Private IVF - Cost
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Support
Forum Name: Coping with infertility
Forum Description: Have you been trying to conceive unsuccessfully? Dealing with primary or secondary infertility? Get support, advice, and help coping here.
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38039
Printed Date: 30 April 2025 at 2:34am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Private IVF - Cost
Posted By: SunshineWife
Subject: Private IVF - Cost
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 3:50pm
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Hi girls,
If anyone is doing a private IVF cycle (or have recently gone through one) could you please let me know which clinic you went through and how much the cycle cost? Particularly interested to hear about Auckland prices/experiences. Also are you doing short or long cycle and does that make a difference in price? Thanks in advance to all for sharing! |
Replies:
Posted By: kiwikt
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 4:08pm
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Hi sunshinewife,
we did IVF last September through Fertility Associates in Auckland. Here is the link to their fees guide http://www.fertilityassociates.co.nz/Downloads/IVF-Fees-Guide.aspx We paid $11,840 up front - that is IVF with ICSI. However we got $565 of that back in unused Drug money. SO $11275 in total. We did a long cycle. Unfortunately that egg didnt stick so we paid another $1535 for a TER (thawed embryo replacement) in January. That was using a fully natural cycle - some people have to pay for drugs for their TER. ------------- Due 14/10/11 http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 4:35pm
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Thank you so much kiwikt!
I called FA to ask a few general questions and they suggested IVF cycle is anywhere between 10k and 14k, it's great to hear some actual $$ examples from someone who has done this! I am finding the receptionist at FA so unhelpful :( no certain answers for anything and she talks to me as if I'm a child! Argh! Still trying to decide between going to Repromed and FA for our private cycle..seems that most feedback here on the forum is about FA and it's all quite positive, but my initial contact with their reception is putting me off :-/ |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 5:40pm
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Aww, sorry you've had an unsympathetic receptionist! I've run into a few people working at FA in Hamilton who could have used some lessons in 'tact and empathy around stressed-out people struggling with infertility' myself!
My two cents would be to not let the support staff put you off too much - in my experience, your relationship with your Dr at wherever you choose, and your confidence in them, is the key thing. I loved my Dr, but wasn't too taken by her nurses, myself. In saying that, I've heard good things about both places  -------------   
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Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 16 February 2011 at 6:00pm
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Thanks Hopes! I've decided to just go with Repromed and stop looking for answers and signs of which clinic is better! You're right, important thing is we connect with the Dr and be happy with their approach.
They had an appointment time for this Friday so we're going then. Can't believe it's so soon! But am very relieved now that there is some action happening. |
Posted By: fozziebear
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 7:32am
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Hey SunshineWife,
We did ours through F+ and paid just over $8,000. That is great that you made your decision!!! There are a few of us here starting our next round of IVF so if you ahve any questions just ask all the ladies here are great! |
Posted By: tischler
Date Posted: 17 February 2011 at 7:48pm
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Hi SunshineWife, I'm in ChCh but have been through 2 privately paid cycles.
We were on the long cycle the first time and the cost was approx $15k as I was a very slow responder to the drugs and needed them for a week longer (we also did ICSI). The second time it was the short cycle and it cost approx $13k. Our FET's here are $1350 each and I didn't need drugs with that. It's the drugs that make the difference. One Gonal-F pen cost us $225 (in 2008) - it was a one hit wonder for me as I needed 300 units per day (some people only need 75 per day)! I'm sure the prices will have gone up by now too unfortunately. BUT just think about the long-term. In my head it's probably a bit like buying a house. You might end up paying a few thousand more for a house than you want, but how often do you ever think about how much it cost! I'm going on the same logic for IVF - once you've got a baby in your arms it doesn't matter how much it cost - a baby is priceless  ------------- 5 IVF/ICSI Cycles - 10 embryo's, 8 transfers, all BFN's. Our journey to parenthood is over, and we join the unfortunate many for whom IVF does not work. |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 February 2011 at 4:59pm
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Thanks tischler, we need to do ICSI too..ouch, so expensive. You're right, it's all worth it in the end, just praying that I'll respond well to the drugs and everything goes smoothly. We had our first appointment with repromed today and decided to do an IVF in my next cycle mid March. Will pick up the drugs on the 10th!
Good luck to everyone, girls! |
Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 15 March 2011 at 10:00am
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Hi
I'm in CHCH too. We cycled in Nov/Dec 07 and did IVF/ICSI. I think it was even cheaper back then and we paid about $8500 (maybe a little bit more but this was approx). We got pg with a 5 day blast transfer. We did a FET in 2009 with just progesterone, no needles and that cost about $2000 I think (can't quite remember!!). This resulted in our second son. We still have 2 six day blasts left. Good luck. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 15 March 2011 at 6:10pm
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Thanks Carnelian, I think the prices have gone up since those days :/ Did you get pg from your very first IVF cycle? That's really great! Can I ask whether you had just MFI (judging by the fact you had to do ICSI) or did you also have some issues on your side? Thanks! ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: minxynzl
Date Posted: 15 March 2011 at 9:39pm
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Hi - our cycle cost around $11.5k including drugs.
We were very forunate and got 4 great embryo's! One we got pregnant off and the other three are 'in the freezer'. Each further transfer will cost approx $1k and storeage per year is $250. :) ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 18 March 2011 at 4:19pm
Yes pg first IVF cycle and our 2nd child from a FET from the same cycle. 2 babies from 2 eggs so far! Very lucky. All MFI - my DH had almost 100% antibodies in his sperm. I was checked out first as we assumed it would be me but no, I was all good. :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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SunshineWife wrote:Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 March 2011 at 9:14pm
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Wow that's fantastic Carnelian! How I wish for a similar outcome!!
Well, we have received our bill in the mail today and it's 8,785 for IVF and ICSI, and we've already paid $1,275 for the drugs, plus few other tests we had to do....so all up it is just over $10k.... I am just a little worried cos the last SA came back with very very low count...but how many do they need for ICSI, right? Just enough for the number of eggs I produce! So hopefully there will be enough....oh please please please... ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: trouble06
Date Posted: 19 March 2011 at 8:20pm
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Hi sunshine wift - I wouldnt worry too much about the SA. The purpose of ISCI is that they inject the eggs with the swimmers. They usually select the best ones from the sample to do it to. My DH sample was shocking - so bad the fist one they couldnt find any and he had to redo it. Second sample they found enough to inject all ten of my eggs (I had 11 collected). Out of that 4 fertilised and 3 went on to develop further. If we need to do another stim cycle in next couple of months we are hoping the quality will have improved as well.
Also for some people that dont have any at all!! there is always TESA or TESE that they do when they biopsy a small part and remove the sperm that way. It worked for friends of mine who had 0 count ... ------------- Me 35 DH 40 IVF ISCI Nov BFN FET Jan 2011 Chem FET April 2011 M/C 7 weeks |
Posted By: MAC35
Date Posted: 20 March 2011 at 12:54pm
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Sunshine, in the same boat with sperm but we managed to get 8 fertilised and 7 to day five with unfortunately 5 dying prior to freeze on day six. The freshie transfer got me pregnant but unfortunately early miscarriage. Earthquake may not have helped. We have x 1 left to transfer from that cycle. Not bad for sperm that had been locked way for 16 years prior to us reversing - terrible count and antiobodies galore. Were told we had a 15% change of conceiving naturally.
Positive thinking - It only takes one great sperm and egg combination and our chances are greatly enhanced with ICIS.  ------------- TTC June 2006 MFI ME 35 DH 48 IVF #1 Jan 2011 BFN FET x1 April 2011 BFN IVF #2 July 2011 IVF #3 Feb EC 2012 |
Posted By: Plumbum
Date Posted: 26 March 2011 at 10:54pm
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Sunshinewife....how you finding Repromed? Was looking into them the other day and wondered what they were like.
Nice to get an idea of the prices. Thanks for that. |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 27 March 2011 at 12:36pm
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Hey Lisa, I'm finding them very good so far. The nurses are excellent, always call me to remind of blood tests and scans and are very nice to talk to. We only saw the doctor at the initial appointment and a scan we had on fri, so sometimes I wonder how well he knows/understands our situation...or whether he just looks at the paperwork just before our appointment ....do you know what i mean? I guess for them it's still business that they run... And we ar just one of the hundreds customs they have..... We have our egg collection tomorrow, so I can let you know how that went later.... I'm sure they are all very knowledgeable and experienced, haven't had any negative experience with repromed so far ... Hope this helps! Good luck on your journey. :) ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: Plumbum
Date Posted: 27 March 2011 at 2:59pm
Hey all the best for egg collection. Will be looking forward to hearing how things go. FX for than BFP in a couple more weeks time 
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Posted By: catie
Date Posted: 28 March 2011 at 11:56am
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Hey sunshine
We're with Repromed too, though you're further along the path; we're doing short-cycle IVF & ICSI in april - AF due about the 12th. Quoted about $12,000. I've only heard good things about Repromed, though have had little contact with them so far. (Our original enquiries were with FA - not impressed at all; saw Mary birdsall who gave lots of depressing news without seemingly to consider the impact, except that she kept calling me 'honey' - maybe that was her way of trying to be nice but I just found it patronising. Had several rounds of clomid and IUI with F+ - they were lovely but seemed very overworked. Cheap tho  ).
FX for your EC! 
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Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 8:19am
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Sunshine, I hope your egg collection went well yesterday. Fingers crossed for your fertility report today. I hope they got lots of sperm from your DH. As the previous posters have said, they only need a small amount. My DH had a bad analysis. Lots of sperm but nearly all unsuitable. Lots of deformities and immobile sperm. They managed to get enough from the sample and we had great results.
Fingers crossed for you. :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 8:31am
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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! ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 9:57am
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Those are pretty great numbers. Remember it only takes one!
Keep positive and try to relax a bit if you can. And keep us updated. :-) ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Plumbum
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 8:53pm
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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? |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 29 March 2011 at 9:02pm
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Yeah I have just started the utrogestan pessaries which they said to take until week 10 if preggers, but I just looked at the instructions leaflet and it says to stop if pregnancy occurs....weird.
I only that you only need one, but I would love 2 or 3 kids so having some fro sties would be great, plus you always want to have a few extras just in case they don't thaw or..well there's just so many things to overcome yet, isn't that right? EC was fine, I was completely out, thoses drugs worked like magic! A bit sore afterwards though.... Went to acupuncture today, seem a bit better now but still sore to walk for too long, lift things etc.... ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 01 April 2011 at 9:36am
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How are the embies coming along? ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 01 April 2011 at 9:49am
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Hi Carnelian, I had the ET yesterday, they've put a beautiful 8 cell in, so embie Is on board now. Am praying that the other two continue to grow and when the embryologist calls tomorrow it'll be good news and they can freeze those!
:) ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: princess
Date Posted: 01 April 2011 at 4:18pm
| thinking of you SunshineWife!!! |
Posted By: Carnelian
Date Posted: 01 April 2011 at 4:49pm
Great news. Hope you get your bfp and 2 frosties.
 ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: squirtsmum
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 10:49am
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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! ------------- First Time Mum To Be & New To NZ (Auckland) |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 12:00pm
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Hi squirtsmum, thank you soo much for your post.
I am with Repromed also, but sadly have got a BFN in our first IVF cycle just a week ago. We are going in for a review appt tomorrow but I am determined to do another cycle and would be happy doing it at the same clinic with the same doctor. Seeing how good your experience was, can you tell me a bit more about the protocol you followed? Was your IVF due to a male factor or something else? It is just so inspiring to hear that somebody got a BFP from their first round, I just want to know if there was anything you did differently to what we are doing, any tips for round two? I agree though with the level of service at Repromed, when I call they know who I am, I don't feel like I have to explain each time I call who and why I am calling.... they just know. I found that very reassuring and supportive. ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 12:02pm
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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! ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: Plumbum
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 1:31pm
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Yes I would love to hear more about your treatment too squirtsmum.
SunshineWife....I'm so sorry to hear your news about the BFN. Its just not fair 
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Posted By: squirtsmum
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 3:22pm
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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! ============================================ 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/ ------------- First Time Mum To Be & New To NZ (Auckland) |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 3:55pm
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Oh squirtsmum, you can't imagine how much inspiration your post gives me! I am in a very similar situation, all my results are fine, DH though has a triple defect (or something to that extent they called it?), low count (it's in thousands rather than millions!!), low motility and morphology! I have never heard of agility, flexibility, stability but repromed did want him to do a special test (even though he had three tests done at labtest), but the count was soooo low they weren't able to do any quality testing, so we felt it was a bit of a waste of $100...but oh well.
We retrieved 8 eggs, 7 fertilised, but there wee only 3 left on day 3 and so they decided to do a day 3 transfer rather than risk till day 5. By day 5 the other two embies weren't viable, so we had no frosties. I can't believe that our outcome is THIS bad....no BFP and no back up frosties either. I was also doing acupuncture throughout and DH went to about 8-9 sessions too! He also took Menevit 3 months before we started IVF. I am at a loss....what could we have done differently, what would Repromed suggest to do in the next cycle? I was also on gonal F (i think), def short protocol which I coped with very well. So yes, on one had I am so glad reading your post and seeing that it worked for you, but on the other hand am so worried as to why it didn't work for us?! Do you remember what your DH's sperm results were? How low was his count? I am also a tiny bit worried about my BMI, it's in the normal range - 21 I think, but on the lower scale... I'm about 50kgs, but I'm not super skinny, have a bit of a bum and tum hehee so never worried about it, but lately been thinking what if I haven't got enough meat on me? Argh, this is jsut so hard, it's just one big guessing game and an emotional rollercoaster that's for sure! Can I ask who your FS was at Repromed? We are with Guy. The only thing is I find that we have very little contact with him, only during the initial appointment, the scans, Egg collection and transfer...but all the days in between where you are waiting for the dreaded phone calls and want to know why out of 7 you only have 1 embie left you are left to talk to the nurses or the Embryologist at best...wish we had more access to the FS. But we'll see him tomorrow so will ask all the questions then. ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 3:58pm
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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? ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: squirtsmum
Date Posted: 18 April 2011 at 5:25pm
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:-) Ahem .... ATTENTION PLEASE ...."You DID NOT WEE YOUR EMBRYO OUT!!!"
We ALL freak out about this and I've done tons of research into it because, like you, I was BUSTING for a wee and almost flew off the table to the loo. I then spent the afternoon shopping around Newmarket and having a celebratory early evening dinner with DH ...only to read on some website a few days later that some ladies were on three days bedrest after ET!!! I freaked!!! Called and insisted on speaking to Guy (Repromed) who assured me that I probably did just the right thing ...taking my mind off it and I defo did not need bedrest after the procedure. I then spoke to another specialist friend in the UK and without leading her on asked her what she thinks the ideal is after ET ...she said 'business as usual' / something relaxing of course but up and about is best. Phew! Yes, I was with Guy and you're right .... there is no 'conversation' as such between the major milestones. On some occasions (scans in particular) I was quite taken aback that he was in and out in 5 minutes. I think thats his style more than anything and when and if he has something to say ...he will. When I think back to that initial consultation with him (and Im sure you had the same experience) he was very thorough and actively encouraged questions. I expect you'll find you will get ALL the assurances and answers you need from your consult tomorrow. Stay in there until you do :-) I am also quite confident he'll tell you that there was absoloutely NOTHING more or less you could have done to influence the result (based on what you've said). Your weight sounds ideal - not worrying. It's luck of the draw ...rotten but true. You're young and you have all the statistics in your favour. I was resigned (at 36) to the fact that we'd have to do it three times ...quite convinced. So much so that we opened up a seperate bank account and put in - from savings - the costs to cover three rounds. Whenever I needed assurance that it would ultimately work by round three I read all those wonderful stats that say you have a 50 % chance on round 1, 70 % chance in round 2 and at least 85 % chance by round 3. As for DH sperm results - they were so low that our first reading ...well they couldnt read it :-) He then did the whole menevit thing, cut back on the caffeine and ...we also found out he had an underlying tooth infection (not obvious - just slight) which would have been affecting his sperm quality. Had it addressed with antibiotics and surgery and a month later we saw improvement. The second reading was more positive but still well within the infertile range. I recall Guy saying quite direclty .... 'you won't fall pregnant with these results naturally'. I was gutted. I was exaggerating about all the other measures ... it just felt like they did measure absoloutely everything :-) The fact that they were able to perform ICSI means that your DH is getting the required minimum out there. Also ...with every passing month his results will be gradually improving to support round 2. I know it must be devastating knowing you have no frosties (we were in the same boat) - thinking you have to go through it ALL again. Looking at the positives ...it gives you a true fresh start ...no lingering concerns that it wasnt a great batch to start with (no science just our neurotic minds!) ....fresh, clean slate :-) Hope these are words of assurance more than anything. Please pop back tomorrow and let me know how your consult went. ------------- First Time Mum To Be & New To NZ (Auckland) |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 8:26am
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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 ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: squirtsmum
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 1:32pm
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Transferred two becuase of my age (36). Over 36 and they start having the discussion. I think they were a little more relaxed about it becuase they secretly knew the other embryo was not obviously viable.
Hope your appointment goes / went well! ------------- First Time Mum To Be & New To NZ (Auckland) |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 19 April 2011 at 2:04pm
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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. ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |
Posted By: SunshineWife
Date Posted: 20 April 2011 at 12:03pm
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Have just posted this on IVF Chat and wanted to copy here as well about our review yesterday:
We had out review appt yesterday and I wasn't too impressed.... thought there would be some magic answer or encouragement from the FS that next time we'll have better chances and all that....but the reality is DH's sperm is on the low end of 'bad' so all we can do is just try again. They do not see any point in changing the protocol because I actually responded well, so the issue was in fertilisation rates and embryo quality...the only thing we can try is up the drug dose tfrom 150 to 200 which would maybe give us an extra egg or two, so just a few more chances of getting an extra embie? Also could try getting the sperm via biopsy as well as a normal sample (DH is happy to do this and so I am, would rather try few additional things in the next round then just do exactly the same thing and hope for a better outcome), but I want to do some more research on this as I have heard of it but don't really know why and how it gives better chances - are they able to extract more sperm or what? Has anyone's DH done that? Another thing that is something we didn't know is that in the second cycle they allow us to put two embies in if we want to (and obviouslly have that many on the day), so it's up to us to decide....the only way they WON'T allow us to put two in is if we end up with fantastic looking blasts - then they just put one in and freeze the rest. Oh and another change we could do is bite the bullet and grow the ebmie till day 5 even if we only have 2 or 3 (and ususally these would be transferred on Day 3), but growing them to day 5 would give us a better picture of the quality.....I guess it's the same situation that mudgirl was in recently, would be so hard making that decision of whether to transfer a day 3 one in or risk it till day 5! But really the FS couldn't offer us any inspiring suggestions or promises, it just sounds like it's a luck of the draw really.... It made me cry on the way out of there (even though the last couple of days I've been positive), I guess I just expected more from the review - other options...? We asked about the supplements and stuff, and FS said that yeah, go ahead, won't hurt, you can only get healthier, it's not going to harm you....but it didn't sound like he really believed that any of these vitamins we've started taking would make much of a difference, as both of us a fit and healthy otherwise, no smoking, no drinking, heathy diet and all that... I am not considering going to a naturopath as I feel overwhelmed with the choice of vits and supplements you can get at the food store and not really knowing what combinations/doses we shoudl take, plus maybe they can do a few extra tests, but on the other hand could just be a waste of time and money... Any thoughts and suggesteions are greatly appreciated! Especially regarding Naturopaths - whether to go there or leave it up to the clinic to do their bit...who knows whether all these additional/alternative things actually help....maybe it's all to do with the sperm and scince nothing can improve it's quality (and quantity doesn't matter too much for ICSI) then there's no point trying anything else? But that to me just sounds like giving up and handing over the control back to the embryologist and hoping that he's magic will work on the embies better next time. But then again, how is doing the SAME protocol would make any difference next time?! Argh, wanna cry again :( ------------- Me 27, DH 25 (MFI) IVF + ICSI March '11 BFN and no frosties |