Any questions you wished you'd asked when you first started ART?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
My husband and I are going in for our first appointment at Shady Grove (I'm assuming it's fine if he comes with me as he's part of this journey). After over a year of trying, we've decided we need help. Due to my AMA (41), I'm hoping they'll let me move straight to IVF instead of IUIs. I've been reading forums and the books recommended here, but I'm still a bit nervous.
Are there any questions you wished you'd asked when you first started this journey, or things you would have done differently?. We're going to SG because it's a partner with our insurance, but not opposed to going elsewhere and paying out of pocket. |
Anonymous
|
Most people on this forum will say they wished they had moved onto IVF sooner, so it looks like you have that covered (yes, SG will not only allow you to go straight to IVF, but recommends it at your age).
The other thing--and this is really random--is it is a little-known fact that SG does not let you gender-select your embryos, while other clinics in the area do allow it. Doesn't matter to me, but most people don't find this out until they are deep into their treatment. |
Anonymous
| If timing is important to you, make sure you get a sense of not just the steps, but the time each one takes, and whether doing one thing or another (like an additional test) will delay you by a cycle. |
Anonymous
| Don't be afraid to switch SG docs if u don't get a good vibe from the first one you meet. They move fast, are efficient, can feel overwhelming but they know their stuff, but you must advocate/track yourself) Ask dr point blank what your odds of success are (although they will know better after they get your day 3 test results.) Ask your nurse to email you the actual test results, not just tell you 'normal' over the phone. After you get day 3 results back and SA, you will have more info, and at that point I would get 3 re's opinions (gw, SG, & out of state) very quickly before you pick a protocol, if money allows. Make sure you understand multi cycle plan or shared risk if you are open to donor egg. Good luck! (Halfway through my first ivf cycle, tough but worthwhile.) |
Anonymous
| OP here. They don't have my day 3 levels yet, only husband's semen sample and my general tests, so what type of information can we expect to receive at our first meeting with SG? |
Anonymous
They'll show you the success rates for your age group for various procedures, talk about scheduling. The financial counselor will also meet with you to go over your insurance benefits. |
Anonymous
| PP again. They'll also talk about the tests you'll be doing, along with Counsyl genetic testing info. |
Anonymous
|
I was at two other DC clinics (CFA and gwu), and neither said anything about sex selection...so I don't think that's true.
I do agree with advice to switch if you're gut says something's not working...wish I had sooner. And ask tons of questions re: diagnosis and treatment pla . Any RE who won't answer to your satisfaction isn't the right one for you. |
Anonymous
Its true based on the experiences of the people on this board... 
|
Anonymous
|
shady grove will let you if you have a specific disorder that affects one gender v. the other. that happened to me.
otherwise, your doctor has to present a case to the ethics committee to determine if this can be done. I like that SG doesn't just let you do it. IT seems wrong. |
Anonymous
Yep, we just had our embryos PGS tested and found out the sex of them. Ours were all the same, but we could have chosen which to implant, if we had a choice (at GW). They don't recommend it, especially if there are big differences in quality. |
Anonymous
|
Things I wish I had done:
1. Get more eggs out sooner. I wish I had done two egg retrievals before starting to put embryos back in. None from the first batch worked, and then my next egg retrieval was 1.5 years later. So ask about that. 2. Ask about lower doses for better egg quality. I got lots of eggs, but most of the embryos were not normal. I've since read that Cornell and some other places recommend lower doses of stims for AMA women--quality is more important than quantity. I felt great about getting 25 eggs at my first retrieval...but I only ended up with one normal embryo! 3. PGS/PGD test the embryos. I didn't do this at first, and I wasted a lot of time. And then I put the embryos at risk by unfreezing, testing, and refreezing later. I wish I had done the testing right away. It's worth the money, and when you're AMA, it's really important to identify the normal embryos. GOOD LUCK!!! |
Anonymous
GW will let you select sex if you are doing the testing for a medical reason. Meaning, if you need to get PGS testing done, they don't withhold the sex information from you. There are many threads on this topic if the OP cares to search. It's probably worth asking their policy on this upfront and understanding it early on. |
Anonymous
By how much did they decrease your meds? And how many normals did you get as a result? |
Anonymous
+1 to this. My RE did not suggest we do PGS testing until 2 transfers failed. At that point we had to pay more to thaw, test, and re-freeze, and also lost many months + failed cycles and a chemical. I wish we had done this from the beginning. |