how many IUIs would you do? IUI v. IVF

[Anonymous]

I agree with 14:17 poster. I did one medicated IUI -- had good FSH (5.6), AFC of 10, and responded really well to 150 IU follistim (had 6 good sized follicles, and 4 or 5 other small ones). SG said great -- at least you know that you will respond well to stims for IVF. We went forward with IUI b/c of MF, but no pregnancy. At the time, we had insurance coverage for IVF, so we jumped immediately to that. Surprisingly, I did not respond to the stims. Had horrible egg production, and poor quality embryos. Still, the RE said that it could be egg quality problem, but also could just have been a bad protocol. We changed our protocol for the 2nd IVF, but egg production was still very low, and embryo quality still bad.


Generally, people are told to move onto IVF after 4 attempts at IUI. If you are older, you might not want to waste your time continuing with IUI. If you are interested in avoiding the stims, you can try natural cycle IVF... Dominion offers it.

[Anonymous]

18:00, what did you ultimately end up doing after those two IVFs? I'm sorry they didn't work out. Are you still trying?

At this point I don't have much to lose by doing another IUI - I am about to start a new cycle in the next day or two and I have all the meds for another IUI already. I'm in no way ready to start an IVF cycle right now before sitting down with the RE & my DH to discuss it in detail, so I may as well roll the dice with another IUI in the meantime. But I certainly hear you about not wasting a lot of time on IUI.

[Anonymous]

One IVF at CRMI (NYC) Failed
4 IUIs at GIVF (Fairfax, VA) Failed
1 IUI Shady grove (fairfac, VA) It worked.

[Anonymous]

We're not trying for our first, and while I can't rule out the possibility that we'd ever want another after this, we are 99% certain (DH is 110% certain!) this would be our last baby. I mean, of course you never know, but we really feel our family will be complete with one more. So we're not looking to have any to freeze, aside from the possibility of using them on subsequent attempts if it doesn't work initially. But not for a second IVF baby.

And yes, I am at SG so it's good to know that about the lab.

I feel like I understand what's involved in IUI cycles - they're really not that complicated. But when I start looking at IVF, it seems there are a million different protocols and I can't even get a sense of how long a cycle takes. Are you on BCPs for 3 weeks before you even start? Is it about a 2-month process?

I know how overwhelming the thought of IVF can be. I started trying for my first child with SG at the age of 40. I did 3 IUI's (2 BFN;s, 1 chemical) and decided not to wast anymore time since I had turned 41. I remember when the box of meds came - it was HUGE! I thought no way can I do this. But I did! And after one IVF I was successful and now my son is almost a year old. SG is so good - they explain everything and once you start doing it, it's not so daunting. It just seems that way when you first start out, but it's not so bad. I was like you, IUI's were so simple. IVF's are hard, yes, but not impossible. And what you get in the end is so worth it that you will forget all about it. I read these threads about what drugs people are taking and the doses, and to be honest, I can't remember half of anything I took - the memory of all of that has been replaced with my wonderful son.

[Anonymous]

20:17 - 18:00 here. Despite a horrible 2nd IVF, we managed to get pregnant on that cycle (with only one good embryo). They always tells you that it only takes one, and in our case, it was true.

We are now trying for child #2, and have decided to do natural cycle IVF (which is more expensive than IUI, but not much harder). As a poor responder, there isn't any point in us using meds anyway, so this seemed like a good option.

I think that IUIs are so much easier, and you always hear about people who succeed on their 4th or 5th or 6th, so it's a little like gambling... People think that if they just keep trying then the next time, it will work. That is true for some people, but obviously, not true for others. I just hate to see someone waste all of their time and money if it is ultimately not going to work for them. It might work for you...I would talk to your RE and ask for a realistic assessment of your chances of success with IUI. I think that SG has a chart on its website. I don't know if it covers stimulated IUIs though...