fertility centers / hormone stimulation

[beav]

hi beav

welcome to BB!

given your age, i would think it's unlikely that a FS would suggest ovulation induction with drugs or anything like that. the chances of success are reduced with use of OI as opposed to IVF, so i would think they'd want to have you moving forward to increase your chances of success. OI with IUI has minimally increased success over natural ovulation

talk it over with your FS - tell them of your concerns in moving forward to IVF, and get their honest opinion on chances of success. if one gives 5%, on 25%, i'd be leaning towards the latter to be honest

The one FS (meaning Fertility Specialist, I assume?) from Sydney IVF suggested donor eggs straight away and we hadn't even considered that ... medically, all the test showed normal except thyroid unterfunction, but I am treated for that. Our plan was to try naturall with a naturopath for 6 months and then gradually step into OI, IUI and then IVF. I read your story (with tears in my eyes) and hope so much for your success! Did you see more than one FS? (sorry I might have missed this info somewhere). Yes, we definetely will seek the highest chances for conception.
cheers
beav

[anney]

Beav,
Please don't take this post as being harsh or negative, I just want to give you my experience. Once you are over 38 your fertility drops OI and IUI only address a few issues with getting pregnant. they make sure you ovulate and make sure there are sperm present at the right time. IVF covers all bases ie. makes sure you ovulate, ensures sperm fertilises the egg, picks the embryo that looks them best to implant, makes sure your uterine lining is the best it can be and many clinics give you progesterone support during the two week wait to make sure you have not problems there. While IVF is expensive and invasive, it just does so much more than OI or IUI. It is fine to try all these out if people are up to their mid 30s but once you get to 40, there is more likelihood that your eggs won't fertilise without help or that your lining is not good and that your eggs quality is diminishing so the sooner you get to IVF the better. that has been my experience so I urge you to jump right into IVF but also understand it is a big decision so good luck.
forgot to say. If you are looking for price lists from clinics, best thing to do is to get someone on here to scan / send you a recent price list from a clinic. as you say, they won't give you a price list until you see a doctor and sign up for IVF so you could spend $500 before you even know what the IVF is going to cost!

[buliej]

Beav,
It is fine to try all these out if people are up to their mid 30s but once you get to 40, there is more likelihood that your eggs won't fertilise without help or that your lining is not good and that your eggs quality is diminishing so the sooner you get to IVF the better. that has been my experience so I urge you to jump right into IVF but also understand it is a big decision so good luck.

Hi

For what it's worth - I completely agree - that once you hit 40, it's wise to move right to ivf if you are ready for it. This is what my FS recommended (I asked, if she was me, what would she do)...and this is what was recommended to my over-40 friends in the US as well. good luck with the path you choose!

[briggsy's girl]

soeey beav - i was meaning if one option (iui for example) gave 5% chance of success, another (ivf) gave 25% chance, i'd go with ivf.

i'm pretty sure for over 40's the chances are much reduced from that though

[beav]

soeey beav - i was meaning if one option (iui for example) gave 5% chance of success, another (ivf) gave 25% chance, i'd go with ivf.

i'm pretty sure for over 40's the chances are much reduced from that though

Yes, that is what the doctor has told us and why we considered natural fertility our better option. So far, however, we have tried without success and time is such an important factor for us. IVF sounded quite invasive, which is what made us sceptical along with the low success rates.
cheers beav

[briggsy's girl]

age alone is, unfortunately, not on your side. that in itself reduces your chances of success with any assisted conception technique.

i would be thinking that, any time you commit to trying naturally, you're reducing your chances of success as you're using up viable eggs without success. if you've been trying for more than six months, and have not had success, and don't have an obvious reason you're not pregnant (ie you're not ovulating) i would think moving into IVF is probably a good move. YES, it's invasive, YES it's expensive, and YES, there is no guarantee of success - but you're more likely to get pregnant by IVF if you start earlier rather than later. the longer you leave it, the more your chances of success will dwindle...

[dusty]

the longer you leave it, the more your chances of success will dwindle...

Sadly this is often the case. The positive part is you can try naturally between IVF cycles depending on how often you need or can do them. Using myself as an example, I never thought when I started trying at 36 that I would still be trying 4 years later. IVF can take time, and starting the earlier the better when you are over 35 can help. While IVF can feel invasive as medical people will know almost all there is to know about you, it really helps me to know I am doing something to help ourselves along. I have endometriosis which impedes our ability to conceive naturally but these days for me it is more of an age thing as my eggs are both old and damaged by the endo.

It does help IVF if you can still maintain a healthy lifestyle along, and some women doing IVF continue to seek alternative therapies. So a combination of the two can help.