Alana, I'm going through Monash IVF in Melbourne and the lump sum I paid for IVF and PGD was about $7200. Not sure how much I get back from medicare yet. My private health cover paid for some extra stuff (like the hospital procedure I think...) but Monash IVF claimed it directly for me. There is also the cost of some drugs on top of that amount, and also the appointments with FS were on top of that too (which I think were just over $100 each). Hope that helps a bit...
Alana, I'm going through Monash IVF, in Melbourne. I see Dr Weston. He's been really good so far. Very supportive and helpful. I liked that he was also very quick to get things going for us. The waiting is the worst part, and thankfully we haven't had to wait long for anything with him
I did go to see Dr Toledo at Melbourne IVF originally and she was really good too. We ended up going through Monash because things were moving faster with our PGD stuff.
Well... I 'think' I have good news. I know I really shouldn't be testing, and I should just wait until the blood test... But the blood test isn't for almost another WHOLE WEEK! So, I've been testing, lol. I had a bunch of the cheap internet tests still here, so the day after the transfer I tested to see if there was any hcg from the trigger shot that would still show. There might have been a very faint line, but so faint that I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. Two days later I did it again and couldn't see anything. The last two days I've tested as well, and have gotten the faintest of faint lines (you know the type where you can only see it in the right light at the right angle?). But this mornings test I can see a very faint line without putting any kind of heavy-duty-industrial-line-reading-goggles on. So, of course I went and bought a 3-pack of first response tests LOL! I've just done one now (3.45pm so not FMU) and I am getting a very definite and easily visible line!!! I thought I better read up about trigger shots, and how long the hcg stays in your body before getting excited. The info I found was that for every 1000IU of trigger shot you get, you should wait 1 day. I had a maximum of 10000IU (was probably actually 6500IU apparently) so after 10 days it will all be gone. We today is 14 days after my trigger shot! I think my line is a real one! Gosh I really hope so. I still look forward to the blood results, but I'll keep "practicing" with the hpt's hehehehe
Edit: Just wanted to mention I'm only on progesterone gel now, so no meds that would give a false positive...
Mylitta that does sound good, i know everyone has different opinions on the HPT's but my FS told me there is no such thing as a false positive, especially if it is coming up visible and fast. If your test is getting more visible it is because your pregnancy hormones should double every second day. So fingers crossed big time!
Well my cycle starts in exactly a month, got AF today so will have the first BT this time in a month. 3rd cycle for us, quite a big deal. I just hope it goes it goes as well as our 2nd but with a viable pregnancy this time!
Oh also Mylitta im just curious as i havent been on for a while again... what were your PGD results this time? If you dont mind giving me a little run down? Im so nosey!
Also when is you BT?
Jaki, they say 3rd time's a charm yeah? Good luck for this cycle!!!
My blood test is tomorrow and I'm still feeling very positive about things. My hpt's are still getting darker
My PGD results were quite a shock this cycle as well. Of our 21 eggs, 20 were injected with sperm, 11 fertilised, and 10 survived and were suitable for biopsy. Of the 10 we had one precious little healthy embryo suitable for transfer! Seven all had chromosome problems. Two they were unable to get results for because the cells they took had no nuclei and therefore no chromosomes to look at. One of those embies was only 5 cells, so they only took one cell from it (and found no nuclei). The other one was bigger so they went back and took another cell, and it also had no nucleus. The scientist I spoke to said that was rather rare to have two embies like that. What she said was even more surprising was when they biospied one of the other embies, the first cell they took had no nucleus too! They were able to take a 2nd cell from that embie and she said the results were extremely odd. It had two X chromosome, two Y chromosomes, and a large number of the other chromosomes either had 3 or 4 copies.
With results like what we've gotten from both my cycles, it makes me realise what an absolute miracle it is that we were even able to conceive our beautiful little boy naturally. Now hopefully he's going to be the big brother of another miracle!
It's official! I'm pregnant!!! My hcg level is 371. I'm so excited. My little girl is on her way! Our due date is the 25th of January, so this time I'm going to have a summer baby. I'm booked in for follow up bloods in a weeks times, then I'll have another a week later, just to check that the levels are going up like the expect. Oh, my prog level was good too, so no more disgusting prog gel for me! My nurse said that I'll have an ultrasound through Monash IVF around 7-8 weeks, but I rang my Obs today to book in (he fills up real quick) and they've booked me in for me first appointment and scan on June 2nd when I'll be 6 weeks, yay! I'm still so scared that something will go wrong, but I know that this little embie must be a strong little fighter, so I have to stay positive for her!
Thanks for all your thoughts and well-wishes.
Jaki - Fingers crossed that your next cycle will be fantastic!
Wow Mylitta thats amazing news. Im so happy for you. Its such an inspiration to see a happy outcome from PGD IVF.
Dont be scared, your numbers are great. She is holding on strong!
x
Hi everyone,
I'm new to PGD - starting next month. Would greatly appreciate your support 'cause the last 12 months of IVF have been pretty hellish. I'm 32, nearly 33, and I can't believe it's taken this long to get pregnant. Is anyone using PGD for aneuploidy?
My female partner will also be using PGD for her haemophilia gene in the future... and it's looking like she'll be starting sooner rather than later given my hopes for pregnancy are going down and down.
Does anyone have any hopeful stories?
Thanks!
Hi Foxy!!
Welcome to PGD, i was hoping to get a cycle buddy! I am starting around the 20th june. This will be my 3rd cycle, ive also had one Bio chem pg, like you. I have PGD due to a genetic disease and to be honest all the women in here ive met so far have been for genetic reasons so far. What is aneuploidy?
The PGD thread is mostly quiet, but lucky for us we are both starting soon and can support each other!
I have been in this thread for less than a year and have seen at least 3 get a BFP.
Have all your cycles been in the same 12 months?? I spread mine out (3 in 2.5 yrs), if we didn't hubby and i would surely be divorced by now, lol.
I can't believe you and your partner both need PGD, how unlucky
Although we have double barreled problems too with my gene and hubby's lazy sperm!
Hi Jaki!! Great to have a cycle buddy!!
I'm with Melb IVF, have done 7 transfers back-to-back over last 12 months (as well as a dermoid cyst removal plus endometriosis removal), 2 of which were fresh cycles, so feeling pretty exhausted and glad to have a month's break!
My transfer is scheduled for 8th July - hoping we get that far. PGD is great in that you can plan ahead for work etc - regular IVF they won't give you definite dates, so makes it much harder trying to plan life.
Aneuploidy is an abnormal number of chromosomes in the embryo, which happens in 50% of all embryos, and the FSs think that might be the cause of my 2 biochemical pregnancies. Using PGD will hopefully mean that only embryos with a normal number of chromosomes get put back - still only a 25% chance of pregnancy though! At least I'll have a lot more information after this cycle ie. how many of my embryos are actually chromosomally normal. I had 19 eggs, 9 fertilised and 9 embryos last time so hoping for similar numbers, in which case we might have 1-4 embryos to transfer... I'll just have to wait and see!
How have you been coping with PGD so far? Is it ok to ask what gene you're looking for? I'm not sure if it's rude to ask or not. My partner has the haemophilia gene, and having seen many of her family members struggle a lot with this condition, she's keen not to pass this on to our kids.
Look forward to hearing more about you, when do you start injections etc?
I check email/internet a few times a week but usually get more obsessive the further I get into a cycle, so please don't be offended if I take a while to respond!
Hi Foxy, I'm lucky to currently be pregnant from our second PGD cycle despite some really bad luck we were having. We were having PGD done to help try to avoid a genetically linked disorder, but when we got the the PGD stage we foundt hat we had an extremely large number of embryos with chromosomal abnormailites.
In our first cycle I had 10 eggs, 7 fertilised, 7 were biopsied, 2 they couldn't get results for, and the remaining 5 all had chromosome problems. They all had aneuploidy. We were devastated.
With our second cycle my meds were increased a bit and I got 21 eggs. Only 10 fertilised, but all 10 were big enough to be biopsied on day 3. Again we got no results for 2 of them (the cells they took had no nucleus), 7 of them had chromosome abnormalities (aneuploidy) and we had one precious little healthy girl. That one precious little embie is still growing strong and I'm nearly at 5 1/2 weeks now. Fingers crossed that she continues to grow strong
Good luck with you PGD cycle. I hope you get some good results and finally get your little baby!!!
The gene we look for is a sex linked disease called Chronic Granulomatis Disease, It is a blood disorder that i carry. Feel free to google! Lol
I to have watched members of my family suffer, it is carried by women, ie- me. And the males suffer the disease. I have a snowbaby who is a carrier female, thus the fresh cycle.
Im not sure when i will start my injections, just have to wait for June period to show, prob around the 20th. I have 'short cycles' so a little less planning available to be, but better results.
Jaki - thanks for writing about your genetic condition, I haven't heard of it, is it very rare condition? We are so lucky to be able to avoid genetic diseases that cause so much suffering because of the era we live in, don't you reckon?
I think they offered us the choice of putting back a female haemophilia carrier embryo for my partner in the future - that would be a hard decision - sort of postpones the genetic problem to the next generation of family. Would you ever put back your female carrier embryo? My partner and I haven't discussed it yet, although we might have to sooner rather than later if my partner starts anytime soon!
Mylitta - congratulations on your pregnancy! I hope everything goes really well. Does the clinic allow you to put back embryos with "no definite result"? - I forgot to ask this at our counselling appointment.
I started the synarel today; fortunately I don't get many side effects with the drugs, it's more that I find it quite hard to remember! I opted for synarel down-reg rather than the pill, as I felt this may have played a part in my ovaries being so down-regulated on my first fresh cycle. I require a daily dose of 400 units Puregon which is HUGE for someone of my age; then again, my FSH is 14, so I guess that's more the problem.
I'm seeing Dr Sacks on Wednesday in Sydney regarding testing for natural killer cells; I had marginally elevated natural killer cells on an endometrial biopsy in February (at the same time as my laparoscopy) but haven't had the natural killer cells blood test, which he wants me to have before prescribing prednisolone. Will be good to also get his advice on where to go in future as well if the PGD isn't successful for me. How many times do people tend to do PGD? Given the cost is so huge, and the fact that my partner wants to use it for her haemophilia gene, I feel there's a limit as to how many times I can realistically keep trying unsuccessfully without giving her a go. Probably this will become clearer with time... just have to wait.... if only I wasn't so impatient!!!
Foxy - We had three embies that got "no results" when they were biopsied. The two in the second cycle both had no nuclei in the cells that were tested. One was a small embie, so they could only take one cell. The other was bigger, so after they found no nucleus in the first cell, they took another cell, but unfortunately it was the same). The embie from our first cycle that had no result was due to a "limitation of the testing process". Apparently the cell contents did not stick to the slide and they couldn't see anything under the microscope. I was told by the scientist that unfotunately it could have been something as trivial as a speck of dust that interferred. We were told that we could transfer that little embie if we wanted to, but with the other 5 out of 5 embies from that cycle all having chromosome problems we felt like we shouldn't take the risk.
Hi foxy,
It is quite a rare disease but growing in numbers. When it was discovered my family there were only a few in Aus with it. That was 25 years ago when my brother was 6 months old.
We do plan to use our carrier at some stage if need be, but i wont use her alone, thus the fresh cycle. This will be our last cycle with SIVF, they are to expensive for no results and to far away from us (central QLD). We will go to QFG and do sex selection once we are finished with SIVF.
As for using untested embryos, my last cycle i thought i wasn't going to have any biopsies done again ( SIVF do them on day 5 blasties) and i was all bossy with my doctor saying im putting one back anyway. Then at the last minute we had 3 burst out to blasties and biopsied, The one affected male was our biggest and strongest embie, it would have been the one we put back. That has now scared me enough not to do it in the future.
Registered User
Bookmarks