How many IUI's before IVF

[mim181]

Just got BFN from our sixth IUI/clomid cycle.  I feel like nothing is working.  For those of you out there who are doing/have done IVF how many prior cycles did you do before going to IVF.  I am luck my insurance covers all IVF cost except storage of eggs.  I really want to move on to something else, but don't know if I am jumping the gun.  

A little about me (I hope not TMI)
DH and I both 28, married 5 years, ttc 3 years.  Seeing RE since August07 I had an ectopic with our 4th IUI cycle, now have one tube but we know sperm can fertilize egg.  I ovualte with the help of clomid and DH has low count.  IUI's usually have 10-15 million after wash.  I take 150 clomid for 7 days and 2000mg metformin and have had at least on egg to work each cycle.  (last month 3) Any advice would be great! Thnaks!

[lhughes]

I didn't use clomid, my RE went straight to Follistim (thank God for small favors).  I didn't mind the follistim much, it's shots until the follies are good, then the trigger shot (which was a bit painful).

Storage is expensive, but usually the places have discounts for a year/2 years/etc.  We stored sperm for 2 years.  Remember to save your receipts, that stuff can be used on the Sched A Med deduction of your taxes.  Infertility is EXPENSIVE sometimes...hey, so was cancer!  :)

Seriously.... it took us 5 years to get there and even though I was SO impatient and probably not the nicest person during this time, it's worth all the hard work, disappointment, and frustration when your doc says "here's your baby!".    And strangely enough..... we didn't need any assistance for the second child..well, except that lack of progesterone problem.  Thankfully we were already in the know on that and were able to do something about it immediately.

Baby dust to ya!

Oh, one more thought....is your dh taking any vitamins to encourage his counts?  My dh took zinc, selenium, l-arginine, l-carnitine, and vit C to help and it did seem to help.  It takes a while for it to actually make a difference, though.  

[mim181]

Thank you for your responses.  The nurse is suposed to call later today she was checking with the RE today who was out of the office yesterday to see if I would be using the same "protocal of meds".  I feel like I'm already taking a lot of clomid compared with what I've read on this site and hope she switches me to Follistim.  I don't mind the IUI's but just feel they are not working, but then again its been a long jouney for us and I think I am just getting impatient.  I trust my RE knows what she is doing.  
Good luck to the both of you.  

[lhughes]

We did 8 cycles of IUI, one unsucessful with miscarriage at 8 weeks, one sucessful cycle that time using Follistim for the first and only time.  After that we were able to conceive without help.  Husband had low (and actually zero count to start), used donor sperm on 6 of the cycles.

If your insurance covers IVF, then try maybe a couple more times IUI then go for IVF as the previous poster suggested.  Perhaps trying Follistim will encourage things along?  That's usually the next step when clomid doesn't seem to work.

Good luck and baby dust to ya!
Lisa

[Mary97]

It seems encouraging that you know that the sperm can fertilize the egg.  I'd go with your Doctor's recommendation -- if the Doctor thinks you have a shot with this then maybe try one more.  I also was ttc for 3 years come this May, so I know what you feel like.  We just now did our first IVF and I am in the 2 ww.  If you do go for IVF, ask your Doctor about single embryo transfer.  If you are under 35 you have a good shot of getting pregnant with one blastocyst 5 day transfer (the odds are almost as good as if you transfered 2).  If it doesn't work you can go back and do a frozen transfer.