reciprocal IVF

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I was wondering if any lesbian couple on the forum has done reciprocal IVF (one partner donates the egg and the other is implanted with the embryo using IVF) in the DC metro area? I'm curious about your experience, which facility you used, doctor, etc.

I appreciate any info you're willing to share.

Thanks!

Cross posted in the TTC forum. Not sure which area is more applicable.

[Anonymous]

We looked into it and found it to be prohibitively expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We looked into it and found it to be prohibitively expensive.

More so than the cost of IVF plus some extra drugs for the recipient to get ready for transfer? I can see some extra cost since two people are being monitored instead of one but would guess no more than donor egg and maybe even less since there isn't an issue with finding a donor etc.

[Anonymous]

That's the thing, (original poster, here) we've already got an idea of the cost and know that it's going to be very expensive. My understanding is that it will add about 5k to the already pricey process.

But this seems to be an uncommon process, so I'm just kind of curious to find others who have done this in the DC area, which Dr. they used, etc.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

The drugs are pretty expensive, and there were a lot of them. But yes, it was cycling the two of us plus monitoring that was high. We didn't otherwise require donor egg though, so I'm not sure how that compares. We were just looking at it as a way to share the experience. That said, though I'm not genetically related to my kids, it hasn't mattered at all though I did initially fear that. I'm not sure if you're looking due to medical or social reasons (and its none of my business) but we didnt have a medical issue and so the cost wasn't worth it to us- I think we spent 25k getting pregnant, which is a lot of money in our world.

[Anonymous]

I think Shady Grove will do it, and GIVF. Not sure of others as we didnt look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, not aware of GIVF. We've been to SG and while they said they'd do it, they seem reluctant and they are not getting back to us (we've only been there for a consult, that was three weeks ago and I've called twice since then. Is it summer? Is everyone on vacation? I don't know.) We've also been to CFA and they seemed to have no issue with it, didn't bat an eye at all.

We're kind of just trying to figure out where to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting, not aware of GIVF. We've been to SG and while they said they'd do it, they seem reluctant and they are not getting back to us (we've only been there for a consult, that was three weeks ago and I've called twice since then. Is it summer? Is everyone on vacation? I don't know.) We've also been to CFA and they seemed to have no issue with it, didn't bat an eye at all.

We're kind of just trying to figure out where to go.

I'm just doing regular IVF but have some restrictions and they've been slow in getting back to me. I think anyone that falls out of their "standard IVF box" gets in a pile where it takes longer to get a response. I don't know if that is because they don't actually want us as patients or because we throw their "machine" off and it actually takes longer...

[Anonymous]

I'm just doing regular IVF but have some restrictions and they've been slow in getting back to me. I think anyone that falls out of their "standard IVF box" gets in a pile where it takes longer to get a response. I don't know if that is because they don't actually want us as patients or because we throw their "machine" off and it actually takes longer...

Thanks for this. I've been wondering this very thing. Friends who've gone there who are doing some version of IUI seemed to just be whisked into the system. Their experience has been way different than ours.

Does anyone know how gay friendly GIVF is?

[Anonymous]

What you want to go is essentially (in their eyes) an uncompensated Gestational Surrogacy. It does cost more. I think we had to pay about $2,500 extra for each cycle for using a gestational surrogate. SG does many gestational surrogacies and it's run under the Donor Egg team so separate group of nurses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm just doing regular IVF but have some restrictions and they've been slow in getting back to me. I think anyone that falls out of their "standard IVF box" gets in a pile where it takes longer to get a response. I don't know if that is because they don't actually want us as patients or because we throw their "machine" off and it actually takes longer...

Thanks for this. I've been wondering this very thing. Friends who've gone there who are doing some version of IUI seemed to just be whisked into the system. Their experience has been way different than ours.

Does anyone know how gay friendly GIVF is?

No problem. FWIW, I'm not gay, just an oddball case. Nothing that spectacular but not standardized, so I don't know that it is a lack of gay friendliness or a lack of wanting to deviate from the norm EVER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you want to go is essentially (in their eyes) an uncompensated Gestational Surrogacy. It does cost more. I think we had to pay about $2,500 extra for each cycle for using a gestational surrogate. SG does many gestational surrogacies and it's run under the Donor Egg team so separate group of nurses.

This is actually less than I was expecting. And I think part of the issue is that we need to be contacted by a nurse from the donor team but we went to the downtown office and all of that stuff is in the Rockville office, so... yeah.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No problem. FWIW, I'm not gay, just an oddball case. Nothing that spectacular but not standardized, so I don't know that it is a lack of gay friendliness or a lack of wanting to deviate from the norm EVER.

I mean they seemed very open and very gay friendly both in person and on their website so I'm hoping it's a glitch in the system... or we'll just go elsewhere if it can't be resolved.

Thanks again! And good luck.

[Anonymous]

We used GIVF and they were very gay friendly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We used GIVF and they were very gay friendly.

Good to know. Thanks. They weren't really on my radar before.