New to IVF

#1

Hello…I am new to this forum information but I feel that my husband and I have so many questions at this point that there had to be somewhere I could get my questions and anxiety out in the open about IVF. So I hope this helps!

I am 32yo and my husband is 38yo. We have been trying to get pregnant for 2 yrs. I have PCOS and I have only one fallopian tube on the left side. No problems with my husband and his sperm motility etc.

We tried Clomid and timed intercourse: No success. We have tried 2 rounds of IUI with letrozole, Gonal F injections, and then Ovidrel: No success.

After each 2WW it is getting harder and harder to accept the information. We have been on an emotional roller coaster for several months now. We are now faced with the option of IVF. We are thinking of taking the summer off emotionally and then start back near the fall. Is this smart?

How do people afford IVF? Does it really cost $10-$15,000? How do so many people have multiple treatments? Can anyone give me any names of places they have used financially?

Those of you that have experienced IVF, is it worth the risk? I am just afraid that we will spend all this money and have nothing in the end. I just hope we make the right decision. My husband and I would like to have a baby so bad but we just are emotionally drained at this time and we are having a hard time with all of this.

Please offer any advice that you may have. Any perspective would be appreciated.

#2

I go to IVFMD in Dallas and they have fantastic rates and charge $6500 plus meds. Dr. Escobar there is fantastic!

IVFMD- The most cost effective IVF program in Texas | Dallas

#3

We are doing a “shared risk” IVF program. For $20,000 plus the cost of meds we get 6 tries, and if we don’t have a baby we get our money back. It’s horribly terribly expensive, I know. But we didn’t want to take the risk of having nothing at the end - no money and no baby.

As to how we’re affording it, we’re basically eating peanut butter and jelly and not spending any money on anything else. But they do have fertility financing (basically, fertility loans) as well as some reduced cost programs for people who make lower than a certain income - the clinic you go to should be able to tell you about those things.

Best of luck!

#4

How to pay for IVF

[quote=trixie_chic9]Hello…I am new to this forum information but I feel that my husband and I have so many questions at this point that there had to be somewhere I could get my questions and anxiety out in the open about IVF. So I hope this helps!

I am 32yo and my husband is 38yo. We have been trying to get pregnant for 2 yrs. I have PCOS and I have only one fallopian tube on the left side. No problems with my husband and his sperm motility etc.

We tried Clomid and timed intercourse: No success. We have tried 2 rounds of IUI with letrozole, Gonal F injections, and then Ovidrel: No success.

After each 2WW it is getting harder and harder to accept the information. We have been on an emotional roller coaster for several months now. We are now faced with the option of IVF. We are thinking of taking the summer off emotionally and then start back near the fall. Is this smart?

How do people afford IVF? Does it really cost $10-$15,000? How do so many people have multiple treatments? Can anyone give me any names of places they have used financially?

Those of you that have experienced IVF, is it worth the risk? I am just afraid that we will spend all this money and have nothing in the end. I just hope we make the right decision. My husband and I would like to have a baby so bad but we just are emotionally drained at this time and we are having a hard time with all of this.

Please offer any advice that you may have. Any perspective would be appreciated.[/quote]

We are going to do DE/IVF in Cancun, Mexico. It was 60% less than most clinics in the US. Great Success rates too. Used our income tax return and had to push it back to Dec. 9th. We are taking the whole family on a IVF vacation. I’m a SAHM but do contracting work for the Feds during the summer. I can work from home and will use that $$ to pay the balance. ALso use 401k money.
Otherwise, I reduced our monthly budget by 20% and put that towards the IVF. We were accepted into a program that would give us a discount in L.A since we are apart of a documentary on DE, but even with the discount we came out cheaper in Mexico.

We were turned down for medical loans but ironically we were able to find a way. The bottom line is that we have a 6 figure income and we just really had to examine out spending…more like my spending.

Best Wishes.

#5

hi trixie,

my wife and i are going through out first round of ivf. we had the same questions, asked around, spoke to friends who used ivf, and spoke to people who worked in the field who have used it personally.

we currently live in nyc. we looked around, priced things out, and spoke top nyc specialist. my wife’s situation is that her tubes are blocked and also fill up with liquid and don’t drain properly so ivf was our only option.

we looked at ivf and micro-ivf then asked a specialist about it. the difference between the 2 is that micro-ivf uses cheaper drugs so the number of eggs available for retrieval are usually a lot less therefore it would take 2-3 micro-ivf to get the same number from regular ivf and costing about the same or more. some doctors in nyc don’t offer micro-ivf as an option because they think it’s a waste of money for patients and if you do regular ivf, you can freeze any extras.

the specialist also told us that cryopreservation actually has a higher success rate than a fresh cycle.

as for costs (assuming out of pocket)…

micro-ivf on average charges an initial consultation fee usually around $450 which is applied if you qualify for it. also they require you to be 40 or younger. the cost of micro-ivf is around $7,000 to 10,000 in manhattan which includes drugs, icsi, retrieval, and transfer. on top of it is the anesthesia fee usually about $250-800.

ivf on average charges an initial consultation fee $200-400 and then costs for ultrasounds ($100-300) before starting the process. the ivf cost varies in nyc from $11-20K which includes icsi, retrieval, and transfer. on top of it is the anesthesia fee usually about $250-800 and the cost of drugs. for us, we had to take estradiol, doxycycline, and metronydizole which costed us a total of $150. the cost variance in nyc is crazy so be sure to shop around - also metro comes in 250 or 500mg but the doctor wanted us to take 750mg the cost of the higher dose is insane so get the doc to sign off on breaking them down into 250mg pills to make it a lot cheaper. then we had the gonal-f injections, my wife needed 300 units per day for 12 days, each pen was 900 units and cost $850 a piece ($3400)! then there were additional shots that the doctor provided that had to be used for 4 days, i forgot the name but they cost $1200 and then she has to do another injection for 6 days, we don’t know the cost of them yet.

#6

[QUOTE=trixie_chic9]Hello…I am new to this forum information but I feel that my husband and I have so many questions at this point that there had to be somewhere I could get my questions and anxiety out in the open about IVF. So I hope this helps!

I am 32yo and my husband is 38yo. We have been trying to get pregnant for 2 yrs. I have PCOS and I have only one fallopian tube on the left side. No problems with my husband and his sperm motility etc.

We tried Clomid and timed intercourse: No success. We have tried 2 rounds of IUI with letrozole, Gonal F injections, and then Ovidrel: No success.

After each 2WW it is getting harder and harder to accept the information. We have been on an emotional roller coaster for several months now. We are now faced with the option of IVF. We are thinking of taking the summer off emotionally and then start back near the fall. Is this smart?

How do people afford IVF? Does it really cost $10-$15,000? How do so many people have multiple treatments? Can anyone give me any names of places they have used financially?

Those of you that have experienced IVF, is it worth the risk? I am just afraid that we will spend all this money and have nothing in the end. I just hope we make the right decision. My husband and I would like to have a baby so bad but we just are emotionally drained at this time and we are having a hard time with all of this.

Please offer any advice that you may have. Any perspective would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the boards!

I live in PA and my RE had a few options for IVF. I recommend asking your doctor if they are currently active in a research program. Our RE always is doing research with new ivf drugs or ivf cycles. Sometimes the drugs are free or the cycle is free if you meet certain requirements. Also, ask your doctors office if they would accept a downpayment and then a monthly payment there after. Our RE let us do it so maybe yours will. I must say our RE is not after the money or in his words “Forget the money, I want to give you what you always wanted so let me do it”. My IVF cost for ultrasound bloodwork and monitoring was $7500 then $400 for anesthesia and drugs for us were mostly covered. We spent $295.00 for the ivf meds.

It is interesting because they always refer you to the finance department who gives you the options and the finance companies but you need to talk to the RE specifically sometimes to talk about what you can afford to pay and how to pay it. Of course they want the money upfront but those doctors who can help you and can bend the rules will. You know you found the right RE when he or she enjoys their profession by making a couples dream come true!

Remember keep your eye on the prize! Good luck! :flower:

#7

[QUOTE=“trixie_chic9, post: 64475, member: 80273”]Hello…I am new to this forum information but I feel that my husband and I have so many questions at this point that there had to be somewhere I could get my questions and anxiety out in the open about IVF. So I hope this helps!

I am 32yo and my husband is 38yo. We have been trying to get pregnant for 2 yrs. I have PCOS and I have only one fallopian tube on the left side. No problems with my husband and his sperm motility etc.

We tried Clomid and timed intercourse: No success. We have tried 2 rounds of IUI with letrozole, Gonal F injections, and then Ovidrel: No success.

After each 2WW it is getting harder and harder to accept the information. We have been on an emotional roller coaster for several months now. We are now faced with the option of IVF. We are thinking of taking the summer off emotionally and then start back near the fall. Is this smart?

How do people afford IVF? Does it really cost $10-$15,000? How do so many people have multiple treatments? Can anyone give me any names of places they have used financially?

Those of you that have experienced IVF, is it worth the risk? I am just afraid that we will spend all this money and have nothing in the end. I just hope we make the right decision. My husband and I would like to have a baby so bad but we just are emotionally drained at this time and we are having a hard time with all of this.

Please offer any advice that you may have. Any perspective would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]
Hi, hun! I’m sorry for your failed cycles. But this is the cost we have to pay playing this infertility game. The point is there we have to find the places to feel more comfortable with. IVF program prices are really huge, but not everywhere. Some time ago browsing forums we came across a Ukrainian clinic Biotexcom. (We were in the case of egg donation, me - PCOS, fallopian tubes blockage, low egg quality. DH was/is ok.) They offer 3 DE programs, you may have a look at on their site. Briefly:
1 shot - “Economy” - 4900 euro in 1 installment after you sign the contract. In case selective reduction is needed we will be charged 1000 euro additionally. 2 shots - “Double” - 6900 euro in 2 equal installments. Selective reduction is covered by the package price. 5 shots - “Guaranteed success” - 9900 euro in 2 equal installments. In case of 5 negatives they refund the money paid!!! Selective reduction and all the meds needed are covered by the package price as well.
We booked #3 for its guarantee.
Fortunately we don’t have to be aware of it now as our recent OTD showed positive! I’m sure such places are worth to be in and go with. Wish you all the best with your research. Hugs XX

#8

[QUOTE=“trixie_chic9, post: 64475, member: 80273”]
How do people afford IVF? Does it really cost $10-$15,000? How do so many people have multiple treatments? Can anyone give me any names of places they have used financially?
Please offer any advice that you may have. Any perspective would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]
I know few ladies who have undergone ivf treatment at Invicta. They picked overseas clinics cause of affordable prices and high success rates.

#9

Hello dear! My situation is almost the same as yours. I was diagnosed with PCOS almost 10 years ago. My only solution was egg donation. The greatest fear was that I will not be able to love child, who is not genetically related to me. When we were looking for clinic, the main criteria for us were positive reviews, professional doctors and good service. We’ve chosen Ukrainian clinic. Our neighbors tried donation there and the procedure was successful. They shared their thoughts about the clinic and the process with us. Also we’ve read many positive reviews about other couples experience with this clinic. It has good specialists and high rates of successful treatments and fertilization procedures. I wanted a baby who I will carry and give birth by myself. I wanted to be with her from the moment of her birth, from her first breath. Of course, I wanted baby to look like us. I’ve got pregnant from 2nd attempt. Now I have my precious girl. We asked our doctor to find egg donor, who will have same features with me. Now I have absolutely no feeling that my girl is not mine genetically! No one can ever tell she is from donor egg. The clinic is called BioTexCom. I can advice you to find how clinics choose donors for their programs. Which diseases are they screened for? These are all very important questions because you want to be sure that your donor is free from any infectious or genetic diseases. Speaking about our clinic, all requirements to donors were specified in the package we’ve chosen. First requirement is age of donor. All their donors are 18 – 25 years old. Second requirement is perfect physical and mental health. And third requirement is absence of genetic diseases in the donor and her family. Don’t forget to find out if there are any hidden costs. Sometimes the headline price for treatment seems good value. But once you read further you find that certain tests are excluded or essential procedures are extra. For example, some clinics may not include embryo freezing in their price for treatment. A good idea is to have a set of criteria which you can use to compare one clinic with another. Speaking about our clinic, they have packages for all services. So we’ve chosen package, which was the most suitable for us. We chose package called ‘Guaranteed success’ for €9 900. This package includes 5 attempts. In case of failure, the clinic pays money back. We paid that single price. There were no extra fees. Pay attention to reviews of a clinic you have a preference for. There’s nothing like finding out what others say about a clinic. I hope this info will help you)

#10

Hi, hun, congrats with your success. It may sound ridiculous people travel abroad to pass cheaper treatment - lol. But it’s really so. We had 2 ivf shots with oe in the UK. For both procedures we paid just like for 5 shots offered by Ukrainian Biotexcom. So when we were desperately looking for the place to perform de ivf in “Guaranteed success” sounded just splendid!! And we made our choice without hesitation. All in all this is marvelous to have so many options to fulfill our dreams. As for egg donation we were a bit scared and stressed at the beginning. I guess me even more than my dh though he kept on saying everything’s ok, you’ll be a great mother, we’ll go through it… I heard these words but didn’t percept as the thought my baby won’t be mine was just killing me. It took me long time to except the idea. And to look onto things differently…
Now I’m a happy prego. I’d advice to try every other option though it sounds weird to our consciousness to have that CHANCE. Nothing matters more!
Thanks for sharing, haile Yhi, and all the best X

#11

hi, you are not the first who was thinking about prices and consequences afterward. we were same like you and have no clue about what is going on. our desire to have a baby was so strong and could make us blind. but rationality takes above emotions. first of all we were thinking about all in details. we’re choosing between 2 countries and estimated costs. the options in one clinic were cheap but the fly could take a pretty sum of money the second clinic also offered good conditions but the problem was in legislation as in our country is forbidden to do surro so we were like what would be if we tried in clinic where according to the law the surro mom hs some rights for a child. hours of thinking ad we decided to choose first one and we didn’t lose anything. sorry for a such long prelude.
in short, our choice was ukraine and as i see you’ve already got valuable information about prices here
i just wanted to say believe in yourself and don’t let any bad thoughts brake down faith

#12

Hello dear! De ivf is a very good option. I think you should start to look for clinic where this procedure can be done. I advise you to contact clinics directly and ask them questions which interest you. I advise you not to contact agencies to find egg donor. There are many scammers among them. It’s better to find clinic which will control all process. Also pay attention to reviews, positive and negative. Don’t forget to consider rates of successful treatments. Look through official websites of clinics. There you can find prices, services, which they propose and also direct contacts. I had de ivf in 2014. I’ve got pregnant from first attempt. We were over the moon! Our girls were born in May 2015. The clinic we used is called BioTexCom. I’ve browsed each forum, each thread, each comment about egg donation. There were both good and bad reviews. But generally the clinic seemed to me professional and popular among infertile couples. Also their prices are much lower than in US or Greece or any other country. Don’t think we are greedy. But this procedure is only the beginning. After childbirth costs grow along with child. Now we spent so much money for our girls. This clinic proposes same services for lower price.

When we came to the clinic for the first time, we saw many people there. I should say we didn’t expect this at all! I never thought Ukraine is that popular! And since that moment I had a feeling that everything will be fine. Not for nothing people go there! You don’t have to hire a translator! Don’t think up additional troubles) The clinic has already taken care about everything! So your stay in Ukraine will be absolutely comfortable. We were met in the airport by taxi driver, who was carrying us across Kiev by his car. He was transporting us to the clinic and our apartment, which was also provided by the clinic. We had a manager and she translated everything for us. She spoke language fluently, so there were no misunderstandings. They even provided us with food supply! The only thing which we cared about was de ivf procedure. So we have no claims at all.

All those services were already included in our package. We didn’t pay some extra fees. The clinic has 3 packages in general. We chose ‘double package’ for €6 900. Also it has package for €9 900, where you can have 5 attempts. In case of this package the clinic pays back if all attempts fail. If you choose package for €4 900, you’ll have one attempt of de ivf. Speaking about package we chose, we had 2 attempts. I’ve got pregnant from first attempt.

We didn’t pay all sum at once. I think it’s too risky to do so, even if it would be the only one clinic in the world! The payment was divided into 2 parts. We paid €3 450 after we signed contract during our first visit. On the day of the first embryo transfer we paid second half. We were never asked to pay some extra money!

#13

as it was said previously there is no need in rushing! you should always take your time because fertility treatment is not something to joke about and I know that you Know that too.
Price is just a price (even if it comes from me who was looking for some pretty cheap options) but you should also look at the reviews of the clinic and see if those reviews are overall positive or not. maybe go to forums and ask others what are they thinking about it, I mean everyone who seeks for the fertility treatment should think about trying numerous forums and asking at eery single forum what is the best for you
ok this just turned into some general advice post but whatever
I think that you should be very careful with choosing the clinic (no matter where your clinic is^ be it in the US or Ukraine), this is a very important matter so take your time.
ps I also had my tx in Biotex so this is awesome to see people supporting this clinic here :slight_smile: