$25,000 - Page 2

[trying for #1]

Being that our problems have nothing to do with me ( male infertility) I would do ivf. They could go in and get a few sperm so we could have a child together instead of having to use a sperm donor each time ( even though he accepts my df and loves her no different than his other children by his ex wife).

[Latte Mama]

With a 25,000 limit, I would jump to IVF, picking a reputable clinic that has one of the guaranteed outcomes or they refund the $. There are quite a few with programs like that. For a set price, you get a certain amount of IVF cycles. If you don't get a baby then you get your money back. Someone I know just did it last year. It was $20,000 for 6 tries I think and she got pregnant on the first try. She just had her little girl a couple of months ago.

[J's Mombee]

If you are in PA, my RE is awesome, and they are currently conducting a clinical study, which includes a free IVF cycle.

I have not done IVF at this point, but if you qualified for the study, the IVF cycle is free.

Just a thought.

I am sorry that I don't have any other advice, but I thought I'd share that tidbit.

[chiefmir]

I would highly recommend doing an IUI with injectible cycle- at least one- to see how you respond to the injections if you are even thinking about doing IVF. When TTC#2 (with secondar IF) we did 3 clomid and 3 injectible cycles before moving on to IVF, and it was incredibly helpful to know that I was a poor responder- so that the meds for IVF could be perscribed at the correct does. nothing is more heartbreaking than starting an IVF and having to cancel due to lack of response (and that is after having to pay for meds, monitoring to that point, etc.).

I also want to second the idea of a 2nd SA. Most good REs will do this again, themselves, even if your DH already had a recent one, because they do a more detailed analysis.

as a PP mentioned, double check with insurance to see if skipping to an IVF cycle is even allowed. many insurances I've heard of (even ones with great IF coverage) will insist on an IUI cycle before IVF (sometimes more than one) because they don't want to pay for the most expensive procedure until there is "proof" that the cheaper one won't "work" (I guess this may be waived for some diagnoses, like if a woman has no fallopian tubes or something).

[mumm]

$25,000? I had to read that several times because I assumed you meant $2,500.

When it was clear we needed IVF (1st two kids were clomid/iui babies, the last two IVF twins) I think we spent less than $1500 total, including the cost of sperm and storage. I bought insurance out of pocket in a mandated state and they were required to cover the cost of IVF. In full. This was 4 years ago and I think I spent $400-600 a month for insurance and only needed it for 45 days, so two months. The benefits kick in immediately because you currently have insurance, so no 6 month waiting period.

For $25,000, you could pay for hotels/apt/travel etc in a mandated state and get the insurance also. The Resolve hotline was a great place for me to get up to date info on how to go about doing this.

Good luck. I can only sort-of remember all the angst, anger, frustration, misery, etc that went along with (too many) years of ttc. I truly wish all the ladies ttc a peaceful and successful experience.

[no5no5]

Well, I've begun the process, and will start taking clomid next cycle. I've discovered, to my shock and joy, that the $25k is based on the insurance company's contracted fee schedule, rather than the standard rate the hospital charges. Given that, we should be able to do at least 3 cycles of IVF, if the 3 cycles of clomid don't do it, and have money left over. Did I mention that I love my insurance?

Anyway, good luck to all of you ladies, and thanks again for all of your advice.