IUI with donor sperm

[Anonymous]

I am concidering this option for my second child i am young and would have never thought i would have to do this. I have a 12 month old son with special needs so to make a long stoy short, his father and i can not have n e more kids together. I was just woundering how much it has cost yall if you dont mind me askin. Money is a problem for us and i cant spend a college amount of this. Do they make payment plans? Also how long did it take yall to get prego?

[Anonymous]

This will be my second IUI using donor sperm. The first time did not work. There is nothing wrong with me, it just didn’t work. Honestly if money is an issue then I would strongly suggest not doing it until you have about $6,000 saved up. And that is about average cost for 2 units of sperm (not the fancy stuff either) and for the visits and drugs for 2 cycles. It is VERY time consuming every cycle. Also, you are in time constraints. So if you have to spend lots of time with your special needs baby every month, like going to doctor visits and such, then you will need a backup plan for that child. Some of your IUI appointments are sometimes “drop everything and run” kind of days. They do not have payment plans for buying sperm. If you find a fertility center that does payment plans for your IUI then you are lucky. Not trying to scare you or put you down, but really I wouldn’t be doing this if I had a special needs baby at home. Its stressful, expensive, and it pretty much consumes your life while in the middle of a cycle. Also, the drugs can be VERY strong and even if you are a healthy young woman the doctor will control your cycle with some sort of fertility drug. The drugs make some people sick, very tired and sore. Also, the normal stats for a IUI to work is only %20. So really you are putting a lot of money on a %20 chance. I hope that I helped you. I know it sounds negative, but if you don’t have the stress of money it is TONS easier. PS. Your fertility clinic will also make you do blood work for about 10 different diseases (aids, hep, ect) this is mandatory for ANYONE using Donor anything. Cost for this blood work also comes out of pocket if you don’t have good insurance. I have Tricare and was lucky they paid for it.

[Anonymous]

the cost depends on how long it takes and whether you need drugs. i did not need drugs and got pregnant quickly so it actually did not cost that much. close to $1000 for the three samples of donated sperm (this was several years ago). some of my appointments were partially covered by insurance as was lab work. i was only inseminated twice so it wasn't a huge cost. less than $1500 total at the most.

[Anonymous]

I got pregnant on my first IUI cycle. I'm just six weeks now. Will keep you updated

[Anonymous]

I know all these posts are so old. But, We are just starting to look into having a baby and I feel so lost and overwhelmed all of a sudden. Any advice on what to do first? My partner and I are eager and excited but also lost!

[Anonymous]

Previous poster - go to a reproductive endocrinologist and get a consultation, day 3 bloodwork, and an HSG to make sure uterus and tubes are healthy and clear. Don't be afraid to shop around for doctors if you don't like the 1st one or two. Also, start picking a donor from a good bank. Good luck!!!!

[Anonymous]

The whole IUI cycle can be overwhelming especially if you are bombarded with the issues of using a donor. We chose a donor from Calif Cryo bank and we were lucky to get results the second round, but now I'm concerned about what my child will want to know about his beginnings. I've never been a fan of Oprah, but I did see that episode and it made me feel like I didn't have a good plan to address the issue of his genetic father in 10-15 years.

[Anonymous]

I just had my 2nd IUI with donor sperm on 11/30/10 and I'm on my 2ww. This is the hard part! The wait! I keep looking for changes in my body and I start to imagining changes. The 1st IUI I knew by the 5 day after the IUI that I wasn't preggo. If I'm not preggo this time, me and my husband only have enough money for 1 more try. I just wanted to talk to ppl that understand. I have all sisters and the each have 3 to 5 kids so there is no understanding there...

[Anonymous]

You can do ICI at home w/o a doctor. NW cryobank will ship to your home w/o doctor consent and their sperm is cheaper than any other bank I've encountered. I just did my second round of ICI and am now in the two week waiting period. The first time I did get a positive pregnancy test but it didn't stick. I'm hoping I'll be lucky this time. If you're otherwise healthy, there's no reason to go straight to the doctor without trying a few rounds yourself at home.

[Anonymous]

I will ask my doctor about ICI. What is the cost?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know the chances of success (or average # of tries needed) for iui with donor sperm, if the mother is AMA (about to turn 43 in January)?

DH and I have had 2 years of unsuccessful IF treatments (2 iuis and 2 ivfs using our own egg & sperm), so am now considering donor sperm, donor egg, or both/donor embryo.

[Anonymous]

Hello, I am a 39 and have gone through one IUI which was unsuccessful. I used Clomid and produced 2 1/2 follicles. My donor sperm was very mobile. I'm not sure why it didn't take. I did Clomid again this past month and only produced one follicle at 29mm. I decided to pass on the IUI this month since my chances of getting pregnant were in the single digits. My doctor suggested I use injections next month. I am nervous but I am trying to eliminate going through months and months of this. I realize my chances of conceiving twins are greater, although scary, it will be a blessing. Can anyone tell me the risks of injections and any success stories? What are the side effects? Thanks!!!

[Anonymous]

I am currently on Gonal-F for a medicated IUI. So I don't have a success story to share yet. My last IUI on injectibles (lower dose of Gonal-F) resulted in only two follices and I got BFN. This time I am on a higher dose. Side effects I am experiencing are headache, terrible mood swings and bloating. Nothing severe, just bothersome. The main risk with injectibles is OHSS when you produce too many eggs and your RE might have to cancel the cycle. Bu my RE thinks at the age of 39 (my age as well), the chances of triplets are almost non-existent no matter how many follicles you produce (because of the quality issue). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I got a BFP on my 7th cycle of IUI with donor sperm (currently 30 weeks pregnant). Four of the IUIs were natural - no meds - and three were with Gonal-F. Luckily I got pregnant on that last go around because it was time to consider IVF. I really didn't have any side effects on the Gonal-F, maybe a little more moody but I found them pretty easy to administer. With injectables you may have cysts (follicles left over from a previous cycle) that require you to sit out that cycle - it is way common but can be frustrating. Also agree with pp, doctor told me that at my advanced age the chances of multiples were pretty low. BTW, I tried one cycle of Clomid but I was not a good responder and didn't even get to IUI point. I hated that drug, I felt way more side effects than I did on injectables.

Looking back I wish I should have moved to injectables sooner so I think a good route for you to consider (though you still may need to do multiple months!). Interestingly, my last successful cycle was with a new donor. I have no idea if that had anything to do with getting a BFP, but may not hurt to try a new donor if no success after a few cycles. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

My husband and I just moved to a new area, so I am going to consult with a new doctor in a week. I am 25--our main fertility issue is that my husband has azospermia (0 sperm count) although on my HSG, it shows I may have one blocked fallopian tube. We have done 2 failed cycles of IUI with clomid and donor sperm plus had one cancelled cycle due to the follicles being on the wrong side. We used the same donor for both cycles, and I am considering switching for our next. I am also hoping to retest my fallopian tubes if the next round doesn't work either because I don't want to keep throwing money down the drain if there is a super slim chance of this working! I really hope it won't be necessary for us to move on to IVF because it isn't really financially feasible for us at the moment. Due to finances, all our cycles have been spread out over 2 years--we are ready for this to work!! It is comforting reading success stories although I really hope it doesn't take us 9-10 tries like some of the posters. Praying for all of you on here as I know what an emotional journey this is.