IUI with Injectables

Is IUI w. injectables really worth it ???  It will cost around $2500 to $3000.00 but I dont know what is the success rate.  Oct 2007 got a BFN with clomid and IUI.  What do you guys think?

[GiGiGiGi]

I am very interested in hearing the responses to your question.  

Our RE wants to start us on IUI with injectibles in December if we are not yet pregnant.  The cost here is about $2000 per cycle (Canadian) with a couple of one time fees that you have to payat the beginning which total $400, I think.  I'm leaning towards trying the IUI without injectibles first because that would only be $700 per month.  We are broke as it is - not sure what we are gonna do!

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[kerriebo]

I did my first iui cycle on clomid with no luck.  My second and now my third cycle I am on injectables.  My doc said the injectables stimulate your ovaries more.  On my second cycle it worked too good, I had to many mature folicles and he would not do the incemination.  We are using injectable again this time but for fewer days.  I also had bad side effects with clomid (major spotting), and with the injectables I have no symptoms.. :)  I say its worth it!!!  Anything to better our chances!

[GiGiGiGi]

Just wondering if you had to pay for the drugs since they overstimulated you and were not able to do the IUI?  I didnt realize that was a possibility.
g

[kerriebo]

Fortunately my insurance pays for them 100%.  So for us it was just hard to deal with knowing we had to try without the incimination that month.  Since a lot of our problems are with me not ovulating, our chances were basically nonexisitant for that cycle.  I would imagine since the meds are paid for before hand a refund would probably not happen.... but I am no sure.  Each doc has their own policy on how many folicles they will work with for IUI....  I always knew it was possible, but did not expect it to happen.

[Vero1125]

Very lucky...my insurance pays "Zero" and spending $3000 is alot of money but worth it to me if the success rate is better than clomid w iui.  I spent about $1700 on clomid & iui and got a BFN.  I was very dissapointed.  I think I responded well on clomid as far as ovulating but it made my uterine lining very thin and CM thick not good for baby making that is why IUI was done and stilll no success... I wasted about 5 cycles on clomid and BD naturally.  I've let some time go by and ready to get back to treatment and praying and hoping for success.  The RE said next step is IUI with injectables.  I'm just praying for God's direction.  I had a breast reduction earlier this year and just want to give it some time before starting back up again.  IF IUI w. inj doesnt work I think I will just save up for IVF.  

[Vero1125]

just wondering why wouldnt you go straight to injectables with iui?

[kerriebo]

We are really lucky that our insurace covers the cost.  We would not be able to afford it otherwise.  There are very few perks about being in the military, and this has turned out to be one of them.  They will only cover IUI though no IVF.  I just pray that we are successful with IUI.  I think we are going to try IUI for a while but we have decided to get on a waiting list to adobt an infant too.  

[GiGiGiGi]

Vero1125 -  We would definitely prefer not to go straight to injectibles with IUI because of the cost.   We simply cannot afford it.

The drugs alone will cost us between $1200 and $1500 a month!  Then we have to pay $700 for the IUI on top of that.  If we had insurance coverage for this, I would have talked the RE into proceeding with IUI + Injectibles long ago.  We have absolutely NO insurance coverage for stuff like that so it will have to go on the good old MasterCard.  We live in Canada where this kind of stuff is not covered by our insurance.

I think that i have had pretty much every test available, and everything says that there is nothing wrong with me, other than a slightly thin lining.  DH needs to go for a more indept semen analysis before we embark on IUI with or without injectibles because there is a chance that there is something wrong with him that would not appear in a basic S/A.

I read about your cycles on Clomid and wonder if you ever tried Femara?  I took one cycle of clomid.  While i released two eggs on Clomid, my lining was only at 6mm so I think it was just too thin to support a pregnancy.  I am on Femara right now - its my first cycle on it.  This time I again had two mature follicles, but my lining was at more than 7mm two days before O, so that was WAY more like it.  

I also dont blame you about giving yourself some time to heal after your surgery.  I had an augmentation (due to losing more than 100lbs - lost all my boobs too) about 5 years ago, and it took me FOREVER to heal!  Are you feeling back to normal yet?



Kerriebo - thank heavens for your insurance.  I am VERY jealous!  

Have great weekends, ladies!

[Vero1125]

GiGiGi..same here ..I dont have insurance coverage at all to cover anything related to fertility.  It's very depressing because the cost is so high.  I dont want to keep spending money on treatment that wont work and am considering a more agressive approach. I want to get another consult with my dr to see if we can do 1 iui with injectables and then maybe just save up for IVF..I know it sounds crazy but after 2 1/2 yrs I am ready!  

My OBGYN put me on 4 unmonitored cycles of clomid when that wasnt working I started seeing the RE in Oct 2007 ..he was the one that said Clomid was causing all those problems suggested IUI with 100mg of Clomid and BFN.  After that I took a break... At the beginning of 2008 I started to see a new OBGYN bc I wanted to try naturally again but using something other than Clomid but she says that she only works with Clomid ..anything else has to be prescribed by the RE.  So I pretty much gave up and then my BR surgery was approved and I continued on with that.  I pretty much know that if I want to get pregnant I have to see the RE and it is all out of pocket.


Wow.. I cant believe you lost 100 lbs.. Congratulations ..that took alot of hard work and dedication!   I am so happy with my new  breast ..I am getting better but I still dont have too much nipple or breast sensation and the coloring on my nipples is getting better day by day but they have settled in very nicely...I am now a DD... I was a H cup....about 8lbs of breast tissue is what I lost.  For me..it was worth it.  I knew having the surgery would put my plans on hold but carrying all that extra breast tissue and being pregnant would be really bad that is why i opted for the surgery. Thanks for asking.

[Alexis2358]

Hi, I'm new to this site.  I was just reading your comments and I'm going thru the same thing.    I'm 42 and have been TTC for 8 mo. now.   I have an 8 y/o from a previous marriage, but am TTC with new hubby who has no children.   I was supposed to start "the program" assigned to me by the RE which is injectibles and IUI.   Day 1 of my LMP never came, so 3 days late and on my DH's birthday I tested.  I got BFP, however due to HCG numbers not doubling, I had m/c on 09/08.    I'm once again waiting for day 1 to appear to start the program all over.   I too am facing about $1300.00 in injectible costs and $900.00 for iui, not to mention all the u/s inbetween :(.    I'm hoping we have good luck as it seems we CAN get pregnant, now just hoping I STAY pregnant.   The cost is staggering, but I know it will be so worth it if it works.    Does anyone have any luck?    I'm a little scared about what the procedure and everything will be, does anyone have any stories or advice?

[LILI1206]

i would first try clomid and with the iui, its cheaper and it can work. i have my first iui on october 8th. i know the prices are out of this world but it least try it for 3 cycles, thats if your willing to wait 3 cycles i know it gets anxious, but hey is worth a try.

[Alexis2358]

Thanks for the info.   Yeah, i'm trying to be patient.    I have decided to give it the best shot possible for 3 full cycles.    With the injectibles they are giving me clomid too.  They figure with my age and my desire to be aggressive and not think about the cost for 3 cycles, I guess that makes them throw every resource at me, short of IVF.     I'm really not interested in donor eggs, so I'm just really praying that I still have it in me.    I've always had a very regular cycle.  Exactly every 28 days and in doing the ovulation tests, I ovulate every since month.   The unfortunate part is...I've been on the pill a long time, so maybe my body just needs time to get that out of its system.

[bluegenie2003]

I've never had to do IUI with injectibles, as we got lucky and clomid and IUI worked.  However, as the RE was monitoring me, he noticed that my lining was very thin (possibly because of the clomid), so he put me on estradiol, which is supposed to increase the uterine lining. Has your dr. suggested anything like that?  I think I started it around CD 5 (I had been on clomid a couple of days) and continued it until about 9 weeks.  

[Alexis2358]

No they havent suggested anything like that yet.   Getting pg spontaniously sort of threw a wrench in their plans, so now we are trying to start again at square one.   I will ask them about that though, thank you

[naturschld]

I just did 2 failed IUI and Clomid cycles.  I had 5 follicles that were mature enough and still nothing.  bleah.  I was wondering if I should switch to injectables also because my lining went from 8mm the 1st month to 6mm, both 2 days before the IUI.  But my insurance doesn't cover it and I have military insurance (Tricare) and I can't afford it.  Was wondering what the cheapest injectables are and what they cost.  The RE did put me on progesterone supplements this time but I don't know if it did any good.

Kerriebo:  What kind of military insurance covers it?  I thought Tricare was the only insurance available.  

[Alexis2358]

I'm not sure if they are the same everywhere, and I'll have to check exactly what they are recommending for me.   but I remember doing the calculations when the plan was set up and it came to $1398.00 per month for the injectibles.   The iui is listed at $864.00 I believe, and then about $225.00 for each u/s, which who knows how many of those each month.   I'm planning between $3,000 and $4,000 per month.

Good luck to you, this is all so frustrating.

[kerriebo]

We have Tricare Prime, standard active duty coverage.  It will cover a minimal amount if you are using a nonmilitary facility, that is what I have heard from a Lady in Vegas who is Airforce.  But if you use a Military Infertiity Clinic it is all covered.  The only one I know about is the one we use.  The GYN clinic in San Diego has an infertility clinic as well, its on the NTC base.  This probably does not help you unless you live in the San Diego area.  But, have you tried to call Tricare and ask the questions?  First thing is you have to get a referal from your GYN to see an RE, or Tricare won't help at all.  We are just lucky enough to be down in San Diego.   It has truely been a blessing.  I don't know if we could afford the cost of all this without it.

[Nia528]

Hi All!!!
                Well with me I have had 3 iui with Femara and all failed so my RE said our next step was an IUI with injectables that will be about $1500 but RE said that since all of the IUIs failed and I had great response to the meds that he would probably move on to IVF and skip the injectable IUI because of the cost of it. Which the IVF is $10,000 but he would hate to see us pay the $1500 for the injectable cycle and it still not work and have to do IVF anyway so he just wants to by-pass the injectables. But we are broke too! I don't have 10k just lying around so we are taking a break from everything for now. Taking time to think and trying to learn patience. We have been trying for 2.5 years with unexplained infertility.    Baby dust to us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[naturschld]

Thanks for the info, all.  I was wondering if you were on or near a base, kerriebo.  That explains why Tricare Prime would pay for it.  They are not very fair, are they?  I live in South Dakota so I have only one clinic I can go to and I have to drive a 100 miles to get there.  Looks like I'm stuck with Clomid for another month and then I'm probably done because I can't afford the 1500 or so for injectables.  It drives me nuts that I can't just try with my husband because he is in Kuwait until April and if I wait until then it might be too late, so I have to pay for IUI's.  Plus the clinic is not doing that well with the frozen sperm, I'm only getting 3 million to use when it started out around 108 million.  Don't know if that's normal for frozen sperm.  

[tivey]

YES YES YES
I did clomid for 6 months nothing. IUI with Gonal F injections got pregnant with first time and currently 36 weeks.