Questions about new doctor consult for IVF #2

pblge · March 2014

I'm jumping the gun a bit and thinking about our consult for IVF #2.2. Does anyone have good questions they would recommend asking? Here's what I've come up with:

1. Is there additional testing you would recommend for me?
2. (If not...) Would course of treatment (or protocol) would you recommend?
3. What are our chances of success using that course of treatment?
4. Do you routinely do ICSI, assisted hatching, or 3/5 day transfers?
5. Do you have statistics about your lab? E.g., % of women who have embryos to freeze; % of fertilized eggs that make it to blasts, others.
6. Is there anything for diet or behavior we could do to improve our chances?

I'm realizing as I'm writing that perhaps these are good for IVF #1, too. Perhaps we could generate a list that could be kept for a FAQ. Surely there are some that are good for IVF #2 that I'm not thinking of?

tptbabe · March 2014

I posted our list of questions the other day:

https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/comment/80456788/

pblge · March 2014

Very helpful! I thought that thread was for a first consult, sorry!

Here's the list:

MFI Questions

1. How long will it take for DNA fragmentation tests to come back?

2. Do you do PICSI?

3. Do you work with a urologist for MFI issues?

4. Will you freeze a sperm sample for back-up?

5. Will you prescribe Clomid for [DH] to increase his numbers before cycling?

Immunology Questions

1. What immune testing will you do? (I have FMS/CFS, Hashimotos and suspected APD)

2. Do you test for NK cells? (K-562 target cell test)

3. What treatments do you suggest for autoimmune responses?

4. How do you plan on monitoring my thyroid? How often?

5. Do you consult with another doctor for autoimmune issues (ie: Immunologist or endocrinologist)?

6. What changes should I be making WRT my autoimmune issues? How will they be monitored?

IVF Cycle Questions

1. How soon can we start our IVF cycle?

2. Will you be doing the egg retrieval/embryo transfer yourself, or will it be another doctor?

3. What protocol do you suggest for us, and why? What medications will we be on, and at what dosages?

4. What number of follicles are you hoping for in a cycle? At what point would you cancel?

5. How many embryos would you transfer in our situation?

6. Who decides what happens to our embryos that aren’t selected for transfer?

7. What day would you normally transfer on, or does this depend on embryo quality?

8. What are your success rates for our age group? Per embryo transferred? For our type of infertility? What do you anticipate our success rate being? What is your live birth rate?

9. How many cycles would we need, realistically?

10. How much information do you give as we go through our cycle? (ie: follicle size, count, E2, P4 etc… while stimming. What about fertilization and embryo reports?)

11. How will I be sedated for egg retrieval?

12. Do you perform “natural IVF”?

13. Do you recommend bed rest after embryo transfer? For how long?

14. What will my physical limitations be while cycling?

15. When will we be released to an OB?

Medication/Supplements Questions

1. When should I be stopping supplements, and is there anything in particular that you would suggest, or that we should stay away from? (ie: Melatonin, DHEA, Tribulus Forte, CoQ10…)

2. Do you use PIO, Crinone, or suppositories?

3. Can we purchase our meds at an independent pharmacy?

4. Do you allow us to work with a ND for acupuncture in-office after transfer?

5. What medications will we be on, and at what dosages?

Testing Questions

1. What testing needs to be repeated?

2. What new tests do you recommend?

3. If you are unable to bill Blue Cross directly, can the testing be ordered here, but done at another clinic? What about it being billed to [DHs] OHIP coverage?

4. Will you do all testing in the same cycle, or can it be done over two cycles? (I will be on day six.)

5. What immune testing will you do?

6. Do you test for NK cells? (K-562 target cell test)

7. How soon do you expect testing to be completed? Will you re-do certain tests (ie: hormone panels) after other treatments are complete?

8. Will you test for endometriosis? (CA 125) – ND suspects I may have it.

Lifestyle Questions

1. What lifestyle changes do I need to make prior to cycling?

2. What will my physical limitations be while cycling?

Monitoring Questions

1. How available is a nurse/doctor while cycling? (via phone or email)

2. How often do you do monitoring?

3. What are your monitoring hours?

4. Can monitoring be done off-site and results sent to you?

Financial Questions

1. How much will this cost?

2. Do you have a price list? Detailed cost list?

3. What is not included on the cost list, or must be paid to an outside agency?

4. What are some “extra” costs that might pop up during a cycle?

5. Do you have a shared risk or multiple cycle program?

6. What about other types of discounts?

tptbabe · March 2014

It was! I just thought the questions were still relevant

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