Should you skip the "baby steps" (primarily artificial inseminations and injectibles) and just go straight to the grand-daddy of them all -- IVF?
Here is the article: Skipping Baby Steps
To summarize the article, the reasons for skipping the baby steps are:
- Success rate with IVF is much higher.
- More control over having "litters". (Yes, the article actually uses this expression!) Read the article to understand what this means if you aren't familiar with why this is true.
- Cost.
From what I can tell, the negatives would include:
- If the baby steps do work, you spend way more than you need to.
- IVF is surgery which is obviously much higher risk.
1. 3 months clomid
2. 2 artifical inseminations
3. 2 cancelled inseminstations
4. 1 semi-cancelled insemination
5. 2 IVF harvests
6. 4 IVF transfers
If each IUI costs approximately $3,000 and Each IVF costs $10,000, then if you, like me, do 5 IUI's, that's $15,000. We could have done 1.5 IVFs for that cost.
So: discussion item, what do you guys think about this? Even if you haven't done treatments, you can vote. Take the poll below to share your opinion.
5 comments:
I wish I could say that there is a good "blanket" answer, but I don't think there is. At least for me. I think too much depends on the woman's age, health coverage and financial status.
I will say that states mandating that insurers at least give couples (women between 38 - 42) coverage if they choose IVF immediately, would be a good thing.
I guess that's what I've never understood. The "general" path of the typical infertile is Clomid, IUIs, IVFs, in that order. But for women that are older or that have health issues that do not warrant Clomid or IUIs, it doesn't make sense to take those baby steps. Yet, they are forced to because the doctor says "that's what's done" or because insurers won't budge. For someone younger that hasn't tried very long, I say taking the baby steps makes sense. There is more time to work with, which is an advantage a 25 year old has over a 35 year old.
When I answered this question I wasn't thinking about age or financial situations. I imediately thought that if we all skipped those baby steps in different situations what would we learn?
I think that you, Wendi, have become a stronger woman that now knows that with the Lords help you can go through many different situations. You and John seem to have a stronger relationship. You have learned to communicate on a whole different level.
There have been different times that I wish I could have skipped the baby steps...but I am so glad now that I didn't. Yes, I can count it all joy!! (No, I am not talking infertility..just lifes trials)
This is a tough question because I can look at my own situation and say yes, I wish I had just gone to IVF. But a lot of that answer has to do with how little insurance coverage I have and how it only covered the baby steps. Also, the age when I started is much younger than I am now. Also IVF proved to be a good diagnostic tool for us.
I really like what Ebby Ray had to say...looking back, I think the baby steps are necessary for more than just medical reasons if you can look at it from a spiritual perspective. I'm not sure that's what you're asking, but it extends the question a little further if you're able to think about it in those terms, right?
I too agree Ebby that you hit it right on -- the little things make us what we are ... I guess there are so many levels to it.
I really didn't mean spiritual, I just meant, head on, should people just DO IVF. Are people encouraged to do all these small procedures b/c they are money makers when in fact, the chance of success is so low?
Maybe it's my "bitterness" talking about how frustrated I was by all the money we spent on things that offered only slight odds that didn't work ...
You don’t know me but I have been reading your blog for a year and a half. My husband and I tried to conceive on our own for 7 years. We then started Mayo’s fertility Clinic.
We did:
3 rounds Clomid-(found I was Clomid resistant)
3 failed IUI’s
1 surgery to place clip on fallopian tube
1 harvest
1 transfer
I was told I needed to clip my “faulty” fallopian tube before they would even consider me for IVF. After everything we had already done and spent, this was a huge blow. (JB was actually on this rotation and was there for this appointment and witnessed my bawling at the news.)
I had so many reservations about doing surgery and was very scared. I thought we had hit a brick wall. I was ready to give up. After some reflection we finally decided to go ahead with the surgery. It was 5 months later before the surgery actually happened. I had my first IVF transfer one month and two days after my surgery. We are now blessed to be expecting a baby girl in January 2008.
I’ve gone back and forth about feeling like we “wasted” time and money with all the baby steps, but I can truly say that those baby steps where probably necessary and probably happened the way they were meant to happen to get us to where we are today. My husband and I bonded so much through this whole experience and we both grew tremendously as people with everything we went through. I can honestly say that I don’t think jumping into IVF right off the bat would have been a good thing. I would not have been emotionally or mentally prepared for what it was like without working up to it. And if they would have done it before my surgery, there’s a good chance it would have failed.
This got kind of lengthy, but I just wanted to share my thoughts on this subject.
Love your blog! It’s very interesting and informative!
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