when we research this Dr Woolacot was our first choice He couldn't have been more helpful we eventually went with IVf as i have fertility isssues of my own with my DH's vascetomy standing in our way luckily it worked on the second round and my Dh tell me all the time how much he must love me to have such a huge needle inserted somewhere where needles really shouldn't go i wish you all the best of luck with what ever you decide and on up coming tests
briggsy50- we also had a hard time choosing we wanted to go with Dr Woolcott because there was no waiting time, and with Dr Lekich we were told about 4 months. We live in Brisbane so it was easier to go with Dr Lekich, and worked out cheaper (out of pocket) paid more up front but got more back from medicare as I said last post only cost us $2200. We also picked him because he was taught by Professor Owen.
I didn't go to first consult with DH but he showed DH a video of the way Dr Woolcott does it and a video of the way he does it and DH said his way looked a lot better. Also he did the scan and squeezed his vas and could see how his V was done how high it was etc when he squeezed DH's he said it was still opening up so that was good. My DH came out excited about it and at the time didn't care if we didn't have any more baby's.
DH's procedure was straight forward and Dr Lekich said every thing went so well that if I don't fall pregnant it is our fault, even though his first test came back zero I have a lot faith in him as he said every thing was great and it had only been 15 months between V and VR. I also rang him a few weeks after DH's test results because I was so worried and annoyed about it and he answered my questions.
Dr Lekich was the only Dr in the op but his wife works with him I'm sure she is a nurse and the anaesthetist.
Jotana... thakns for your reply. M8uch appreciated. like everyone else we are trying to make an informed decision. i will keep you updated. We have an appointment with Dr Lekich but will talk to a few doctors before deciding for peace of mind. We live onthe Gold Coast and Dr lekich is conveneient but see how we go. have you spoken to anyone else that have had success with Dr lekich. Hope your next test is positive.
Briggsy50 - no I don't know of anyone that has gone to Dr Lekich, a lady on another forum is booked in for December and another one that lives in Tassie wants to next year. It seems that a lot of people use Dr Woolcott or just a urologist.
When is your appointment with Dr Lekich?
jotana - i posted a reply here but it is not showing up. Anyway here i go Again. We went to see Dr Lekich at the Metro Centre. He was very professional and is highly confident but he also sells himself well. it has been 10 years since my husband's V and Dr lekitch detected some blockage on the right side. he told us straight away that it was not a striaghtforward case which we appreciate. But he is confident he is experienced in such cases. I am however skeptical that he is the best man for the job although i must admit he does appear convincing. hate to sound so negative but at the end of the day we have to go in with an informed mind so we don't have regrets later. Dr lekich works out cheaper even if we have to see him twice should the first VR not work. Dr Woolcott is expensive but i have heard a LOT of positive rsults .
This journey is not easy and sometimes i feel so helpless that not enough concrete information is out there but i guess VR is not exactly a perfect science and we are lucky to have Doctors such as Dr Lekich and Owen as well as Dr woolcott who give us a glimmer of hope
Every case is different. i will talk to Dr Woolcott to see what he thinks of our case. IVF is an option but it cn casue permanent damage and is very expensive. Let me know how you go with your results. hang in there as yours seems t obe a straightforward case. Regards
Briggsy - I just wanted to say regarding IVF - I don't think there are any risks of permanent damage. DH and I were actually told that there was a higer success rate with that than VR.
We did two cycles of IVF/ICSI (in April and June) and both were Just as we were about to give up hope and recondsider VR, we had an appointment with our Fertility Specialist and because he is so lovely, decided to use our one and only frozen embryo. I did a natural cycle (where they thaw our 6 day old emby and implant it at time of ovulation) and 9 days later I did a HPT and got my
I've taken 5 tests with 2 different bands - and they all had the same result. But I guess we should wait until tommorow when I have my official BT to crack open the (non-alcholic) champagne! MelP - I know what you mean about the two pink lines - I couldn't believe I was seeing them
In regards to cost, I don't think it is that much out of pocket. I think the out of pocket expense for the whole thing was around $2000. ICSI is more expensive, but sperm is injected into the egg, so you don't have to worry too much about the quality of sperm.
Sorry I just realised that I am promoting IVF in a VR thread, but it's definately another option to use in the meantime
I typed a long post, but I'm not sure where it is???
Anyway, Briggsy - just wanted to say I am not aware of IVF causing permanent damage? We had done two cycle and had one blastocyst left over to freeze. This month we did a Frozen Embryo Transfer and it resulted in a
I don't think it's that expensive compared to VR and we were going to do VR as a back up if this cycle didn't work. I think the out of pocket expense is quite similiar and although it is a bit invasive, depending on which clinic you go to, the nurses and doctors are all so lovely and it's been a really good experience for us. Also you get BT's and scans every few days - so there is no doubt as to what is going on with your body.
Last edited by Nat82; July 18th, 2009 at 04:18 PM.
MUM2BXX - Thanks for your feedback on IVF. Could you briefly explain the process involved and why you chose IVF over VR? My husband is 42 and I am 34 perhaps we are better suited to the IVF process. Also roughly what's the cost involved and could you recommend anyone in particular? Sorry for asking you athousand questions. i am genuinely happy for you but a little sad for us. he had the V done long before we met and even though he told me straight up I cannot help but feel so sad about the whole thing.
Briggsy, I don't think your age has much to do with it. Like MelP said earlier she is 39 and her DH is 42. My DH had his V done 13 years ago after having 4 children in a previous marriage - so that was difficult too.
We chose IVF because the doctor at the time told us it would be a better option, but now I'm not so sure about that. It depends on so many things really. Anyway, we went through the IVF and they do all the initial BT's and scans- so that takes one monthly cylce. Then depending on your age and if you have any other implications the fertility specialist chooses a plan for you.
We went the IVF Australia and their website explains everything really well. The plan that we did cost about $6000 but the first cycle we got 4000 back and the second we got 5000 back. Most things are covered under the medicare safety net. I think there is also higher success rates for women over 35 because they are more likely to use a much more aggressive plan (for want of a better term). With me, because I am 26 and have PCOS, they used a very softly, softly approach. Having said that I went in for BT's and scans at least 3 times a week (before work) and felt comfortable with how planned it was I definately knew what was going on all the time and the doctors, nurses and scientist were happy to explain things. The most exciting part was getting a phone call every day after fertilisation to tell us how our emby's were growing and then seeing our ice-baby on the screen before it was put into my uterus!
Some people may think it is not 'natural' but it's actually an amazing experience getting to see what most people take for granted. The only thing is, instead of thinking each month "have I conceived a baby?" it's more "can I keep this baby?" after they put a living embryo inside you.
Last edited by Nat82; July 19th, 2009 at 08:32 AM.
Hi All
Just letting you know that DH had his sperm test done yesterday and hoping to have some positive news in the next few days. Must admit that i'm not feeling very positive as I'm not pregnant again this month, that's my forth cycle now.
Will let you know results in the next couple of days.
Hope it goes well. I did some research of my own and spoke to a few specialists who have advised me that it can take upto 12 months for sperm to show after a VR. So hang in there. We have decided to try IVF as the waiting list and time for VR is a little daunting. have an appointment net month with a specialist.
Hi Jotana - I hope you had good results As I said in earlier posts, we went through IVF and it worked - but now we are thinking of getting the reversal done so that by the time we ttc again, it should all be in working order I think we would go through Dr Woolcott as we are not is QLD.
We got the results back today and as I expected it was zero again. The Dr said he went over DH's file and everything was good before the op he could see sperm and his V was only done 15 months before his VR he said he spoke to Professor Owen about it and he said sometimes the ones you expect to take along time to get sperm back (like ones that had their V done 10 years earlier) get it back fast and ones you expect to get it back fast (DH) take longer.
He told DH to come back and have a scan to see if it is blocked but the earliest he can get that done is September 7. That's still 6 weeks away, again waiting and not knowing it is so upsetting. I know people say don't give up but it is hard. I think I'm more devastated about it because Dr Lekich was so confident and told us DH was in the best situation to have it done and that we had 95% chance success rate.
DH is telling me not to be negative and to wait and see the scan but to me if he could see sperm before the op how can there still be none there 6 months after.
mum2bxx I might have to look into ivf as im 34 and can't afford to waste much more time. So did you fall pregnant on your second round?
Oh no Jotana
I know exactly how you feel - that's how I felt after my first failed ivf cycle. It is really frustrating! But maybe you could do IVF in the meantime, we did 2 cycles and then a frozen embryo transfer with the embryo left over from our second cycle. It's funny, I was all positive for the first two cycles, but then really negative for the FET because it had used frozen sperm and then been frozen as an embryo - but it worked.
Like I said, DH and I are now looking at the VR, as we are not in a hurry to get pregnant again for a while. But I think IVF is the quicker option and I take it you have reached your medicare safety net? If that is the case, you will get almost 80% back, although medication is not covered and nor is the operation (or needle) to get your DH's sperm.
Thanks mum2bxx We did reach or safety net last financial year but have now started a new year. So how long was the wait from when you made your first appointment to when you started the process?
Well, we first made our appointment around January and the fertility specialist was away. Once you get in, they do an bt's to test your immunisations and if your DH has sperm antibodies. They also do an ultrasound to check your uterus and ovaries - this is when I found out I had polycystic ovaries.
Depending on what cycle the fs decides to put you on, it will either be day 2 or day 21 of your cycle that you begin. So your first monthly cycle is counted out because of BT's and scan. It all depends on what time of the month you see fs and when you start your monthly cycle. Also, I had to have a break between my cycle is April and May ie. I couldn't start straight away in April on Day 2 of my cycle, I had wait until Day 2 in May. So all up, it took 6 months - although it officially started at the end of March (doing injections etc.) and we had a break between April/May - so it was 3 months of actually 'trying' iykwim.
Congratulations mum2BXX, this is such good news. I'm so happy everything has worked out for you and Hubby! Dr. Woolcott really is a fantastic surgeon, we know people from Tassie and QLD, who's GP's have referred them to him. (my hubby works in a male orientated workforce and it is amazing how many men are on there second marriage and are thinking about VR or have had one done). He really knows his work and in the end we were only out of pocket by $2800.00 once all the claims were made.
jotana, I'm so sorry to hear this news, especially after your Dr's initial positive response. Hang in there though as the sperm count can take some time to come back. Having the choice of IVF is a great idea, that is exactly what my DH and I were going to do if the VR didn't take. I have my fingers crossed for you both and I feel positive you will have a positive outcome. I know just where you are with head space right now and it seems a terribly long wait but believe me once you are pg with your little babe all the anguish will seem a world away. As hard as it is try to stay positive as you haven't run out of choices yet, and 34yrs, well you still have plenty of time left. I have five years on you and believe me I could hear that biological clock ticking loud and clear.
I'll keep following the posts on here and good luck,
It's nice to hear mum2BXX, it took both of us the same length of time to fall pg, I fell 6 months after DH's VR but we only had 3 months of trying as well. It's a fickle world this baby making business!
i wish you all the best of luck with what ever you decide and on up coming tests
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Just as we were about to give up hope and recondsider VR, we had an appointment with our Fertility Specialist and because he is so lovely, decided to use our one and only frozen embryo. I did a natural cycle (where they thaw our 6 day old emby and implant it at time of ovulation) and 9 days later I did a HPT and got my 
I think we would go through Dr Woolcott as we are not is QLD.
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