Taking Action

I finally called the doctor's office. I called on Friday around 2, but didn't get a call back. I wasn't exactly sure what to say, but it went a little like this "Hi, I'm a patient of Dr. ___ and we have decided we want to do IVF. We aren't sure exactly whether we should meet with the doctor now or not because we were thinking the beginning of the year..." I rambled on to the receptionist. When she got a chance to speak she said, "I will put you through to the nurse and you can talk to her." I felt a little embarrassed, but this is why I have been putting this phone call off. I have been scared of what to say and how to say it. Well I was only able to leave a message for the nurse, and am waiting to hear back.

My period did end up coming the following day. It is just about gone now, but I was glad to see it to be honest. I have a birth control prescription that I can get filled, so I think I might do that today.

I got a few books about IVF this week. I only read a majority of one of them so far, but it seems I have also read on the internet that most doctors place their patients on a birth control pill a month or more before starting IVF. In addition, with the PCOS, it makes me less likely to form any new cysts.

I started feeling really optimistic about the IVF yesterday. I think it if probably the book I am reading, but I need to feel a little more optimistic about it. I have been spending so much time being so worried it won't work. I need to feel more optimistic. It is hard to put a price tag on having a child, but that is exactly what we are doing. It seems so unfair that people get pregnant without even trying.

Lately it seems like every time I log onto Facebook another friend of mine is announcing their pregnancy. This week there were two days in a row where I saw this. I told myself I was going to stay off Facebook, but I obviously didn't.

Contemplations

It seems like we need to make a decision in order to achieve our goal of pregnancy. I'm not wild about the Lupron idea. I feel like we put so much hope into the birth control pill to shrink my cyst and it never did. We just ended up having the surgery anyway. I feel like what would happen with the Lupron would be that we would try for 3 months and then repeat the HSG. Let's say it's clear this time. This means I still need to be on drugs to stimulate ovulation since I have PCOS and don't ovulate regularly. So then we would try to get pregnant with Clomid by ourselves. Let's say we try for another 3-6 months and then move on to IUI's. Let's say we try 3 IUI's before we end up back at IVF. I hate the thought of losing time and having failures each month.

After talking to the doctor it seems our best chance for success would be IVF. I understand this is the case with any given cycle, but it just seems like we might waste a bunch of time doing the least invasive measures.

On the plus side I found out the clinic I am going to charges $6,000 for an IVF cycle. This includes all doctor visits, ultrasounds, retrieval and anesthesia, transfer, and embryologist fees. I think this is everything but I could be leaving something out. I didn't include medicine because it is not included in that fee. The good thing is you pay $3,000 up front and can then make payments for the rest. This is something I think we can swing, but what if it doesn't work?

I did some research on the cost of the medicine and found anything form $1,000 to $3,000. Adding 3,000 makes the overall cost MUCH higher. I also found out some other things by researching on the internet: that some clinics sell used drugs for a discounted rate. When I called the clinic I got to to get rates for the medicine the nurse said it averages about $1,000 but that she knew of a grant program known as Fertility Lifelines. They have a program known as the compassionate care program and she gave me their phone number and urged me to call. In addition, this clinic does sell used drugs as long as they aren't expired and they use a wholesaler that is cheaper than a pharmacy. So I called Fertility Lifelines. 

They took some initial information and encouraged me to apply completely. They told me the criteria and it appeared we met it. They sent me the packet a few days later. I am in the process of completing it and sending it back to them as it could cover all or some of the meds. They need W-2 info, pay stubs, proof of citizenship, applications filled out, a copy of my insurance card. I am hopeful they will pay for at least some because they told me they will help if the household income is less than $100,000. With my husband still in school I would say we are there.

We had our friends over for brunch today. They have a 3 month old baby who is adorable but fussy. She was happy for some time while I held her today but then became very upset. I can sense the stress the Mom feels when the baby is crying and she can't get her to stop. It kinda makes me glad we aren't soothing an infant yet. I think we can't enjoy having the new house and our pets for a while longer.

We did some yard work this weekend and raked some. The friend who came over who gardens scared us for the spring for our acre lot. It is a little overgrown already so I guess we have to take control before we lose it completely. The weather was beautiful, hard to believe it is November.

On another note I haven't gotten my period yet. I last had it Oct 10th-18th. I then had my surgery on the 20th and bled a little for like 2-3 days. It is now November 14th and there are no signs at all. I was hoping it would come soon so I could call our RE and tell him we are interested in IVF in one cycle. I am putting off calling because it is a huge commitment.

Back to the RE Post-Op

I had my appointment on Friday with the RE. The nurse recognized me in the waiting room and asked how I was doing on my way to the receptionist. The receptionist also asked how I was doing. They then took me right into the office. 

They weighed me first. I'm not too happy with my weight these days and am really looking forward to getting back into better shape now that this cyst is gone. Because the cyst was so large and the doctor wasn't sure what it was, he advised me to not do too much vigorous exercise until I got in removed. 


They took me into an exam room and the doctor checked the stitches. He said they looked good and that I was healing well. He then said to meet him in his office. 

This appointment was a little different from the past ones. For starters, I no longer had the cyst that was always a concern in the past. Also, we were talking about taking our next steps towards pregnancy during this meeting. He said we had two options: to take Lupron for 3-6 months and see whether is clears my tubes. He said we would do it for 3 months and then run the HSG again. 

The other option is to go ahead with IVF. Since I am young and my tubes are blocked, this is our course where we will likely have the most success. When I asked the doctor what the success rates are at that clinic, he said he has only been there since July and that since they are a University, that they get the trickier cases. He says their odds don't look as good as other clinics for that reason. He also said that other IVF doctors would "kill" for a patient like me. I appear to be an easier case than he is used to. 


The doctor started talking about pricing and insurance for IVF. He said that since it is through the University, that it is more affordable (around $6,000). He said my insurance may cover it, but it also may not. I was told to call their billing person on Monday to discuss my insurance and what is covered. 

This leaves us with the decision as to what to do next. Do we take the Lupron that insurance covers and hope for the best with my tubes, or do we not waste time and get to the IVF? I have enough money in my bank account to cover one round, but what if we aren't successful? Choices, choices.....