IUI Experiences

[amyintn]

Well, after 3 years of trying, I'm having my first IUI this week if all looks good. I go in on Monday for an u/s and trigger shot and Tuesday is my IUI. Can anyone tell me what to expect? How long does it take, does it hurt, etc...

I have to be there at 2 so they can wash DH's sperm and while that's going on I go in for a 1 hour massage to help relax me. The clinic I'm going to said they've seen an increase in pregnancies from IUIs when the patient has received a massage beforehand. I've never heard of this but it's included so I'm not going to pass up a massage.

I'd appreciate hearing about others' experiences. I'm a little nervous and my DH keeps asking me all of these questions that I can't answer.

Thanks so much!

Amy

[karlatta]

I got pregnant on my first IUI!

It is not bad at all. They insert a speculum (like you are having a PAP), then they thread a catheter through your cervix and deposit the sample in the uterus. The only discomfort I've ever had is right when they actually insert the spermies, and even that's not bad. It just feels like menstrual cramps, and only lasts a minute or two.

Afterwards, my doctor makes me lay down for 15 minutes, then I'm free to go. I generally try to take it kind of easy for the rest of the day, but I still go to work and stuff. I am usually kind of crampy just from having swollen follicles about to ovulate.

I hope it works well for you. Be sure and ask if you have any specific questions - I bet someone out here has the answer!

[Southlooper]

You're getting a massage!!! Lucky... ;)

I got pregnant on my 3rd try. My experience was just like the one karlatta described. It was no more uncomfortable than a annual exam and I felt very mild cramps afterwards.

The nurse let DH push the plunger on the last try. We think that's what did the trick.

[Dasha]

I conceived on my 3rd IUI with injectibles. My experience was also similar to those of Southlooper and Karlatta. I found it very helpful to lie on the table for 10 minutes or so after the insemination, use positive imaging of the egg and sperm uniting and then firmly implanting in my uterus while listening to calm, soothing music on my headphones.
I can easily understand how a massage before hand would increase the success rate. What a wonderful idea. Enjoy.

Best of luck to you.

[Ole Miss Bride]

Same experience here. Chances are, you won't feel the catheter being threaded through your cervix, as your cervix should be open because of pending ovulation. For me, it was even less uncomfortable than a pap, and I didn't experience any cramping.

Good luck! For me, it was such a quick procedure, I was surprised when it was over. I asked my doctor, "Was that it?"

I've done three IUI's and conceived every time. Unfortunately, the first two times ended in m/c, but that was completely unrelated to the IUI and was caused by a genetic abnormality my DH carries. Third time was the sticky one for us. :)

-Betsy

[Scooter]

Our 5th try worked, which was our first cycle with injectibles. Good luck with yours!

There have been some other IUI threads, with people talking about their experiences, if you want to read them. You can always do a search to find more info.

Tell me about IUI... (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=1387)

IUI: How many times? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2414)

[amyintn]

Thanks for all of the replies thus far:) And thanks for posting those links, Scooter.

It seems as most of you have done IUIs with injectibles. Are they much more expensive than Clomid? My RE wanted to try Clomid with me although I had already done 4 Clomid rounds with 2 failed ovulations before I saw him. He thinks my DHEA-sulfate levels were so high (712:eek: ) that the Clomid could never work. Now I'm on Prednisone and my levels are down to 204.

I also have to go back to work on Tuesday. I work at a bank and we're going to be super busy since we're closed on Monday. I guess I should bring some Tylenol just in case. I never ovulate on my own so I really don't know premenstrual cramps feel like.

Thanks!

Amy

[cc8]

We conceived our DD on IUI try #2 (with injectables + trigger). Our 1st IUI, which failed, was combined with 150mg clomid w/o a trigger.

Experience was very similar to those already described. Basically, it was a breeze. I didn't need any Tylenol afterwards and honestly, I *could* have gone to work that day but figured I didn't need to stress from worrying about needing to rush back to the office so I took the entire day off.

[Scooter]

My injectibles cost about $300 for one cycle, and that was my copay. At my previous clinic I was quoted around $600-800 for one cycle of injectibles, which was not covered by insurance & entirely out of pocket. So yes, it's a lot more expensive.

We tried both clomid (3 cycles with timed intercourse and 2 with IUI) and femara/letrozole (2 IUI cycles) before going to the injectibles, partly for the price and partly becuase they're much more complicated to administer than just taking a pill. (My insurance only covered the kind where you have to mix the powder into a liquid shot form by yourself, although there are some pre-mixed ones available.) DH & I also had to take an injections class to learn how to mix the shots and how to give them to me every night.

[jessied1025]

Bumping up...there is a good chance that DH and I will be moving towards IUI's.

[honeygirl]

Us too. RE wants us to start after this cycle.

Did all of you have your DH's at the clinic for their "deposit", or did some of you bring it in yourselves? For SA's I've brought the sample in, and am hoping that it will be the same for IUI. DH isn't as used to all of the visits and procedures, so I don't want him to be uncomfortable.

[silentbunny]

Did all of you have your DH's at the clinic for their "deposit", or did some of you bring it in yourselves? For SA's I've brought the sample in, and am hoping that it will be the same for IUI. DH isn't as used to all of the visits and procedures, so I don't want him to be uncomfortable.

DH went into the clinic 2 hours before I did (or maybe an hour and a half?), and then I went in for my bit.

[pocahontas]

Us too. RE wants us to start after this cycle.

Did all of you have your DH's at the clinic for their "deposit", or did some of you bring it in yourselves? For SA's I've brought the sample in, and am hoping that it will be the same for IUI. DH isn't as used to all of the visits and procedures, so I don't want him to be uncomfortable.MY DH went to the lab and did "the deed" there because unlike SA they want it immediately for washing. So he couldn't do it at home. All I did was tell him what time to be there and they took care of him when he got there in terms of details. I stayed home until it was my time for the IUI appt. (which is typically an hour and a half to 2 hours turn around time.)

[j*east]

Did all of you have your DH's at the clinic for their "deposit", or did some of you bring it in yourselves? For SA's I've brought the sample in, and am hoping that it will be the same for IUI. DH isn't as used to all of the visits and procedures, so I don't want him to be uncomfortable.

DH made his "contribution" at home and then we both took it in. He didn't have to be there, he just came for support. He could have given his sample at the RE office, but he preferred not to.

Here's my experience, cross-posted from my journal. Probably more detail than anyone would ever want. T is my DH.:
On the afternoon of the IUI, T came home and I happened to have the specimen container in my hand b/c I was labeling it. He said, "Let me take my coat off." I honestly wasn't trying to hurry him. I took the dog out while he did his thing. Then we took off in two cars for the RE's office about 30 min away. We got there and signed in. The waiting room was empty and we sat down to wait for about 5 minutes or so, holding T's sample (he had it under his shirt b/c it has to stay at body temperature, or close to it). The receptionist couldn't take it, I guess so they don't get lost or mixed up. The nurse came out to get it and said we had about 20 minutes while she looked at it. I love this nurse. I felt bad b/c I can't remember her name, but she did the PCT and bloodwork (the first time). She is super nice and apologized for our wait.

T went to get a sandwich (hadn't had lunch yet, poor guy) and right on time, 20 minutes later, the nurse came back and said everything looked great. She showed us the washed sample. Cool, cool, cool to see all his guys swimming around! She said after washing his motility (I think--or morphology--I never get this right) was 52% and count was 100 million. They look for 40% and 20 mill, so yahoo! I was happy. She showed me the catheter and had me use the bathroom.

Then I lay down in a room (T came with me) and the Dr. came in. He said I was due to ovulate today due to the bloodwork and u/s (2 days prior) and asked if I had any confirmation. Honestly, it was like a charting/TTC pop quiz! I said yes, I had positive OPK's yesterday and today, my temps were still low, and I still had EWCM. I think I got an A. I was surprised they didn't do an u/s.

Anyway, Dr. P. put in the speculum and seemed to have a little trouble getting a good position. I think my uterus tips down (I've picked this up from eavesdropping), so it's not a straight shot into the cervix. Anyway, he rejected the catheter and asked for a new, stiffer one. ?? That did the trick. The speculum positioning was uncomfortable, but I didn't really feel anything except a little cramping. A few minutes later it was almost like a warming or burning (not that strong) in my uterus and a little more cramping, but really subtle and no big deal.

I lay there for about 15 minutes, talked to the dr. some more, then left.

[Scooter]

Did all of you have your DH's at the clinic for their "deposit", or did some of you bring it in yourselves? For SA's I've brought the sample in, and am hoping that it will be the same for IUI. DH isn't as used to all of the visits and procedures, so I don't want him to be uncomfortable.

We live 1/2hr from our clinic, so they said it was ok for DH to "collect the specimen" at home and then drive it in. It usually was dropped off between 7-8am, and then my IUI was about 2hrs later. On the weekends we'd go together and go out to breakfast in between, but on weekdays he dropped it off there on his way to work.

As far as your DH not being used to the visits, etc, of course that's really up to your own comfort level. I saw it as US needing to go through it, regardless whether or not I was the one on the Dr table or not. Sure he wasn't comfortable with all the ob/gyn/RE stuff, but neither was I at first. And it's good practice for when you're pregnant. ;) I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't be afraid to ask him to be more involved with the RE appts, if emotionally you need him to be.

[jajacobsen]

Yesterday, our RE suggested we try this on my next cycle. IUI with injectibles. Our insurance doesn't cover any of it, so we are paying out of pocket. It is $700 for the injectibles and $3500 for the IUI, office visits, etc. I sure hope this is a lucky time for us, nit just because of, but including, financial reasons.

[honeygirl]

Wow, jajacobson that's high! My IUI's were priced at $968 (not including meds). I fortunately have great insurance so will only pay co-pays.

I'm not sure if you want to shop around, but that does seem like a lot! What did you other ladies pay?

[pocahontas]

Wow, jajacobson that's high! My IUI's were priced at $968 (not including meds). I fortunately have great insurance so will only pay co-pays.

I'm not sure if you want to shop around, but that does seem like a lot! What did you other ladies pay?
The IUI itself at my old RE was cheap 700-800 bucks but since JAJACOBSEN said "office visits, etc" that can start to add up because you figure you usually have 2 u/s during an IUI cycle (CD 3 baseline and then CD11 or 12 to measure follies which probably costs quite a bit since I figure u/s out of pocket aren't cheap!), then at my old RE they had you get a Beta test done 14dpiui which was 80 or 90 bucks (if I used the hospital lab). So I imagine when it's all said and done it could be like 2-3K! :eek: (I have great ins. and co-pays too...so I am only going on what I've heard from out of pocket people who've said it's over $2,000.)

[honeygirl]

Alright, you ladies better come down to AZ if you need more IUI's. Here's what my DR charges for one cycle:

Office Visits - $162
Ultrasounds - $519
Sperm Washing - $103
IUI $184

Total - $968

Medications are outside of the IUI and they estimate the range to be $40-$100 (Clomid).

[jajacobsen]

The costs are in line with what is posted above. It's just that in total, it is a LOT of money.

Office visits for me are charged at an average of $170 per visit. They said I should expect 8-10 visits.

Then the actual IUI, including sperm collection and washing, is $555.

Then add two ultrasounds in at $500 each.

The total of this is an estimated cost of $3500.

Medications are :

Follestin - $600
Ovidrel - $75


Biohazard container for spent syringes - $25

There you have $4200. I

I think that it is easy to not realize how much all this adds up to when insurance pays a good part of it. Our insurance (Blue Choice POS), only paid for the diagnostic parts of our infertility treatments, and that was only at 40%, after a $1000 co-pay was met. Nothing toward remediation.

I talked to DH today at lunch, and he repeated that he thinks we should only try this three times max, due to the cost and the emotional toll of getting our hopes up so much each time. I can't say I disagree.

[honeygirl]

I wonder if I'll have less visits, b/c that is the total cost for office visits (no matter how many they are). The total for me is still just $968 no matter how many ultrasounds or visits. We pay upfront for the cycle, not after.

I can see how at $4k a cycle it would be cost-prohibitive to do too many of these. Many good wishes and blessings that you won't need more than the 1 IUI!

[jajacobsen]

I mean I hate to think of it in terms of "how much will I pay to have a child"? But ultimately, since we are all out of pocket, it comes to be a factor.

I also know that each time I go through it, with the ten+ office visits, I'll really get my hopes up, and feel completely drained if it doesn't work.

So here's hoping for me - and for everyone undergoing IUI, that our next time is out last time.

[j*east]

Yesterday, our RE suggested we try this on my next cycle. IUI with injectibles. Our insurance doesn't cover any of it, so we are paying out of pocket. It is $700 for the injectibles and $3500 for the IUI, office visits, etc. I sure hope this is a lucky time for us, nit just because of, but including, financial reasons.

jajacobsen, I hope this one works for you and you don't have to keep paying for more attempts.

My RE charges $150 for IUI if you pay out of pocket. We did a natural cycle, so no meds, but we will be charged for any u/s our insurance doesn't cover, around $250 each, plus office visits...not sure about those yet.

If anyone is in the Philly burbs and wants his info, PM me...I was shocked at the discount he offered us on IUI. This is probably the most reputable practice in the area--I have no idea why/how they can offer these prices to the uninsured, but I am grateful.

[jajacobsen]

j*east - Thanks! I appreciate your kind thoughts. Pulling fo ryou and everyone else here on this thread.

If my cycle starts as normal, I should be done with IUI just before we leave for a week vacation in Florida. Nothing fancy - we've rented a small cottage on Amelia Island and plan to have a quiet week of beach walking, early nights, and playing with the dogs on the beach. It will be great after ten days of daily RE visits, especilly as I can't let work know, so I'll be stressed about that.

But since I had an endometrial bioopsy yesterday, it MAY throw my cycle off. Which may delay IUI. Which may mean it will run over into the week we have booked at the beach. Which is currently non-refundable, so we don't want to skip it.

The RE's office said, well you can always do just one insemination (they do two on back to back days). I was like "hell no!. The beach house was $800 for a week (off season). This is $4200. Which one do you think I would sacrifice? " Further, I can go to the beach anytime. My chances for conception, at 40.5 years old, are quickly slipping away. I'm not missing this cycle.

[j*east]

jajacobsen, that vacation sounds so nice! I really hope your cycle isn't thrown off and you still get to go. :)

[pocahontas]

Office visits for me are charged at an average of $170 per visit. They said I should expect 8-10 visits.

Medications are :

Follestin - $600
Ovidrel - $75
Gee whiz...that's a lot of office visits. :eek: Hopefully, you won't need that many. I am doing the same exact thing you are next cycle (Follistim and Ovidrel) and I am only going to have 2 office visits. I sure hope you don't need that many so you can save several hundred dollars!


The RE's office said, well you can always do just one insemination (they do two on back to back days). I was like "hell no!. The beach house was $800 for a week (off season). This is $4200. Which one do you think I would sacrifice? " Further, I can go to the beach anytime. My chances for conception, at 40.5 years old, are quickly slipping away. I'm not missing this cycle.I completely understand this whole sentiment! Nothing but good wishes to you!

Alright, you ladies better come down to AZ if you need more IUI's. Here's what my DR charges for one cycle:

Office Visits - $162
Ultrasounds - $519
Sperm Washing - $103
IUI $184

Total - $968

Medications are outside of the IUI and they estimate the range to be $40-$100 (Clomid).
HONEYGIRL, you have officially sold me on your state! LOL (Haven't been there in 3 years though...guess I should come back for a visit soon since my sister lives there.) :D

[jajacobsen]

Well I go in for an "educational" appointment tomorow, so hopefully I can get more info.


Pocahontas - Thanks
Honeygitl I've always wanted to go to AZ; Hopefully we'll have luck this go round. But if not, you never know what these costs may drive us to do.

[Kelly's Girl]

My RE says that my estrogen is too high (1889) and combined with the large # of mature follicles, it is too risky to do the IUI and he is cancelling this cycle. I am crushed.

Has anyone ever gone ahead with the HCG shot to induce O, and BD'ed their hearts out anyway? I want to get pg and hate the thought of wasting this cycle- it has been long, arduous, and expensive, and I just.don't.want to do it again next month.

The nurse said I'd probably O on my own, but I have no idea when b/c I never have a natural cycle. What would you do? Just BD and wing it? Take the HCG shot and time BD? Or wear a condom, prevent pg, and go back to the RE on CD1 (which is what they told me to do)?

Please help, I am so torn.

[jajacobsen]

Why did they tell you to wear a condom? I guess I am being clueless here but is there some health risk to you if you became pregnant (which is your goal)?

I would not self-administer HCG without doctor's instructions, but I would use OPKs and BD in teh magic window unless I knew there was a edical reason (for me or the baby) to NOT do so.

[pocahontas]

Kelly...I also hope you've seen our answers for you over in SAI. If not, check it out.

[Patience]

jajacobsen I just read your post from last week regarding the costs for your IUI cycle. If your insurance isn't paying for any part of your medication, I would suggest you shop around for cheaper pricing. I had ordered Ovidrel from Freedom Fertility Pharmacy twice and only paid $44.25. Here's a list of the medication they carry:

Gonal-f RFF Pen 300 IU ..................$199.00
Gonal-f RFF Pen 450 IU ..................$298.50
Gonal-f RFF Pen 900 IU ..................$597.00
Gonal-f RFF 75 IU ........................ ....$49.75
Gonal-f Multi-Dose 450 IU ...............$298.50
Luveris 75 IU Vial ..............................$22.41
Cetrotide 0.25 MG .............................$71.89
Cetrotide 3MG ...................................$359.00
Ovidrel Prefilled Syringe 250 mcg ...$44.25
Crinone 8% (per box of 18) . ............$189.00
Repronex 75 IU ..................................$54.99
Menopur 75 IU ....................................$54.99
HCG .................................................. ...$33.90
Lupron 14-day kit (generic) ...............$199.00

They ship their meds via FedEx overnight. I haven't had any problems with them so far.

Kelly's Girl I'm so sorry this cycle is so messed up. I hope you can still salvage this cycle somehow. Take care.

[jajacobsen]

Patience, thanks for the info. Unfortunately, I'm on CD1, so my meds have been orederd. They were Follistim AQ 900 &594 and Ovidrel 250 MCG $67.00. The RE gave me a choice of two pharmacies to use an dtehy were within $25 of each other in total cost.

It's not so much the drugs that make this expensive - it's just all the office visit charges that add up. We'll see. Maybe they were estimating high. I had "training" on the injection procedures on Friday and I know they normally charge for that but they comped me. Probably they do small favors like that for non-insurance people when no actual procedures are administered.

So, it is looking like we will be doing the IUI next week! I'm excited but also nervous. Not of teh procedure, but of getting my hopes up.

[Kelly's Girl]

Why did they tell you to wear a condom? I guess I am being clueless here but is there some health risk to you if you became pregnant (which is your goal)?
No, Jajacobsen,they were thinking I could O on my own and release multiple eggs, so to wear a condom in order to prevent multiples. No medical risk, but thank you for your concern in that regard.

Kelly...I also hope you've seen our answers for you over in SAI. If not, check it out. Poca, I am on it, and I appreciate your covering my bases.

Thank you, Patience. It's just been a long, cruddy cycle that now they're cancelling.

It just wasn't this hard the first time!

[pocahontas]

So, it is looking like we will be doing the IUI next week! I'm excited but also nervous. Not of teh procedure, but of getting my hopes up.We'll we're in this together...next week is my week also. :rolleyes: Here's to positive thoughts! :)

[jajacobsen]

I'm on Day 6 of my cycle, and have been injecting Follestim since Day 3. The injections are no big deal, especially since I make DH give them to me. My dosage is 200mg/day.

So far. my ultrasounds show 6 follicles growing, 3 in each ovary. They are still quite small. So I do another dosage of Follestim tonight. My bloodwork shows my estrogeb levels to be good.

Truthfully, the hardest part is going to the RE every day. That is the hardest part right now. After the IUi, it wil be waiting to see if it works.

Pocahontas, how are you doing?

[pocahontas]

I'm on Day 6 of my cycle, and have been injecting Follestim since Day 3. The injections are no big deal, especially since I make DH give them to me. My dosage is 200mg/day.

So far. my ultrasounds show 6 follicles growing, 3 in each ovary. They are still quite small. So I do another dosage of Follestim tonight. My bloodwork shows my estrogeb levels to be good.

Truthfully, the hardest part is going to the RE every day. That is the hardest part right now. After the IUi, it wil be waiting to see if it works.

Pocahontas, how are you doing?Hangin' in there with 8 follies as of u/s today! :D I'm just 5 days head of ya (CD 11 today). Thankfully I'm done with Follistim as of last night...so I'm just in countdown mode. (BTW...lemme be the first to invite you if no one else had to the 35+ TTC thread in Family Planning. I think you'll enjoy the support. There are a few of us in a similar mode right now.) Good luck! :)

[jajacobsen]

Hi everyone? Just a question. Do all REs require patients undergoing IUI to go in for a viasit evryday, once they start Follestim? Every day I go in for ultrasound and bloodwork. They get my lab results back that afternoon and base dupon that and my ultrasound, adjust (or keep the same) my dosage of Follestim that night. We even go in on the weekends.

Not that I mind (well its a royal PIA as it adds 1.5 hours to my morning commute but a worth it PIA), but I was just curious. I'm wondering if that is why the estimated cost I got of $4k was higher than many others. Or maybe I'm just in a pricey area. At least that's what the lawn guy says when he charges me. Sigh...

[mcgwigan]

I'm new and have only taken Clomid, so I only had to go starting on CD 13 (which was Tuesday) and then had to go back on CD15 and will have IUI done on CD17. I think with the injectibles they can change the dosage if your body isn't responding right. We can all just hope that the repeat office visits don't go on for too long!

[Scooter]

jajacobsen, no, I did not have to go in daily. I just went back and looked at my chart for that month. Here are my notes
cd3 baseline u/s
cd5 started the FSH injections
cd9 u/s: 1 on L @ 15mm 1 on R @ ~10mm
cd10 u/s L one= 15.7 R one =14
cd12 HCG in the evening
cd14 IUI in the morning
If you're going in for daily visits, that must be why you have to pay so much money. I don't think you being in an expensive area is the reason, because I'm the Bay Area & your RE's prices still seem high to me.

mcgwigan, welcome to the boards. :)

[jajacobsen]

Scooter - Thanks for the information. The daily visits costs include the daily ultrasound. For example, today I paid $271. $31 was for the office visit. $150 was for the ultrasound. $90 was for the labwork. I know the price of that is high but that is because they do same day turnaround.


I don't think the costs are that high in light of the daily visits.

Ten office visits = $310
Ten ultrasounds = $1500 ( I was mistaken before when I posted $500 each)
Ten lab tests - = $900
IUI = $555
Follestim $594
Ovidril $67
Progesterone $47

Which comes to $3,973. So I think the $4200 estimate had some buffer in it. Still, it ain't cheap. I'm hoping this clinic (Southeastern Fertility Institute) does it this way, in seeing you every day and reviewing your bloodwork and U/s daily in order to increase the odds. I hope. I realize that's a big hope.

MCGwigan: welcome!

[mcgwigan]

Wow! Some of you have to pay a lot for this! Move to NY (really, don't, the taxes aren't worth it). My health insurance covers 12 IUIs, they consider them infertility diagnosis. If we move on to IVF, that wouldn't be covered though.

[pocahontas]

jajacobsen, no, I did not have to go in daily. I just went back and looked at my chart for that month. Here are my notes
cd3 baseline u/s
cd5 started the FSH injections
cd9 u/s: 1 on L @ 15mm 1 on R @ ~10mm
cd10 u/s L one= 15.7 R one =14
cd12 HCG in the evening
cd14 IUI in the morning
If you're going in for daily visits, that must be why you have to pay so much money. I don't think you being in an expensive area is the reason, because I'm the Bay Area & your RE's prices still seem high to me.

mcgwigan, welcome to the boards. :)Ditto Scooter (almost). As I think I mentioned before, I had one u/s with some b/w on CD3 to get baseline data then started on Clomid (I did the Clomid and injectibles in conjunction...so I don't know if it differs for str8 injectibles w/o Clomid). Clomid was done CD 3-7 and the first shot was on CD 7, then another on CD 9 but neither day did I go in to the office. They didn't have me come back until CD 11 for another u/s. I triggered that night and IUI was CD 13. That was it. Two u/s and sets of b/w total.

[jajacobsen]

It seems like if you are on Clomid, you don't go back daily. Interesting. I'm just curious as to all the different protocols.

MCG: Yes, this not being covered by health insurance bites. Our insurance covers all the diagnostic tests done at the beginning, but nothing toward infertility remediation. So it's all outof pocket. Yuck!

[Patience]

jajacobsen I did all injectibles with IUI this cycle. I went in for 4 monitoring visits (u/s & b/w) at CD 3, 6, 9, 10. I responded quickly to the medication (Repronex), so I didn't have as many monitoring visits. I guess it depends on the patient and how cautious the RE is.

[jajacobsen]

Patience - Thanks for the info. I am just learning, as this is my first cycle. Possibly I won't have to repeat every day with future cycles (if there are any).

[Patience]

jajacobsen This was my first injectible + IUI cycle, so I'm new to this also. I was warned by my former SAI buddy, jodylovesscotty, that I might have to have daily visits because the RE cannot predict how each patient will react to the medication. As my RE said, the amount of medication is based on an educated guess (he's been doing this for 25 years, so he definitely has experience). Hopefully this cycle will be it for you and you won't have to think about future cycles. :)

[jessied1025]

Wow, by reading you costs of IUI's, I must have misunderstood what my RE said the cost would be. She & her husband own the private clinic that we are going to. She indicated that I would have one ultrasound on CD11 - $150 and the IUI - $350 (which I thought she indicated included the washing of the seman). We would pay for the clomid, estrace and ovidril on our own, which would probably be another $150-200. So in total about $700. I will have to check with DH when I get home.

We are still hoping that we get lucky this current cycle, but if we don't it is onto an IUI.

[jajacobsen]

Patience - I think REs just use their judgement in monitoring. My guy must be taking a very conservative approach with me, possibly due to my age or other issues. If it works, I'll be really happy! Hopefully yours will work as well!

Jessied1025, The costs you quoted sound somewhat right, especially if you will only have ultrasound, but they don't include lab fees for bloodwork. It seems that the patients who take Clomid don't go in quite as often as thos e using injectibles. Also, you will be taking Clomid, which I believe is less expensive than Follestim. You are correct that the cost of the IUI includes the sperm washing.

[jessied1025]

jajacobsen Thanks for the clarification!

[jajacobsen]

jajacobsen Thanks for the clarification!

Well I am no means an authority. Possibly some of the other ladies on Clomid could better tell you what to expect. Good luck!

[Patience]

jessied1025 The prices you got from your clinic is in-line with what I paid for my Clomid+IUI cycles. My IUI was a little higher at $385 (includes semen wash). I think I spent an average of $20 on Clomid each cycle (from Costco) and $45 for Ovidrel (from Freedom Pharmacy). Didn't do Estrace though. So, two u/s (CD 3 & CD 12), IUI, and medications totaled about $750. Last year I didn't have insurance coverage for IF treatment, so it was all out-of-pocket for me.

[Scooter]

It seems like if you are on Clomid, you don't go back daily. Interesting. I'm just curious as to all the different protocols.I just wanted to make sure my post was clear--I wasn't on clomid, I was on FSH like you, but didn't have daily monitoring.

She indicated that I would have one ultrasound on CD11 - $150 and the IUI - $350 (which I thought she indicated included the washing of the seman). We would pay for the clomid, estrace and ovidril on our own, which would probably be another $150-200. So in total about $700. I will have to check with DH when I get home.
That doesn't sound wrong to me for u/s & IUI pricing. That sounds about average. Make sure you look into Costco (if there's one in your area) for the clomid & hCG because you should be able to get it for a LOT cheaper.

Here's a thread that might be useful:
Costs of various infertility treatments (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9660)

[jajacobsen]

I just wanted to make sure my post was clear--I wasn't on clomid, I was on FSH like you, but didn't have daily monitoring.





I did understand. It just seem slike Clomid users have even less visits, which makes sense because their medication isn't variable.

[Scooter]

I did understand. It just seem slike Clomid users have even less visits, which makes sense because their medication isn't variable.

Gotcha. ;) When I was on clomid, I would do the cd3 baseline and then have a follie check somewhere around cd12 or 13. If necessary I'd come back for another one the next day or two, but usually based on where I was they were able to tell when I should either trigger or come for the IUI. As it turned out with the injectables, I ended up with the same number of u/s visits as with clomid, but it was my 8th medication cycle so maybe they were just able to predict my response better? It was our last IUI cycle so I was also trying to save money wherever we could to start IVF the next cycle.

[jajacobsen]

Well my estrogen doubled as per my bloodwork on Sunday, so the RE ordered me to trigger last night and round 1 of IUI today. Round 2 tomorrow. Please everyone, channel "implantation" thoughts my way!

[pocahontas]

*fingers crossed, sticky vibes* :D

[Patience]

jajacobsen Sending implantation vibes your way. Good luck!!

[jajacobsen]

Round 2 went well on Tuesday. DH's sperm count doubles, to almost 10 million, which was great (he's been low which is "part" of our problem). I start Progesterone 2x day on Friday and we're in the two week wait.

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts!

[honeygirl]

Good luck jajacobsen!

[jajacobsen]

Well ladies, I am sad to report that teh IUI was unsucessful last month. I got my period today. I go in for US and BW tomorrow to do another round. I ordered more injetcibles today as well.

I am so disappointed.

And I know I shouldn't focus on the money aspect of it all, but paying another $4k out next month just seems like a cruel kick in the pants.

[OCNative]

I'm sorry that the IUI was unsuccessful for you. :(

I'm new to CC.
I will be starting the injectables soon hopefully, and noticed your posts. This process is so complicated. I'm nervous about the drugs. I will be injecting Follestim 200iu. The drugs are not covered by my insurance. They gave me the names of two pharmacies to compare costs. And now after reading your posts, it reminds me that I have not asked about the cost of the IUI.
Anyway, I wish you luck with your next IUI.

[jajacobsen]

OC native:

It sounds like our processes are similar. Like you, my doc gave me two mail order pharmacies to compare costs. They were within $12 of each other.

Your major costs will be you daily bloodwork and ultrasound. My RE monitors me daily during the ten day cycle, but not all do. So you should ask how much each of these items will be, how often they will be performed and if they are covered by insurance.

Then there is the actual IUI. Is it a one or two day procedure? How much each day? And will that be covered by insurance.

Good luck! The injections are really not that hard!

[jessied1025]

jajacobsen I am so sorry that the IUI was unsuccessful. :( Good luck with this next treatment!

Thanks to everyone for their imput regarding the costs. Tomorrow is my 1st IUI and the average cost of this IUI (w/clomid, estrace & trigger) was about $700.

[jessied1025]

We did our 1st IUI this morning and it went well and was painless. I did have some crampy afterwards. I have been spotting since the procedure...has anyelse expereience spotting afterwards?

[jajacobsen]

Spotting is normal.

[OCNative]

Thanks for responding. I ordered my injectables today.
You remind me that I need to look into what my insurance covers for all the various doc visits and the IUI of course.

[jajacobsen]

This past weekend, we had our IUI procedure, as well as a small dinner party on Sat night and a bridal shower for 25 ladies on Sunday. The shower and the dinner party had had been scheduled for weeks ahead of time, and while I wasn't thrilled to host both of them the same weekend, it was the only time that worked out for all parties. So I felt with proper prep the week before, I could do it.

These two events were also scheduled before we knew anything about our IUI timing. Since I was monitored daily (injectibles), it made my week harder as I had to stay late at work to make up teh time missed. So much for leaving on time in order to have evenings free to prep for the upcoming events.

I was triggerd per RE's instructions on Friday night, a day earlier than expected, which meant DH and I had to go do the procedure Sat and Sunday. On Saturday, all went well..

On Sunday, things did not go so well. First, our atomic clock which is supposed to automatically reset for time changes did not. DH did not notice, and I did not get up super early because I had been up so late baking mini muffins for the shower the next day. DH's appt was at 8 am, which meant he would have had to leave at 7.15 because the clinic is 45 min away. I got up at what I thought at 7.15 to discover it was really 8.15. DH was still clueless as to messed up time. So he left in a rush, an hour late. He was still in quite a bit of pain from being hit (leg in brace and on crutches due to an accident he had on Monday of that week)) and had taken some painkillers the night before.

I also had a houseguest for the two events, my sister, who was in town. She and I were on our way to walk all three of our dogs, which is key to having them behave well later in the day with guests. We are all actually in the car, on our way to the lake when I get a call from DH. I was expecting him to say something like, made it a little late, no problem, I'm on my way home. Instead he said:

" I can't." I'm like, What do you mean you can't? He said, I've been trying for like an hour and I can't. I just can't. Maybe teh painkillers and muscle relaxers are impeding me. He sounded so upset. So here I am, with my very Catholic sister whose faith does not believe in IUI, and to whom my husband has requested I NOT tell about the procedure due to our marital privacy. The clock is ticking and the clinic will close at 12 noon, and the whole procedure takes about 3 hours. It is now about 9.15.

I pull over and say, "D, I lied to you. As you know DH and I are trying to have a baby. It wasn't happening for us. So we are doing IUI. I will explain more about that later, but that is where DH is right now. Unfortunately, he is having some trouble, so I need to go help him. We need to go back to the house, and i need to take your car and meet him and you need to take my RAV4 and drive back to the lakes and walk the dogs. I will be back as soon as I can." I could tell she had like 10,000 objections but could tell from my forcefullness that she had no choice.

I arrived at the clinic to find a very sad and upset DH in the foyer. What did they say? Will they let me help you? Do we need to get a hotel room? He hadn't asked those questions. All those fertility hormones kicked in and I was a woman on a conception mission (mind you I am in grubby, dog walking boots, jacket and clothes, no makeup and bed hair - lovely).

Fortunately, the nurse was very nice, older and motherly. My providing some encouragement would be fine. They also would stay latete to accomodate us, as we were now well past 10 am. 22 minutes later, the deed was done and DH's sperm was on its way to get prettied up for its big date.

I drove home, fried up bacon for the salad, cleaned the family room and set up the demonstration table, and then turned around and drove back to the clinic. I was now the last patient of the day. I walked out of the clinic at 12.50 and arrived home at 1.35. The shower started at 3pm. Stress!

We are now in the two week ait. I go in on Friday to have my progesterone level checked and I am taking progesterone supplements. Wish us luck!

[pocahontas]

JAJAC! :eek: I wish I had known this story when I visited and posted in your journal last night because I thought I had it bad! OMG! If you were in the SAI thread you'd have read MY crazy a$$ IUI story from this cycle (although you have me beat hands down) but the amusing similarity is that one aspect did involve messed up appointment times! :D If you get a chance to pop in you will have to go and find my post about it. Hilarious! With all that we've been through I sure hope we're knocked up! LOL! :p

[jajacobsen]

OMG poca - that would make me sooo upset. I'm glad it seemd to work out. Have you had your progesterone level checked as an indicator of whether ovulation did indeed occur? That shoudl be sometime this week for you?

Too many similarities in our procedures. Unfortunately we cannot do drop off because we live too far away, 45 min good traffic, any delays and it coul d stretch to an hour. We ended up being sooo off schedule, between being an hour late and then having some difficulties. My IUI was also done by my REs partner. Fortunately they wer ereally nice and waited on us. When I arrived back at 12 noon, clearly I was the last one. The doctor, nurse and book keeper were just waiting for me. I felt so bad but they were really nice about it. They felt badly for DH, who was battered and bruised and on crutches. So that gained us sympathy.

We had a similar thing witth our injectiosn this cycle, but not as bad as yours with the ovidrel. Last Thursday, I was up against a deadline at work and was no where near meeting it. I had missed a lot of time from work that week due to RE appts (daily monitoring) and the fact that DH was injured on a job site and was taken to the hospital. So I knew I would have to pull an all-nighter to get the numbers (I'm an accountant) to the parent co by Friday morning.

DH came to the office at 9.30pm Thurs evening to give me the follestim. Except he only brought the pen with the vial loaded in it. Which was near the end. My dosage was 125 and there was only 75 in the pen!!!!! DH never thought to bring the extra vial. So we did 75 and then at 1.30 am I had got enough done that I could send numbers to the parent co (just not the pretty reports) and so I said screw it and went home. So I injected the other 50 at about 2 am. I was so worried! But my ultrasound showed follicle growth.

I tell you, DH and I will laugh about this...someday. Especially if this is the magic cycle for us.

DH had a really hard week, what with the worksite injury on Monday, and the penile cathether that they attached to him while he was in the hospital. Those things are painful! Between that and all the painkillers he was on, no wonder his guy did not want to come out and play!

If this cycle is NOT successful, we move to one round of IVF and then we're back to OPKs and timed intercourse. And after this year, if no success, we'll close the chapter on conception and move on. I'll be almost 42 by then.

Of interest to all:

I read recently that the national average of true cost of IUI with injectibles is between $5-6000. Which makes me feel not so bad about my $4000 cost. Most of the time, the cost to the patient is masked by insurance coverage. I just happen to live in a backwards state that does nto require insurance coverage for fertility treatments. Hiss boo!

god luck to all!

[pocahontas]

I tell you, DH and I will laugh about this...someday. Especially if this is the magic cycle for us.

DH had a really hard week, what with the worksite injury on Monday, and the penile cathether that they attached to him while he was in the hospital. Those things are painful! Between that and all the painkillers he was on, no wonder his guy did not want to come out and play!

If this cycle is NOT successful, we move to one round of IVF and then we're back to OPKs and timed intercourse. And after this year, if no success, we'll close the chapter on conception and move on. I'll be almost 42 by then.

Of interest to all:

I read recently that the national average of true cost of IUI with injectibles is between $5-6000. Which makes me feel not so bad about my $4000 cost. Most of the time, the cost to the patient is masked by insurance coverage. I just happen to live in a backwards state that does nto require insurance coverage for fertility treatments. Hiss boo!

god luck to all!Yes, I hope we both get to laugh with our DH's about all this in another week or so. And to answer your question...no they don't do any intermediate progesterone checks at my clinic. Just come back for your Beta 14dpiui and that's all she wrote!

Oh your poor DH (and his guy :o ) I would have had sympathy for a poor fellow on crutches too! Geez, what a man you have...after going through all that definitely a keeper! :D (And I know what you mean about giving up on IUI if this isn't the magic one...I am waiting on my ins to give me the verdict on IVF coverage as we speak. :rolleyes: )

YUCK about Georgia's laws! :(

[jajacobsen]

Well, we're not laughing. I got my period on Sunday so no luck for us.

Duw to my age (almost 41) our RE wants us to move to IVF. Except that is about $14k and we just don't have it, and I'm snowed at work and have a yet to be scheduled trip to Belgium for work an dreally can't miss part of each work day for 10-12 days next month, which would be required for IVF. So we will wait till June and do IVF. One round. Then that's it for us.

Good luck to everyone else.

[pocahontas]

Sorry, girl...I had my fingers crossed for ya. :(

[jajacobsen]

Poca - thanks. I'm better about it now. I had houseguests fo rteh weekend when AF came,. Not sure if that helped or hurt becaiue I sure didn't feel likle being teh hostest with the mostest - I just felt like crawling into bed ad watching old movies all day. But since that was not an option (realitve sover from the UK, scheduled activities), it kep me very busy and not mopey.

Dare I ask (feel free to ignore) how about you?

[jessied1025]

jajacobsen I am so sorry that the IUI didn't work.

me We had our 2nd IUI on Friday. Earlier in the week I had a SHG in which they did find some polyps. I am currently waiting for my ob to give me a call back to see if we can schedule a hysteroscopy for my next cycle.

[pocahontas]

Poca - thanks. I'm better about it now. I had houseguests fo rteh weekend when AF came,. Not sure if that helped or hurt becaiue I sure didn't feel likle being teh hostest with the mostest - I just felt like crawling into bed ad watching old movies all day. But since that was not an option (realitve sover from the UK, scheduled activities), it kep me very busy and not mopey.

Dare I ask (feel free to ignore) how about you?No, I'd never ignore ya! ;) I will come by your journal and tell ya all about it. :)

[taffers]

Did any of you experience spotting (really early, like 3 or 4dpiui) from all the hormones? I read that stopping or starting hormones can cause you to spot. :confused:

[jajacobsen]

I didn't. But my RE said that spotting may happen. It just didn't with me. But then, conception didn't happen either, so since I didn't get pregnant, my experience may not be the best reference.

[taffers]

I didn't. But my RE said that spotting may happen. It just didn't with me. But then, conception didn't happen either, so since I didn't get pregnant, my experience may not be the best reference.

Thanks...I figured it was related to going off the hormones, and if your RE specifically said that, I'm sure that's a logical explanation. My RE didn't mention that, and I was going to call, but I don't like to call for such minor things.

[jessied1025]

Update - we had our 3rd IUI today. It went well and DH's counts were fantastic.

I had a little bit of spotting when I went to the bathroom a little while ago, which happened the last 2 times as well. (TMI) I did have a clump of stuff come out as well, but the RE did incdicate that was possible but not to worry because the sperm had already left the semen!

Keeping my fingers crossed that the 3rd time is the charm!

[jajacobsen]

Keeping my fingers crossed that the 3rd time is the charm!


Keeoing my fingers crossed for you. I really hope this time it works for you!

[sea74]

I'm wondering how long after the trigger shot was everyone's IUIs scheduled? I have to double check w/the RE but I thought he said that we'd trigger in the evening and then I'd go in about 9:00-10:00 am for IUI and we'd do 2 IUIs two days in a row. However, I read this on a Web site and now I'm worried about our timing being too soon. I'm so stressed :(
Q: When is the best timing for an IUI?

A: Ideally an IUI should be performed within 6 hours either side of ovulation — for male factor infertility some doctors believe after ovulation is better, otherwise chances of success are higher with insemination before ovulation with the sperm waiting for the egg. When timing is based on an hCG injection, the IUIs are usually done between 24 and 48 hours later. Typical timing would be to have a single IUI at about 36 hours post-hCG, though some do it at 24 hours, and some clinics are reporting better results when doing the IUI at 40-42 hours post-hCG. If two IUIs are scheduled, they are usually spaced at least 12 hours apart between 24 and 48 hours after the hCG. Some reports show no increase in success rates with two IUIs, but others suggest it may increase success as much as 6 percent.

Some doctors will base timing of IUI on a natural LH surge. In that case, a single IUI at 36 hours is the norm, but doing them at 24 hours is also pretty common since ovulation may be a bit earlier. When two inseminations are planned, they are usually timed between 12 and 48 hours after the surge is detected.

The egg is only viable for a maximum of 24 hours after it is released.

[Jess71903]

sea- I am pretty sure mine was about 36 hours post-trigger...So we triggered one night and went in 2 mornings later, not the next morning. My dr. still did an u/s to see whether or not I had O'd yet, and when I went in, she said it looked like I had just O'd. Just call your dr. and double-check. It may be that he wants to do it like that to be sure you have sperm there waiting on the egg, then some more closer to O time.

[sea74]

Thanks, Jess. I'm going to have to call them. Maybe I have my times wrong. Everything I've been reading suggests that "washed" sperm only lives about 6-10 hours. I just want to "Get it right" on the first try. I can't take much more of this.

Thank you!

[pocahontas]

sea- I am pretty sure mine was about 36 hours post-trigger...So we triggered one night and went in 2 mornings later, not the next morning. My dr. still did an u/s to see whether or not I had O'd yet, and when I went in, she said it looked like I had just O'd. Just call your dr. and double-check. It may be that he wants to do it like that to be sure you have sperm there waiting on the egg, then some more closer to O time.
I did 2 out of my 4 IUIs with a trigger shot and both times it was 36 hours like Jess said.

[mcgwigan]

Sea We always did thee trigger shot at night after 9:00 and then the IUI was 2 mornings later (just one). I've read quite a few things that have said there is no greater success for two IUIs over just one. We had male factor and always just did one. Oh- They always told us to BD the night of the trigger and then abstain until IUI. On our successful cycle we had BD ever other day up to trigger & then BD the morning of trigger. I never had an ultrasound done when I went in for IUI.

[sea74]

Poca and mcgwigan: THANK YOU both for your experiences! It really helps to hear what other people did.

We always did thee trigger shot at night after 9:00 and then the IUI was 2 mornings later (just one). I've read quite a few things that have said there is no greater success for two IUIs over just one. This sounds like what our RE said, Trigger at 9:00 and then come in the next two days.

I've read quite a few things that have said there is no greater success for two IUIs over just one. I've read this too. However all of your IUI stuff is out of pocket and will run about $3,500. The IUI itself I think it $150 so for that small (comparatively) amount I think we'll do both days. Knowing how I am, if we don't get PG on that IUI I'll ALWAYS wonder if we would have if we did both days :rolleyes:

If there's anyone else, I'd love to hear about it :)