Hello everyone.
I'm new to this Infertility Board, unfortunately, infertility is not new to me. My husband and I have suffered four miscarriages and are currently in the process IVF. Here is a quick summary of our IVF journey thus far:
3/4/15: Egg Retrieval
16 Eggs Retrieved -- 15 Fertilized via ICSI -- 10 Blastocysts Biopsied for PGD & PGS -- 2 Embryos Remain for Transfer
5/13/15: Scheduled FET
We are trying to stay as positive as we can, but also prepare ourselves for the possible negative outcomes, because of our past experiences. We were very hopeful when we learned we had 10 biopsies for PGD/PGS testing, but when we learned only 2 were healthy for transfer it was such a disappointment. Now I'm worried that the two we do have, will not survive the thaw. And if that happens, we will need to make the decision: Start the process/Pay the large amount of money all over again OR Start a new journey/plan without children.
I've lurked a bit at the conversations and I've noticed that many of you have done several cycles of IVF.... and my question is, how do you afford it? Are you taking out loans? Dipping into savings? We have paid for the medications, PGD probes, PGD/PGS testing, blood tests, ultrasounds etc out of pocket. For the lump IVF retrieval/transfer payment we took out a 24 month loan.
It has been a challenging five and half years. But I can say that my husband and I have only become closer and our relationship has grown stronger. I'm more anxious than anything at this point. I feel like I need to reach a finish line in this reproductive journey, one way or another. Anyone else feel that way?
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
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"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it"
--Helen Keller
4 miscarriages: Nov 2009, Jan 2011, Sept 2011, Oct 2012
IVF Round 1:
3/4/15: Egg Retrieval
16 Eggs Retrieved -- 15 Fertilized via ICSI -- 10 Blastocysts Biopsied for PGD & PGS -- 2 (male) Blastocysts Remain for Transfer
5/13/15: FET -- 5/26/15: BFN
CANCELLED IVF Round 2.
Living a happy, child-free life with my best friend.
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Re: Introduction: RPL, IVF/ICSI/PGD/PGS/FET
I'm going to PM you but I want to say that protocol can have a lot to do with the quality of the embryos is what I have been told by my RE. I am really sorry you only got two normal embryos out of 10. That must be devastating. BUT you still have two. What if you have success with them? Do you really want 10 more babies in the freezer? I look at all embryos as babies so maybe thinking this way is not the same for you, it's just how I feel. I just want to point out that most human embryos are not normal, we are the least fertile out of all the animals. With that many losses, if it is not your embryo quality, I would suspect it's your immune system. I have what is called immune implantation dysfunction meaning my body attacks embryos as if they were a foreign object due to my endometriosis. I had to do IVF and then an aggressive frozen embryo transfer to get pregnant. I was an unusually patient that ovulated before retrieval twice, got immature eggs and had to do 4 IVF cycles before we got the right protocol for me. I made a lot of eggs we just couldn't get my protocol right. Then after getting the protocol right, we had to do the fet protocol to suppress my immune system and it worked. You should consider seeing a reproductive immunologist before transferring your two embabies. There is one in Chicago and her name is Dr. Joanne Kwak Kim. She is at Rosalind & Franklin university and she takes insurance. My insurance has zero fertility coverage, but they at Rosalind and Franklin are addressing your immune system and the problems within, so it's not billed as infertility. I have been her patient for two and a half years and I have never gotten a bill other than the one for the initial office visit. I think you should give them a call. If there is something wrong they will find it.