Donor insemination - what can I expect?

Hi Louise.
We are in the exact same position as you are in terms of having to use a donor. We're with the Wellington clinic and waited 6mths from going on funding list to starting treatment which began March 2013. During those months waiting we had our meetings with the counsellor, all the testing they need etc so once we got to
the top of the list we could start.

When picking our donor we got three profiles to look at based on similar features to our own. Was interesting to say the least.
Unfortunately I don't have a success story. We had 4 insinuations for our first public package of treatment which didn't work then our second package was ivf which resulted in 2 embryos replaced at two different times. One ended in chemical and the other miscarriage at 8wks. We've since paid for another round of ivf and that was another chemical. Now saving for more ivf while they investigate possible causes for repeat miscarriage.

At your consult ask seriously whether iui is the best option and whether they think it will have a good chance of working. Looking back I wish we'd paid for iui and saved the funding for ivf. Iui is about $2000 per go vs $13000 for ivf. Anyway that's just my experience - hopefully yours is easier!
Good luck for Friday!

Hi we were in a similar situation to you and I now have a 1yr old chi!d as a result. I know what you mean about the lack of info out there. As baby crazy suggested, I would query whether iui is the best use of your public funding. I had 4 unsuccessful iuis as they assumed everything was normal on my side, but I was later diagnosed with endo and then moved onto ivf. Yes ivf is intense, but not as scary as it initially sounds. And as for the hormones, i didnt get too many side effects.
Any questions, feel free to ask away!

Edited by daisy_asdfg - 17 February 2015 at 9:47pm

All my iui were natural (drug free pretty much) and timed in my cycle. Initial tests and pretty much the way my body reacts during cycles is deemed to be normal but it now appears something goes wrong after embryo is in there. It wants to grow but just stops. They're talking natural killer cells now but that's a whole other story! Basically my consult said on paper I've only actually had seven opportunities to get pregnant which isn't abnormal in nature (and I've become properly pregnant once).
Anyway ivf drugs didn't really effect me too badly either. Maybe a bit more emotional but nothing I couldn't handle. As daisy said it seems daunting but it actually isn't too bad. And yes I would really question if iui is best option for your funding. Naturally they'll want to start there as it's least invasive. However it could actually work so.....lol something to think about.

No daisy haven't had that done. What do they do it for? They're taking my case to their next clinical practice meeting but also talked about intralipid to counter act any killer cells that might be over zealous and attacking embryos. We're doing one more ivf so I want to get it sorted. Sucks not having our own sperm so there's no chance of a miracle happening.

Sounds intriguing daisy. Perhaps I'll ask. Intralipid has similar evidence in terms of results from what I can gather but it's not expensive nor harmful so I figure it's worth my time. I'm really looking forward to what they discuss after their mtg as I'm at a loss as to hoping this next time will work. We don't have an endless savings account nor do I have endless energy so will have to call it a day if it's a bust.

18mths!!!!! Good grief that is a joke! You poor thing. Hope they put you on the list today so at least you're on there now. Hugs hun. Unfortunately this journey is loong, totally know how you feel. Xxx

18 months is a long wait! If you don't want to wait that long, you might be interested in this: http://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/topic44543_post5880303.html

No worries. Some donors like to know a bit about who they donate to, but I completely understand that doesn't suit everyone. I agree that the whole donation process is best managed by a clinic such as Fertility Associates even for a donor you initially contact outside the clinic.

I hope it all works out well for you. Sometimes the wait is shorter than the clinic estimates.

Hi J_keri, we did think about that but made the personal decision to wait for a Fertility Associates donor. My partner doesn't have a brother unfortunately and we just didn't feel comfortable asking any of our friends. It's such a personal choice to make - everyone's situation is different. I'm hopefully going to be starting treatment (via IVf is about three months)

We went on the donor waiting list February this year and just had our second appointment with the counsellor. We've only just decided to go with IVF instead of IUI, mainly because we are going to privately fund our first treatment and we want a greater chance of success, so yes this will be our first round. If it is unsuccessful we will use our public funding for our second treatment which is pencilled in for December next year. Originally the waiting list for a donor on the IUI list was going to be about 18 months, which would be around June next year. However, since switching over to the IVF waiting list they've informed my partner and I that it could be as soon as next month for us - January at the latest. So exciting! We're both Caucasian, but it was mentioned to us that funding Maori, Pacific Island and Asian donors was difficult. You'll get loads of information and you might change your mind. The counsellor we've been seeing has been so wonderful and helpful and I think my hubby and I are confident with our decision.