5 replies to this topic

[QT.]

Hello all! **waves**

My story:

I'm 36 yo married to the love of my life for almost 8 years, been together for 17 o_O (another story, lol)

We've been trying to conceive for over 10 years clearly with no luck. This is my first time really talking about this. I've always masked that I didn't want kids in fear of others getting pg and me feeling out of place. We took the steps years ago with the dye test and the surgery on trying to repair my tubes. My Dr told us there was nothing else he could do. I have't went for help ever since.

Fast forward.... I finally made an appointment with the IVF clinic to get this ball rolling! I'm not looking back until our child is born. My insurance has its limitations therefore most of the out of pocket is our burden.

My question is what to expect? How did you manage financially? Questions to ask my Dr? Or any other advice will be great!

[Highest hopes]

Welcome QT & good for you for taking action! Also, for sharing your story.
I kept mine secret for a long time but wish I would have shared it sooner, as the support from others is invaluable.

We've paid for everything out of pocket... it sucks, big time. I got some of the hormones from ivfmeds.com & saved some money there.

I found the IVF experience stressful while working at a demanding job, so my advice would be to take as much time off from work during the cycle as possible. But if you can't, don't worry about it, as others say they enjoy working to keep busy & distract them, so everyone is different.

Best of luck with your IVF cycle, & if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask

[Laura1976]

Welcome to IVF.ca!

It is quite overwhelming to take the next step and accept that IVF is your best chance at achieving your goal. I hope you will find the same support here as I did when i first started going to a clinic to treat my infertility.

As for finances: We paid for one cycle out of pocket - I quit smoking and that helped to off set the cost. For the second cycle we were covered for treatment and a good portion of the meds. We had to pay for transportation, accommodation and food out of pocket (we went out of province) and we are planning on claim that on our taxes.

What to expect: If both of your tubes are blocked or removed you will probably move straight to IVF after hormone and STD testing (you and DH) and DH will have a SA (seamen analysis). You can find a lot of info on diagnosis and initial testing here: http://www.resolve.o...sis-management/

What to ask your DR: I am not familiar with the clinic you listed. Are you in Canada? If you are most of the testing for infertility is covered by provincial health care plans. I guess I would ask what they recommend and why? What their success rates are for a fresh and for frozen cycles, and what criteria they use for their success rate reporting (ie. a positive test, HB (heartbeat) on U/S (ultrasound) or live birth. Ask what tests they are doing and why and what the results will tell. If you have not had your tube removed ask them if the reccommend removing it to increase your chance of success (blocked tubes can cause implantation failure).

That's all I can think of at the moment. Good luck and keep us posted on how your appointment goes.

Laura

[smurfette_wong]

Welcome QT!

We paid out of our own pockets as well, but insurance covered the meds, which was about $2k for me.

The advice I have for you is if you have a boss who you are comfortable with, you should tell him/her. You will be having appointments at weird times of the day, most of the time out of your control, and it's so much easier if you can truthfully tell your boss if you need to take some time off or if you are feeling particularly hormonal or tired during the meds. My boss was super understanding, never intruded, but never questioned me when I wasn't feeling well or if I had yet another appointment in the middle of the day.

If you are brave, you might want to consider acupuncture and ask your doctor about it. Even if it really doesn't help, I thought that it made me feel more positive and relaxed about the whole IVF process. My acupuncturist specialized in fertility, so it was really easy to ask her questions and she'd understand how I felt at particular points of the process. I am really happy I did it.

Like Laura said already, your DH will need to do a detailed semen analysis, if he hasn't already, and I believe you have to pay for that. You will also need to do a ton of blood tests, I think I had 10 vials or so taken from you over several visits. You should also ask about IVF and ICSI, it's good for you to know there is a slight difference and the doctor can explain it. ICSI is usually done for people who need genetics testing or if there is male factor infertility.

Also, you might want to ask about vitamins that you and your DH should be taking to improve your chances while you are waiting for IVF.

That's all I can think of for now. Good luck!

[QT.]

Thank you for the responses ladies! I truly appercaite it!

@highesthopes I'm happy I haven't used up most of my vacation time, I'm going to need it. I can only imagine the emotional roller coaster on balancing treatments and working I'm going to get the list of meds from my Doctor to see what my insurance is or not going to cover. The site you gave is going to come in handy. Thanks for the support.

@laura1976 (that's my year, LOL) IVF seems to be our best route. We're in the Georgia, and the cost is super high and a burden is on those who are not financially able to afford the treatments. I have a supportive family and they will help out when needed.

Both my tubes are blocked so I know they are damaged to point of no repair. I'm sure the IVF DR. is going to have to run their own test to determine where I am in the IVF stage. DH is going to look at me strange when it comes time to get his seamen tested, lol! He is very supportive and wants this as much as I do, so he will do what it takes to make it happen.

I've written down your question and will ask my Dr what he thinks, thanks for the support!

@smufette_wong Thank you for your response! I work for a great company and they will help me in anyway possible. I also, selected a clinic that is blocks away from my job so I can just leave when needed.

I'm going do acupuncture while in treatment, I heard positive things about doing both acupuncture and IVF. I need all the help I can get. The advice you all have given me is going to help this process move smoother!

[QT.]

My appointment with Dr. Kallen was so so. I was prepared with all my questions and high hopes. The consultation started with two women Doctors. They asked me about my fertility history and other formalities. Dr Kallen came in thereafter, he came in like Judge Judy when I thought he looked more like Judge Joe Brown (from the picture). He was more rugged than I pictured. He had a full beard and his scrubs was winkled He took control of the conversation and I like that. He was kinda sexy


From the information I provided he gave it to me straight no chase. He said since my cycle slowed down, he needed to see why. He ordered blood work, HSG, a semen analyses and gave me medicine to make my cycle start so he can do a ultrasound. He wants to make sure I'm still producing quality eggs. He has his concerns about my tubes, delayed cycles and my age. After the consultation the DH and I was very silent trying to process all the information Dr. Kallen hit us with. DH and I played some poker to take our minds off of it

I'm going to start the meds on Saturday since he needs to see me the 3rd day of my cycle to do the ultrasound.