill-advised Googling and I came across all of these articles about how doctors are advising women to skip IUI and go straight to IVF, b/c the success rates are so much better and you "often end up saving money in the long run." This seems suspect to me and I was just wondering if anyone has been advised as such by your doctor(s), or has chosen to go straight to IVF even without fertility problems?
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Re: Going straight to IVF - what is this business?
Anecdotally, I know one family that went straight to IVF (two moms, the one conceiving was in her late thirties/early forties) and she got pregnant with twins.
I also have a friend that spent over two years doing at home ICI, IUI with OBGYN, IUI with RE, IUI with meds, and then just did IVF and got pregnant. She told me she spent more on all the other cycles combined than her IVF cycle.
Statistically or more generally, I'm not sure if doctors are advising it more these days, but I know that with the cost of IVF down from 20 years ago and success rates what they are, it's more enticing for many people. I also know that same-sex couples often see REs before "infertile couples" and it would make sense that advising IVF for otherwise healthy/fertile people probably increases individual doctors success rates, so maybe it's a combination.
Wow, that sounds a little crazy to me. I tell anyone who will listen that I wish we hadn't waited as long as we did to get to IVF (15 cycles), but I certainly don't think it's an ideal starting point, and we were 100% OOP. The earlier things we tried (unmedicated ICI, unmedicated IUI, medicated IUI) work for too many people for us to have skipped them altogether. We felt like they were all cost-effective options up until IUI with injectibles, and that's when we jumped ship in favor of IVF.
Welcome back (as if I'm qualified to say that - I'm rarely here myself - but it's good to see you!) and good luck!
I think there's a happy medium to be reached here.
Its true that sperm is very expensive and that the price of IVF has come down - but IVF is still thousands more. Unless you are dealing with AMA, I can't imagine it would be the better financial decision to go straight to IVF. What I think is prudent, though, is to have a plan before starting for what your cutoff will be on IUIs. We got caught up in the "oh, but maybe just one more IUI will do it" and even though it didn't take us *too* long to get to IVF, in hindsight we should have gone there quicker.
FWIW, we did 9 IUIs before going to IVF...looking back I'd say a better timeline for us would have been 2 natural cycles, 3 clomid cycles, IVF.
good to see you again!
Blogs: Our Growing Family - CT Working Moms
our RE aims for 3-4 cycles of oral meds (well, we skipped the 1-2 natural), 3 injectibles, then looking at IVF. He said if you can't get pregnant on the inejctibles in three rounds its probably an egg or sperm (so egg in our case) issue.
IVF IS cheaper than, say, 10 rounds of injectibles. But our insurance only covers one IVF at one specific hospital and has great coverage for IUI, so we plan to exhaust our meds coverage (enough for 5 injectibles cycles) before considering it (at which point we'll likely switch to trying with me).
Thanks for the great info. So much to think about.
I believe that reccomendation is for straight women with unexplained IF who have been trying at home with a male partner for a year or more without medical intervention other than testing and possibly medication to regulate cycles. the idea is that for those women, the success rates versus the number of tries of IUI, etc, and the percentage of those women who have to go on to IVF does make it more cost effective and successful in the long run to move directly to IVF.
BUT, I just really don't think it applies to lesbian couples with no documented IF other than a simple lack of sperm, and IVF is much more invasive and hard on your body than IUI.