Westmead Fertility Centre OI-IUI cost and processes

[Lullaby]

Hello lovely ladies

Just need some help of anyone who has used Westmead Fertility Centre

I have been TTC for 18months or so, unsuccessfully. I am TTC # 1. My FS has recommend me to bypass Clomid and go straight on to OI-IUI with Gonal - F injections + Trigger. I am 29yrs old. DH is 31.

I have been told cost of the procedure per attempt is $600 or so. Does this cover all the Blood Tests, Ultrasounds and the Medicatioan? I just want to be prepared.

Also, my FS put me on the Pill for 28 days (Microgynon - 21 active Pills with 7 Sugar Pills) to regulate me ( i normally get AF every 14 days).

She told me, on the 1st day of my Full Flow, to call the Centre and they will instruct me.

Can anyone please tell me what happens after this?

What if my AF starts on a weekend, will i have to wait for a Business day? And once i start the injections, what happens if my Trigger means i ovulate on a weekend, when will they do the IUI?

Thanks so much for any help. DH and i have not told anyone of our issues,not even family. And we are gettign pressures left right and centre.

If anyone can share the treatment process, costs and experience that would be so great.

ps : are the nurses at Westmead Ferilty Centre nice? and do they answer queries via email?

[Baby Dreamtime]

Hi Lullaby, I am sorry I can't help you, I went straight to IVF (I am undiagnosed). I just wanted to post to wish you all the best and hope you get your BFP soon. Hugs

[KrissyLee85]

Hi im Krissy.
DH & I are also using Westmead IVF(WIVF), although we need IVF not IUI. A little bit about us: DH & I hav been together for a bit over 6 yrs and r comin up to our 5yr wedding anniversary, we hav a awsome son wo will be 4 end of may. we hav being trying to conceive #2 for around 19months now, I hav PCOS and i dont O (weird i know) DH did hav bad but thanks to MENEVIT is now within normal limits!!!! All our family and friends r aware of our desire and struggle to conceive, which makes it easy for me to vent when im low and out of hope.(although i hate the phrase "it'll happen when the times right"!!!!)

OK so to answer your post......
A typical cycle for IVF( IUI is pretty much the same except for the egg collection part!)
On 1st day of ur cycle u call WIVF and make an appointment for 3wks time to meet with the nurses, at that app. u will recieve all the information about whats to come, timetables, get questions answered, and get given your meds, u also pay on this day. 3wks after that is egg and sperm collection and 3-5 days after that is implantation (again not sure on IUI) and then 14-21 days after that is testing

HOWEVER: what we didnt realise to start with, is that u dont always get accepted into the cycle when u call up!! WIVF only accept so many ppl into each cycle which occurs every 6wks(about), u have 2 be turned away a few times before they can pre book u for a cycle. This is what we r doing at the moment!!! AARRG the frustration, feels like it's never happen sometimes!!

Nurses work mon-sat(not sure about sunday), on wknds u will get answeing machine, leave a msg cause they do call back asap, Ive havnt had much to do with then yet as we're still in the cat and mouse stage!! but from what ive heard they're really lovely!

WIVF's fee includes all that goes on once your accepted into a cycle, im pretty sure, so all meds and us they give u, it also includes a coucelling service. it doesnt inclue dr, meds or u/s carried out b4 u start.
May i ask y u have chosen not to share your journey with ur family?

Well i hope you find support, encouragment, and information here on Bellybelly, i know i have!!

Krissy

[Mumof8]

Hi we went thru westmead nearly 12mths ago. We did a full straight IVF cycle $1,450 and we recieved $848 back from medicare from memory. I to was put on the same pill as you and once i had finished that I had to wait for my period to arrive then call the nurse. If no answers leave a message and you will get a call back within a couple of hours there always there. Once my period came about 6 days after finishing the pill i called and went in the following day i was never left waiting to start my syneral spray twice a day at the same time example 8am then 8pm for i think 2 weeks to down regulate my cycle. Then i started on my injections one a day at the same time so setting a reminder in your mobile is a good idea. I needed more stimulation so i had an extra week of then 2 shots. I had egg pick up and two days after that i had my transfer. We got 17 eggs 12 fertilized we had two put back and they grew the rest of the embyos to blastie stage which is 6 days and 4 survived till then so there now in the freezer. All the drugs scans blood test even extra drugs are all included in that price. The ladies in there are great, theres one older lady and shes abit dry but she does her job. Im pretty sure i have a copy of my IVF roster in my galllary photos. So maybe have a look and see how you go. We were very luck to fall pregnant first go. Look luck with your TTC journey

[Kaydee78]

Hi Lullaby,

I went through Westmead Fertility Clinic and started with oi-iui then progressed onto ivf.

Basically, on Day 1 of AF you ring the clinic and they make an appt for you on about Day 4 of your cycle. You meet with one of the nurses and they'll talk you through the process of oi-iui, they'll show you how to inject yourself (or give you an option of coming in each day if you can't inject youself but majority of people do it themselves) and will give you a "timetable" sheet showing when you come back to the clinic for your 1st blood test. They'll monitor your hormones through blood tests until they think you'll have a follicle or two reaching maturation. Then you'll be booked in for an internal ultrasound and they'll check the no. of follicles. Any more than 2 and your cycle will be cancelled. If you've got 1-2 and they're a good size, the nurse will trigger you on the day of u/s (they'll do the injection)and tell you to come back 2 days later for insemination. The trigger forces your body to release the egg/s and this whole process will occur before your body naturally ovulates.

I completed 3 oi-iui cycles and started day 4, insemination was usually over and done with by about day 11-12. In saying that, everybody is different and if your cycles are normally short your body may respond differently too. It's a really busy clinic and the nurses will have had experience with people with lots of different cycles.

The nurses are great at the clinic. They work 7 days a week but Sunday is a lighter staff. When you ring into the clinic you won't speak directly to a nurse, the recpetionist takes your details and the nurses give you a call back in the afternoon, normally after 3-ish. If you call on the w/ends there is an answering machine but again the nurses will call back later. I sent an email once and it was just like logging a call to the nurses, they gave me a call back later that afternoon. I don't think they send written replies via email.

Cost wise, you can't beat WFC. The price you pay at the start includes everything no matter how many BT or U/S for a cycle. I'm not sure what happens with your money if they cancel your cycle because of too many follicles, ask at your appt with the nurse. I was lucky enough not to have a cancelled cycle. The nurses start the gonal-f dose low and will only increase it if you're body isn't responding, that way they have control over not producing too many follicles, avoiding having to cancel your cycle. By starting treatment early in the year (we did too, we started last Feb) it only takes a couple of attempts and you'll reach your Medicare Safety net which was about $1100. After you've reached the Safety net, medicare refunds 80% and each cycle won't cost you much at all.

We moved onto ivf in Sept last year and while we paid $1450 to WFC, medicare refunded and we ended up out of pocket about $300.

I understand not telling family and friends. Our family and close friends knew we were going through fertility treatment but I found the cycles where they knew nothing about where we were up to with it all much less stressful. There's hope and expectation with each cycle from yourselves and it's hard having their well-meaning 'pressure' of questions on how it's all going. Our family pretty much got the idea if we didn't bring the topic up, then it was off limits. It's a very personal issue.

Wishing you and your DH all the best of luck. Hope the info has helped.

Kaydee

[Lullaby]

thank you so so much for all the info ladies
it put me at ease

Kaydee, you were spot on. I have had my 1st visit now, actually 2nd. I am on day 6 of injections. Had 2 blood tests already.

Just prodding along now, doing whatever they are telling me to do. I am used to needles coz i am Diabetic. so thats not a problem.

They put me on Puregon.

My blood test on CD 8 (day 5 of injection) revealed a level of 177. I have No idea what this means.....can anyone help?

[redlady]

Just bumping this one up for another lady to see the costs involved.

[redlady]

I had the worst experience with WFC. The nurse was rude. I have been told my BMI is too high to loose 10kgs. But not in a nice way. She assumed my portion sizes were big, when in fact they are half of a dinner plate, she assumed I ate mac donalds and KFC, lollies and chocolate. My husband came to my defense saying I have been eating healthier than him in the past 6 months and my portion sizes have decreased dramatically in the last 6 months.

The nurse asked me what sort of exercise I did and I said walking, because I have an inner ear condition that makes me have vertigo. She laughed and said what about jogging. I told her if I jog I will have vertigo for a week, not be able to get out of bed, work and loose my job then I wouldnt be able to afford IVF in the first place.

I saw Dr (who is fat) and he recommended me loose weight too, saying we wouldnt be treated until I lost it. I told him about my inability to exercise strenously and he said oh well drastic dieting then. I felt like saying "Hey you fat bugger you should talk"!!

Im really wondering if I will even go with WFC at all!!! If this is the sort of treatment I got. $300 to see a doctor to sign a few forms, tell me I need to loose weight and see you in january. 15mins he earnt $300!!

Im so not happy but Im wondering do I loose the weight and try my best. Get preg and then get what I came for a baby. Or do I just not go back to the clinic??? Confused

[redlady]

Im staying with my first clinic IVF Aust.

It took us 7 phone calls to WFC with no replies over 4 days and then we paged Dr Smith to get a repsonse. No one returned our phone calls so we paged the doctor.

In the end they won't treat us even if I have half a kilo more weight than they said I should. Come on half a kilo is neither here nor there.

I think their cheaper costs reflect the type of service they provide lacksidaisical.

Redlady

[blisse]

Hiya redlady

I used wfc only the once and was successful first go (ivf) - including after first phone call to them. We now have a son. I was at least 15kg overweight when I went to them and no one said anything to me. I am also 43 and noone said anything negative about that either - in fact they were very encouraging. The nurses are really nice - esp chris. Maybe you should try one of the other drs associated with wfc???

[barney]

good luck sweet we have a bubba girl from wfc and i would highly recomend them ,soory i cant help as we did ivf but im wishing you all the luk in the world

[1MOREPLZ]

Hi im Krissy.
DH & I are also using Westmead IVF(WIVF), although we need IVF not IUI. A little bit about us: DH & I hav been together for a bit over 6 yrs and r comin up to our 5yr wedding anniversary, we hav a awsome son wo will be 4 end of may. we hav being trying to conceive #2 for around 19months now, I hav PCOS and i dont O (weird i know) DH did hav bad but thanks to MENEVIT is now within normal limits!!!! All our family and friends r aware of our desire and struggle to conceive, which makes it easy for me to vent when im low and out of hope.(although i hate the phrase "it'll happen when the times right"!!!!)

OK so to answer your post......
A typical cycle for IVF( IUI is pretty much the same except for the egg collection part!)
On 1st day of ur cycle u call WIVF and make an appointment for 3wks time to meet with the nurses, at that app. u will recieve all the information about whats to come, timetables, get questions answered, and get given your meds, u also pay on this day. 3wks after that is egg and sperm collection and 3-5 days after that is implantation (again not sure on IUI) and then 14-21 days after that is testing

HOWEVER: what we didnt realise to start with, is that u dont always get accepted into the cycle when u call up!! WIVF only accept so many ppl into each cycle which occurs every 6wks(about), u have 2 be turned away a few times before they can pre book u for a cycle. This is what we r doing at the moment!!! AARRG the frustration, feels like it's never happen sometimes!!

Nurses work mon-sat(not sure about sunday), on wknds u will get answeing machine, leave a msg cause they do call back asap, Ive havnt had much to do with then yet as we're still in the cat and mouse stage!! but from what ive heard they're really lovely!

WIVF's fee includes all that goes on once your accepted into a cycle, im pretty sure, so all meds and us they give u, it also includes a coucelling service. it doesnt inclue dr, meds or u/s carried out b4 u start.
May i ask y u have chosen not to share your journey with ur family?

Well i hope you find support, encouragment, and information here on Bellybelly, i know i have!!

Krissy

NOT always the case hun....we rang and got in first go....no turn aways...it is just luck of the draw....

as for getting monies back now from medicare....there are 2 options of payment through westmead fertility centre...example IVF cycle is either $4k ish and you can claim back OR $1450 and NOT able to claim back through medicare at all.... there are 2 options for all treatments

[Lullaby]

Hey everyone.. here i am again, starting my OI IUI Journey once again for bubs # 2.
It spins me out reading all my old posts and my journey from TTC via OI IUI for my first pregnancy.

I guess i know alot more abt Westmead Fertility Centre now.

I rang them on Tuesday this week with new advising them of AF on CD1. They booked me in to pick up my meds and pay for the OI IUI today (Friday). So they wait wasnt very long.

Cost me $700 (i chose the no claim option - this is where the cost is discounted already, and you cant claim from Medicare)
$700 included all the blood tests, ultrasounds, Gonal F/ Puregon injections and Pregnyl Trigger

• You Ring Westmead Fertility Centre on the 1st day of your full flow (AF). They will book you in to come the next day usually.
• The day you arrive, you sign a bunch of forms, disclaimers, etc. And pay for your treatmnt (OI-IUI is $700)
• They give you your medications and show you how to inject and give you a timetable of what day you have to inject (everyday)
• On the first visit, they will do a baseline blood test.
• Then they will call you every few days for more blood test to check your Estrogen (sp?) levels.
• You will continue to inject everday until your Estrogen levels indicate that you have a follicle near maturity.
• You will then be booked in for the ultrasound to see the Follicle size etc.
• If the Folli is deemed matured enough, you will be given the Trigger shot.
• Usually the next day you will be inseminated.

Then its the long TWW

Hope this helps