For us ladies who are about to start IVF, are in the middle of the process or waiting for betas. I know there's only a few of us, but I needed a forum where I could vent while I waited, and i'm sure there are a few other ladies like me here on the hive, so I thought i'd start a thread for us ladies in the IVF process.
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Current Status: On BCP, waiting to start meds next week
Egg Retrieval: between the 12th of June to the 14th of June
Embryo Transfer: Between the 1th of June to the 19th (depending on when the retrieval is actually done) -
I am so glad you started this thread! I will be following it.
We are planning to start the process in the next few months. Right now I am gathering my medical records and setting up the initial appointments with the IVF center. We have already gone to the seminars and chosen which center we are going through but now need to set up the appointments. We are hoping for a Egg retrieval sometime in July.
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Current Status: doing FET cycle, on BCP and Lupron waiting to start estrogen next week. this is our first FET cycle after a failed IVF cycle last month
Egg Retrieval: n/a
Embryo Transfer: around the 14th of June (give or take)
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Good luck ladies!
Have any of you seen cyclesista.org? It's a blog with a list of other bloggers cycling each month. (But not a forum.)
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@justdarling: I actually considered attending a seminar before we did our 1st IUI, but DH didn't think it would make that much of a difference because we had a couple friends who were willing to share their experiences with us. But then I still wonder if I missed out on anything.....Did you find the seminars informative?
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@PastaAndPotato: If you don't mind my question, do you/are you getting less side effects from the meds with this FET cycle?
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Wanted to wish you guys luck! We were planning on doing a mini-IVF cycle but have decided no more IVF.
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@Apex: There's an old IVF thread from a few months ago on here...I think I posted a link to a video of a seminar that I found helpful in that thread?
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Good luck everyone!
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@spaniellove: Awesome, i'll check out the video. Question, What does a mini IVF entail?
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@Apex: @PastaAndPotato: I hope both of your cycles go well!
We'll be cycling in August, but I should be going on BCP when AF starts in June. (Funny that I've never taken BCP before and I'm only going to start in preparation for IVF!) I've been trying not to stress about infertility/IVF, so I haven't been around HB as much, but it will be nice to check in on other IVF ladies on this thread!
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@Apex: Mostly low-dose stims with the goal of getting fewer eggs. I don't make a ton of follicles anyway, so mini-IVF only costs $5k, and the meds would only involve Clomid and a few injections.
ETA: Haha, "only"...I've become so numb to the cost of IVF! -
@twodoghouse: It's hard not to stress about the whole process. The past couple weeks have taken its toll on me. I've yelled and whined about how and why I have to need "help", but I think I've come to terms with the fact that not everything in life comes easy for everyone.
Now, i'm totally stressing on the procedure steps- how am I going to react to the drugs/are they going to get enough eggs/how many should I transfer/ what if they split into 3 or more.....lol, God help me. -
@spaniellove: Lol @ your numbness to the price. Our insurance only covers 80% of the IVF costs, so we are having to pay about $5,000 (meds included)for the process and to think I was complaining about the costs!
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Good luck ladies!!!
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@Apex: Bwahahaha, we paid $15k out of pocket for our IVF cycle b/c none of it was covered! My meds alone ended up being close to $5000 thanks to the ridiculous high dose stims. Right now we're thinking we won't do the mini-IVF because our new RE thinks it won't increase our chances all that much. If you think about it, it's like taking a Clomid cycle and doing IVF on whatever you get, and then putting one back!
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@spaniellove: Oh wow, that's a lot...I guess $5k is nothing compared to that. oh and by the way, IVF costs are tax deductible according to the Family Act of 2011, S965 did you know that?
http://www.ehow.com/how_6058411_deduct-cost-ivf-federal-taxes.html
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ix01.html -
@Apex: Oh yeah we did that! Amex conveniently tallies up all your medical expenses for the year, which made everything easy.
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@Apex: We didn't go to a seminar before the three failed IUIs since those were done through my doctor. We live in the Bay Area were there are a few different IVF centers and some of them have different philosophies. I found it informative. We were originally just going to go to Stanford since, well, it's Stanford and you expect them to be up on things. But instead we are choosing a smaller center near our house that does vitrification and only does frozen transfers (his success rates are high). I plan to go on BCPs in June and then start the IVF in July.
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@justdarling: to think that by this time next year, you would be baby mama!!! how exciting
How you thought about how many embryos you would be transferring? -
@Apex: It would be so nice to be a mama this time next year. It is exciting! The doctor that I am going to will most likely advise me to only have one embryo transferred. That is his protocol with a woman my age (35) with no issues (we have a MF issue). I really want 2 transferred. I figure if I am paying this much for a child, I want twins!!!
Do you know what meds you have to take? How many embryos do you want to transfer? -
@justdarling: I on the same train of thought as you. The ivf process is somewhat stressful, so I really don't want to do it more than once if I can help it. Hence my choice to transfer 2 embryos. My RE is fine with that and won't do more that 2 for anyone under 35 anyways (industry standards).
As for meds, i'm taking these in the exact order listed
-Birth Control
-Lupron
-Bravelle
-Menopur
-Ovidrel
After retrieval
-Crinone
-Estace
-Aspirin -
@Apex: i don't mind at all! i have found it so much easier so far, but i have only been on BCP and then just started Lupron yesterday (at 10 units). during the full IVF cycle, i was a hot mess of emotions, and cried my way through most things. for reference, i was taking lupron, then follistim and menopur until retrieval and then progesterone. i feel much more "myself" this cycle - no bloating, less crying, less mood swings
@twodoghouse: thanks!
@justdarling: i just wanted to chime in that on our last cycle, we transferred 2 (the max allowed by the dr), and we are a MF issue, too (and i'm 29). i am totally with you, and basically said the same thing to our dr, that i'd take the risk of twins
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@Apex: Good luck this cycle!! It's amazing how many different drugs they give us for this!
@PastaAndPotato: I'm interested to hear how your FET goes. Are you transferring 2 again this time? Good luck!
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Thanks for starting this thread, ladies.
Current Status: On day 4 of stims
Egg Retrieval: 5/23ish
Embryo Transfer: 5/28ishAs most of you know, this isn't my first rodeo. I had a failed fresh cycle in March and my April FET cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy. Happy to answer questions.
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@Apex: I found the FET cycle much less stressful because you are not breathlessly waiting for the next step. With the fresh cycle, you are waiting to see how much your follicles have grown and how much your E2 levels rose every couple days. Then you wait to see how many eggs you retrieve. Then you wait to see how many go to day 3...to day 5...to transfer. It's exhausting. With the FET, you just wait to see that the embryos thawed okay (in my case, we essentially lost one in the freeze, but that is rare these days with a good lab). Both TWWs are excruciating though.
Oh, and the meds in an FET have much less side effects (I was just on estrogen pills then progesterone shots).
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Thanks so much for the insight ladies. I'm getting so much useful information.
@raintreebee: How many embryos did you transfer the last time and how many are you going for this cycle? -
On our first cycle, we made the difficult decision to transfer only one. I was under 35 at the time, had good looking embryos (you likely won't know the grading until day of transfer), and it was my first IVF. So I thought my chances were good. Also, if you couple the chances of success of a fresh transfer of one followed by a frozen transfer of one, you get to about equal rates of pregnancy as in a double fresh transfer but dramatically reduce the risk of twins. Although we'd love twins, we couldn't justify the health risks that we'd be "imposing" on the babies. That being said, after our first failed, we transferred two on the frozen cycle (although one, as I mentioned, didn't thaw very well at all). We will transfer two on this cycle since we feel like now the time (and heartbreak) lost to sorting through the embryos one at a time to find the one that sticks is too much. Also, I think the argument for eSET is stronger on the first go around. It is a tough decision that no one should have to make. We are in the midst now of deciding whether to do PGD, and it is another very complicated one.
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@raintreebee: I'm so sorry this has been such a tasking journey for you. I admire your courage, I know it may not have been easy to watch ladies who started the ttc process after you get pregnant. Hang in there honey, the results always justify the means at the end of it all.
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@justdarling: I'm just curious, is the clinic that you're going to one of the places that specializes in embryo banking?
Just wanted throw this out there for all you MFI ladies thinking of transferring two! In the March IVF group I was part of on a different site, I noticed that almost everyone who was successful had an MFI diagnosis...and surprisingly they all ended up with twins! So you might want to wait until you find out how your embryos do to decide how many you want to transfer.
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@spaniellove: This clinic doesn't specialize in embryo banking. He does vitrification (which is a flash freeze) of all of the embryos and then does a frozen transfer.
The two embryos is just a thought at the moment. who knows what will actually happen when we are going through it. It's good to hear that women on your other site with MFI were so successful. It really gives me hope. -
Does anybody have firsthand experience or knowledge with IVF+ICSI+PICSI+AHA (assisted hatching)...
My RE said I have the option to throw that in if I want, but i don't think I need the assisted hatching process and I was wondering how much help it could be to me. -
@Apex: is it different from taking excess of 7.5% x agi on schedule a?
@spaniellove: does that mean u guys will just do ti and no more procedures? Sorry if I'm being too nosey, no need to answer.
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@tequiero21: It's another procedure done on the eggs themselves outside my body to improve implantation. Per my RE's Site "Assisted hatching is a newer lab technique that was developed when fertility experts observed that embryos with a thin zona pellucida had a higher rate of implantation during IVF. With assisted hatching, an embryologist uses micromanipulation under a microscope to create a small hole in the zona pellucida. This happens on the fourth day of embryo development when the embryos contain an average of six to eight cells."
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@Apex: I've read mixed things about AH - some labs want to do it for all ICSI cases, some want to do it if you're AMA, and some say it's not necessary anymore with a good lab. Helpful link here:
http://fertilitylabinsider.com/2012/03/q-from-u-assisted-hatching/
(Actually that blog was really helpful during my cycle!)@tequiero21: Not nosey at all! For the time being, our plan is TI but with the u/s and b/w that you get with IUI/IVF, and they'll add a minimal amount of meds. So pretty much like an IUI cycle but I don't get a break from BD...and if a few cycles of that doesn't work we'll talk again about mini-IVF.
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@Apex: thx! But I know what assisted hatching is...we may or may not have done it, I can't remember. I want to say it was done but I can't swear to it.
My question was re: the taxes. U said we could deduct it in 2011... Is that different from the medical deduction? Medical deductions we can only deduct amounts over 7.5% of agi. So I didn't deduct it on my taxes since most was paid by the insurance.
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@spaniellove: sounds like u got a plan! Major fx for u!
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@tequiero21: Sorry, butting in...in our case we did the medical deduction. I think 2012 was the last year it was 7.5% and starting in 2013 it has to be the amount over 10%. After doing the IVF out of pocket and having high copays and paying for other injectibles cycles and also a super high prescription copay, it wasn't too hard to go over 7.5%!
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@spaniellove: yeah, medical deduction is the only one I've heard of, but its not new...I wonder if there is a separate one for ivf but doesn't sound like it....
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