IVF timeline and how to plan?

[Anonymous]

We have just been told our treatment option is IVF and feeling a bit overwhelmed with how complicated it seems. So far we are planning on a fresh transfer per advice of my RE.
We are still figuring out payment/insurance, but once we say say to the clinic let's get started, how long will it take to actually start an IVF cycle? I have heard getting the medicines can take a long time - how long does it take and any tips on this? There are some work/life events that we want to plan around so trying to get a sense of when what will happen and when. I have been told the only time to plan to be off work will be for the procedures themselves, and for the day after retrieval, is this correct?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I only took off for the retrieval-with anesthesia you really need to plan to not be at top functioning level for work. I also needed a half day off for the transfer. Some women take the full day, but I was teleworking so it did not seem like a big deal to me to go back to work after the transfer. I think medicine delivery depend on how you pay and where you buy and if they need pre-approval from your clinic or insurance - probably not an issue if you self-pay with a credit card. After that it is fast - most places overnight the medicines on ice because one of them has to be refrigerated. Your fertility clinic should be on top of this and tell you when you need to order. Don’t hesitate to call your nurse/coordinator and rely on them to help with all of the moving schedule parts. Good luck!! It is an overwhelming process at first.

[Anonymous]

I’m not too far into the process but this is what my experience has been so far. I went on Day 3 of my cycle for a sonogram/bloodwork. I was then put on birth control for 2 weeks. The clinic won’t give me the schedule until I receive the meds. It’s taking longer than I expected. Make sure the nurse is on top of getting your meds ordered. Mine kept saying that it required insurance authorization for an IVF cycle when that wasn’t the case. It’s delaying the process. Don’t be afraid to reach out and get straight answers. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Alot of this depends on your clinic. Mine was big enough they had an in-house pharmacy. Ask your clinic for a sample schedule. Some women are very grumpy and uncomfortable the 2nd half of the stimuation. I'm assuming you are on the younger side because you seem surprised it came to IVF. In that case, you are more likely to overstimulate, in which case you're better off doing a FET than fresh, so don't 100% plan on one or the other. On the other hand, if you have low ovarian reserve you could could be stimulated longer than average. You should have an idea which scenario will be you based on your AMH and AFC. And then your period comes into play. Covering all the bases, you could end up with a miscarriage, that will really throw a monkey wrench in your plans. Or you could require multiple embryo transfers. In other words, I would not be having alot of stuff with inflexible timing going on during this.

[Anonymous]

Depending what events you have on the horizon, I would be more concerned about the monitoring appointments being non-negotiable once injections start. You won’t want to be traveling during those 10-14 days. The month prior is usually just birth control or estrogen pills, which really do not impact your social/work life. I think I had one or monitoring bloodwork once I started the estrogen pills.

[Anonymous]

I did a lot of rounds of IVF, and the planning was a pain.
Your nurse should be able to give you an approximate schedule, but it is all subject to change depending on your monitoring. Plus, there are parts of the cycle that can be adjusted if you're traveling (e.g. my doc changed my course with birth control to allow me to attend a wedding).

My suggestion is to find a doc that you like and that is convenient for monitoring appointments. I went to GW, which was great since their billing dept is very organized, and the morning monitoring appointments are very efficient (and the commute worked for me). I started at Columbia Fertility, and it was too inconvenient and disorganized. I'd make an appointment to see my doc at one location, and then I would be told the day of the appointment that I'd have to show up at another location--a big pain. Plus their billing department was horrible.

Dr. Humm at GW is great about laying out options and discussing the various schedules.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone, this is all really helpful to hear about. It's mostly a big, stressful work project that will require long hours/weekends that is coming up in May, so I'd either want to be done before then or start after, since I know stress is not good for increasing chance of success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone, this is all really helpful to hear about. It's mostly a big, stressful work project that will require long hours/weekends that is coming up in May, so I'd either want to be done before then or start after, since I know stress is not good for increasing chance of success.

My advice is to start after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone, this is all really helpful to hear about. It's mostly a big, stressful work project that will require long hours/weekends that is coming up in May, so I'd either want to be done before then or start after, since I know stress is not good for increasing chance of success.

My advice is to start after.

On the other hand, if you finished before, you would have a nice distraction during the TWW.