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Trouble getting pregnant? (1 Viewer)

fatguyinalittlecoat said:
Dentist said:
There just has to be a better way. Pump some drugs in, do some inseminations, hope and pray... is that really where we're at with modern medicine?
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So you're just doing inseminations? That's not where we are with modern medicine. There's all sorts of IVF stuff you can do. Of course, that's way more expensive and more invasive.
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using this clomid type drug called Letrizole.. she goes in for some scans and stuff.. then then inject her with some drug that stimulates the follicles... but then we do these inseminations despite all of the numbers for my sperm count, motility, and everything being at or above normal limits.

Really.. that's the part that bothers me most... the inseminations.. i'm fine with the other stuff.

I realize there are more things that we can do... and i have a suspicion we're getting there.

 
mlball77 said:
[SIZE=medium]Every dude that’s been through the process of struggling to have kids with his wife/gf probably has a bit of a different experience and perspective. For me, going into some of the various treatments was much more something my wife wanted to do. I wanted kids, always had, but the energy, emotion and money involved with some of the fertility treatments was not something I was too gung ho about. Frankly, I had pretty much gotten to a point where I would have been OK with no kids, or more likely foster adopting. I was largely at peace with those other paths. My wife, on the other hand, was not at all at peace with those alternatives. So, at times, she had to pull me forward through the process. And I’m glad she did. Not just because we got two wonderful little boys out of it, but because the journey, while emotionally taxing, was something that brought us even closer together. We were already super-close, but the whole process we went through made us a stronger and more unified team. Even if we ended up with no kids, and that would have been very rough, there would have still been a net benefit in the end (even though that aspect is hard to quantify). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Not sure if anything I wrote has any value... just wishing all of you struggling Dads-to-be (and Moms) the best.[/SIZE]
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thank you for writing this even if i could do without the bold and weird font.

I wish this process could make us stronger and more unified.. but honestly I just want my old wife back who wasn't stressed out every month, wasn't depressed, etc.

I miss the fun.. I'd love to have fun with a child.. but doing to multiple doctor visits every month and dealing with disappointment and heartache sucks.

I realize life isn't all roses and butterflys... ok, i'll stop ruining the thread now.

 
We did all of the treatments including two rounds of IVF. So as you can guess the medical expense is high. I've said before in this thread I feel fortunate we were able to do the treatments. My heart goes out to all the couples that do not have the option to even try.

I'm a little like you Dentist as far as the money. It just didn't seem like good value for the money. But then it worked and the joy my wife and I have had for the last 22 weeks of pregnancy is worth all the money and tears.

I would recommend IVF treatment quit messing around with the other crap. Go all the way and get the best treatment. At least you know you you tried all you could.

 
Dentist said:
mlball77 said:
[SIZE=medium]Every dude that’s been through the process of struggling to have kids with his wife/gf probably has a bit of a different experience and perspective. For me, going into some of the various treatments was much more something my wife wanted to do. I wanted kids, always had, but the energy, emotion and money involved with some of the fertility treatments was not something I was too gung ho about. Frankly, I had pretty much gotten to a point where I would have been OK with no kids, or more likely foster adopting. I was largely at peace with those other paths. My wife, on the other hand, was not at all at peace with those alternatives. So, at times, she had to pull me forward through the process. And I’m glad she did. Not just because we got two wonderful little boys out of it, but because the journey, while emotionally taxing, was something that brought us even closer together. We were already super-close, but the whole process we went through made us a stronger and more unified team. Even if we ended up with no kids, and that would have been very rough, there would have still been a net benefit in the end (even though that aspect is hard to quantify). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=medium]Not sure if anything I wrote has any value... just wishing all of you struggling Dads-to-be (and Moms) the best.[/SIZE]
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thank you for writing this even if i could do without the bold and weird font.

I wish this process could make us stronger and more unified.. but honestly I just want my old wife back who wasn't stressed out every month, wasn't depressed, etc.

I miss the fun.. I'd love to have fun with a child.. but doing to multiple doctor visits every month and dealing with disappointment and heartache sucks.

I realize life isn't all roses and butterflys... ok, i'll stop ruining the thread now.
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Yeah, I guess the odd font came through in the conversion from the paste from a different software (don't think I had that problem with the prior board, oh well).

And I definitely understand your point about not wanting a stressed out and hyper-emotional wife throughout this process. That aspect was rough, no denying. The meds and hormones involved take this already dicey subject to a borderline insanity level (haha, my experience anyway). I just tried to be as supportive and level-headed as I could throughout it all. My wife was going all in on the process, and I knew I had to get on board. -She isn't typically super-emotional or a big spender... so maybe this process was her big splurge on those fronts. To some extent, you could say she earned some leeway there. (rationalizing things here)

 
The Z Machine said:
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
I think you guys are being a bit harsh on Dentist. Lots of people have conflicted emotions about the process. It sucks balls.
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Most definitely.

But I also very much dislike the "we" in pregnant. Gotta agree with Mac on that, even if her tone was a bit... off.
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Mac's posts were absolutely ridiculous. Anyone who has gone through what a lot of people in here have gone through has earned the respect to be able to type "we" in this thread and not be chastised for it. It's a long process that is grueling for both the MAN and the WOMAN to get to the "we" are pregnant stage.

 
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
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i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.

 
Having a DLC after 10 weeks is indescribably brutal, after getting a heartbeat soul crushing.

It mentally destroys you, I have to say I have been to some very dark points in my life - but nothing was like that. Felt like I was at the bottom of a dark well. That was almost the end of my marriage. A marriage mind you to a woman that I loved with all my heart and all my faults has never once made feel any doubt about us. I know I was not pregnant but the mental state of the XY should not be discarded; but to each their own.

 
Flying Spaghetti Monster said:
Having a DLC after 10 weeks is indescribably brutal, after getting a heartbeat soul crushing.

It mentally destroys you, I have to say I have been to some very dark points in my life - but nothing was like that. Felt like I was at the bottom of a dark well. That was almost the end of my marriage. A marriage mind you to a woman that I loved with all my heart and all my faults has never once made feel any doubt about us. I know I was not pregnant but the mental state of the XY should not be discarded; but to each their own.
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what is dlc?

 
Dentist said:
Flying Spaghetti Monster said:
Having a DLC after 10 weeks is indescribably brutal, after getting a heartbeat soul crushing.

It mentally destroys you, I have to say I have been to some very dark points in my life - but nothing was like that. Felt like I was at the bottom of a dark well. That was almost the end of my marriage. A marriage mind you to a woman that I loved with all my heart and all my faults has never once made feel any doubt about us. I know I was not pregnant but the mental state of the XY should not be discarded; but to each their own.
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what is dlc?
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After a miscarriage, there is sometimes tissue remaining in the uterus that a doctor needs to go in and take out. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dilation_and_curettage

 
Worm said:
The Z Machine said:
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
I think you guys are being a bit harsh on Dentist. Lots of people have conflicted emotions about the process. It sucks balls.
Click to expand...
Most definitely.

But I also very much dislike the "we" in pregnant. Gotta agree with Mac on that, even if her tone was a bit... off.
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Mac's posts were absolutely ridiculous. Anyone who has gone through what a lot of people in here have gone through has earned the respect to be able to type "we" in this thread and not be chastised for it. It's a long process that is grueling for both the MAN and the WOMAN to get to the "we" are pregnant stage.
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I went through a lot, and it still bothers me from a grammar / correctness perspective. Anyway, let's agree to disagree on this topic. I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone that's struggled that wants to use "we" in this context.

 
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.

 
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
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Dentist lives in Missouri and doesn't work for a big company. Seems unlikely he gets any insurance money.

 
Flying Spaghetti Monster said:
Having a DLC after 10 weeks is indescribably brutal, after getting a heartbeat soul crushing.

It mentally destroys you, I have to say I have been to some very dark points in my life - but nothing was like that. Felt like I was at the bottom of a dark well. That was almost the end of my marriage. A marriage mind you to a woman that I loved with all my heart and all my faults has never once made feel any doubt about us. I know I was not pregnant but the mental state of the XY should not be discarded; but to each their own.
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The mental state of the partner (XY or XX) shouldn't be discarded, but I always saw that role as a supporting role, not the primary one. The partner isn't experiencing the clinical nature of the treatment in the same way, so they have all of the mental and emotional burden in addition to the physical challenges that the treatments represent.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
Dentist lives in Missouri and doesn't work for a big company. Seems unlikely he gets any insurance money.
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That's a real shame. I'm sorry if that's the case.

Although I think that Dentist, being the owner of his own company has the ability to select a health insurance plan that would benefit him in this respect. It still may not be possible due to the lack of a collective bargaining position for the insurance company.

 
I make enough bank to live a comfy lifestyle, and I went through a lot of the same feelings as dentist.

It gets to a point where you feel like the Dr. is milking it. Despite my being perfectly healthy, he insisted I provide new sperm samples every 4-5 months which really pissed me off. Do it over a couple years and that's a nice little ancillary business for him on top of the small fortune he made off treating my wife. In the end it was worth it cause we got our son and he was somewhat helpful. He was instrumental in correcting a minor blood disorder she had and also cleared some scar tissue that was blocking some things up, but eventually we got pregnant on our own and not through his IUIs and IVF. I particularly don't like the guy but kept my mouth shut cause I didn't want to upset her, but I definitely don't feel any gratitude towards him. He was reimbursed well.

 
The Z Machine said:
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
Dentist lives in Missouri and doesn't work for a big company. Seems unlikely he gets any insurance money.
Click to expand...
That's a real shame. I'm sorry if that's the case.

Although I think that Dentist, being the owner of his own company has the ability to select a health insurance plan that would benefit him in this respect. It still may not be possible due to the lack of a collective bargaining position for the insurance company.
Click to expand...
wife is a teacher, has district insurance, which provides nothing for fertility care.

 
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
what are the odds and percentages of success rates on IUI vs. IVF vs. just traditional methods with some juicing like clomid and stuff

 
Steed said:
I make enough bank to live a comfy lifestyle, and I went through a lot of the same feelings as dentist.

It gets to a point where you feel like the Dr. is milking it. Despite my being perfectly healthy, he insisted I provide new sperm samples every 4-5 months which really pissed me off. Do it over a couple years and that's a nice little ancillary business for him on top of the small fortune he made off treating my wife. In the end it was worth it cause we got our son and he was somewhat helpful. He was instrumental in correcting a minor blood disorder she had and also cleared some scar tissue that was blocking some things up, but eventually we got pregnant on our own and not through his IUIs and IVF. I particularly don't like the guy but kept my mouth shut cause I didn't want to upset her, but I definitely don't feel any gratitude towards him. He was reimbursed well.
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Yeah, i feel like they are milking it already and i haven't paid that much.

you never even get to see the dang doctor.. it's always auxillaries.

then the guy went up and died... i wouldn't last long if my success rates were that low either... i'd die from feelings of inadequacy.

I'm really bummed when something i did 5-6 years ago fails... i can't imagine charging people thousands of dollars to get nothing out of it. It feels even emptier than my insurance payments which is also paying something to essentially hope you don't need to utilize.

 
Dentist said:
i can't imagine charging people thousands of dollars to get nothing out of it.
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I'd imagine that some of his patients actually do get pregnant and that those patients hold him in great esteem. I feel an unbelievable amount of gratitude to the doctor who successfully did our IVFs, after our first doctors had failed a few times.

 
Dentist said:
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
Dentist said:
There just has to be a better way. Pump some drugs in, do some inseminations, hope and pray... is that really where we're at with modern medicine?
Click to expand...
So you're just doing inseminations? That's not where we are with modern medicine. There's all sorts of IVF stuff you can do. Of course, that's way more expensive and more invasive.
Click to expand...
using this clomid type drug called Letrizole.. she goes in for some scans and stuff.. then then inject her with some drug that stimulates the follicles... but then we do these inseminations despite all of the numbers for my sperm count, motility, and everything being at or above normal limits.

Really.. that's the part that bothers me most... the inseminations.. i'm fine with the other stuff.

I realize there are more things that we can do... and i have a suspicion we're getting there.
Click to expand...
All that stuff didnt work for us either (to the tune of about $6k). IVF finally did the trick (about $12k)

 
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
what are the odds and percentages of success rates on IUI vs. IVF vs. just traditional methods with some juicing like clomid and stuff
Click to expand...
lots of factors are involved...but it's definitely more successful. You can reserach the different fertility places and see their %s

 
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
what are the odds and percentages of success rates on IUI vs. IVF vs. just traditional methods with some juicing like clomid and stuff
Click to expand...
You should have gotten these numbers from the very beginning from whoever is providing your care. If not, you need to be asking these questions now and get all the info so you can decide how you want to proceed. Clomid doesn't increase the chances very much from baseline, but it's relatively inexpensive and non-invasive, so it's usually first line and can save tons of money, obviously. IUI is definitely a step up, but still only 10-15% IIRC. IVF is much more successful (I think 40-50%), but much higher chances of multiples and obviously much more expensive/invasive.

For us, 6 months of Clomid didn't work. 3 rounds of IUI didn't work. 1st IVF worked.

This is after having an 8 year old that was conceived without any difficulty (first attempt). Wife is 38 now so we didn't have as much time as others due to her age.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I suppose my biggest complaint about the IVF practice is that our doctor, at least, seems to treat the entire process as some sort of black box.

My wife is on the FFA forum for bitter, infertile women and many women there have doctors who will grade the quality of eggs retrieved and embryos that are fertilized. All we've ever heard is how many eggs have been retrieved, and how many have made it to blastocyst stage. In both cycles, my wife has been chemically pregnant, only for the beta levels to eventually level off and decline and to have a natural early miscarriage. We have no idea if there are genetic issues between us (we intend to get embryonic testing but our doctor is lukewarm about it).

Meanwhile, I've become an expert at masturbating in charmless doctors' bathrooms. One room actually had a Maxim to use as inspiration. That's just sad.

 
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
Click to expand...
i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.

I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
Click to expand...
what are the odds and percentages of success rates on IUI vs. IVF vs. just traditional methods with some juicing like clomid and stuff
Click to expand...
Depends on your infertility clinic. I'm sure it varies as these #'s are used as marketing tools.

At our spot...they say Clomid/IUI has about a 10% chance.

Injectable meds/IUI goes up to about 12%

And IVF at our place for people under 35 has a 45% pregnancy rate with a 37% live birth rate.

Those #'s go down as the female's age goes up.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I suppose my biggest complaint about the IVF practice is that our doctor, at least, seems to treat the entire process as some sort of black box.

My wife is on the FFA forum for bitter, infertile women and many women there have doctors who will grade the quality of eggs retrieved and embryos that are fertilized. All we've ever heard is how many eggs have been retrieved, and how many have made it to blastocyst stage. In both cycles, my wife has been chemically pregnant, only for the beta levels to eventually level off and decline and to have a natural early miscarriage. We have no idea if there are genetic issues between us (we intend to get embryonic testing but our doctor is lukewarm about it).

Meanwhile, I've become an expert at masturbating in charmless doctors' bathrooms. One room actually had a Maxim to use as inspiration. That's just sad.
Click to expand...
Our doctor made a big deal of grading the eggs.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I suppose my biggest complaint about the IVF practice is that our doctor, at least, seems to treat the entire process as some sort of black box.

My wife is on the FFA forum for bitter, infertile women and many women there have doctors who will grade the quality of eggs retrieved and embryos that are fertilized. All we've ever heard is how many eggs have been retrieved, and how many have made it to blastocyst stage. In both cycles, my wife has been chemically pregnant, only for the beta levels to eventually level off and decline and to have a natural early miscarriage. We have no idea if there are genetic issues between us (we intend to get embryonic testing but our doctor is lukewarm about it).

Meanwhile, I've become an expert at masturbating in charmless doctors' bathrooms. One room actually had a Maxim to use as inspiration. That's just sad.
Click to expand...
i've been taking my tablet pre-loaded with some great pron and some headphones... if i have to jerk it in a sterile doctor room, i'm at least going to do my damndest to enjoy it.

 
Yeah, I remember hearing the grades as well. We were lucky to get 4 eggs at any one time, and the most blasts we got at any time was 2. Our twins were from one frozen embryo and one fresh. We have no idea which one is "older", but genetically speaking, one of the twins is like 3 months older than the other. Probably the girl...

 
The Z Machine said:
Yeah, I remember hearing the grades as well. We were lucky to get 4 eggs at any one time, and the most blasts we got at any time was 2. Our twins were from one frozen embryo and one fresh. We have no idea which one is "older", but genetically speaking, one of the twins is like 3 months older than the other. Probably the girl...
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How did it work out that you had one on ice and one fresh?

IVF cycle 1 you had 3 embryos...implated 2 and put one on ice? Those 2 didn't work? Then did another cycle and implanted the fresh one with the one on ice?

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I suppose my biggest complaint about the IVF practice is that our doctor, at least, seems to treat the entire process as some sort of black box.

My wife is on the FFA forum for bitter, infertile women and many women there have doctors who will grade the quality of eggs retrieved and embryos that are fertilized. All we've ever heard is how many eggs have been retrieved, and how many have made it to blastocyst stage. In both cycles, my wife has been chemically pregnant, only for the beta levels to eventually level off and decline and to have a natural early miscarriage. We have no idea if there are genetic issues between us (we intend to get embryonic testing but our doctor is lukewarm about it).

Meanwhile, I've become an expert at masturbating in charmless doctors' bathrooms. One room actually had a Maxim to use as inspiration. That's just sad.
Click to expand...
We interviewed a few different IVF doctors and eventually used one in Houston (we live in New Orleans) b/c my wife was very comfortable with her. That can make a difference :shrug:

 
Tiger Fan said:
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
I suppose my biggest complaint about the IVF practice is that our doctor, at least, seems to treat the entire process as some sort of black box.

My wife is on the FFA forum for bitter, infertile women and many women there have doctors who will grade the quality of eggs retrieved and embryos that are fertilized. All we've ever heard is how many eggs have been retrieved, and how many have made it to blastocyst stage. In both cycles, my wife has been chemically pregnant, only for the beta levels to eventually level off and decline and to have a natural early miscarriage. We have no idea if there are genetic issues between us (we intend to get embryonic testing but our doctor is lukewarm about it).

Meanwhile, I've become an expert at masturbating in charmless doctors' bathrooms. One room actually had a Maxim to use as inspiration. That's just sad.
Click to expand...
We interviewed a few different IVF doctors and eventually used one in Houston (we live in New Orleans) b/c my wife was very comfortable with her. That can make a difference :shrug:
Click to expand...
There are insurance and cost issues that keep us where we're at. At my wife's age, the only clinic with a signifcantly higher live birth rate is in Denver. Their lab isn't covered by our insurance and we couldn't afford the travel anyway. There is a bigger clinic that does more patients in DC than our clinic, but they don't seem to do any better.

 
The Z Machine said:
Yeah, I remember hearing the grades as well. We were lucky to get 4 eggs at any one time, and the most blasts we got at any time was 2. Our twins were from one frozen embryo and one fresh. We have no idea which one is "older", but genetically speaking, one of the twins is like 3 months older than the other. Probably the girl...
Click to expand...
That's pretty cool. My older daughter took a plane by herself when she was only like 8 cells, and she was frozen at the time. She's very independent.

 
fatguyinalittlecoat said:
The Z Machine said:
Yeah, I remember hearing the grades as well. We were lucky to get 4 eggs at any one time, and the most blasts we got at any time was 2. Our twins were from one frozen embryo and one fresh. We have no idea which one is "older", but genetically speaking, one of the twins is like 3 months older than the other. Probably the girl...
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That's pretty cool. My older daughter took a plane by herself when she was only like 8 cells, and she was frozen at the time. She's very independent.
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Awesome :cool:

 
gianmarco said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Dentist said:
The Z Machine said:
Also, IVF while expensive is really the best rate of return.

But you might end up with twins...
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i've heard that can cost 12-15K a try.

and whilst that sounds ridiculous.. i've already spent over 5-6K on crap that didn't work with no end in sight.. so maybe it's not so ridiculous.
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Not ridiculous and worth every penny and more. Some insurance plans are better than other in this repsect. My wife had 3 different insurance options, and I had 1, so we selected the best insurance plan out of he 4 for fertility coverage. We were very lucky in that respect, and even luckier that we could afford treatments.I think one of the things that got me through was knowing that at least WE get a shot at this, while some many others don't have those options. We went through a few IUIs and 3 rounds of IVF over the course of 3 years or so. Now we have 2 healthy children and my life got flip turned upside down and I wouldn't change a GD thing.
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what are the odds and percentages of success rates on IUI vs. IVF vs. just traditional methods with some juicing like clomid and stuff
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You should have gotten these numbers from the very beginning from whoever is providing your care. If not, you need to be asking these questions now and get all the info so you can decide how you want to proceed. Clomid doesn't increase the chances very much from baseline, but it's relatively inexpensive and non-invasive, so it's usually first line and can save tons of money, obviously. IUI is definitely a step up, but still only 10-15% IIRC. IVF is much more successful (I think 40-50%), but much higher chances of multiples and obviously much more expensive/invasive.

For us, 6 months of Clomid didn't work. 3 rounds of IUI didn't work. 1st IVF worked.

This is after having an 8 year old that was conceived without any difficulty (first attempt). Wife is 38 now so we didn't have as much time as others due to her age.
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This is good to hear. My wife and I have been trying for 2 years (I'm 35 and she's 33) and our infertility has been unexplained. We started IUI in September and no success after 5 attempts :shock: . We are about to try IVF now but I'm not too optimistic anymore. Fortunately money isn't a huge issue for us but its been a very stressful experience. I think it might be bringing us closer though (the sex lately has been unreal)

 
Fred - I think we ended up with 6 failed IUIs before going to IVF with our first. Started with IVF on our second. Both IVFs worked. We were out of pocket about $50k for all the procedures but it was well worth it for us.

 
bentley said:
Fred - I think we ended up with 6 failed IUIs before going to IVF with our first. Started with IVF on our second. Both IVFs worked. We were out of pocket about $50k for all the procedures but it was well worth it for us.
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Thanks a lot man. This is encouraging.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
bentley said:
Fred - I think we ended up with 6 failed IUIs before going to IVF with our first. Started with IVF on our second. Both IVFs worked. We were out of pocket about $50k for all the procedures but it was well worth it for us.
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Thanks a lot man. This is encouraging.
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I don't recall... but I think we did 5 our second time around and were going to wrap things up with our 6th before giving up or moving on to IVF (which our insurance didn't cover at all). 6th try worked for us.

 
bentley said:
Fred - I think we ended up with 6 failed IUIs before going to IVF with our first. Started with IVF on our second. Both IVFs worked. We were out of pocket about $50k for all the procedures but it was well worth it for us.
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50k.... i almost fell over in my chair.

sweet jeebus that stresses me out.

I already haven't bought one thing of significance for myself over the last 3-4 years due to having to buy a ring, a car for my wife, home improvements, and now fertility stuff.

It takes so many hard hours of fillings, root canals, crowns to generate that type of profit....

At least it worked... thanks for sharing

 
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