I wondered if anyone has any insight into the choice between IUI and IVF. I conceived my daughter in 2007 at the first time of “trying” after over 10 years on the pill. Straight-forward pregnancy and labor. Then in 2009 we decide to TTC. I had an ectopic pregnancy followed by 2 early miscarriages (again, always conceiving the first month). We have had a whole raft of tests done and apparently there’s “nothing wrong”. I also had a polyp removed. The only thing slightly amiss was my long cycles – around 42 days since my daughter was born.
I have just completed 2 unsuccessful rounds on Clomid (and Mucinex), and we’ll give it one more round. But if that doesn’t work, we will be moving on to the next level of intervention. The major factor for us is time – I am 33, my husband is 46 and we really don’t want to have a large gap between our children (assuming we can even have more – I’m having a particularly despondent day today and can’t help worrying that we might not have any more.)
We meet with our RE on August 5 to discuss next steps. I am thinking either IUI or IVF. The loudest voice in my head (there are several!!) tells me that we need to get straight to IVF. Honestly, I was expecting Clomid to work first time and I am just losing hope. Even though IVF is more expensive, my understanding is that the success rates are much higher – is that right? My RE’s IVF success rate is just under 50%, with twins accounting for about a third of those. And of course the success rates drop considerably when women hit 35, which is why I feel this clock ticking. (And my God I wish I had TTC when my husband wanted to, 5 years ago.)
Thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be welcome.
I have just completed 2 unsuccessful rounds on Clomid (and Mucinex), and we’ll give it one more round. But if that doesn’t work, we will be moving on to the next level of intervention. The major factor for us is time – I am 33, my husband is 46 and we really don’t want to have a large gap between our children (assuming we can even have more – I’m having a particularly despondent day today and can’t help worrying that we might not have any more.)
We meet with our RE on August 5 to discuss next steps. I am thinking either IUI or IVF. The loudest voice in my head (there are several!!) tells me that we need to get straight to IVF. Honestly, I was expecting Clomid to work first time and I am just losing hope. Even though IVF is more expensive, my understanding is that the success rates are much higher – is that right? My RE’s IVF success rate is just under 50%, with twins accounting for about a third of those. And of course the success rates drop considerably when women hit 35, which is why I feel this clock ticking. (And my God I wish I had TTC when my husband wanted to, 5 years ago.)
Thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be welcome.
I totally understand the feeling of the clock ticking. I think it's smart that you're visiting a RE and getting your options. It's definitely more effective, yet way more expensive to do an IVF cycle. It probably depends on your insurance coverage, and how many cycles (if any) of injectible/IUIs they would cover. If you're paying out of pocket, it might make sense to jump to the most effective than to try IUIs a few times. I've been told that an iui with injectibles is up to 20% effective, whereas an IVF is up to 40-50%. It's really a choice you need to make based on your own situation, gut feeling, and desires. I don't think there's a "right answer." The reason I'm anxious to get to IVF is that this is the only way to find out (that I know of) if you really are making eggs and if they're any good. BTW - you may want to cross-post this in the "infertility" section: the ladies there will probably be able to give you more first-hand information. Good luck! 
