Yesterday, I finally had an appointment with a new IVF doctor.  I chose him because he does thing differently to other IVF doctors. After 13 cycles with no positive result, I decided it was about time to try something new.  Some of you may recall that I had decided to stick with my current doctor since he finally changed my treatment protocol and that I had seen another doctor at another clinic who also didn’t seem to have any other ideas.

I suppose I could have given up, but I made a third appointment with yet another doctor. The wait was long and arduous but well worth it.  My now new doctor asked me a whole stack of questions that had never been raised before:

• Have you had a biopsy on day 21 to test for natural killer cells
• Have you have blood tests for x, y & z ? Did you fast for the thyroid test that you had?
• Has your husband had a blood test on his chromosomes?
• Has your husband had the SCSA sperm test?

My answers were mostly negative.  So we are now all set for a fresh round of tests.  The SCSA test that my husband has to do is a test for sperm DNA fragmentation. I read somewhere that if sperm fragmentation is over 30% then the likelihood of getting pregnant is 1%.  If this is the case, then we may need to consider other options like a sperm donor.  the cost of $500 but I think it is money well spent given I have now spent over $50k on IVF.  It would have been better to assess this earlier – maybe I could have saved time and money. I guess I will soon find out.  Personally, I feel this could be our major issue. We have lost a lot of embryos due to fragmentation and there is some possibility that the antibodies in my husband sperm have had an impact on this. I feel sure that these things are connected in some way.

The biopsy that I have to do is a test to see if I have any natural killer cells that try and destroy my embryos. Charming.  There is heaps of information about this on the web but I recommend not reading the information unless you have a good understanding of biology. For me, reading about this stuff bores me to tears – it is far to technical for my liking.   The main point of interest about natural killer cells,  is the fact that my new doctor has helped 60% of women found with natural killer cells become pregnant.  Apparently the treatment is simple – just some medication to fix the issue.

The other tests are also important and essentially will help the doctor determine the right protocol for me – particularly if the there are no other likely issues revealed by the other tests.  So my next test is 2-3 weeks away.  Unfortunately we know the full extent of the problem until my Doctor returns back from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) conference in Italy which is a massive annual event about all the latest findings on IVF.

So it seems my next steps won’t happen until July.  That’s exciting.  I hate the wait but hopefully we might know more than what we did before and be able to make some decisions from this point.  My husband is really annoyed though – he is angry that our other doctor hasn’t done these tests. I can understand that but it does seem that many doctors follow the tried and true path.  My advice for anyone in the same boat is to try different doctors - particularly if you feel you issues are not being investigated thoroughly.

New Doctor, New Outlook is a post from: The IVF Club

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A quick calculation of all my medical costs for IVF over the past few years reveals that we have spent over $40,000 in medical treatments in our attempt to have a baby. The costs include 6 fully stimulated cycles and 4 frozen embryo cycles and we still don’t have a little baby to hold, love and cherish.

Of course, I have been quite fortunate in that I have private health insurance. This, in combination with the fact that the Australian government reimburses some of the costs of IVF treatment, means our true out of pocket costs have only been around $13.5K dollars over the past few years. Of course, this is still a lot of money when you are on a tight budget. When I compare this to the costs in some other countries the cost is quite low so I have been quite lucky (or unlucky to have done this so many times).  Of course, the level of funding will be reduced this year so my costs will increase.

So at the moment, the total cost has been just over $13.5 thousand but if I added in the cost of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine treatments and multi-vitamins (such as folate, omega 3, CoQ10 and Vitamin C) that my husband and I have consumed, then the cost could easily be another ten thousand dollars. In fact, I am sure my husband would have the amount listed somewhere in his MYOB accounting software. It might be a bit odd but yes my husband he likes to keep track of every single dollar we spend.  Fortunately, he doesn’t complain about how much we spend on IVF.

Other costs that can not be measured in pure financial terms include:

• The cost of retail therapy after experiencing an IVF failure
• The emotional impact of repeated failures
• The impact of your social life and putting aspects of your life on hold
• The impact it has on friendships and the working environment (I confess my career has been on standy since we decided to go down the IVF route)

IVF: Over $40K and Counting is a post from: The IVF Club

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As I was getting ready to undergo another IVF cycle – this time a frozen cycle, I learned that the cost had increased by 68%.  Last year it only cost $1,400 and now it has gone up to $2357.00 excluding hospital costs.  I can honestly say that an expense that high did not feature in my budget for this month!  I would have at least put my dentist off from putting that crown on my tooth that he has been waiting to do for the past 2 years.  Now I have the crown plus a higher frozen embryo transfer bill.  Nice one!  If only work paid me overtime for the time I lose when travelling.

This time the paperwork just came in the mail. No appointment to see the nurse – just the consent form to go another round and a bill! And whats worse it is probably the one time where I really do what to see my nurse.  Why? Because logistically it is a little bit more difficult this time as I will be travelling to two different Sates around the time I ovulate.

What this means is that I may need to have to have a blood test in either state. Since my fertility clinic is not available in either Adelaide or Perth, I assume I am just going to have to rock up unannounced without an appointment and have a blood test.  The question is where? What blood testing clinics are open early in the morning before the meeting I am supposed to be presenting at. Some advice right now would have been really good – particularly at an extra $957.  I guess I am not paying for the service! Maybe I have specialist embryologist or something. Damn it, I know having multiple transfers is unpopular these days but at that rate, I’d rather stick two embryos in and only pay the $2357.00 the once only to find out that my attempts at having a baby didn’t work again!  Ok – well it might work but I don’t have a very good track record with this IVF gig.

Rants and Raves About The Cost of IVF is a post from: The IVF Club

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With 2009 behind me, maybe this year I can look forward to finally achieving a long awaited pregnancy. My renewed optimism also comes with the double edged sword of knowing that the cost of IVF has increased yet again.  This time however, it is not my clinic that has raised its prices by 15%, this time it is the Government that increased the price to end consumer.

So from the 1st January 2010, changes to the Medicare Safety net in Australia will push the price of IVF up by $1500.  The rebate has also been capped potentially pushing the final cost of  IVF up further. I also have the joy of knowing that if I do become pregnant, the cost to use a private obstetrician will be another $850. Coinciding with this change is new legislation that came into force from 1st January that would be Victorian parents must now provide Police Record and Child Protection Checks to access IVF treatment.

On a positive note, Single Women and Lesbian Couples can now undergo IVF treatment in Victoria – but the catch is that they need to be declared medically infertile before they can be eligible for the Medicare rebate. This could put strain on existing services adding to fears of lengthy delays in accessing IVF. As a consequence, not only are all IVF recipients worse off financially they will be paying for more for poorer service!

Should be an interesting year ahead, if not a more expensive one!

New Year New Beginnings is a post from: The IVF Club

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