Can someone give me info about injectable fertility meds?

[Weewendyg]

Hi all.


Well...I'm here to "join the club". I am 41 yrs old and just married the love of my life. unfortunately, meeting each other so late in life...we are in for the fight of our lives trying to conceive!

I got a BFP last November, but unfortunately found out there was no heartbeat on Christmas Eve with D&C following New Year's Eve.

I have been on Clomid 100mg for 3 months. The doctor feels I should move on to "injectable meds" as they are much stronger....Clomid being the least.

Has anyone out there been through this and can you give me some information on how exactly this process works? I am seeing him on Tuesday which will be day 5...and planning on starting!

Thank you ladies!

Wendy

 

[dakron67]

hi wendy, didnt want to read n run, i really hope that someone can help with good advice, i asked for clomid, was told no as i don't actually hav any probs concieving, just keeping hold of them, good luck hun...donna xxx

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi there. I know a little about injectibles only because if this round of 100mg of Clomid along with IUI doesn't work, I'm moving up to Gonal F.

They're injections that will be given one to two times daily depending on your doseage. I've heard they can have a "mood" side affect, but for the most part, I've heard wonderful stories from close friends who've conceived their child in conjunction with IUI. If you spend the money on injectables, it's best to go all the way and have the IUI which will send the sperm exactly where it needs to go. The chance of pregnancy is MUCH higher in combination.

Keep in mind, the more potent the fertility drug, the higher the rate of conceiving multiples. ESPECIALLY on injectibles like Gonal-f. All of my friends have carried twins with only one exception of a singleton.

I think you'll be fine. Most likely they'll teach you and your husband where and how to inject yourself. It will be in the muscle. The thing to remember is NEVER flinch tight as the needle goes in. That will make it painful afterwards. BREATH DEEPLY as the needle goes in and let out your breath slowly and that's the trick to not feeling as much pain.

Also remember to allow the Alcohol to dry on your skin before you inject your your going to feel a burning sensation.

All in all, Injectables may be a good for you and if you decide on an IUI, that will make the odds of conception quite a bit higher.

Hope I've helped slightly. Good luck dear friend!!

 

[Weewendyg]

Thank you so much Mommy's angel!

I really do appreciate the info. I am on my way to OB GYN's today. Originally just in to tell him that we want to go ahead with injectables...but today is day 4 and hoping we can start today!!!

We are not using IUI - as the cost is sooooo expensive...and not something we are prepared to do at this time - apparently $10,000 a pop in Canada!!!

The injectables are all, thankfully, covered by my drug plan, so that's great!

Thank you again....and good luck!

Wendy

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Thank you so much Mommy's angel!

I really do appreciate the info. I am on my way to OB GYN's today. Originally just in to tell him that we want to go ahead with injectables...but today is day 4 and hoping we can start today!!!

We are not using IUI - as the cost is sooooo expensive...and not something we are prepared to do at this time - apparently $10,000 a pop in Canada!!!

The injectables are all, thankfully, covered by my drug plan, so that's great!

Thank you again....and good luck!

Wendy

Hi Wendy!

Holy Cats!! :faint: 10 grande for the iui?! Our insurance pays for 6 here, but even then it's about 250.00 for the IUI. Are you sure they heard you say IUI and not IVF??

How far are you from the New York border? If your willing to travel you should come to the States for an IUI if you ever feel the need. I wouldn't pay 10 grande for just an insemination. All their doing is washing the sperm and passing it through the vagina into the Uterus. Directly near the eggs.

IVF is more in depth, they have to retrieve your eggs, then they fertilize with the sperm, then they store it, they have several injections of thing and then inseminate you....I've heard of that being crazy expensive but never have I heard of an IUI being that crazy. Oh dear. I'm so sorry!

Anyways, injectables are pretty potent, so just because you don't have an IUI doesn't mean you won't get pregnant. Most IUI's are done with Clomid because of the fact it can make the mucus vile.

At any rate...I can't WAIT to hear your journey and look forward to hearing you have a REALLY soon!

 

[JaniceT]

Hi Wendy,

I just saw your post, a tad bit late as you've already gone to the doctor's. Hope you've gotten as much info as you possibly could. I've been through ICSI 3 times so if you have any questions, just drop me a note and I'll try my best to answer.

IUI here costs about USD 2,300 per pop. My ICSI cost me about USD 6,500 inclusive of egg collection, transfer and medication.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi Wendy,

I just saw your post, a tad bit late as you've already gone to the doctor's. Hope you've gotten as much info as you possibly could. I've been through ICSI 3 times so if you have any questions, just drop me a note and I'll try my best to answer.

IUI here costs about USD 2,300 per pop. My ICSI cost me about USD 6,500 inclusive of egg collection, transfer and medication.

Wow, an IUI is that much?? I'm not quite sure what ICSI is. Can you break that down for me?? In an IUI they don't usually collect eggs. That's usually an IVF. Which is why IVF's cost similar to what you speak of at 5 or 6 thousand because they retrieve the eggs and fertilize them with the sperm then you have the cost of storing them.

The IUI takes just the sperm and they wash the sperm and use a cathetor to pass the vagina and go straight to the uterus where the eggs are so the sperm has less road to travel per sey.

I'm wondering if I'm misunderstanding you both. I know in other countries things are expensive and can be done differently, but I've never heard of an IUI being that expensive and I have several friends in Canada who've had the IUI proceedure done. I'm intrigued by your posts. If it's truely the IUI and not IVF that costs that much, I can't imagine the sadness women feel who cannot afford the procedure because it's so expensive. I mean, they only have to wash the sperm and send it to the Uterus. I'd imagine if OB'S are charging that much for only an IUI they're making quite a bit of money gouging their patients, because it doesn't cost them that much for the sperm wash and cathetor, they certainly don't spend much time with the patient as they just put it in and let you stay on the table for ten minutes. How much are IVF's then if IUI's cost that much?? So sad for women who would benefit from having the IUI proceedure done.


At any rate, how did you do Wendy at your appointment?? I pray all went well and you are on your way?? Which injectable will you be using??

 

[JaniceT]

Hi Wendy,

I just saw your post, a tad bit late as you've already gone to the doctor's. Hope you've gotten as much info as you possibly could. I've been through ICSI 3 times so if you have any questions, just drop me a note and I'll try my best to answer.

IUI here costs about USD 2,300 per pop. My ICSI cost me about USD 6,500 inclusive of egg collection, transfer and medication.

Wow, an IUI is that much?? I'm not quite sure what ICSI is. Can you break that down for me?? In an IUI they don't usually collect eggs. That's usually an IVF. Which is why IVF's cost similar to what you speak of at 5 or 6 thousand because they retrieve the eggs and fertilize them with the sperm then you have the cost of storing them.

The IUI takes just the sperm and they wash the sperm and use a cathetor to pass the vagina and go straight to the uterus where the eggs are so the sperm has less road to travel per sey.

I'm wondering if I'm misunderstanding you both. I know in other countries things are expensive and can be done differently, but I've never heard of an IUI being that expensive and I have several friends in Canada who've had the IUI proceedure done. I'm intrigued by your posts. If it's truely the IUI and not IVF that costs that much, I can't imagine the sadness women feel who cannot afford the procedure because it's so expensive. I mean, they only have to wash the sperm and send it to the Uterus. I'd imagine if OB'S are charging that much for only an IUI they're making quite a bit of money gouging their patients, because it doesn't cost them that much for the sperm wash and cathetor, they certainly don't spend much time with the patient as they just put it in and let you stay on the table for ten minutes. How much are IVF's then if IUI's cost that much?? So sad for women who would benefit from having the IUI proceedure done.


At any rate, how did you do Wendy at your appointment?? I pray all went well and you are on your way?? Which injectable will you be using??

Hi Mommy's Angel,

Yes you absolutely got it spot on. IUI is when the embryologist will spin the sperm to a certain concentration and insert the sperm into the vagina/uterus. (since there are different methods of IUI). It does cost that much here. Hence when I weighed the percentage of success to the cost, I chose ICSI instead.

As for ICSI, it's as you think it is. A patient will have to go through more than a month of daily injections, firstly to prepare her uterus, then to stimulate her follicles to grow, then the retrieval of the eggs which is a painful operations to many. Embryologist will fertilise the eggs in the lab, decide how the growth is and when to transfer the fertilised eggs back into the patient. medication doesn't stop there, some will continue taking hormone shots and almost all patients will keep taking progesterone suppositories (the hormone tablet that we stick in, down there).

Costs of IUI's and IVF(ICSI) has gone down. I remember 10 years ago, it was almost double the price with not-so-great technology.

At where I am, insurance never covers any fertility procedures. Govt. does not pay either. Hence it is very expensive for us to go through fertility procedures. I've also read up on the cost of IVF in Australia as an option but wow, it's more expensive there! A friend of mine in Australia is currently in her 3rd ICSI within 12 months and she's burning a hole in her pocket.

 

[Weewendyg]

Hi All...

Oh my goodness...I am so sorry ... my mistake...IUI is actually covered with the exception of the $250 charge for sperm washing! I meant to say that IVF is approximately $10,000 per pop!!!

At my age, my OB GYN has suggested donor eggs, but here in Canada it is almost impossible to get them. Canadian legislation states that it is "illegal" to pay someone for their eggs and expenditures and therefore you are relying on finding someone to do it out of the goodness of their heart unless you have a family member or friend willing to do it.

Anyway....appointment went well...physician explained that chances "are not great" and that at my age I also have the higher risk of miscarrying....again....but we are going to give it a try.

They have started me on birth control pills this month to control when my cycle starts and ends so next month I will start injections with hopefully IUI. I previously had a transvaginal scan done with them attempting to inject saline to see how the tubes were. Unfortunately the doctor was not able to get through my cervix with the catheter and I was to have a salpingiogram. I never ended up having this as I got my BFP the next month, which unfortunately ended in miscarriage. So...to make a long story short...we are going to attempt scan again and if he cannot get the catheter through my cervix, he also won't be able to do IUI for this reason and we will be on our own.

Hope this makes sense!!!

I will keep you all posted, and thank you so much for all the infromation....and once again...sorry for the confusion!

Wendy

 

[Weewendyg]

Oh...and we will be using Gonal F?

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh, ok, ICSI is basically an IVF. I wondered what that was. Haha

We do IVF's here and for the most part they're about the same cost unless insurance covers it. You'd imagine my surprise when we found out that even an IUI was covered in full for 6 trys and so is an IVF. Never used to be covered. Not sure what happened, but I won't complain for now.

Janice, thanks for explaining all that to me. So sorry to hear that there are so many out of costs expenses for you. I have a friend in Australia who ended up adopting through the foster system because of the expense. She's trying again, but she's getting a bit frustrated with it all.

Wendy, there are specific Dr.'s who do the IVF's here in my state. They all seem to say donor eggs are better. I'm almost wondering if thats just another expense THEY receive. I just saw a show on Discovery last night about women in their 70's and 60's who did IVF. One with her own eggs and one with donor eggs. BOTH carried children. It certainly made me wonder about this "industry" a bit.

Do you know why they couldn't get the cathetor up there? For the HSG, it was quite painful for me and caused a bit of blood which is to be expected. I have a tilted uterus. Mine seems to be tipped towards my bum. Whenever I have the pelvic sonograms, I end up feeling like she's going in the vagina and trying to get out my bum. When I was pregnant with my son, I thought I had cancer, turns out that it was him WAY back there. Could you possibly have a tipped uterus that's making it hard for them to get there?? For mine, we found out they have to go in and UP then back.

NOTHING about me has ever been normal.

As for them not telling you that your chances "arent great". Their services don't seem like they will benefit you. Seems to me I'd rather have a Dr. that is hopeful and not a "debbie downer". As for your odds of miscarrying, they ALWAYS Say that to us. I was told that with my son because I was 35. Sadly I miscarried because of an accident where I lost my mucus plug...the nurse ignored my detection and had she listened I would have had an antibacterial suppository and a cerclage and he still would have been here. Instead I got Bacterial Vaginosis and it forced my son to birth before he was ready. So it ended up He was quite healthy for his gestation and it wasn't my fault...though now it puts me at HIGH RISK because of preterm birth.

I would think once you get pregnant you should have progesterone throughout your first trimester and if they see a need to cerclage, then do so...but I've seen MANY women over 40....even those with type II diabetes and pcos, give birth to healthy babies.

some of these Dr.'s drive me up the wall when they do this. I never know if they are trying to get you to pay for more costly procedures or if they honestly do think we're too old to have kids. In which case, those women at 60 and 70 years old on tv last night made an example. In fact, a middle eastern Dr. says older women make the best mothers because they're more patient, they have more time because they've experience life and are ready to share it with children.

I was filled with hope and a bit more understanding I think of this process.

Well definately keep us posted. I'll be interested.

Thank you ladies for the conversation. I've learned alot from you both!

 

[Blue12]

I live in Canada and have been through an iui with injectibles. I used puregon pen and I loved it (if you can lol). It is a very tiny needle and they only "reaction" I had with it was being extremly tired.

I am now onto ivf and am still using puregon, along with menopur, and lupron.

Best wishes Wendy!

 

[JaniceT]

Mommy's Angel, I'm so sorry about the experience you had previously with MC. I hope you're feeling much better now.

My husband is an Australian citizen (for a few decades now) but we can't adopt. Each district has its set of adoption laws and for the one we fall into, we need to be below 35 years of age when submitting our adoption papers. Neither of us qualify, age-wise.

Yes, ICSI is a type of IVF The only difference between the two is that IVF fertilises the egg with sperm on a petri dish in the lab while ICSI uses a needle to inject the sperm into the egg. Of course, ICSI works better especially for those with low sperm count or sperm that don't want to swim.

Wendy, remember to cut off stress My doc made it very clear that stress is one of the top causes of miscarriages because it creates a certain hormone. Rest a lot, surf the net, take time of work and everything else. That's exactly what I did during this 3rd ICSI and it worked. I'm only 5 weeks in but plan to be as relaxed as possible until about 12 weeks.

Blue, I do wish you the very best! Lots of babydust to you too. Did your doctor put you on Metformin for the PCOS? I have mild PCOS and my 2nd Doc put me on Metformin 850mg x 2 per day to control the insulin and hence the LH levels.

Love,
Janice

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Mommy's Angel, I'm so sorry about the experience you had previously with MC. I hope you're feeling much better now.

My husband is an Australian citizen (for a few decades now) but we can't adopt. Each district has its set of adoption laws and for the one we fall into, we need to be below 35 years of age when submitting our adoption papers. Neither of us qualify, age-wise.

Yes, ICSI is a type of IVF The only difference between the two is that IVF fertilises the egg with sperm on a petri dish in the lab while ICSI uses a needle to inject the sperm into the egg. Of course, ICSI works better especially for those with low sperm count or sperm that don't want to swim.

Wendy, remember to cut off stress My doc made it very clear that stress is one of the top causes of miscarriages because it creates a certain hormone. Rest a lot, surf the net, take time of work and everything else. That's exactly what I did during this 3rd ICSI and it worked. I'm only 5 weeks in but plan to be as relaxed as possible until about 12 weeks.

Blue, I do wish you the very best! Lots of babydust to you too. Did your doctor put you on Metformin for the PCOS? I have mild PCOS and my 2nd Doc put me on Metformin 850mg x 2 per day to control the insulin and hence the LH levels.

Love,
Janice

Hm, I'm learning alot from you Janice. We haven't gotten to the IVF yet. We're hoping we won't need to. At first we were both against it, Doug because he was concerned about using the fertilized embryos that go unused in stem cell research which we're both against (we're for adult stem cell research, just not the use of fertilized embryos) and me because, well, needing fertility treatment, I felt as though I was taking away the control God had over conception, but after talking with my husband and a few others, I've settled on the fact that God appointed Dr.'s even in the Bible to help and He used their gifts to help others. So now I'm a bit more confident about fertility treatment and know that no matter what, it's all in Gods hands anyways.

Thanks so much for sharing all this with me.


Rebekah

 

[JaniceT]

Hm, I'm learning alot from you Janice. We haven't gotten to the IVF yet. We're hoping we won't need to. At first we were both against it, Doug because he was concerned about using the fertilized embryos that go unused in stem cell research which we're both against (we're for adult stem cell research, just not the use of fertilized embryos) and me because, well, needing fertility treatment, I felt as though I was taking away the control God had over conception, but after talking with my husband and a few others, I've settled on the fact that God appointment Dr.'s even the Bible to help and He used their gifts to help others. So now I'm a bit more confident about fertility treatment and know that no matter what, it's all in Gods hands anyways.

Thanks so much for sharing all this with me.


Rebekah[/QUOTE]


Hi Rebekah,

My husband and I talked it over a long time to about ICSI/IVF from the aspect of religion. In the beginning, my husband used to say ... 'this is unnatural'. It's because if looked in a general manner, it's as if the Doctor was playing God. However after reading a lot more into it, I can attest to you, they aren't playing God. Very simply put, the Doc merely fertilises the egg and put the embryo in me. That process, is similar to 'fertilising the egg through making love/sex'. He's just assisting my husband and I to perform a task that we are unable to do ( the fertilising part, not the sex part)

ANY fertility doctor will tell you, after he puts the embryo back in, it's up to nature/God. No doctor can implant the egg to your uterus. It's very much like an unassisted pregnancy from henceforth.

My husband and I prayed a lot before the operation, during the operation and after. I still do every night. For us personally, God gives us different roads to achieve the same thing. Hence if one road doesn't work, He provides us alternative routes. I would like to believe that God works in many ways, not just one. He's God after all!

I do hope that you and your partner are blessed with a beautiful family that your dream of!

 

[JaniceT]

Oh.. another thing, I didn't know the unused embryo is used for research? Don't you have consent to what happens to your embryos? We don't do that type of researtch done here. Any embryos that are of high quality will be frozen. If they aren't of good quality, they naturally die off and is useless of research anyways.

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Oh.. another thing, I didn't know the unused embryo is used for research? Don't you have consent to what happens to your embryos? We don't do that type of researtch done here. Any embryos that are of high quality will be frozen. If they aren't of good quality, they naturally die off and is useless of research anyways.

Yes, I spoke with a friend who had IVF and she later told us that legally before they can use YOUR eggs, you have to give clearance. That was another reason we may be willing to follow through with IVF if needed. Yes, they use unused embryos for stem cell research. I'm assuming for those who don't mention they're not interested in them being used as an example, ....if the couple passes away or decides to discard them without giving stipulations on what they'd like done with them, I'm wondering if they can be claimed. Loopholes....but while they are frozen and the couples are alive and still wanting the fertilized embryos....legally they cannot without approval first from the couple use them in any way other than how the couple wishes them to be stored or discarded.

 

[SunDevil14]

Hi! I'm new but wanted to chime in and say we did the whole gamut trying for this baby, 3 rounds of IUI followed by successful IVF. The ladies here have done a great job giving you the rundown. Here are a few things I experienced, FYI:

My uterus is tipped back as well which I think contributed to making itdifficult for things to "meet up" properly . Besides the injectibles (which were almost identical in IUI/IVF with the exception of dosage), for our IVF run I also did acupuncture. I'm convinced that helped me conceive. I had severe pain with the HSG but all the other procedures were truly no worse than a PAP, even the recovery from the egg capture. The only discomfort I had was before the capture when in a week my ovaries were swollen with follicles - they were literally the size (combined) of a 5 month old fetus. Hopefully you won't have to do IVF but make sure you discuss how many embryos you'llwant transferred. A reputable doctor will not transfer too many!

Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi! I'm new but wanted to chime in and say we did the whole gamut trying for this baby, 3 rounds of IUI followed by successful IVF. The ladies here have done a great job giving you the rundown. Here are a few things I experienced, FYI:

My uterus is tipped back as well which I think contributed to making itdifficult for things to "meet up" properly . Besides the injectibles (which were almost identical in IUI/IVF with the exception of dosage), for our IVF run I also did acupuncture. I'm convinced that helped me conceive. I had severe pain with the HSG but all the other procedures were truly no worse than a PAP, even the recovery from the egg capture. The only discomfort I had was before the capture when in a week my ovaries were swollen with follicles - they were literally the size (combined) of a 5 month old fetus. Hopefully you won't have to do IVF but make sure you discuss how many embryos you'llwant transferred. A reputable doctor will not transfer too many!

Best of luck and keep us posted!

This was ALL good to know. Thanks for sharing. I cringed at the ovaries swelling that much. I had some pains from hyperstimulating and I thought I was going to die. I've actually been thinking about acupuncture myself. I've heard differing opinions but I think it depends on who actually does it. There is one place that does it in combination with the fertility clinic here. Not many women said it helped at all....but there's a REAL chinese acupuncturist here that does it and he's gotten quite a few women who have said they were pregnant and gave him


thanks again for sharing with us.