Its not cheap!

You may be curious to just how much it costs. I thought I would break it down as much as I could.

The costs of course vary for different clinics, but I would imagine that they would be similar- at least throughout Canada.

Although, the cost are ridiculously expensive, because we are doing a frozen donor egg cycle, it is significantly less expensive then a fresh donor cycle. (It is also the only option that we have.)

Registration Fee-                                    $825.00   

Vitrified Egg Donor IVF Cycle-            $5750.00
Donor Eggs                                            $11000.00 (US Dollars)
Shipping of Eggs                                   $1030.00
Mock Cycle                                           $250.00 (didn't need to do this)
Drug Costs                                             $500.00 to $2400.00
Embryo Cryopreservation                      $925.00
Thawing & Replacing frozen embryos  $1280.0

Who ever said having a baby isn't cheap wasn't exaggerating! But it will be worth it!

At this time I don't know the exact costs as I'm not sure how much the drugs are going to cost me. I am really fortunate to have really good coverage through my work.

*All the prices are in Canadian dollars except of course the donor eggs which is American dollars.

And it's begun

Well I've officially started this new round! Although I had the blood work and ultrasound done yesterday it wasn't until I took my shots this evening that it felt real.

One of my good friends was asking me if they have changed my procedure this time around and the short answer is no.

I have already been put onto the largest dose they give, but this will be the first time that I have tried while taking DHEA and Coq10.

So here is exactly what I am taking every day...

At breakfast: 1 low dose Aspirin,  25 mg DHEA, 100mg Ubiquinol (CoQ10)

At lunch: 25 mg DHEA, 100 mg Ubiquinol (CoQ10), 1 prenatal vitamin

At 4:25: 1 injection of 450 IU Gonal f, 1 injection of 150 IU Menopur 

At supper: 25 mg DHEA, 100 mg Ubiquinol (CoQ10)

I do this each day until Monday morning at which time I will go in for more blood work and another ultrasound. Depending on what's happening they will either get me to continue or perhaps adjust my meds. 

Fingers crossed I have lots of follicles this time so we can switch over to IVF!

I've been asked how many shots I have to take... and to be honest I have no idea so I've decided to start a running tally.

Day 1- Shots- 2

Cautiously Optimistic

Finally we got some good news!

Just when it looked like there was no hope for this cycle... I went in for my ultrasound this morning and found out that two of my follicles have grown big enough to be triggered!

Because there are only two eggs, our doctor told us that the odds of us conceiving are now the same whether we do IVF or IUI. Once we heard that we decided to go ahead with the IUI. (Since Chris has been working in Edmonton this was the first ultrasound he was able to come to.)

Part of the reason IVF has better results has to do with the larger number of egg follicles that are retrieved. Since I only have two the odds would be the same.

I have so many mixed emotions rights now: complete and utter joy, nervousness, fear, but most importantly hope!

After my appointment on Thursday I didn't think that this cycle even had a chance of succeeding. Now at least we have hope. The odds still aren't the best, but for right now there is a chance.

How Did This Happen?  Well on Friday when my follicles hadn't grown very much they switched one of my injections from Luveris to Menopur.

I also read online that full fat organic dairy, lots of protein, and a hot water bottle can help to make follicles grow. Now I'm sure it was probably the Menopur, however, for the past two days, even though it has been 30ºC, I have been using a hot water bottle and have drank almost 2 litres of organic homogenized milk.

Tonight I will give myself two trigger shots.  Then on Tuesday morning Chris will go in at 7:30 to give his donation, and at 10:30 I will go in and they will insert his sperm into my uterus.

*I am asking anyone who reads this to please say a prayer for us and keep your fingers crossed!

Life on Hold

For the past two years I feel as though I have been living my life on hold. I have been afraid to make long term plans, have too many drinks, or even make what should be simple decisions... just in case!

My biggest regret was when I missed a family holiday, my nephews' first trip to Walt Disney World, because I was afraid (hoping) that I would be pregnant.

I have recently decided that I will no longer live my life like this!

One of the major inconveniences about taking injections for fertility is that I have to take four a day, and they always have to be at the same time.

My schedule looks like this:

7:30 a.m.- Suprefact shot
7:45 a.m.- medications and vitamins
12:00 p.m.- prenatal vitamin (can't be taken with other 'medications')
5:00 p.m.- Gonal F and Luveris Shots
6:00 p.m.- more vitamins
7:30 p.m.- Suprefact shot

* for a week I was also taking an antibiotic twice a day that needed to be taken with a meal, but couldn't be taken within an hour of dairy.

At times this schedule seemed overwhelming, as though I was living my life around these different medications.

I am proud to say that I have not let this stop me from having dinner with family, going to my pottery class, celebrate father's day, or go out to dinner with friends.

At first I was really nervous about leaving the sanctity of my washroom (where I have everything spread out on our countertop!)

But I did - I have taken my shots in other people's homes and yes even in PUBLIC WASHROOMS!

Some Advice: If you ever have to give yourself an injection in a public washroom try to find the stall that has a baby's changing table. It gives you a lot more space and allows you to spread everything out on top of it. It's also a good idea to bring an extra alcohol swab.

Money, Money, Money Isn’t Funny… when you're doing IVF!

Ok, I know that I shouldn’t complain about the cost of IVF when no one forced us into it.

And yes, I understand that women in the U.S. and in other parts of the world pay significantly more than we pay here in Canada.

And of course, I also realize that I am extremely lucky to have amazing drug coverage from my work- 80% for almost all the drugs!

But, can I still say OUCH! It is not cheap!

Here is a break-down of what we have paid so far… not including the three previous rounds of Clomid, prenatal vitamins, low dose ASA, or our uncompleted IUI.

The nonrefundable IVF Registration fee                                           $310

The Basic cost of IVF treatment                                                     $6300.00

IVFC Embryo Cryopreservation-                                                     $925.00

(this also includes the 1^st year of storage)

HATC Assisted Embryo Hatching                                                     $440.00

Drugs (so far)                                                                                $921.21

If you're not great at mental math I worked it out for you...

We are at $8,896.21… and we’re not even finished yet!

Even though my husband, Chris, was recently laid off we are the LUCKY ones. There are couples all over the world, and even here in Canada, who would love to try IVF, but they simply can’t afford it. 

In fact there are only 2 Canadian provinces that provide funding for IVF- Ontario and Quebec. Here in Alberta it was on the table to discuss until our economic downturn when if was quickly snatched back off.

So what can YOU do? 

The RFP has a program entitled Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund where patients who cannot afford IVF treatments can receive some financial support. They are always looking for donations. Even a $25 donation could make a big difference. Call (403) 284- 9103 http://www.generationsofhope.ca/site/includes/pdf/GOH_Gift%20Form.pdf

OR

Let Alberta’s Premier, Minster of Health and Wellness, and your MLA know you support full coverage of IVF and other fertility treatments by clicking onto their link :

http://www.generationsofhope.ca/site/raise-your-voice.php

AND/OR

You can also sign the RFP’s petition urging the Alberta Government to support full coverage of IVF and other fertility treatments.

http://www.generationsofhope.ca/site/includes/pdf/1in6_Petition_May24.pdf

*If you don't live in Alberta I'm sure there are similar petitions in your province.

Shots, Shots, Shots and More Shots

I finally started my period this morning. As per my instructions, I quickly called into the Regional Fertility Program's IVF answering service. 

One thing you quickly learn when you are a patient with the RFP is that NO ONE ever answers the phone! Why is this a big deal? Well that means that you are then forced to carry your phone around with you everywhere you go, because you are so afraid that you might miss their return phone call. 

When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere... the kitchen while you are making your breakfast, bedroom while you are getting dressed,  and yes even into the washroom!

When I finally did get the return phone call I was shocked when I was told that they wanted me to start taking the Gonal F and Luveris shots, as well as, start the antibiotics!

Its so funny I was so afraid when my period didn’t start that this cycle would be cancelled. Then as soon as she mentioned starting the two other shots my heart began pounding and my stomach became instantly uneasy… a mixture of excitement and sheer terror!

The Gonal F and Luveris need to be taken between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.. They also need to be taken at the same time each day. I initially was thinking that I would take it at 4:30 so that it wouldn’t interfere with my supper etc.

The only problem was that I forgot you are supposed to take the Gonal F out of the refrigerator for at least an hour before you do the shot. (The Gonal F is the only medication so far that needs to be refrigerated).

Oh well,  5 o’clock it is!

As I mentioned before I am not a big fan of needles, and as soon as I started reviewing the information pamphlets my stomach started turning. But instead of breaking down into tears, (which was a real possibility), I pulled up my big girl pants, took several deep breaths, prepared* everything, and then DID IT!

And yet again, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. (I decided to do these shots on the outer part of my thigh rather than my stomach- the pamphlet mentioned making sure to vary the injection sites to help reduce soreness- that was all I needed to read to quickly make that decision!)

*These shots are a little more complicated than the Suprefact. 

Gonal F 

The Gonal F, which looks similar to an EpiPen, doesn’t need much done. I simply added an injection needle to the end and turned the dial to the correct amount.

Luveris

The Luveris was a little more complex. When you open the box there are two different vials. One containing sterile water and the other containing a white powder.

With the help of a Q-Cap I had to take the sterile water out of one vial and add it into the powder.  Once the powder was dissolved I had to turn the vial upside down and withdraw all of the Luveris into the syringe. Finally I had to attach the injection needle.

Not hard, but definitely nerve racking.

Remember how I said that I often look for small 'signs' to make me feel better? Well while unpacking my Gonal F kit this evening I notice the name of the injection needle container... BRAUN! I know its silly, but as soon as I saw it, it made me smile, and relieved a bit of the pressure.

Here We Go... Finger's Crossed!

I did it! 

I know that seems dramatic, but honestly I was terrified about giving myself the first shot. 

In fact, I was so nervous that I woke up at 3:00 a.m. from an extremely vivid dream in which I was trying to administer the shot to myself.

In the dream for some reason I wasn’t able to reach the end of the needle to push the Suprefact down the syringe. I ended up finally being able to adminster it by pushing the end of the syringe into the wall in front of me.

It didn’t end there… I also took the needle out too soon (you're supposed to wait 3 seconds) which caused half of the Suprefact to come out and left a disgusting taste in my mouth. When I woke up I still had the awful taste in my mouth and felt a twinge where I had 'given' myself the needle. Did I mention the needle was about the size of a hotdog?!

Here is the syringe, Suprefact,
Lori's alcohol wipe, info sheet and
biohazard container.

Thankfully real life wasn't nearly as dramatic or as painful.

In fact, it was quite easy. The most difficult part was getting exactly 0.2 ml into the syringe... For some reason I kept getting either too much or not enough. (Probably my nerves!)

I will be continuing to take the Suprefact twice a day, 12 hours apart, until I receive my HCG injection which will take place two days prior to egg retrieval... fingers crossed!

In a couple of days I will also be starting the Gonal F and Luveris shots as well as oral antibiotics. (I have to call RFP on the first day of my period so they can tell me when to start those). In case you didn't do the math that is four needles a day!

Close up of the instruction sheet.

I am feeling much more confident now that I have done my first shot.  Although I still wish that we would have been able to conceive naturally,  I am feeling better in general about doing IVF.

Getting Informed, Paying the Price and Learning How

Yesterday I arrived at the RFP Pharmacy just before it opened at 7:45 a.m.. Why? Well like the RFP’s (Regional Fertility Program’s) policy on ultrasounds and blood work- their pharmacy’s 'How to administer IVF drugs' lessons are given on a first come, first served policy.

I am embarrassed to say as soon as I heard the rumbling of the pharmacy window opening I jumped up to make sure I was first in line. Obsessive? Yes, but with good reason!

Immediately after paying for my drugs and being told I had to wait for the other pharmacist to arrive I sat back down. That was when I overheard the pharmacist tell a lady, who came in a few minutes after me, that there was someone in line front of her, that they only do the sessions one at a time, and that the session would take thirty minutes!

Considering it was already 7:50 a.m. and I had to be to work for 9:00 a.m. I was relieved I jumped up like a lunatic.

Drugs... specifically IVF drugs are NOT cheap! I am so grateful that I receive 80% coverage on almost all the drugs we need. Thank goodness I do!

The four boxes of Gonal f alone cost over $4000 without coverage. My two bags of goodies with my discount only came to $921. 21.

The sad thing is that I was actually relieved at the price... yes that's right relieved!

Why?  Well we were told that the drugs could cost between $3000 - $6500. In light of those amounts $921.21 doesn't seem so bad.

Armed with my pricy packages I was finally called into a private room where the pharmacist went through step-by-step how to inject the Suprefact, Gonal f, and Luveris subcutaneously.

Subcutaneously??? If like me you have no idea what it means I looked it up:

'A subcutaneous injection is a shot given into the fat layer between the skin and muscle.'

Doesn`t that sound like fun! 

Confession time: I am a wimp! Although I have gotten better, I was that kid that hid behind the chair the first time I had to have blood taken. In fact it took two nurses, an orderly, and a doctor to hold me down! Not a pretty picture (word of advice- if you ever have to take a child to get blood work don`t let them watch someone else get it done first!) 

Now that happened many years ago and I have gotten much better at needles and blood work, however, I always look away. Unfortunately, looking away is no longer an option as I have to administer the injections to myself.  I`m hoping I`ll surprise myself and that once I do it the first time I`ll be fine.

I`ll let you know for sure tomorrow as I will be giving myself my first injection at 7:00 a.m. and then a second at 7:00 p.m. Mixed emotions don`t even begin to express how I am feeling...

Hopeful, frightened, relieved and cautiously excited to be getting started!

p.s. Am I the only one who looks for ridiculous signs to make them feel better... check out the name of the alcohol swabs I got... Lori`s :)