Hi ladies. I have been lurking here for a while and I thought I'd introduce myself. My husband and I are venturing into the world of infertility treatment after 10 years of marriage. We have 1 dd who was surprisingly conceived naturally after 7 years. I have had one ectopic pregnancy and one miscarriage, both were several years ago. Basically, 10+ years of unprotected sex has given us one viable pregnancy (for which we are very grateful :love). DD is turning 4 soon and for a while I thought I was ok having an only child but after much deliberation and some big changes in our life (moving outside the US to Norway) we have decided to try to have another baby. I am 35 and dh is 38. I have my first appointment on April 9th.

I don't really know what factors we are dealing with but I have a few suspicions. I think I most likely have a blocked tube from my ectopic repair which had ruptured at approx 10 weeks. I have just started charting so I am not sure about my ovulation, but I have always assumed it was normal since my periods are basically normal. Of course there is always the chance of male factor to include. I have had my thyroid checked and I have normal blood values, but strangely, have several symptoms of hypothyroid. My regular doctor and I are looking into this further. I feel pretty blessed because I already have one healthy, beautiful dd. I also feel very lucky because this treatment is covered by the Norwegian health system, so little to no expense for us out of pocket.

So that's me :innocent. I have already learned so much by reading here, this is a tremendous resource to have. Maybe I'll go put myself on the *One Thread*? Is anyone else here on a socialized medical system? Does the Canadian system have any fertility benefits?

Jeannine

Welcome, and I'm sorry you have to be here. :hug

Thanks for the welcome. Sorry you all are here too.

I am sorry you are here too ... yes the Cdn system has benefits depending which province you are in. Also, if you have a drug plan, may cover infertility medications. Your fertility clinic can go over what your province covers, I know OHIP (Ontario) does cover a lot. Also, check with your clinic about any clinical trials they are doing, because you can often be a guinea pig and get a greatly reduced ($$) treatment.

Christie

Critty,
Thanks for your response. I am not in Canada, but Norway. I am pretty sure my meds would be covered. We have to pay for prescription meds, but once our family deductable is paid (which is quite low) all our meds are free of charge. Anything we pay out of pocket for goes toward our deductable, meds, doctor visits, tests and such. What I have a question about is how many cycles they cover. I think I remember reading somewhere that they will cover 3 rounds of IVF but I can't find any source of that again. I also don't know if there is a limit on IUI cycles either. I know there is an age limit (44 I believe), the couple must be heterosexual and donor sperm/eggs/embryos are not allowed. So, those are the rules (I think) in Norway, I was wondering if there were regulations or limits in other systems.

Hi Jeannine!

I think every socialized medical system has certain limits, or the system would collapse due to sheer volume of need.

I'm in Ontario, Canada. Critty's right, OHIP covers a lot: my HSG and laparoscopy are covered by OHIP.

For ART cycles, Ontario will pay for the b/w and u/s, but NOT drugs or the actual procedures, unless you have bilateral fallopian tube blockage, in which case they will pay for 3 rounds of IVF procedure (drugs still out of pocket). Monash SAs and donor insemination are not covered. I don't know about age restrictions.

The Brits have a parallel public/private system. I understand that they can either pay out of pocket at a clinic like the Yanks, or their treatment can be subsidized by the public system but they have to wait a whole lot longer for treatment.