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@tequiero21: Thanks for your post. I currently get all my monitoring visits and injectibles covered by insurance, but just not the IUI procedure and andrology fees. So we are paying $500-700 per IUI. So it is a reasonable expense vs. paying IVF completely out of pocket. I think that one of the major factors for my cold feet on IVF.

@spaniellove: Thank you! You always have such a thoughtful, balanced point of view. Yes, I think in my rambling post, you are correct. I do have two issues.

With the current office, I don't feel my questions are given weight. Actually I feel like the person I primarily see is a little condescending when I ask a question. So yes, that problem would still exist with IVF. The second issue I have there has been timing. They do see patients for IVF egg retrievals/transfers on weekends. But I think as an IUI patient I am not as important/don't have the opportunity for weekend monitoring. So that would change with IVF.

Secondly, whether I am ready for IVF or not. You all have helped me realized that I may not be as emotionally ready but I am concerned about waiting any longer. I thought that doing this 3rd IUI would make me feel satisfied that we had made every attempt before moving onto IVF. But with he complications I am feeling hesitant.

You have really been a great role model for being my own best advocate. I am not made to feel comfortable in that role at my current office, so I think I owe it to myself to at least go to that initial consultation for a 2nd opinion. Thank you for all your support!

@justdarling: Yay! I'm glad to have a cycle buddy.

I hope you all don't mind answering my newbie questions. AF has arrived again :(. Since I won't get to see the other dr for a 2nd opinion until later this week, I am going to go see my current RE for a baseline visit tomorrow and see what they recommend. I may do one more IUI cycle with them while getting things started toward IVF (possibly doing that with the new RE).

So what questions do I need to ask about getting started toward IVF? I will ask both clinics about the process so that I can compare. Thanks in advance for your help!

@tequiero21: Definitely good questions, thanks! I have been looking back at older threads too and have written down to ask about communication (i.e. will there be a nurse or someone who I can call directly with questions).

I have a question for everyone. We are getting to the point where we need to decide what payment plan we are going to do and I have no idea how to decide. The RE offers 3 plans and I qualify for all three.
- Fee for services plan - $14000 - plus meds and a few other things. Will most likely end up around $18000. We only get one shot. If it doesn't work then we need to pay additional for the FETs.

-Shared Responsibility Plan - $17,400 - plus meds and a few other things. Will most likely end up around $21,000. We do an egg retrieval and then FETs for as many embryos that we have. If it doesn't work then we get 80% back and can try again. Can do this up to 3 times.

-Option plan - $16,000 plus meds and other things. Will most likely cost around $20,000. We get an egg retrieval and then use all of the embryos for a FET. If none of those work then we get another egg retrieval and all FETs. But, we have to pay for meds again for the second retrieval.

We're leaning towards either the shared responsibility plan or the option plan but I just don't know how to decide. If you had these options, what did you do and how did you decide?

@justdarling: re: the shared responsibility plan, how does your clinic freeze embryos? 5 days or 3 days or it depends? My clinic only freezes if the embryos make it to 5 days (because if they don't they would not have made it inside you anyway). As a result, only about 1 in 5 women have any embryos to freeze so in that case the shared responsibility plan isn't that attractive. Nearly all will only get one FET cycle out of a retrieval.

@raintreebee: My clinic does things a little different than most. He doesn't do any fresh transfers at all. All are FETs. So, they do the egg retrieval and either grow to 3 or 5. They don't have a set protocol of waiting until a certain day for the freeze, but do it when they feel they have the best chances. They do a fast freeze, called vitrification which apparently has really good thaw rates and he is seeing more pregnancies with FETs which is why he stopped doing the fresh transfers.

After the egg retrieval I then wait a month before the FET. The reason for this is to let my body regulate after all of the hormones and so that they can deal with prepping the uterus for implantation separately.

In order to even have the option for the shared responsibility plan I had to meet certain requirements - like more than 10 antral follicles and certain AMH and FSH. Pretty much the people that meet these requirements are the ones who they think IVF will work on the first try and will at least get a lot of embryos.

I know, a ton of information to process! That's why I need help with this one.

@tequiero21: I've already been told that I meet the qualifications for the shared responsibility. If you don't meet the qualifications then you can't use the plan. You are stuck with the fee for service.

The difference between the two is that with the shared responsibility you get 80% back if it doesn't work and then you can decide to do another round up to 2 more times. With the option plan you don't get any money back, you just get one more round.

@tequiero21: Thanks for your response. I think that is what I am leaning towards, but it is so hard to decide. If it does work the first time, then we paid $3,000 more than we should have, but I guess that's the risk we might have to take. Yes, we do have MFI and no issues with me.

@Apex: @brownie: Wishing you both luck in your FET! So exciting that you should be on about the same schedule.

As for me, I'll have my mock embryo transfer next Monday, July 29 and then right afterward we will have our injection lesson, calendar review, etc. I am hoping I feel more comfortable after that appointment. So far I feel like I'm going into this a little blind. I understand the process, but not when I'm going to start doing what, so I'm just getting nervous. I do know on the 31st I'll start my Lupron injections.

Yesterday I finalized my pharmacy order, but I actually don't know WHAT I ordered. My RE's office ordered everything and the pharmacy just called to confirm my information and tell me the final #. It only came in at $2,352 which is lower than I was expecting! I guess they submitted as much of it to my insurance as possible and insurance actually covered some things. I talked to my sister about it and she said her insurance covered all of her Lupron because having endometriosis, Lupron can be covered as a medical expense, not an IVF expense? I wasn't sure if that was true with my insurance provider though, but if it is, that's awesome.

Speaking of my sister, she STILL has not gotten her period from her cancelled IVF cycle in June. She's hoping it comes soon so she can get in on her clinic's August cycle. Her doctor won't induce her period unless it gets really extreme (I think she's on day 45 or so?) so she's just playing the waiting game, ugh.

@twodoghouse: I know what you mean about going in blind! I've been feeling the same way. I keep thinking what if I miss something or do something wrong?

We're going for our injection class and to sign the consent forms on July 30th. That's also the day we make our payment! I'll be on BCP until August 12th. That day I'm going in for a baseline ultrasound and that night I'll start Lupron. It's all so close!

@Apex: Thank you for the good thoughts for my sister. It's sort of funny but we (even my husband and dad!) are all crossing our fingers that she gets AF soon! Ah, the things that only infertile couples understand, right?

@Leialou: I'm glad I'm not alone in feeling like I don't really know what's going on. I know it will all come together, but at the moment it feels insane. You're so so close! We'll do our consent forms and all that jazz next Monday. My sister said the consent forms are crazy because you have to sign off on what happens if one of you dies or you divorce, etc. I'm glad she's been through it so she can give me the heads up on this stuff. I can't believe it's nearly August. It felt so far away when we were planning this months ago and now it's getting real.

@justdarling: Sounds like we'll be cycle twins! Yay! When I start Lupron, though, my dr. will still have me do a few days of BCP still. I wonder why? Did you have to do a MET? I'm scheduled for mine on Monday and then have all my instructions, etc.

I'm so glad that we'll all be doing this thing around the same time so we'll have each other to talk to. And hopefully there'll be an August IVF baby boom next Spring on Hellobee!

Today I had a surprise when I got home from work. My meds already arrived! We've been photographing every little step on our way to IVF so we can show our future baby what we went through to get him/her, haha. So here's me with my big box of meds:

@Leialou: I just inventoried it and it isn't really THAT much stuff. It was just a really big box!

@twodoghouse: I love the picture of the box!!! Mine should be coming next Tuesday. What protocol are you doing? I am on the Micro Dose Lupron Flare protocol. He is having me stop BC a few days before my first dose of Lupron. I don't have to do a separate MEC. They do it after the egg retrieval while I am still sedated. I think every RE does things slightly different. I'm excited to have a cycle buddy!!!

@justdarling: I don't know what the protocol is called. Maybe they will tell me that at my appointment on Monday? I really feel like I'm going into this without a lot of information, but I think (hope!) my doctor's office knows what it's doing...

@kentuckygirl: Hopefully you will get preg this cycle so you don't have to go through IVF in September! What CD are you? Crossing my fingers for you.

@spaniellove: Welcome back to the group! Let us know what you decide about Sept. or Oct.!

@Leialou: Isn't it funny how something like injection class is exciting!!! There are a lot of consent forms to sign! It was almost like buying a house! Congrats on getting things moving. When do you start your cycle?

@twodoghouse: How did your mock transfer go yesterday?

Today we signed all of our consent forms and had the baseline ultrasound and bloodwork. So far everything looks good and we got the green light to start lupron tomorrow. I can't believe this is finally here!

@justdarling: The mock transfer went really well - thank you for asking! My doctor counted 23 tiny follicles which will be our "Class of August 2013" apparently. He thought that was a good # to start with. We start our injections tomorrow too! I can't really believe it's here. I have a feeling I will hardly be able to sleep I'm so excited for my first injection!

@Leialou: What time is your appointment? I hope you were able to make it through the day and you're at your appointment now. Our injection class was pretty lowkey - I hope we really know what we're doing! I found some good videos on YouTube that we watched as well. When will you be starting meds?

@Shutterbug: How's your IUI cycle going? If I remember right, you were having issues with your E2 levels? I hope everything worked out and you'll get lucky with this cycle!

For those who were following along with my sister's IVF saga, she finally got her period after her cancelled June cycle!! She started birth control pills on Sunday and is going to be able to squeeze into her clinic's August cycle! My mom is absolutely beside herself that if all goes well, she could become a grandma twice over in the same month, haha.