January 2018 IVF

efavell02 · December 2017

@kristimh80 do they do PGS testing for everyone no matter what? I remember our dr saying if we needed the testing we’d have to do the frozen transfer. Makes sense.

kristimh80 · December 2017

@efavell02 From my understanding, yes. They didn't really give us an option. The biopsy cost was on initial paperwork, etc. They may do it for better odds; knowing they are transferring a good embryo.

ndz2018 · December 2017

@efavell02 We are also doing PGS testing.. Mainly because I’m “advanced maternal age” at 37... after 35 they make you feel like senior citizen. I know couple younger than us who also did PGS testing , they kept having TW miscarriages END TW. You’re odds are better with testing but i suppose there’s a lot factors , but age is def one of them. Matter of fact , we didn’t even have a choice.

J1006 · December 2017

@efavell02 This is the thinking at my RE's office as well. By the sounds of it they only do FETs. We weren't even given an option of doing a fresh transfer, which was fine because I wanted to give my body a little break. When we went for our consult my RE stated that we would be doing a FET with PGS testing. It didn’t sound like we were given an option, but my nurse did say it was up to us to deny the PGS because my RE highly suggests it for everyone. It is something my husband really wants to do so it was fine with us.

hoffmanr7 · December 2017

Ok, so just got my confirmation from the pharmacy on meds and prices and EEEKK. I mean, I knew the potential costs. Everything I read said meds could range from 3,000 to 6,000. I just always assumed ours would probably run more towards the 3,000 end. Nooooooooooo such luck. We are way closer to the 6,000 side. Ug, that just ruined my day.

J1006 · December 2017

@hoffmanr7. That makes me nervous! I’m waiting for a return call from my pharmacy for my price. Praying that it’s low. The finance person at my clinic said she has seen med costs go as high as 11K. She said it’s rare but it has happened. What pharmacy are you using?

ndz2018 · December 2017

@hoffmanr7 WOW! You should def ask if there are any coupons!! Also look online!! When I spoke to the pharmacy they actually applied one for me.

kristimh80 · December 2017

@hoffmanr7 Ugh! I know the feeling!! Mine called and mine are at 5,000 and I almost fainted at work. I thought we'd be on the low end too

@J1006 11k?? Yikes!! That's some serious meds going on!

efavell02 · December 2017

Does anyone else on our board have a dx of “unexplained” by any chance, that’s willing to share? For some reason I’ve been feeling down this week because I don’t even know if IVF will “fix” what’s wrong. We just did our sperm penetration assay test yesterday to see if penetrating the egg is the problem/we need icsi but we don’t have the results yet.

@hoffmanr7 ug I’m so sorry about the meds cost. The financial aspect of this is so stressful.

kristimh80 · December 2017

@efavell02 I have unexplained infertility. The only thing my dr can think is I don't ovulate on my own. So many times I've been annoyed, wishing I could just buy trigger shots in that case. Femara didn't do anything for me. Follistimg 600iu helped with 4 eggs. It's so frustrating not knowing a real cause. I wish they would advise us to do a sperm penetration test. Hoping we don't need icsi either, but if so, at least we would know something got where it needed to.

efavell02 · December 2017

They’ve done every test in the book on me and everything is perfectly average; I even respond to meds really well. The only thing they could point to with DH was that his volume was low (not count), meaning there wasn’t much liquid even though his count was high (sorry if TMI:) Iui was supposed to help with that. Obviously I don’t want to have to pay for icsi, but i almost hope the test shows we need it, just so we have a reason finally that this is happening.

kristimh80 · December 2017

@efavell02 Completely understand. All my tests and exams are all normal too, so it's frustrating. Hopefully, you'll know something very soon! I remember thinking IUI's were going to solve it all. In hindsight, I wish I hadn't wasted the time or $$ and went straight to IVF. But if so, we'd always wonder "what if" I guess.

J1006 · December 2017

@efavell02. My RE said I am unexplained. My husband has low count and low morphology however we did four medicated IUIs with a donor who had fabulous numbers. Obviously all four failed since we are now doing IVF. All of my tests have come back normal. They have done day three labs what feels like 20 times and every time it’s normal. There was a point where I wished something was wrong so we could just fix the problem.

My RE said she has a feeling someone is wrong on my end it’s just not obvious. My husband and I have a feeling my eggs are the problem since our IUIs with a donor failed. I was with a different doctor at the time and she said if everything was okay with me it should have worked.

We are doing ICSI due to my husbands test results. My RE wants the highest chances possible of this working. It’s an additional cost but very small at my clinic. My husband and I were just talking about it this morning. We wish we would have just gone right to IVF but probably would have wondered if IUIs would have worked. We are going through this process and carefully making decisions so if it does fail we don’t have regrets and know we have done everything in our power to make it happen.

efavell02 · December 2017

@J1006 yeah I think it’s important for me too, to keep focusing on the fact that at each step along the way we are doing everything we can so we don’t have what ifs later.

Happyin14 · December 2017

@efavell02, I am also unexplained. Literally no reason. All tests normal. So our only guess is egg quality? That’s why IVF is the best option for me. Finding the needle in a haystack. That one beautiful egg.

hoffmanr7 · December 2017

@efavell02 DH and I are also "unexplained". His levels are all good, and all of my tests so far have been normal. I have a sneaky suspicion that our problem is either egg quality, fertilization problems, or implantation problems but no way to prove it thus far. Our first round of IVF will be interesting to see (I have this fear that none or very few will fertilize).

@J1006 We are using Mandel pharmacy. When I talked to the pharmacy rep today to schedule delivery, he mentioned that the Gonal F currently has a rebate going so I'll get a little bit back. Hurray!

In other news....things are rolling along. We got our protocol in the mail last week. Contract is signed and in the mail. We go in next week Wednesday for a final Pre-IVF appointment with the Dr to go over all the final details. I start Lupron on the 15th and stims on the 30th. Things have gotten very, very real.

kiwi2628 · December 2017

Hey guys, I am gonna sit here with you now! I was part of the November/December crowd, but they just canceled my cycle due to poor response, and I will be re-starting with a microdose lupron flare protocol in January, so here I am! My H and I are both 30 and have been trying for a year and a half. I have unexplained IF (AMH is 2.08, FSH is 8), and did 6 medicated +/- IUI cycles with my RE before moving to IVF. We did an antagonist with EP protocol starting into November, but today they only found 3-4 follicles after 10 days of stims, so we elected to cancel the cycle and start again with a new protocol. I am pretty devastated but trying to remain hopeful. Here is to 2018!

efavell02 · December 2017

Thanks for all the responses about being unexplained! We got our sperm penetration assay test results back today. They were normal and DH's sperm penetrated just fine. So no ICSI needed. Now it feels like we are back to square one, and no closer to understanding what's going on. We were always so focused on his sperm being the problem, and now as far as we know, it's not. Of course that leads to all the obsessive worrying about "great, now it must be my eggs, which is way harder/impossible to fix!" Anyway, thanks for listening to me rant. We just got the news a bit ago, so I'm still processing it all.

Welcome @kiwi2628 ! I'm so sorry to hear about your cycle being cancelled. I'm also trying to stay hopeful!

J1006 · December 2017

@hoffmanr7. We are using Mandel as well. I got my estimate at $3,300. I texted my husband today and said I couldn’t believe how cheap it was. He texted me back saying you realize you just said $3,300 is cheap?! Haha. So glad you can get something back. Every little bit helps!

kristimh80 · December 2017

@kiwi2628 Welcome to our group! So sorry for everything you've had to endure lately! Hopefully 2018 is a fresh good start for us all

@efavell02 Sorry you didn't get any answers today! I was obsessing i the vitamin isle today wondering what else can I add for potential egg quality. The struggle is real! AF should be here any day now. Bright side she reminds me again why we must proceed. In my fantasy world, I keep wishing I could be that period about to start IVF and get a miracle. Then I wake up lol

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

Hey guys, I hope I can join you.. I'll admit I am overwhelmed already at the sheer number of people here.
I'm planning on January ER (I should start my period around the 10th, putting ER roughly around the second to last week of the month. We have decided to gamble with a fresh transfer and to PGS and freeze the remaining embryos. We have to travel for IVF, so even though I don't love the idea of transferring embryos with an unknown genetic status, I think it's the best use of our time.
I just go the med list last week and am doing some cost comparisons. Holy heck.

kiwi2628 · December 2017

@KristoKekerooni welcome over here! Honestly, I have mostly been staying in my monthly IVF group, so its not too overwhelming. Last month having people to ask questions to was the best, so hopefully here any IVF veterans (or myself!) can answer any questions you or anyone else has. We can do this!

kristimh80 · December 2017

@KristoKekerooni Welcome!! Ditto what kiwi2628 said! Sometimes it's so much easier to stick to your monthly group than a bunch of them. I some times venture off to check in on people and it can be overwhelming trying to keep up

We're always here to chat or vent to any time!

efavell02 · December 2017

@kristimh80 @kiwi2628 what monthly group are you referring to? Is there a monthly board that is already set up?

PS we got approved for the guarantee program today! The financial side of it all is so hard; I know everyone feels different about those guarantee programs, but it helps me feel more secure.

kiwi2628 · December 2017

@efavell02 this is one of the monthly groups- the January IVF group (as opposed to the december month or november etc...). I guess it would have been more accurate to say that we stay in our monthly thread. Thats what we are talking about. Specifically for @KristoKekerooni since we both from from the TTGP board and people tend to be a lot more active between different threads as opposed to here where people are typically only active in one or two threads.

beachbunnyxo123 · December 2017

Hi ladies, hope it’s okay for me to join as well. Typing this right now is making it really sink in for me that this is all real, the we are doing IVF. It’s so hard for me to wrap my head around. I’m 30 and DH is 31. We are also unexplained IF. We have done 6 medicated cycles 3 of which were IUIs. I can relate to the concerns others have mentioned with being unexplained and having no concrete reason why. I am scheduled to start stimming the second week in January. I’m sure I will have many questions and probably not as many answers but will do my best to provide any support that I can!

kiwi2628 · December 2017

YAY @beachbunnyxo123 !!!!!!! So excited to see all my TTGP friends!

This month is gonna be great, dammit!

efavell02 · December 2017

@kiwi2628 That makes sense! Thanks! I'm new to posting on discussion boards, so it gets confusing sometimes. haha

Welcome @beachbunnyxo123 ! I know what you mean with it all sinking in. I hadn't ever posted in a discussion thread before now because it all felt manageable on my own, but with IVF, things are getting real. Felt like I needed support from some awesome ladies that are going through the same thing. I think maybe the couple of friends that I tell TTC stuff to are getting kinda sick of hearing about it after 2 years (I don't have any evidence for that, I just worry they are getting sick of hearing about it

Even though I'm not excited about IVF, I'm really excited to be able to share things with you guys in the months ahead!

sidilly · December 2017

Hi everyone! I will be going in for my second IVF in January too. We are using a donor due to MFI and went through 3 natural IUIs early in the year. The third one took but sadly ended in an ectopic and a removed right tube. I did my first IVF in July and was on the antagonist protocol with Lupron trigger. 17 eggs were retrieved, but only 9 were mature and 8 fertilized. I ended up with two six day blastocysts of excellent and very good quality but my August fresh transfer ended in a chemical pregnancy and the FET last month was a BFN. The whole journey takes quite a toll physically and emotionally and the waiting is nerve breaking. I'm going to turn 38 this month and all my tests seem to be ok. We are trying for a sibling for our 2 year old daughter. I wish success to everybody and am glad to be in good company for the wait.

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

thanks for the welcome, friends.

So, I submitted all the meds for a prior auth through my insurance, since they do cover the meds for IUI, so I was hopeful about IVF... turns out, they "might" cover the meds if I try 3 clomid cycles first... which I only had done twice. I theoretically have time for one more (we are starting IVF the cycle after next), but by the time I do the clomid and resubmit, it's cutting it a bit too close-this prior auth took quite a while. I'm afraid to push off buying meds for a "maybe."
Anyone have opinions? I had not banked on meds costing this much-ouch!

kristimh80 · December 2017

@KristoKekerooni Ugh, I'm so sorry. Luckily, you do have medicine coverage, so maybe it would be worth looking into. We keep holding off buying our meds; at least til they give us a real schedule / timeline. I thought I was going to pass out when the pharmacy called me lol If it took me trying clomid once more just for them to pay 5k, I probably would. Even if just did a simple TI cycle. Do they make you do monitoring during clomid or can you just get the meds at the pharmacy?

@sidilly Welcome!! So sorry for all your heartache this year. Hopefully, January will be a new beginning / fresh start for you

kiwi2628 · December 2017

@KristoKekerooni I would talk to your doctor and see if they keep any meds on hand. Thats what we did with my current cycle- I started estrogen priming while on my 6th medicated cycle (that my insurance required to do IVF) and then I jumped right into my IVF cycle with meds from my doctor. I then bought the meds once my insurance had gone through (on like stim day 7) and just gave those meds to my doctor to replace the ones I had borrowed from them.

hoffmanr7 · December 2017

@J1006 I actually LOL'd when I read your reply. I definitely have had that one moment where I thought.....did I actually just call that cheap?!?!?! I guess it's all about perspective.

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

@kristimh80 - Ugh, The issue is that the RE is raising IVF prices, so if we delay even a month, we lose current pricing! I have been able to look at some pricing, and I have gotten a pretty good reduction in costs, if I get the meds from like, five different pharmacies. Haha.

@kiwi2628 - Great idea, but I'm a travel patient... my clinic is across the country.

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

PS, if anyone wants to take a look at my handwork and save yourself some leg work, here is my cost comparison.
(attached)

kiwi2628 · December 2017

@KristoKekerooni I would still contact them and see. If it can save you a few thousand and you pay for shipping, they may be willing to ship to you

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

@kiwi2628 - I sure will!

beachbunnyxo123 · December 2017

Thanks everyone!

@efavell02 I feel the same way with my friends. All are fertile myrtles and get KU super quick so no one can relate and say many things that are upsetting although they don’t realize it!

@sidilly welcome!!

@KristoKekerooni ah that’s a tough one especially since you have waited such a long time for this and I’m sure are eager to start! I think @kiwi2628 had a great idea maybe that could be an option! I’m all OOP for meds and IVF but if I were in your shoes I’d probably try to get the coverage unless all other aspects of IVF are covered under insurance then maybe I’d splurge on the meds. I can’t open your glorious spreadsheet!!! This is one of the many reasons I love you!!!!

KristoKekerooni · December 2017

@beachbunnyxo123 , Yeah, I am so eager, and I know that's playing a big part.

Here is a screenshot, it's so tiny, but *shrug*

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/hp/94qvrccs5rtt.jpg

kiwi2628 · December 2017

Reading that price list from @KristoKekerooni makes me remember why I both love and hate the american medical system. The system we have is why so many medical treatments, breakthroughs and new medications are created in America, and without our system, medicine in general would be an estimated 15-20 years behind what it currently is. On the flip side, however, or system literally binds itself and creates artificial inflation of prices and de facto monopolies/alliances with such severe price gouging that its practically criminal. It is such a blessing and, simultaneously, a curse.

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