Natural Cycle vs medicated IVF

Hpearl · July 2014

Thoughts? I am depressed, over it, and I need a freaking plan already. $$ is a concern as we are paying out of pocket. I am also graduating from college at 36 next year, and expect the school loans to kick in shortly there after.

Anyone have any thoughts on the two IVF options?

jencity9 · July 2014

I'm sorry you are feeling depressed and conflicted.

I am a little confused.. Are you saying natural IVF vs. Medicated? I'm unsure what you mean by natural cycle.

Hpearl · July 2014

Yes, sorry!

jencity9 · July 2014

I actually had not heard of that until I looked it up just now. Honestly, to me it seems like going through ER is too much to do for just one egg. Plus it is such a numbers thing... When people have 20 eggs retrieved only some are mature and of those only some fertilize and of those only some grow to the stage they need to be, etc. so by the time the process is over after 20 retrieved you might still only have a few viable embryos.

I know IVF is a scary thought and process. I am going through it now and never imagined I'd be at this stage. Is money your biggest deterrent? It is one of the most stressful parts. We actually got a loan from a credit union to pay for ours (although we are fortunate to have some insurance coverage). None of the meds were covered though. I would HATE to pay back a loan if it doesn't work, but on the other hand we would know that we tried everything we could.

Hpearl · July 2014

There is a major difference in cost. The quote I got for stimulated (medicated) IVF was something in the range of 20-25k. For natural cycle, 6k with a refund if something goes awry along the process.

So this is a huge decision. Quite frankly, between my school loans, our mortgage with PMI, and my car loan I do not know if we can afford a 25k personal loan. At the same time if we went the natural route, we could tap out financially anyway.

Best of luck with your IVF!! I am seriously at the end of my rope this month!

BunnyBerry · July 2014

I was really curious about natural or mini IVF, thinking it could be a financial miracle for us. But everything I researched or read indicated that overall, there are higher costs and lower success per $, and only a lucky few end up pregnant without the cost and invasiveness of regular IVF.

I think natural cycle is a great option for anyone who has a physical issue that precludes them from stimming, or those with ethical concerns about creating too many embryos. I don't think it's a money saver.

I'm sorry you're in this situation. I know school loans allow you to take a break (while interest still accrues) for a year or more if there's financial straits, so perhaps it's worth trying?

Pintobean39 · July 2014

$6,000 for a natural IVF seems really expensive. Does that include ICSI and medication? Then again I spent about 4k one cycle of TI on injections but only 900 was Monitoring the rest was medications.

My IVF with medication would have cost me about 23k by the time it was all said and done. This included ICSI, and PGD testing that was 5k alone. My medications were my other major expense but luckily I had a ton of it donated to me so I only had to come out of pocket about 17k.

My situation is different because of my age, I was 39 when I started the process. My diagnosis is poor egg quality that comes with age, I have more bad than good eggs. So out of my 18 mature eggs they got out of me only 3 ended up being genetically normal.

Have you thought about looking at different clinics? I hear everyone talk about CNY and their packages are about 6-7k with 2 cycles and all the FET needed.

Whatever you end up doing I wish you the best of luck!

ky29 · July 2014

I was told by my RE to hopefully expect 25% of the retrieved eggs to turn into embryos. When you only have one egg, I would think that really decreases your chance if it working.

Hpearl · July 2014

Thanks for the responses. The prices are accurate as I quoted them. I am not sure, but living in the DC area might increase the cost (like everything else around here).

I might check another practice to see if they have published rates, but I have developed a trust with my Drs and I am not sure if my hubby could stand another change.

At this point, if it means traveling somewhere to save thousands (someone told me about a place in NY or something?) I am willing to do that.

I am not famaliar with CNY, but will check there as well.

Thanks again!

Hpearl · July 2014

Eureka! CNY!

Hope is being restored... thanks ladies!

StacyLH24 · July 2014

I am in my 2WW from my first IVF cycle. I would not ever want to gamble all of that for one egg. I had 9 retrieved, 6 fertilized and only 4 that ended up being good enough to transfer(2)/freeze(2). I live in NY. Though I don't go to a C.NY office, it sounds like my RE's office offers the same deal. $6,500 for two fresh IVF cycles and all the FETs that might come with them. This is only good for 1 calendar year, which starts when you start stimming, and is complete either at the end of that calendar year or when a LO is born. It also includes ICSI, assisted hatching, embryo storage for 1 year and some other stuff that I don't remember. Meds, blood work and monitoring are all separate. Insurance covers some of that, but not all...for me anyway. At my office, they offer their own payment plan as well. You pay $4,000 up front and then you can have them bill you for the rest on a monthly basis for a year. That ends up being about $208.00 a month.

Look into med donation to help with the costs. Also, check on the options with your student loans. I have an astronomical amount in student loans. I put the largest set in forbearance. I know that isn't for everyone, but that was the only way we could afford the loan we needed for IVF.

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