Private IVF - Cost

Thanks girls!! Just had a call from the clinic, out of 8 eggs they've collected 7 were good for ICSI and 5 got fertilized. I am a bit freaked out by how quickly the rate drops off and we still have till Saturday to go....for a 5 day transfer. Am just praying they are all good quality from here on and stay strong and keep growing!

Yes those are good numbers....just remember you only need one to take and then its the same odds for anyone who just got preggers.

FX everything goes well. Do you have to take any drugs to support your luteal phase after they put a embryo back in?

How was the EC?

Edited by LissaAJ

How are the embies coming along?

thinking of you SunshineWife!!!

Just wanted to post this for future reference. We've just completed our first IVF cycle with Repromed in Auckland. We only arrived in New Zealand 6 months ago and it was hard making a decision between FA and Repromed. We had a personal connection which made us feel somewhat 'obliged' to go with Repromed (although nobody at Repromed knew of this). At the same time we joined a Fertility Support Group for three sessions and were somewhat alarmed to discover - of the 8 couples present - we were the only ones going through Repromed. Slight crisis of confidence but we persevered. So pleased we did. The treatment and service we received was incredibly personalised - the receptionist recognised my phone number when I called (no ...I was not high maitenance ;-). This is just indicative of the small number of patients Repromed handle at any given time. Your treatment plan is also very personalised - working around your schedule commitments and phobias. The costs were transparent and never exceeded the budget and we always felt like we were in first class care. I was able to validate this by talking to the other 7 couples with FA during the treatment process ...we certainly seemed to be getting a very different level of care.

We got a BFP (incredibly grateful and we know just how lucky we are!) and I guess one could argue that any review with a BFP is going to be glowing but I guess the real test is ...would I have gone back to Repromed Auckland for the second cylce if it hadnt been a BFP? Definitely!

If anyone EVER wants to PM me to share IVF experiences, ask ANY questions about the process or just vent about how unfair infertility is (!!!) ...please feel free! I received a huge amount of support from the worldwide community during the three years I was trying and I know how valuable anonymous support can be :-)

Sticky vibes to all of you!

Also, can I ask what Fertility Support Group you were with? How do you find one of them? I thought they are very popular overseas but wasn't sure if there are any here in Auckland? Is that just couples who are all going through IVF? Who organises that and where do they meet?

Thanks very much in advance!

SunshineWife ...first a big virtual hug on the BFN. You have such an optimistic tone in your message though which is so inspiring ...and *I believe* essential to a positive IVF experience. Sooooo pleased you're already talking about cycle 2.

More than happy to share some further detail (apologies if its longwinded) ...

As I've said before .... please feel free to ping me at any point if you need an empathetic ear or a little support!

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Fertility Diagnosis
Like you, we had ICSI. Our sperm counts were low on every imagineable level (volume, motility, agility, flexibility, stability ....geez, Im quite sure they probably didnt even LOOK like sperm :-) All my test results came back normal ... in fact ... we nicknamed me Norma because DH was getting p'd about it! In fairness, it was only Repromed who discovered this issue. Given the problem was so extensive ...surprising ...but in the UK DH had done two sperm tests and we were given 'normal' as a result on all occasions. Repromed insisted on specialised testing ...we obliged....thank goodness.

Fertility Support Group
On one of my many visits to Labtests I noticed a little card on their noticeboard for Fertility NZ. Thinking it was another online support forum I checked it out.

http://www.fertilitynz.org.nz/

Its exactly that but they also offer local fertility support groups. Ours was held on a Tuesday night between 7 and 9pm over the course of four weeks. I am (was!) definitley not the support group kinda girl but something told me to do this. Im so glad I did. The group was facilitated by two volunteers who had their own infertility stories and we had 6 other (lovely!) couples who were at very different treatment stages. There were just three of us about to embark on our first IVF course, another who was on round 7, another round 3 and two others who had elected to move forward with adoption. It really turned out to be a lot of conversation, sharing advice, empathising (!!!) and offering assurances around new experiences. As hubbies / partners go along too ...I know DH found it incredibly therepeutic meeting other guys in the same boat and .... being in the company of other 'normal' guys with MFIssues. Everyone is different about keeping in touch but I've managed to keep in touch with the other two girls who were just about to embark on IVF. One has since had an BFN which was tough ...but we still trade emails and words of encouragement. The other has her ER scheduled for this week.

IVF Process
We had a short cycle with Gonal F. I remember freaking out because all 'the other girls' from FA started their process on the pill. When I eventually queried this with Repromed - my neurotic mind suspecting I was getting short-changed - I learned that in 99 % of cases where the pill is offered ...its so the fertility clinic can control your dates and ensure you 'slot in with their lab / nurse avialability'. Repromed have a much smaller clientele and can therefore work around your natural schedule. So much so that I had my 5 day blasts transferred on a Sunday at 2pm :-)

I was convinced cycle 1 would not work becuase I'm generlaly quite highly strung (thanks to the job!) and I have a pretty pathetic phobia of needles. We retrieved 7 eggs (I was gutted even though I said out loud to DH before hand ...'we just need 1!" ... how a womans mind works huh?). Only three of those fertilised, one arrested at 4 days and the other two were candidates for the 5 day transfer (although only one was described at 'textbook perfect) we decided to transfer both to be safe...and we have a singleton pregnancy now.

Other factors:

I'm well endowed ...never have aspired to size zero ... quite the opposite - Im a curvaceous size 16. As I gave up alcohol a month before we started treatment the weight dropped of me - 8kgs in total. Yes, I drank like a fish and I loved it :-) Other than that ...continued with one cup of coffee a day and seriously adjusted the temperature of my bath water ...transpires I was practically cooking myself before I bought a bath thermometer. As I'm generally quite a 'hot' person ...I spent a lot of time moderating my body temp ...never getting too hot or too cold. Good advice offered by Donna (see below).

I did have accupuncture all the way through - right from about a week or two before I started the injections. Im not sure this was a major factor ...but it certainly gave me some routine and support that I found valuable in helping to manage my anxieties and stress. Had weekly sessions, a session before ET and a session immediatley after and weekly sessions until I got my BFP ...I've continued the weekly sessions becuase I find it's helped with some pretty hideous early pregnancy symptoms. I go to Donna Hall who practices in Remuera and in Ellerslie. She is a natural fertility specialist but also works a lot with IVF clients. In fact it was FA who recommended her to one of the support group girls. Highly recommended. http://www.harmonise.co.nz/



Edited by squirtsmum

Oh and I have also heard of the http://www.fertilitynz.org.nz/ and been to their website to read some articles, especially the ones for Friends and Family. I didn't manage to register though, the site kept crashing, will have to try again tonight. I think a support group might be good...especially for DH, but also to hear about others' experiences and advice... Thanks for recommending it!


Ohh, and during the ET I was soo bloated from all the water I drank that morning, that I really struggled to relax, had to run off to the bathroom as soon as the embie was in, couldn't even THINK of the embie at that point, just BADLY needed to pee....and now I wonder whether that was an influencing factor, that maybe I needed to stay horizontal for at least few minutes after the transfer....next time I definitely wouldn't drink that much. How did you find your ET experience?

Hehee squirtsmum, I know, I have read this heaps, that you can't shake it out or wee it out....but still I was annoyed that I had to drink all this water and rather than taking the moment in, watching the scan on the screen, watching where they place the little tiny embie, gazing at my DH and smiling at the thought that it's in, I wasn't even THINKING of the embie, it was just 'c'mon let me get off this table already I need to PEEEEE'!

Your words ARE very reassuring, thank you, you have a wonderful way of putting it all nicely but very true - new clean start, that's where we are at!

Hey, I notice you said they transferred both your blasts in. How come? We were told in now way would they do that as the risk of multiple pregnancies is too high and they are not willing to take that. I thought it's only if you had a number of failed IVF cycles that they would allow you to put 2 back in?

Thanks heaps for your support, I'll let you know how our appt goes, have my list of questions ready and everything!

x

Oh I see... am stil a bit surprised as Guy told us 'no way' unless you're over 40....but I guess they do sometime look at it on a case by case basis.

My app is not till 4pm today so will write back from home later tonite.