"Your Experience with IVF".

Updated on December 22, 2017
C.B. asks from San Diego, CA
14 answers

Tried IUI for 3 cycles. Miscarried in Oct. 08, tried 2 more cycles and took a break. While I'm 41, husband 51, they suggested we consider IVF when we start again. Can you tell me what to expect with the do's don'ts, procedure, how long did it take you, etc. I'm interested to hear your experience.

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S.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

My husband and I had to do IVF 2 times, We have a 3year old son. I will tell you its very very emotional and draining!! My husband and family were great!! There are a lot of shots even after you become Pregnant (which husband became a pro at it) If you need any more info I will be willing to talk to you.
____@____.com

wish you the best!!!!

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know the feeling! I was younger when I found out it would not be easy to get pregnant. I did 3 IUI's with a Dr in Glendora. And was not 100% happy with the practice. Then I found Huntington Reproductive Center. I love love love them! The whole staff is wonderful. I did one more IUI with them. My Dr (Dr Potter) Said he thought IVF would do it. And sure enough it did. I have to Beautiful boys! It was not easy, but so worth every shot. You need to love the people who are treating you. I comfort is key...and an awesome Dr. He went on to get two of my friends pregnant. One who had done three IVF's with another Dr. He gor her pregnant the first time with IVF. They have great packages. So if the first does not take you have two more chances (with the packages). Hang in there! Are you in CA? ____@____.com feel free to ask me any questions. J.

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N.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

Good Afternoon C.,

I do not have experience with IVF, but I know that when you give the body what it needs to be healthy it will give you what you want. You may have heard of NAET.com - a group of allergists who eliminate allergies. I recently was treated for a form of estrogen. I will need to be treated again for estrogen and testosterone to balance my hormones because I have been depleted and out of balance for so long. You may want to look into NAET.com and be tested for allergies hormone imbalances before proceeding with IVF.
Also, you may want to log onto Amazon.com and purchase Say Goodbye To Illness by Dr. Nambudripad and Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch.

Be Well.

N.

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E.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hii C.,
I am feeling bad for your miscarriage, I can understand how it feels without a child in our life.Because my sister had faced the same situation and she got the IVF at 42. Now as your doctor suggested you for IVF it is the best option at age of 40 to 45 because It is not easy to conceive naturally at this age. At this time you need the support of your family and friends that can encourage you and gives you strength for it, eat healthy food, take care of yourself, avoid smoking and alcohol, find low-stress exercises that work your body but you feel relaxation (such as walking or yoga), get good sleep, focus on activities that take your mind fresh and finally try to make your life as stress free as possible and do the things that makes you happy.Although getting pregnant a little bit tough at this age but may all these things will help you to have a healthy pregnancy.
Good luck

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L.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi C.,
Hang in there. Although I, personally, didn't have to use IVF, I have close friends and relatives who did. Also, my aunt didn't have her two kids until her early 40s. =0) One of my closest friends is 37 weeks pregnant and it took them 8 years and 4 IVFs before success. =0) My brother and his wife: five years and three IVFs, now their babe is one. =0) Have faith. Know that with age does come more trials and errors, but just keep trying, and try to enjoy the journey, to the best of your ability, along the way. Know that, in the end, worse case scenario is that you adopt a very deserving, needy child. If you can handle the worse case scenario, then you can handle anything. =0) (I have MANY friends who either adopted, then became pregnant, or began adoption procedures, then became pregnant and didn't end up adopting).
Hope this helps a little. =0) Be strong and laugh often.
L.

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C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

OMG...where do I start??! I had 3 cycles of IVF at age 37-38 and finally conceived and delivered a baby boy in March of 07. It was a very emotional experience but my DR. was the best and I loved his patience and determination to get me pregnant. Everyone says the shots were the worst for them, but I was fine with it. Didn't bother me and my husband even participated in the entire process by giving me my shots, making sure I take my meds and he went to every appt (and there are lots of them). I know lots of women who have conceived with IVF when other things didn't work. The entire process for me was over 1 yr but each woman is different. I can say that I do not regret any of it. Once you hold your child in your arms, you know that all the meds, cycles, emotions, appts, etc. was well worth it!!!
I do not mind sharing my experience so let me know if you have any other questions or need more info

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C.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know the process is so trying, so first of all...hang in there.
I tried clomid, then several iui attempts before going to ivf. I was lucky that we got pregnant on our first attempt.
It was a very different experience than iui, though. Lots of shots that can end up getting painful. It gets easier to give and get them over time, but my rear became swollen and sore. Not so pretty. :) Also, I responded differently to the shots than I did with the meds for iui. During my ivc cycle I didn't produce many eggs and only had two that were decent enough to implant, with one of them being marginal. But it only takes one and that good one took.
Try to not go into it with many expectations and it will be easier.
Good luck.

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B.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi C.,

I think IVF can work, depending on what your fertility issues are.....it did for me. Did they tell you what your challenges are? I was very fortunate. I got pregnant on my first try. My daughter is almost 14 months old. There were alot of shots, appointments and money. I would do it again if I hadn't had her. Good luck.

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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi C. - I am sorry to read about all that you have been going through. My situation was very similar to yours. I would be happy share my experience with IUI and IVF with you. Do you know what your FSH levels are? I should tell you after all of my miscarriage then all of my rounds of IUI and my 1st round of IVF they discovered that I had a blood disorder which they had never checked for and was the cause of my miscarriages. The blood disorder is called AFA (anti phosolipid antibodies) which is a blood clotting disorder - so everytime I got pregnant it would clot in the umblicial cord and no food would get to the embryo causing it to miscarry. I also started doing accupuncture once a week which I believe was a BIG reason I got pregnant. Several of my friends have gotten pregnant through IVF...I did not. After 3 rounds of IVF I decided to take a break and that is when I got pregnant (after all of that). I had completely given up. I should also say I was adopted and my adoptive mother went through a lot of what I did...after my parents adopted me - my Mom got pregnant. I know it's crazy but I really do believe now that the stress of it all plays a huge role in getting pregnant. I should say I was 39 when I had my son and that was a year ago. He is 1 now and I could not be happier. Please feel free to email me with any other questions. Best Wishes to you and your husband.

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J.C.

answers from San Diego on

I really don't have any input for your situation re: IVF, but I did want to say that I wish you the very best and will cross my fingers for you that everything works out the way you want it to.

Best of luck,
J.

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C.P.

answers from San Diego on

Hi C.,
If you already got pregnant from IUI last fall, then I'd say keep trying IUI. Why go to IVF if you did get pregnant from IUI? IVF is way different, 10-15X the cost and so much more difficult. I tried 3 round of IUI and 2 IVF and nothing worked. But it does work for some women and your body already got pregnant. That is a good sign. Do they have any idea why you miscarried? With IVF, there are the same risks of miscarriage and, in IVF, of you miscarry, then the loss is greater (in terms of money/investment, etc.).

Definitely get a clarification as to why jump to IVF over IUI if you already had a recent success with IUI. If there is no real reason, then why go there?

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S.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

At 41 and if you have the budget, I would say run, don't walk to start IVF. I believe your odds with IUI are so low that you would be wasting your valuable time, patience, money. However, as someone mentioned below, you should definitely go to a highly recommended fertility practice with a pleasant office environment. Also, there are a few different options for shots (e.g., whether you do them yourself or your husband does them, or if you can take progesterone capsules, etc.), so that would be not much different than IUI. Best wishes!

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V.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would suggest that you start with sart.org, which is a site that keeps track of success rates for IVF clinics. Not all clinics are created the same. I did IVF two years ago and have a wonderful 1 year old son, after having two ectopic pregnancies. If you are a resident of New York you may be eligible for the Demonstration Grant and if you are a resident of Massachusetts, I think it's required that IVF be covered by insurance. Unfortunately there are a lot of differences from state to state.
We were residents of NY and qualified for the grant, so that enabled us to afford to do it. I highly recommend the book, A Couple's Guide To In Vitro Fertilization by Liza Charlesworth as it really goes into detail about what to expect. You could also look into Snowflake Adoption, which is when you adopt an embryo.
My doctor in NYC recommended Dr. Richard Paulson at USC as being excellent, but again all of this is very expensive, so it kind of depends on that also. Having said that, I really believe you need a top clinic and specialist when it comes to something this complex. We went to Cornell in NYC. Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss more. Good luck.

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T.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

I am 44 and had my son at 40 and my daughter at 42. I used acupuncture and herbs and got pregnant with my son and used Vitex with my daughter. It is possible to get pregnant without IVF. What a lot of people do is during their "off cycles" when they are not doing IVF they try naturally and and many of them end of pregnant because of the medication in their systems. Good luck and hang in there. It is possible at this age you just have to be tenacious and proactive!!

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